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Biomedical subjects

R Watson

Publications and source records attributed to R Watson.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Choice of local anaesthetic drug for extradural caesarean section. Comparison of 0.5% and 0.75% bupivacaine and 1.5% etidocaine.

One hundred women undergoing elective lower uterine segment Caesarean section under extradural anaesthesia received either 0.5% or 0.75% plain bupivacaine or 1.5% etidocaine with adrenaline 1:200 000 by random allocation. The time taken to establish satisfactory blockade for surgery was significantly shorter in the etidocaine group compared with either of the bupivacaine groups (P less than 0.001). There were no significant differences in the durations of either analgesia or motor blockade in the three groups. The efficacy of the sensory blockade, measured by the incidence of discomfort during the surgical procedure and the requirements for supplementary analgesia or general anaesthesia, was greater in the bupivacaine groups compared with the etidocaine group. Measurement of plasma bupivacaine concentrations in 34 of the patients revealed significantly increased umbilical venous concentrations at the time of birth in those who received 0.75% bupivacaine (P less than 0.05). There was no advantage in the use of bupivacaine in concentrations exceeding 0.5%. Etidocaine 1.5% may be of some value in situations where minimal delay in establishing adequate extradural blockade for surgery is desirable, but in view of its comparatively poor analgesic effects, routine use is not recommended.

Acetanilides↗
PubMed1984

Plasma bupivacaine concentrations during combined regional and general anaesthesia for resection and reconstruction of head and neck carcinomata.

Venous plasma bupivacaine concentrations were measured in patients undergoing resection and reconstruction surgery for intra-oral malignancy. Vth cranial nerve and cervical plexus blocks were performed using 0.5% bupivacaine. Total dosage was higher than recommended by U.K. manufacturers. Mean peak venous plasma concentrations were higher than previously recorded. A significant different was found in the peak concentrations when adrenaline was included. The significance of these results in relation to systemic toxicity and recommended dosage is discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Somatomedin activity in tracheal fluid from the newborn infant.

Somatomedin activity was determined by porcine cartilage bioassay and somatomedin-C RIA in matched samples of tracheal fluid (TF), amniotic fluid (AF), and cord (CP) and maternal plasma collected during the delivery of normal infants of 36-40 weeks gestation. Somatomedin levels determined by both assay systems were significantly greater in TF than in AF [TF, 0.40 +/- 0.04 (+/- SE) U/ml; AF, 0.20 +/- 0.02 U/ml by bioassay in 11 infants; TF, 0.25 +/- 0.04 U/ml; AF, 0.18 +/- 0.03 U/ml, by RIA in 6 infants; P less than 0.005]. When chromatographed on Bio-Gel P10 at pH 3.5, the major part of the somatomedin immunoreactivity from both TF and CP eluted in the same position as iodinated somatomedin-C (mol wt, 7600). Somatomedin activity recovered after chromatography of TF and CP increased the incorporation of radiothymidine by growth-restricted human fetal fibroblasts in vitro. Maternal plasma contained 2.49 U/ml radioimmunoassayable somatomedin-C, a value higher than that in the nonpregnant adult. The results suggest that the human fetal lung contributes somatomedin to TF and raises the possibility that these peptides are involved in lung growth or maturation.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1984

Hodgkin's disease presenting with rectal symptoms in a homosexual male. A case report and review of the literature.

A 33-year-old homosexual man presented with complaints of rectal discharge and tenesmus. There was no evidence of organomegaly or lymphadenopathy. Biopsy of a rectal mass revealed Hodgkin's disease. The literature of rectal Hodgkin's disease is reviewed, and the possible relationship of this unusual case to the recent outbreak of other unusual malignancies in homosexual males is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Comparison of plasmids Co1E2-P9 and Co1E2-CA42 and their immunity proteins.

Plasmids ColE2-CA42 (6.1 kilobases) and ColE2-P9 (6.8 kilobases) were found to have homologous (4.3-kilobase) DNA segments which contain their colicin and immunity genes. The relatedness of their immunity proteins was verified by determining their amino acid compositions and N-terminal sequences. These characteristics were compared with those of ColE3-CA38.

Bacteriocin Plasmids↗
PubMed1982

Human DNA sequence homologous to the transforming gene (mos) of Moloney murine sarcoma virus.

We describe the molecular cloning of a 9-kilo-base-pair BamHI fragment from human placental DNA containing a sequence homologous to the transforming gene (v-mos) of Moloney murine sarcoma virus. The DNA sequence of the homologous region of human DNA (termed humos) was resolved and compared to that of the mouse cellular homolog of v-mos (termed mumos) [Van Beveren, C., van Straaten, F., Galleshaw, J.A. & Verma, I.M. (1981) Cell 27, 97-108]. The humos gene contained an open reading frame of 346 codons that was aligned with the equivalent mumos DNA sequence by the introduction of two gaps of 15 and 3 bases into the mumos DNA and a single gap of 9 bases into the humos DNA. The aligned coding sequences were 77% homologous and terminated at equivalent opal codons. The humos open reading frame initiated at an ATG found internally in the mumos coding sequence. The polypeptides predicted from the DNA sequence to be encoded by humos and mumos also were found to be extensively homologous, and 253 of 337 amino acids were shared between the two polypeptides. The first five NH2-terminal and last two COOH-terminal amino acids of the humos gene product were in common with those of mumos. In addition, near the middle of the polypeptide chains, four regions ranging from 19 to 26 consecutive amino acids were conserved. However, we have not been able to transform mouse cells with transfected humos DNA fragments or with hybrid DNA recombinants containing humos and retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Effects of age on rat liver enzymes. A study using isolated hepatocytes, endothelial and Kupffer cells.

