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Biomedical subjects

S Griffiths

Publications and source records attributed to S Griffiths.

90 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Trial of three-day and ten-day courses of amoxycillin in otitis media.

A randomised double-blind controlled trial compared three-day and 10-day courses of amoxycillin (25 mg/kg daily) in children with otitis media. Seventeen doctors from five centres admitted 84 children between the ages of 2 and 10 years. Symptoms and signs were measured on admission to the trial, on day 3, and on day 15. Mother's observations were recorded daily for 10 days. Audiograms were performed at four and 12 weeks after the end of the trial. The treatment groups showed little difference in the speed of resolution of symptoms and signs, the numbers of primary treatment failures, or the frequency of recurrent ear infections. There were no complications in either group. Most children with otitis media can probably be successfully and safely treated with no more than a three-day course of amoxycillin providing their progress is reviewed about the fifth or sixth day after treatment started. This policy could save over 1 million pounds annually in antibiotic costs.

Amoxicillin↗

The abnormal morphology of polyoma-transformed baby hamster kidney cells is due to a failure to respond to 70K spreading factor.

The typical elongated bipolar morphology of baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells is not shown by polyoma-transformed BHK (Py-BHK) cells. Instead, the transformed line adheres poorly to tissue-culture plastic and cells have a more rounded morphology than the parent line. Plasma fibronectin is known to mediate the spreading of BHK cells, but when human serum is subjected to Sephacryl S-300 chromatography two peaks of spreading activity are eluted; the first is fibronectin and the second, which is quantitatively more significant, is a 70 K protein that is not related to fibronectin and stimulates spreading by a different mechanism. Py-BHK cells spread well in low concentrations of purified fibronectin but will not spread well in levels of serum that contain similar or greater concentrations of fibronectin. This is because fibronectin-mediated spreading of both BHK and Py-BHK cells occurs only in the presence of low concentrations of other proteins; albumin and other serum proteins inhibit fibronectin-mediated spreading. BHK cells spread under routine culture conditions in response to the 70 K factor rather than fibronectin. The altered morphology that results from viral transformation is due to a failure of the cells to respond to the 70 K spreading factor.

Animals↗

The distribution of cell-spreading activities in sera: a quantitative approach.

Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration of animal sera is used to demonstrate that there are at least 2 components that promote the 'spreading' of cells in culture. A morphometric technique is described to quantitate the spreading process. For a number of cell strains and established cell lines the more quantitatively significant spreading factor is not fibronectin. Rather it is a component with fibronectin and seems to cause spreading via a different mechanism from that stimulated by fibronectin. Thus fibronectin will cause spreading in the absence of protein synthesis, whereas the smaller component requires protein synthesis. The kinetics of spreading are also different at all concentrations of the factors that are effective. By comparing the spreading promoted by whole sera with that promoted by separate serum fractions following chromatography we conclude that under normal conditions plasma fibronectin plays little part in initial cell spreading. This view is supported by the fact that fibronectin-depleted serum will stimulate cell spreading.

Animals↗

Functional anatomy of lymph nodes. II. Peripheral lymph-borne mononuclear cells.

In the rabbit a number of large mononuclear cells with ruffled surface membranes travel from the skin and superficial tissues of the leg, via the lymphatics, to the popliteal lymph node: they constitute 40-50% of the total cell population in the afferent lymph. About 10% of these cells are actively phagocytic when tested in vitro and about 3% are found to contain Langerhans granules. After isotopic labelling the majority of lymph-borne mononuclear cells can be detected within the regional node for at least 24 hours; most being located in the paracortex and a few in the interfollicular cortex. It is proposed that these cells, including those containing Langerhans granules, belong to the "mononuclear phagocyte system." Possible functions of these lymph-borne cells are discussed with particular reference to antigen transport.

Adenosine↗

Insulin glargine (Lantus).

Insulin glargine (Lantus) is a long-acting, human insulin analogue that has been specifically designed to overcome the deficiencies of traditionally available 'intermediate-acting' insulins that are currently used for basal insulin supplementation. In contrast to NPH insulin, subcutaneous insulin glargine injected once daily provides a relatively constant basal level of circulating insulin with no pronounced peak. In patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, once-daily insulin glargine achieves equivalent glycaemic control to NPH insulin given once or twice daily In patients with type 1 diabetes, it is associated with significantly lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, especially in those patients previously on twice-daily NPH insulin. Insulin glargine is well tolerated and elicits less hypoglycaemia, especially nocturnal episodes, than NPH insulin, with similar levels of glycaemic control. This benefit is seen in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, in particular those previously on a once-daily NPH insulin regimen. Patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have also reported higher levels of treatment satisfaction when treated with insulin glargine. Insulin glargine provides the opportunity to achieve target blood glucose levels more effectively and safely compared with NPH insulin, due to the reduced risk of hypoglycaemia, especially nocturnal hypoglycaemia. Insulin treatment needs to be individualised, with the dose of insulin glargine adjusted according to the blood glucose level as part of an aggressive regimen in an attempt to achieve near normoglycaemia without incurring episodes of hypoglycaemia. Insulin glargine should be used in combination with short-acting insulin analogues in patients with type 1 diabetes. In patients where oral hypoglycaemic agents are failing, insulin glargine can be added. The early introduction of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes is to be encouraged.

Adult↗

The neglected male.

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Health Promotion↗

Community unit trusts.

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Community Health Services↗