bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tuberculosis in Edinburgh: B.C.G. Vaccination and Heaf Tuberculin Grades at School
Authors: Ross J. D. , Willison J. C. 
Published: January 2017

Some recent findings, in respect of tuberculosis in Edinburgh, are presented and particular attention is given to the younger members of the population. It is recognised that Heaf grade I tuberculin reactors at school may not all have been infected by tubercle bacilli, and it has been thought that some might benefit from B.C.G. vaccination. The evidence given confirms the value of B.C.G. vaccination in the prevention of tuberculous disease in the community. Some Heaf grade I reactors have tuberculous disease, however, which is a contraindication to routine vaccination of this group. Another contraindication is that Heaf grade I reactors, as a whole, have acquired a degree of immunity to subsequent tuberculous disease, approximating that conferred on tuberculin negative children by B.C.G. vaccination, and possibly less likely to diminish as the years progress. Widening the scope of B.C.G. vaccination and employment of anti-tuberculosis drugs, might be advantageous and merits consideration.
Pituitary Gonadotrophic and Ovarian Function in Women Treated with Clomiphene Citrate
Authors: Adamopoulos D. A. , Loraine J. A. , Ginsburg J. , Foss G. L. 
Published: January 2017

Serial estimations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH), as well as of oestrogens and pregnanediol have been performed in the urine of 5 women suffering from a variety of gynaecological conditions associated with infertility who were treated with clomiphene citrate at different dose levels. One subject became pregnant following medication; in the other 4 evidence for ovulation was present in one and was at best equivocal in the remaining 3. The effect of the compound on urinary FSH and LH levels was variable as was the pattern of urinary steroid excretion following medication; in 2 subjects a rise of oestrogen output preceded that of LH excretion. The study confirms previous observations indicating that atypical luteal function may follow clomiphene administration and underlines the fact that wide variations of hormonal response to the compound can occur.
Prediction of Fetal Lung and Kidney Maturity by Determination of Amniotic Fluid Lecithin: Sphingomyelin Ratio and Creatinine Concentration
Authors: Paton R. D. , Logan R. W. , MacVicar J. 
Published: January 2017

The ratio of lecithin to sphingomyelin (L/S) in amniotic fluid was assessed in 209 patients on 275 occasions and confirmed to be a useful index of fetal lung maturity. Although low and high ratios were found mainly at early and late gestational ages respectively, lung maturity (L/S ratio ≥ 3:1) occurred at a wide range of ages, from 28 to 40 weeks. The L/S ratio was, therefore, not found to be a useful index of gestational age in individual cases. In 174 cases, in addition to determining the L/S ratio, the concentration of creatinine in the liquor was estimated as an index of renal maturity. (Creatinine ≥ 1.6 mg./100 ml. ≡ renal maturity). In 80 per cent of cases, lung and kidney were judged to be both mature or both immature. In the remainder, combinations of mature kidney/immature lung or immature kidney/mature lung existed. Liquor creatinine estimation remains useful as a guide to gestational age and as an adjunct to lung maturity studies.
Assessment of Peroheme-40 for the Presence of Occult Blood in the Faeces
Authors: Krasner N. , Sumner D. , Miller S. , Thomson T. J. , Goldberg A. 
Published: January 2017

Peroheme 40, a chemical test for occult blood in faeces, has been assessed by. comparing it with results obtained using 51Cr labelled red cells. The study was carried out in two parts. Initially testing was carried out on 75 stool samples from 20 patients on a restricted diet, and in the second part, testing was performed on 40 samples from 10 patients on a normal ward diet. All patients were suspected of losing blood from the gastrointestinal tract. On the restricted diet there were 29 per cent false positive and 13 per cent false negative results, while on the normal diet, there were 86 per cent false positive and 8 per cent false negative results. Peroheme-40 has therefore been shown, on a restricted diet, to compare favourably with previously available chemical tests.
Infection and Immunization
Authors: Stewart G. T. 
Published: January 2017

