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Biomedical subjects

R Hickman

Publications and source records attributed to R Hickman.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Completed pregnancy following vascularized heterotopic autotransplantation of the Fallopian tube in the ewe.

Transplantation of the Fallopian tube is a technically feasible operation. Previous authors have reported pregnancies following turbo-ovarian transplants, but there appears to be no record of gestation following transplantation of the isolated oviduct. This communication illustrates the method that we have used to perform Fallopian tube transplants in the ewe and documents our first full-term pregnancy following this operation. It provides further evidence of the technical feasibility of Fallopian tube transplants.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

An animal model of fulminant hepatic failure: a feasibility study.

An attempt was made to produce animal model of fulminant hepatic failure in the pig by intragastric administration of acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol). The effect of varying doses was observed in phenobarbital-pretreated and untreated animals. Assessment of optimal dose was made in terms of duration of survival and coma in animals exhibiting biochemical and histological evidence of liver necrosis. Significant liver necrosis was observed in enzyme-induced pigs only, whereas in the noninduced pigs respiratory arrest was considered a likely cause of death. Although liver necrosis occurred consistently at a dose of 0.5 to 1.1 g per kg of acetaminophen in phenobarbital-pretreated animals, survival time and coma duration were unpredictable. Only one-fifth of the total number of phenobarbital-pretreated pigs administered acetaminophen in this dose range fulfilled the prescribed criteria for a satisfactory model. There was a good correlation between survival time and duration of coma, although survival time did not correlate with acetaminophen dose, or with any of the following: peak plasma acetaminophen levels, thrombocytopenia, fall in hematocrit or fibrinogen, or alteration in other biochemical parameters. In addition to the unpredictable duration of survival and coma, the occurrence of acute anemia in 60% of the enzyme-induced animals was a major detraction from the possible usefulness of this model to evaluate various therapeutic regimes.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1976

Plasma hormone profiles in populations at different risk for breast cancer.

Evidence suggests that the reliability of urinary androgens or estrogens as prognostic discriminants for breast cancer may vary with different populations and may bear little relation to changes in plasma hormone levels. In this study the plasma estradiol level was significantly lower in Bantu, but did not in Caucasian, women with breast cancer, while the proportion of plasma androstenedione to dehydroepiandrosterone increased in Bantu patients. These changes in the plasma hormone profile in Bantu patients, a low-risk population for breast cancer, imply a change in ovarian and/or adrenal activity. Lack of similar hormone changes in Caucasian patients may be due to the initial differences in the hormone profile between the healthy Caucasian and Bantu women and to the different environmental factors that promote the breast disease in Western women.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Plasma hormone levels in different ethnic populations of women.

It has been suggested that the urinary hormone profile is subject to environmental changes, such as urbanization and Westernization, and that the composition of the hormones can be used as a discriminate in determining the patient at risk for breast cancer. In this study, a comparison of the plasma hormone levels in Bantu and Japanese women, low-risk populations, and Caucasian women, a high-risk population, showed a higher level of 17 beta-estradiol in prepubertal girls and young Bantu and Japanese women. The higher estrogen level in the Bantu was evident in the early luteal and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. The difference in the dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone levels in Bantu young women and prepubertal Bantu girls, suggests differences in adrenal activity between Bantu and Caucasian women. A fall in the plasma androstenedione was evident in postmenopausal Bantu and Japanese but not Caucasian women. Data suggest that the hormone profile is different among the 3 ethnic groups in both the pre- and postmenopausal women. Since the daily life-style of the women is comparable, it is suggested that the composition of the hormone profile is partially dependent on dietary on dietary factors.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1975

Acute biochemical and histological effects of portacaval shunt in the normal rat.

In previous studies of rats with portacaval shunts, elevated gamma-globulin levels 2 weeks after shunt were attributed to antibodies to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, which were normally filtered by the liver. This study was designed to determine the tempo of this rise and the magnitude of hepatocellular damage within the first 4 days of the operation. Acute reversible hepatocellular damage was shown by elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase which returned to normal within 48 hours. This was confirmed on histology. There was no rise in gamma-globulin during this study but levels of albumin were better maintained in shunted rats than in sham-operated rats. Levels of alpha2 and beta-globulin in the former fell in comparison with the latter animals.