Hepatocytes, endothelial and Kupffer cells were isolated from young adult (3 month) and old (24 month) rat livers and the activities of some plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrial, lysosomal and soluble enzymes compared using biochemical and electron microscope cytochemical techniques. Age-associated changes included: a decrease in glucose-6-phosphatase activity both in hepatocytes and sinus lining cells; and increase in alkaline phosphatase in endothelial cells but a decrease in hepatocytes; reduced basal and glucagon-induced adenyl cyclase in hepatocytes and endothelial cells and an increase in the number of hepatocytes with gamma-glutamyl transferase reaction. Cytochemistry showed that heterogeneity may also be characteristic of senescence particularly with regard to hepatocyte glucose-6-phosphatase which was absent in some cells, low in many cells but high in some and gamma-glutamyl transferase which was normally lacking from hepatocytes but localised as large deposits of reaction product on the plasma membranes of occasional cells isolated from old donors.

Aging↗
PubMed1981

Identification and characterization of Col plasmids from classical colicin E-producing strains.

A series of transformants have been derived which carry the Col plasmids from 11 E-colicin-producing strains isolated by Fredericq or Hamon. The ColE plasmids identified included four of type E1, five of type E2, and two of a type designated E4 by Horak (Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Parasitenkd. Infektionskr. Hyg. Abt. 1 Orig. Reihe A 233:58-63, 1975). Strain K317 was shown to carry a ColE7 plasmid and a 2.7-megadalton (Md) ColE2imm plasmid which confers immunity to colicin E2 but not the ability to produce colicin. Other plasmids identified in the colicinogenic isolates were a 3.4-Md ColN plasmid and a 1.3-Md Col plasmid of unknown type. The ColE1 plasmids all continued replicating in cultures treated with chloramphenicol. Strains carrying the ColE4 or ColE3-CA38 plasmid exhibited partial sensitivity to their own colicins and exhibited an unusual clearing-zone morphology when overlaid on stabs of colicin E2- or E7-producing strains. Except for ColE1-K53, ColE1-K47, ColE2-CA42, and ColE7-K317, all of the ColE plasmids were found to be about 4.3 Md in size. ColE2-CA42 and ColE7-K317 are both about 3.9 Md and are the only two plasmids of the E2, E3, E4, and E7 types that did not yield a 0.39-Md deoxyribonucleic acid fragment as an EcoRI digestion product. The comparisons of the ColE plasmids suggest several structural and functional relationships among them.

Bacteriocin Plasmids↗
PubMed1980

Restriction endonuclease mapping of ColE2-P9 and ColE3-CA38 plasmids.

Using single and double restriction-endonuclease digestions, 16 and 17 cleavage sites have been mapped for the ColE2-P9 and ColE3-CA38 plasmids, respectively. One or more sites for AvaI, BglI, EcoRI, HincII, PvuI, PvuII, SmaI and XhoI endonucleases were found in both plasmids, two BglII sites were found only in ColE2-P9, and one KpnI site was unique to ColE3-CA38. ColE2-P9 was found to be slightly smaller than ColE3-CA38, 4.4 Md compared to 4.6 Md. Eleven restriction sites are common to both plasmids in that they are identically placed relative to each other. These sites define a continuous DNA segment equal to over 60% of each plasmid. The remaining portions of the plasmids, which contain the non-homologous regions identified by Inselburg and Johns (1975) have no restriction sites in common, and differ in size by about 0.2 Md.

Bacteriocin Plasmids↗
PubMed1980

An unusual case of maternal death.

A 21-year-old primigravid patient presented at 16 weeks gestation with rectal pain. She developed peritonitis at 36 weeks gestation. At laparotomy a very inflamed right fallopian tube and ovary was removed together with a healthy looking appendix. Premature labour occurred two days later with delivery of a stillborn infant. Her general condition deteriorated. On rectal biopsy a mucin secreting carcinoma, probably of secondary origin, was found. Shortly before her death a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the breast was diagnosed.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1978

Discrepancies in thyroxine measurement in pregnancy between radioimmunoassay and competitive protein binding (Oxford StaT4).

The StaT4 test is a technically simple test of thyroxine measurement, which apparently gives results in good agreement with those derived by radioimmunoassay in most patients. In pregnancy, however, falsely low serum thyroxine values were found with the StaT4 test when compared with either a radioimmunoassay or the Thyopac-4 test. Detailed studies showed that the discrepancy resulted from the extraction technique used in the StaT4 test, which appears to allow the patient's thyroxine binding proteins to remain in the assay system. Similar method discrepancies were observed in other clinical conditions associated with elevated thyroxine binding globulin concentration. This study, as well as being of practical clinical importance, has implications for the design of competitive protein binding tests of thyroid function.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