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Biomedical subjects

W F McCormick

Publications and source records attributed to W F McCormick.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Poisoning from oral ingestion of carbofuran (Furadan 4F), a cholinesterase-inhibiting carbamate insecticide, and its effects on cholinesterase activity in various biological fluids.

A case is presented of a fatal ingestion of Furadan (carbofuran), a cholinesterase-inhibiting carbamate insecticide. A 26-year-old white male was found dead with a partially filled 1-gal (3.8-L) container of Furadan 4F insecticide-nematocide (44.9% carbofuran). The individual had ingested approximately 345 mL of the mixture. Analysis of cholinesterase activity in various biological fluids was performed spectrophotometrically using propionylthiocholine and 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid [Sigma Diagnostics, cholinesterase procedure No. 422 (PTC)] which was measured at 405 nm and 30 degrees C in a Gilford Stasar III Spectrophotometer. The cholinesterase activities were as follows: plasma, 245 units (U)/L (93% inhibition/7% normal activity); serum, 208 U/L (95.3% inhibition/4.7% normal activity); whole blood, 297 U/L (92.8% inhibition/7.2% normal activity); erythrocytes, 58 U/L (99% inhibition/1% normal activity); vitreous humor, 7 U/L; and bile, 148 U/L. Carbofuran was detected in the blood and gastric contents by thin-layer chromatography. No alcohol or other drugs were detected in the blood, urine, or gastric contents. Ingestion of the carbofuran produced acute visceral congestion and pulmonary edema. Death was caused by anoxia due to respiratory paralysis produced by cholinesterase inhibition from Furadan (carbofuran) ingestion.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Sexing of human clavicles using length and circumference measurements.

Measurement of clavicular length and circumference, and computation of clavicular robustness and length-circumference product from 724 autopsied adults of known age, sex, and body length between the ages of 15 and 96 years produced useful sex-predictive values. This predominantly North American white population contained 560 males and 164 females with intact, nondeformed clavicles. Clavicle length and circumference and particularly their product have been found useful in sexing, but robustness as a single trait has not. Despite a significant overlap of male and female values, the use of single cutoff values allowed correct sex assignment of up to 93% of the entire study population, including 94% of males and 89% of females. The ratios of body length to clavicle circumference and to clavicle length are on average greater in women than in men. The former ratio yields male predictive values greater than 95% for those individuals with ratios falling below the cutoff value of 43, whereas the latter ratio is a relatively poor sex predictor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

A fatal interaction of methocarbamol and ethanol in an accidental poisoning.

A case is presented of a fatal drug interaction caused by ingestion of methocarbamol (Robaxin) and ethanol. Methocarbamol is a carbamate derivative used as a muscle relaxant with sedative effects. Therapeutic concentrations of methocarbamol are reported to be 24 to 41 micrograms/mL. Biological fluids were screened for ethanol using the Abbott TDx system and quantitated by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Determination of methocarbamol concentrations in biological tissue homogenates and fluids were obtained by colorimetric analysis of diazotized methocarbamol. Blood ethanol concentration was 135 mg/dL (0.135% w/v) and urine ethanol was 249 mg/dL (0.249% w/v). Methocarbamol concentrations were: blood, 257 micrograms/mL; bile, 927 micrograms/L; urine, 255 micrograms/L; gastric, 3.7 g; liver, 459 micrograms/g; and kidney, 83 micrograms/g. The combination of ethanol and carbamates is contraindicated since acute alcohol intoxication combined with carbamate usage can lead to combined central nervous system depression as a result of the interactive sedative-hypnotic properties of the compounds.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Postmortem determination of the biological distribution of sufentanil and midazolam after an acute intoxication.