Alpha-Globulins↗
PubMed1975

Problems with an electromagnetic blood flowmeter.

Recurrent unexplained interference and day-to-day variation were encountered during preliminary studies with a sine-wave electromagnetic flowmeter. Using in vitro techniques, contributory causes were found to be defective leads to the flowmeter cuffs, inadequate contact between cuff and vessel, and failure to use an earth lead. When these faults were corrected, a study was made of the effects of haematocrit, temperature and the comparison of blood vessel or dialysis tubing in vitro. Final in vivo confirmation of the validity of the cuff was obtained by comparison with a cannula probe.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Renal transplantation in the unimmunosuppressed pig: an abnormal response.

A series of 82 kidney allografts and autografts in unimmunosuppressed pigs surviving for longer than 5 days has been compared with a previously reported series of 24 unimmunosuppressed pig kidney allografts. In the previous series 40 per cent survived for longer than 20 days. In the present series only 2 per cent of 55 transplants performed in cross-bred pigs obtained from different farms survived for longer than 20 days. The major causes of death were unrelated to rejection, prinicipally gastric ulcer bleeding. In the further 16 transplants between different pure-bred animals (thereby ensuring genetic disparity) the ulcer incidence was lowered by a gastro-enterostomy, and 12 per cent survived for longer than 20 days. Histological assessment of rejection in the latter group revealed 20 per cent with minimal rejection, was considered insufficient to account for the death of the animals. Based on the evaluation of 95 unimmunosuppressed pig kidney allografts in both series, it is concluded that a wide and unpredictable range of survival time occurs. Therefore the pig kidney allograft model is an unsatisfactory model in which to study immunosuppressive régimes. Also the unimmunosuppressed pig appears to show less evidence of kidney allograft rejection than the dog, irrespective of genetic disparity. It is tentatively suggested that this might be a lesser manifestation of the unexplained phenomenon of minimal rejection of liver allografts noted in unimmunosuppressed pigs.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

The effect of acute ethanol administration on the exocrine pancreatic secretion of the pig.

The acute effect of intravenous and intragastric alcohol on exocrine pancreatic secretion was studied in pigs with chronic pancreatic and gastric fistulas. A new H-type pancreatic cannula was designed for the study. With intravenous alcohol and the gastric fistula open, increased gastric acid secretion occurred but pancreatic enzyme output was inhibited. When acid was allowed to inter the duodenum by closing the gastric fistula, intravenous alcohol produced a secretin-like effect of increased pancreatic volume and bicarbonate secretion. Intragastric alcohol caused an increase in volume, bicarbonate and enzyme output. This was probably due initially to direct gastroduodenal stimulation as the same response occurred following intragastric mannitol of similar volume, pH and osmolality. The subsequently sustained increase in volume and bicarbonate was possibly a secondary secretin-like response following absorption of alcohol. It is concluded that the pig pancreas responds to alcohol as has been described in other animals. The use of a single model has allowed clarification of various phases of response invoking the effects of secretin, gastric and glucagon.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Prevalence of Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum (T strains) in urine of adolescents.

Adolescent children were surveyed for colonization with Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum by culturing urine specimens. Rates were compared between three study groups: (i) 397 children attending parochial schools, (ii) 293 children attending an adolescent clinic specializing in adjustment problems, and (iii) 86 children attending a renal clinic. The recovery rate was higher among postpubertal girls attending the renal clinic (33%) and the adolescent clinic (26%) than among students attending parochial high school (males 2%, females 8%). Girls had approximately eightfold higher rates than boys of the same age. Isolation of Mycoplasmataceae was associated with certain sociological determinants, such as dating, cigarette smoking, and coming from a broken home, but also with abnormal findings (protein, leucocytes) in urine.

Adolescent↗