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Biomedical subjects

S Love

Publications and source records attributed to S Love.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Confirmation by Doppler echocardiography of valvular regurgitation in a horse with a ruptured chorda tendinea of the mitral valve.

Regurgitation of blood through the left atrioventricular valve owing to the rupture of one of the chordae tendineae of the valve was diagnosed in a horse with sudden-onset respiratory distress and a holosystolic cardiac murmur. Severe regurgitation was confirmed with Doppler echocardiography and prolapse of part of the valve leaflet was identified with B-mode ultrasonography. The rupture of one of the chordae tendineae of a right accessory cusp of the left atrioventricular valve was confirmed post mortem. Bronchiolitis, multifocal haemorrhages and haemorrhagic fibrous plaques were found in the pleura of the dorsocaudal segments of the lungs.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Conservative surgery and radiotherapy for early breast cancer.

In 1984, as part of a prior American Cancer Society National Conference on Breast Cancer, the authors reported on the status of conservative surgery (CS) and radiotherapy (RT) as primary local treatment for women with early stage breast cancer. Since that time, additional data have become available regarding the use of this approach and its comparability to mastectomy. In general, these data support the use of CS and RT and, as a result, this approach is now more widely employed in the United States and abroad than it was in 1984. The current focus of inquiry has shifted from whether or not CS and RT is an acceptable option for patients with early stage breast cancer to the following questions. For which patients are CS and RT suitable? What are the best techniques of surgery and RT? Are there any patients who can be treated safely with CS without RT? How should RT and systemic therapy be integrated when both are to be used? In this report, recent results on the use of CS and RT from both retrospective and prospective trials are summarized, and these current areas of inquiry are addressed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1990

Diarrhoea in adult horses: a survey of clinical cases and an assessment of some prognostic indices.

Samples of faeces and blood were obtained from 66 adult horses with diarrhoea. The results of routine bacteriological, parasitological, haematological and biochemical tests were correlated with the outcome of the cases. Twenty-two (33 per cent) of the horses died or were destroyed as a consequence of the diarrhoea. A diagnosis was reached in only 23 cases (35 per cent), and in nine of them only at post mortem examination. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from five cases. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the horses which survived and those which died in their packed cell volumes, white blood cell counts, neutrophil counts, serum albumin concentrations and alkaline phosphatase activities.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Adjuvant systemic therapy for patients with node-negative tumors.

Early adjuvant therapy studies, especially adjuvant chemotherapy studies, were performed almost exclusively on patients with histologically involved axillary lymph nodes ("node-positive" patients). These therapies were restricted to this group of patients because the toxicities of adjuvant therapy were believed too great to justify its use in patients with a very good prognosis until its benefits were fully established. However, after it was demonstrated that adjuvant therapy can significantly prolong the disease-free survival of almost all groups of node-positive patients and the overall survival of some patient subsets, adjuvant therapy trials specifically designed for patients without histologically involved lymph nodes ("node-negative" patients) were initiated. Results from some of the largest of these second generation trials were recently published, and the early results from these studies have generated new questions. For example, will the mature results from these studies be nearly identical to the results seen in node-positive patients, or will node-negative patients derive greater benefits from adjuvant therapy? Is it possible that adjuvant therapy will "cure" node-negative patients but not node-positive patients? (Cure is defined here as an effect of therapy that returns a patient to the life expectancy she might have had if she had never been diagnosed with breast cancer). Is it possible that the added years of life from adjuvant therapy or that the number of node-negative patients who benefit are so small that these benefits will be outweighed by delayed toxicities that appear in patients who might have been cured even without adjuvant therapy? At present the available data to answer these questions definitely are either contradictory or nonexistent.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1990

Clinical and pathological correlates of HPV type 16 DNA in anal cancer.

The aetiology of anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has recently been associated with a sexually transmissible agent--human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16. In this study clinical and pathological data from a prospective series of 67 anal SCC collected over a three year period were compared with the HPV type 16 DNA content of these tumours to determine whether any of the clinical or histological parameters might predict HPV DNA content in a tumour specimen. Of twelve clinicopathological variables examined none was significantly correlated with HPV DNA content at the p = 0.01 level.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Early breast cancer: predictors of breast recurrence for patients treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy.