A case is presented of a death caused by self-injection of sufentanil and midazolam. Biological fluids and tissues were analyzed for midazolam by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and for sufentanil by GC/MS. Midazolam was extracted from basified fluids or tissues homogenated with n-butyl chloride and analyzed by HPLC by using a phosphate buffer: acetonitrile (60:40) mobile phase on a mu-Bondapak C18 column at 240 nm. Sufentanil was extracted from basified fluids and tissue homogenates with hexane:ethanol (19:1). GC/MS methodology for both compounds consisted of chromatographic separation on a 15-m by 0.25-mm inside diameter (ID) DB-5 (1.0-micron-thick film) bonded phase fused silica capillary column with helium carrier (29 cm/s) splitless injection at 260 degrees C; column 200 degrees C (0.8 min) 10 degrees C/min to 270 degrees C; and electron ionization and multiple ion detection for midazolam (m/z 310), methaqualone (IS, m/z 235), sufentanil (m/z 289), and fentanyl (IS, m/z 245). Sufentanil concentrations were: blood 1.1 ng/mL, urine 1.3 ng/mL, vitreous humor 1.2 ng/mL, liver 1.75 ng/g, and kidney 5.5 ng/g. Midazolam concentrations were: blood 50 ng/mL, urine 300 ng/mL, liver 930 ng/g, and kidney 290 ng/g. Cause of death was attributed to an acute sufentanil/midazolam intoxication and manner of death a suicide.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Massive nonatherosclerotic myocardial infarction in sickle cell anemia.

A 30-year-old black man with proven sickle cell anemia died after five years of progressive heart failure and three clinically distinct episodes of myocardial infarction. Autopsy revealed massive ventricular myocardial fibrosis, a large left ventricular aneurysm, and an organized nonatherosclerotic thrombosis of the left coronary artery. Myocardial infarction, unassociated with atherosclerosis, has very rarely been reported in sickle cell anemia. A toxic/lethal level of amitriptyline was found at autopsy.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Development and morphology of the sternal foramen.

Bony defects (foramina) in the sternum were found in 6.7% of a large contemporary autopsy population. Usually solitary and located in the body of the sternum, these defects rarely occur multiply and in the manubrium. They have been found in children as young as 8 years as well as in persons of advanced age. Multiple mesosternal foramina and a manubrial foramen are described here for the first time. Sternal foramina form along lines of fusion of multiple centers of ossification and are the result of incomplete fusion. They have been misinterpreted as acquired lesions, usually gunshot wounds.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1988

Anomalies of the human chest plate area. Radiographic findings in a large autopsy population.

Anomalies of the sternal rib ends and costal cartilages, sternal foramina, and epi(supra)sternal bones from a large, modern autopsy population have been described. Rib abnormalities (duplications, fusions, and spurs) were found in 55 of 2,016 plastron roentgenograms, sternal foramina were found in 135, and episternal bones were found in 51. Sternal foramina were significantly more common in blacks than in whites and episternal bones more common in whites than blacks; rib anomalies had no recognizable racial predilection. Rib anomalies were almost three times more common in males than females, whereas episternal bones were only slightly more common in males. Sternal foramina had no sex predilection. Episternal bones were slightly more often unilateral than bilateral and, when unilateral, were twice as often located on the left. While none of the malformations studied appeared to be of clinical significance, they are of potential forensic value in individual identification.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1988

Age related changes in the human plastron: a roentgenographic and morphologic study.

Characteristic changes that can be demonstrated on roentgenograms occur with increasing age in the plastron (chest plate) of humans. These alterations include progressive ossification in the costal cartilages (located characteristically in the sternal rib end, centrichondrally, and peristernally--often with sex and age distinctive patterns), maturation of the newly formed bone with trabeculation formation, loss of the smooth contour of the costo-manubrial junction, cupping of rib ends, osteoporotic changes, and arthritic changes in the sternal head of the clavicles. The sequence of development of these alterations has been examined by X-ray of 1965 cadavers of 15 years of age or over and correlated with the gross bone and cartilage morphology changes in many cases. This technique allows for age determination within 5 years of real age in 55% of cadavers and within 25% of real age in 95% of all cadavers. The greatest departures from real age are in the over-60-year groups. The same roentgenograms can allow for correct sex prediction in 99% of the population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Intracerebral venous angioma. Case report and review.

