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Biomedical subjects

W Murray

Publications and source records attributed to W Murray.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

A double-blind randomized trial of cimetidine in acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Two hundred and thirteen patients were studied in a double-blind trial of cimetidine versus placebo in the treatment of acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. One hundred and six patients were randomly allocated to receive cimetidine and 107 to receive placebo. There was no significant reduction in transfusion requirements, incidence of further haemorrhage, length of stay in hospital, or mortality in the treated group. There was no subgroup of patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding which appeared to benefit from treatment with cimetidine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Identification and characterization of the BCG cell wall-stimulated suppressor cells in inbred rats.

In vitro experiments were undertaken to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation of BCG cell walls attached to oil droplets (BCGcw) on mitogenic and alloantigenic responses of spleen and bone marrow cells. These in vitro studies demonstrated that: (1) spleen cells from BCGcw-immunized ACI rats had decreased responsiveness to Concanavalin A (Con A) and to alloantigenic stimulation, (2) depressed Con A reactivity could also be induced in Buffalo rat spleen cells by the i.p. inoculation of BCGcw, (3) normal ACI rats had suppressor cells in their bone marrow but not in their spleens, (4) BCGcw-immunized ACI rats demonstrated an increase in the suppressive activity of their bone marrow as early as 1 day after inoculation of BCGcw, while suppressor activity was found in the spleen as early as 2 days after BCGcw inoculation, (5) characterization of the BCGcw-induced splenic suppressor cell demonstrated it to be adherent to plastic or nylon wool, radiation-resistant, and removed by treatment with carbonyl iron. These properties were consistent with the identification of the suppressor cell as a macrophage, (6) the Con A and mixed lymphocyte reactivities of normal spleen cells could be suppressed by the addition of the adherent spleen cell population from BCGcw-immunized ACI rats, and (7) the adherent suppressor cells from BCGcw-immunized rats suppressed Con A reactivity across a major histocompatability barrier.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Prophylactic coverage of dental patients with artificial joints: a retrospective analysis of thirty-three infections in hip prostheses.

Persons with total joint prostheses theoretically risk infection from the transient bacteremia that may accompany dental treatment, and the literature suggests that these patients be treated prophylactically with antibiotics. Effective prophylaxis requires that the most common infecting organisms be identified and tested for drug sensitivity. We reviewed thirty-three cases of infected hips out of a total of 1,855 hip prosthesis placements. The infections were classified as early (less than 6 months after placement) or late (greater than 6 months after placement). In the patients studied, the risk of infection associated with dental procedures was extremely low (0.05 percent). Staphylococcus aureus was the organism most often isolated from the infected hips, and its incidence was twice as high in the late as in the early infections. Based on the drug sensitivities of the most common infecting organisms, the recommended drugs of choice for prophylactic treatment of dental patients with artificial joints are erythromycin, clindamycin, or a penase-resistant penicillin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Initiation of warfarin therapy: comparison of physician dosing with computer-assisted dosing.

In a prospective, randomized study at two university hospitals, the authors examined how effectively housestaff physicians (n = 36) managed the initiation of warfarin therapy compared with a computer-assisted dosing regimen (n = 39) using the software program Warfcalc, which was managed by one of the authors. Target prothrombin time ratios were selected by the physicians. Study endpoints included: the time to reach a therapeutic prothrombin ratio, the time to reach a stable therapeutic dose, the number of patients transiently overanticoagulated, the number of bleeding complications, and the accuracy of the predicted maintenance dose, which was assessed at steady-state 10-14 days later. Computer-assisted dosing consistently out-performed the physicians: a stable therapeutic dose was achieved 3.7 days earlier (p = 0.002), fewer patients were overanticoagulated (10% versus 41%), and the predicted maintenance dose was in the therapeutic range in 85% of the computer-dosed patients versus 42% of the physician group (p less than 0.002). For physicians who did not routinely manage warfarin therapy, computer-assisted dosing improved the accuracy of dosing and shortened the time required to achieve a stable therapeutic dose.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging of chronic osteomyelitis.

Magnetic resonance (MR) at 1.5 T was used preoperatively and prior to aspiration to determine extent and location of infection in eight patients with chronic osteomyelitis. There was excellent correlation between MR and surgical findings in all cases. Infected areas, both intraosseous and extraosseous, displayed increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Sequestra, sinus tracts, and soft tissue abscesses were seen. By directly imaging foci of infection MR may have certain advantages over CT and scintigraphy in the evaluation of chronic osteomyelitis.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Juxtaacetabular ganglionic (or synovial) cysts: CT and MR features.

Radiographic findings include supraacetabular bone erosions, subchondral acetabular cysts, soft tissue masses with or without radiolucent inclusions representing nitrogen gas, joint space narrowing, and abnormal hip configuration. Associated tears of the acetabular labrum were confirmed by arthrography in two patients. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging afforded improved delineation of soft tissue ganglia and their relationship to the acetabular bone, labrum, and hip joint. We report our experience with seven patients in whom various imaging examinations clearly documented the presence of soft tissue cystic lesions adjacent to the acetabulum; in six of the seven patients, significant clinical manifestations were evident in the affected hip. Such cysts, whether designated synovial or ganglionic in type, appear to be a frequently overlooked yet important cause of hip symptomatology.

Acetabulum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Automated testing of arrhythmia monitors using annotated databases.

Arrhythmia-algorithm performance is typically tested using the AHA and MIT/BIH databases. The tools for this test are simulation software programs. While these simulations provide rapid results, they neglect hardware and software effects in the monitor. To provide a more accurate measure of performance in the actual monitor, a system has been developed for automated arrhythmia testing. The testing system incorporates an IBM-compatible personal computer, a digital-to-analog converter, an RS232 board, a patient-simulator interface to the monitor, and a multi-tasking software package for data conversion and communication with the monitor. This system "plays" patient data files into the monitor and saves beat classifications in detection files. Tests were performed using the MIT/BIH and AHA databases. Statistics were generated by comparing the detection files with the annotation files. These statistics were marginally different from those that resulted from the simulation. Differences were then examined. As expected, the differences were related to monitor hardware effects.

Algorithms↗