The identification of factors associated with breast recurrence following conservative surgery (CS) and radiation therapy (RT) is of potential use in refining patient selection criteria and treatment technique. In an attempt to define such factors we examined the relationship between various clinical, pathologic and treatment characteristics and the likelihood of breast recurrence in 783 patients with clinical stage I or II breast cancer treated between July 1968 and December 1982. Treatment consisted of complete gross excision of the primary tumor and RT to a total dose of at least 60 Gy to the primary site. During this period, pre-treatment mammograms and detailed histologic assessment of the margins of resection were not routinely performed. Median follow-up for surviving patients was 80 months. Thirteen patients (1.6%) were lost to follow-up. Ninety-one patients (12%) have developed a breast recurrence, corresponding to 5- and 10-year actuarial rates of 10 and 18%, respectively. The major feature associated with breast recurrence was the presence of an "extensive intraductal component" (EIC+). An EIC+ tumor was seen in 28% of evaluable cases with infiltrating ductal carcinoma and accounted for 60% of breast recurrences. Forty-three of 166 patients (26%) with EIC+ tumors developed a breast recurrence compared with 29 of 418 patients (7%) without an EIC (EIC-) (p = 0.0001). The 5-year actuarial rates of breast relapse were 24 and 6%, respectively (p = 0.0001). Very young age (defined as 34 years of age or younger) was also a significant factor associated with the risk of breast recurrence. Very young patients comprised 8% of the patient population and accounted for 16% of breast recurrences. Fifteen of 61 very young patients (25%) developed a breast recurrence compared with 76 of 722 older patients (11%) (p = 0.001). The corresponding 5-year actuarial rates of breast recurrence were 21 and 9% (p = 0.005). None of the other clinical or pathological factors examined by univariate analysis were significantly correlated with recurrence in the breast. A multivariate model of site of first failure (polychotomous logistic regression) also showed that EIC+ tumors and very young age were the main factors associated with a high relative risk of breast recurrence. We conclude that EIC+ tumors and very young age are associated with a high risk of breast recurrence for patients treated with limited excision prior to RT.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1990

Prognosis at presentation of small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Prognostic factors in 411 patients with small cell lung carcinoma have been retrospectively analysed. Univariate analysis of continuous variables showed that prognosis was worse with deteriorating performance status, extensive disease, positive bone scan, increasing age, elevated total white cell count, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and decreased serum chloride and albumin. Low serum sodium was less clearly associated with poor survival. Cox multivariate regression showed that performance status, disease extent, age and raised lactate dehydrogenase and white cell count were independent prognostic factors. When disease extent was excluded from analysis, performance status, age, total white cell count, lowered serum chloride and raised lactate dehydrogenase were significant independent prognostic variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Aesthetic results following partial mastectomy and radiation therapy.

This study was undertaken to determine the aesthetic changes inherent in partial mastectomy followed by radiation therapy in the treatment of stage I and stage II breast cancer. A retrospective analysis of breast cancer patients treated according to the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project Protocol B-06 was undertaken in 57 patients from 1984 to the present. The size of mastectomy varied between 2 x 1 cm and 15 x 8 cm. Objective aesthetic outcome, as determined by physical and photographic examination, was influenced primarily by surgical technique as opposed to the effects of radiation. These technical factors included orientation of resections, breast size relative to size of resection, location of tumor, and extent and orientation of axillary dissection. Regarding cosmesis, 80 percent of patients treated in this study judged their result to be excellent or good, in comparison to 50 percent excellent or good as judged by the plastic surgeon. Only 10 percent would consider mastectomy with reconstruction for contralateral disease. Asymmetry and contour abnormalities are far more common than noted in the radiation therapy literature. Patients satisfaction with lumpectomy and radiation, however, is very high. This satisfaction is not necessarily based on objective criteria defining aesthetic parameters, but is strongly influenced by retainment of the breast as an original body part.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Late cosmetic outcome after conservative surgery and radiotherapy: analysis of causes of cosmetic failure.