Only a few cases of angiographically demonstrated and pathologically proved cases of venous angiomas have been published. In contrast to the scarcity of recorded cases of angiographically studied venous angiomas, they are the most common incidentally encountered angiomatous lesions at autopsy. Their angiographic characterization, though highly suggestive, is not pathognomonic. The angiographic characteristics include small radiating veins that drain into a larger transcerebral vein that in turn empties into a dural sinus; blush and early draining veins also may be seen. The differential diagnosis includes telangiectasia, infiltrating glioma, and probably a cavernous angioma. We report an angiographically demonstrated and pathologically proved case of a venous angioma and also review the literature.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Decrease in ventricular and sulcal size after death.

Fifty-one intact corpses were examined with the EMI head scanner from 1 1/2-52 hours after death; 15 of these had antemortem CT scans. Seven had sequential postmortem CT scans. CT scans and autopsy findings for lateral ventricular size and sulcal width were compared. The lateral ventricular size generally, and the sulcal width occasionally, became smaller after death, though the decrease was usually mild. This decrease was demonstrated not only on antemortem and postmortem sequential CT scans, but on postmortem sequential CT scans alone as well.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1977

The relationship of arterial hypertension to intracranial aneurysms.

The rather widely held belief that systemic arterial hypertension is a major factor either in the genesis of saccular aneurysms or in their subsequent rupture is questioned on the basis of our clinical and pathological analysis of 250 patients with aneurysms. Analysis of 150 patients with ruptured and 100 patients with unruptured saccular aneurysms for clinical and morphologic evidence of hypertension revealed no notable excess over an age- and sex-matched control autopsy population. There is no evident association of hypertension with multiplicity of aneurysms, the age at which aneurysms present clinically, or with their rupture. All available data clearly indicate that saccular aneurysms can arise in the absence of fixed arterial hypertension and that they can also rupture in the absence of fixed hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Krabbe's disease. A light and electron microscopic study.

Ultrastructural studies of brain and sural nerve biopsy specimens from a patient with Krabbe's disease disclosed periodically constricted or twisted tubules in addition to the more abundant and characteristic crystalloid and prismatic structures within macrophages. It is suggested that the twisted tubules may result from the intracellular accumulation of lactosyl ceramide. Familiarity with these unusual tubular structures is of practical as well as theoretical importance since they may be encountered in brain and peripheral nerve biopsy specimens obtained for the morphological diagnosis of Krabbe's disease.

Brain↗
PubMed1976

Fatal paradoxical muscle embolization in traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula repair. Case report.

A unique case of fatal paradoxical muscle embolism in a patient with a traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula is described. The muscle plug intended to occlude a left-sided fistula passed through the large fistula, bypassed the lungs by way of a patent foramen ovale, and embolized through the right carotid artery to lodge the internal carotid and middle cerebral arteries producing fatal brain infarction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in renal transplant recipients.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a slowly progressive papovavirus infection of the CNS, has been reported in more than 110 patients to date, over half of whom have had either leukemia or lymphoma. Our patient is the fourth case of PML occurring after long-term immunosuppression for renal transplantation. We believe that PML is emerging as a potentially serious problem in renal transplant recipients.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Intracranial esthesioneuroblastoma. A light and electron microscopic study.

A 31 year-old black woman with unilateral facial dysesthesia was found to have an intracranial parasellar mass that extended into the sphenoid sinus. By light microscopy, the neoplasm appeared as nests of poorly differentiated neuroblasts in a finely fibrillary stroma and was diagnosed as an esthesineuroblastoma. Electron microscopy confirmed the neuroblastic nature of the tumor with demonstration of neurites containing neurofilaments and neurotubules, synapses and dense cored biogenic amine granules in perikarya and processes. This neoplasm was further characterized by the presence of numerous dystrophic axons that were evident only by electron microscopy.

Adult↗