Although the majority of patients with early breast cancer treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy have acceptable cosmetic outcomes, the specific causes of a less-than-acceptable result are not well known. To assess the technical factors associated with late cosmetic failure, we reviewed the records of 593 patients treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Boston, between 1968 and 1981. Median follow-up was 76 months with a range of 37-186 months. Using a 4-point scoring system (excellent, good, fair, poor) patients were noted to have cosmetic "failure" if scored as either fair or poor. Cosmetic results were similar at 3, 5, and 7 years with excellent or good scores seen in 88%, 90%, and 78% of patients, respectively. Three technical factors were associated with a significant worsening of the cosmetic results. The resection of 70 cm3 or more of breast tissue was more common among the failed patients than among matched patients with good or excellent results (p = 0.03). Eighty-nine percent of patients treated with a tangent pair technique had excellent results at 5 years compared to 69% of patients treated with a three-field technique (p = 0.004). The use of a larger volume implant was associated with a greater risk of a fair or poor cosmetic result compared to the use of a smaller volume implant. We conclude that overall cosmesis has been acceptable in this series, but there are technical (surgery and radiotherapy) factors which can be modified to optimize the cosmetic result without compromising local tumor control.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1989

Active reduced-size hexapeptide analogues of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone.

A series of reduced-size hexapeptide analogues of LH-RH were synthesized that contain the residues corresponding to amino acid positions 4-9 and are linked to various carboxylic acids in place of residue 3. These compounds were tested in vitro in the rat pituitary receptor binding and LH release assays. A wide range of binding affinities was obtained up to and exceeding that of LH-RH. Both agonists and antagonists were obtained. From the SAR studies, it appears that a very precise size, length, and shape of the substituent at position 3 is required to achieve agonist activity, whereas the structural requirements for antagonist activity appear to be much less stringent. Depending on the nature of the substituent at positions 6 and 4, the biological response switches from antagonist to agonist or vice versa. The results suggest that conformational changes at position 6 or 4 feed back to the substituent at position 3, which induces the change from agonist to antagonist. The most potent compounds in the series were tested in vivo and found to be active.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Environmental enrichment and recovery from a complex Go/No-Go reversal deficit in rats following large unilateral neocortical lesions.

Postoperative environmental enrichment in brain-lesioned rats has been found to enhance performance in tasks in which a range of sensory cues can be utilized but not in tasks in which information from one particular sensory modality is essential to goal attainment. This has generally been construed as evidence of a role for environmental enrichment in facilitating compensation for sensory loss but not recovery of lost function per se. However, most published investigations have adopted an experimental design which fails to empirically separate the processes of recovery and compensation. The present investigation, by employing a unisensory task and using unilateral cortical lesions, thus markedly reducing the functional value of compensatory mechanisms in the mediation of postoperative behaviour, seeks to distinguish the contributions of these processes. The results show a sizeable hemidecorticate deficit on a visual operant Go/No-go reversal task but fail to provide clear evidence of any facilitation of functional recovery as a result of postoperative environmental enrichment.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Cuprizone neurotoxicity in the rat: morphologic observations.

Weanling male Wistar rats fed a diet containing 0.5-2% cuprizone developed intramyelinic edema of the cerebellar white matter, hilum of the dentate nucleus and superior cerebellar peduncle. Oligodendrocytes in these regions showed hyperchromatic nuclei and abnormally dense cytoplasm, with an increase in the number of free ribosomes and enlargement of mitochondria. Unlike the lesions produced by cuprizone in weanling mice, those in the rat did not lead to demyelination. Cuprizone caused a distal peripheral axonopathy, with degeneration of myelinated axons in the sciatic nerve but preservation of the spinal nerve roots, dorsal root ganglia, posterior spinal funiculi and anterior horn cells. Unmyelinated fibers were largely spared. Some axonal regeneration occurred despite the continued administration of cuprizone. The intramyelinic edema and the nuclear and cytoplasmic abnormalities of the oligodendrocytes disappeared after the resumption of a normal diet.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The effect of young age on tumor recurrence in the treated breast after conservative surgery and radiotherapy.

Prognostic factors for local recurrence following conservative surgery and radiation therapy for patients with early breast cancer have not been fully established. To evaluate the importance of young age as a prognostic factor for local recurrence, we reviewed the results of treatment of 597 patients with 607 UICC-AJCC Stage I or II breast cancers, 47 of which were diagnosed when the patient was less than 35 years old. All were treated with excisional biopsy and a total dose to the site of the primary tumor of 60 Gy or more. The median follow-up in survivors was 63 months. Patient age and the presence of an extensive intraductal component (EIC) were both highly associated with the likelihood of tumor recurrence in the treated breast. Patients under 35 had an actuarial 5-year recurrence rate of 26%, compared to 10% for older patients (p = 0.002). Patients with an EIC had a breast recurrence rate of 25%, compared to 5% when EIC was absent (p less than 0.0001). Although the incidence of an EIC was higher in the younger subgroup (44% vs. 31%), this alone did not account for the difference in in breast recurrence rates, since younger patients had a higher recurrence rate than older patients even when an EIC was absent (22% vs. 3%, p = 0.0003). We conclude that the age of the patient is an important prognostic factor for local recurrence following conservative surgery and radiation therapy. This finding is in part attributed to the observation that younger women are more likely to have tumors with an EIC than older women, but even when an EIC is absent, they may be at an increased risk of local recurrence. However, caution is required in interpreting these findings with regard to selecting among treatment options until further data are available comparing the results of conservative surgery and radiation therapy to those of mastectomy in younger patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Alz-50, ubiquitin and tau immunoreactivity of neurofibrillary tangles, Pick bodies and Lewy bodies.

Immunocytochemical and quantitative immunochemical techniques were used to study the expression of Alz-50 antigen, ubiquitin and Tau in neurologic disorders characterized by the formation of filamentous neuronal inclusions. Alz-50, anti-ubiquitin and Tau-1 immunostained the intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles and the neuritic component of plaques, both in Alzheimer's disease and in the brains of patients without dementia, but extraneuronal tangles were largely unstained. These antibodies also reacted with Pick bodies, and with the neurofibrillary tangles of Kufs' disease and Guam Parkinsonism-dementia. In sections from the brain of a patient with progressive supranuclear palsy, virtually all of the tangles were immunostained with Tau-1 but only a few with Alz-50 or anti-ubiquitin. Anti-ubiquitin also labelled Lewy bodies and the inclusions of granulovacuolar degeneration. Quantitative analysis of immunoblots of homogenized frontal cortex showed significantly more Alz-50 antigen in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's and Pick's disease than in controls. The level of this antigen was increased both in the crude homogenates and in the cytosolic fraction. Ubiquitin immunoreactivity was increased only in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and then only in the crude homogenates. The finding that antigenic determinants for Alz-50, anti-ubiquitin and Tau-1 are shared by several filamentous neuronal inclusions occurring in diverse neurologic disorders may reflect common metabolic defects underlying the formation of these inclusions, or common metabolic responses to their presence.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Peripheral nerve findings in Rett syndrome.

Sural nerve and peroneus brevis muscle biopsies were studied in 12 patients with Rett syndrome, ten with the typical form of the disorder according to 1985 criteria, and two with atypical features. Ages ranged from 23 months to 25 years. All stages of the disease were represented. There was evidence of a mild axonal neuropathy in seven of 12 patients. Degenerative and occasional regenerative changes were seen in five sural nerve biopsies, including one from the youngest patient in the series, who was normally nourished and fully ambulatory. Occasional nonspecific ultrastructural abnormalities were present, including accumulation of pi granules in Schwann cells and Hirano bodies within axons. However, morphometric analysis of the four nerves in which these alterations were most prominent showed a normal density and size distribution of myelinated fibers. Enzyme histochemistry of the peroneus brevis biopsies demonstrated abnormal predominance of type II muscle fibers in three of the 12 biopsies and atrophy of type I fibers in one patient.

Adolescent↗