Herd infections, especially in children, are strongly influenced epidemiologically by social and demographic factors which have contributed favourably to a general decline in incidence and mortality during the past 50 years or more. Intervention procedures such as immunization cannot be evaluated or planned realistically except against these background factors. Assessed in this way, immunization against diphtheria and poliomyelitis was unequivocally effective in reducing incidence and morbidity of these diseases. By comparison, pertussis vaccine has a very limited protective effect, the value of which, as morbidity decreases, may be offset by the intrinsic toxicity of the vaccine and by the possibility of infrequent but severe brain damage in some children.
A Study of Patients with Abdominal Symptoms of Undefined Cause
Authors: Bouchier I. A. D. , Mason Christine M. 
Published: January 2017

This paper describes the results obtained from a study of 14 patients with symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting which had continued for considerable periods of time and which, despite extensive investigation, eluded diagnosis. The study sought to examine the characteristics of patients who continue to suffer these symptoms and to identify their social and psychological effects. It was found that this symptom complex disrupted roles and activities in a manner out of proportion with clinical seriousness. Results from this preliminary investigation seem to point in the direction of two distinguishable groups of patients in whom the emergence and prognosis of symptoms are different. In one group, symptoms appear to be precipitated and exacerbated by problems within the environment and which disappear when such problems are ameliorated; in the other group symptoms appear as part of a long-term psychiatric illness. Implications for management are discussed.
Acute Lead Poisoning: An Unusual Cause of Hepatitis
Authors: Beattie A. D. , Mullin P. J. , Baxter R. H. , Moore M. R. 
Published: January 2017

Four patients, aged 17 to 25 years, obtained lead and opium pills which had been stolen from retail pharmacists. They crushed them, suspended them in water and injected them intravenously. They developed general malaise, vomiting and constipation, and blood tests several weeks after injection of the pills showed raised alkaline phosphatase and aspartate transaminases. All four patients had negative tests for the hepatitis B surface antigen. Liver biopsy specimens showed persistent hepatitis in one and resolving hepatitis in the remaining three. Liver lead levels were grossly elevated in every case. The liver lead levels found in the patients described here were up to 35 times greater than levels which have been reported in industrial lead poisoning. It is postulated that the livers of patients with chronic lead poisoning are able to withstand this insult whereas in the cases described the overwhelming dose of lead was sufficient to cause hepatic damage.
Somatomedins and other Serum Growth Factors
Authors: Cohen H. N. , Fyffe J. A. 
Published: January 2017

Growth hormone is essential for sustaining longitudinal growth in man. However, during the last 20 years, it has become evident that the actions of growth hormone, at a cellular level, are mediated by specific growth promoting factors. This paper describes the nature and actions of mammalian growth factors and summarises the immense contribution that the measurement of these substances has made towards the elucidation of many problems in the science of human growth and development.
Renal Transplantation—A Tale of Two Cities
Authors: Wood R. F. M. , Bell P. R. F. , Walls J. , Nash J. R. , MacPherson D. S. , Reilly D. T. , Briggs J. D. , Dick Heather H. 
Published: January 2017

In 1974 three members of the transplant team from the Western Infirmary in Glasgow moved to the new medical school in Leicester. The initial experience with 33 patients transplanted in Glasgow was published in 1972 and this paper compares the results of that series with the first 21 patients grafted in Leicester. Despite improvements in tissue typing, better quality donor kidneys and fewer complications, there has been a failure to improve on the levels of graft survival. The overall one year graft survival rate in the Glasgow series was 79 per cent compared to 52 per cent in Leicester. In these two series the difference in results appears to be explained by blood transfusion. All the Glasgow patients had been poly-transfused but of the Leicester patients the 10 transfused pre-transplant had a one year graft survival of 90 per cent while in the 11 non-transfused patients the one year graft survival was only 18 per cent.
A Novel Gaba Receptor on Central Neurones
Authors: Bowery N. G. , Doble A. , Hill D. R. , Hudson A. L. , Shaw J. , Turnbull M. J. 
Published: January 2017

The features of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as an inhibitory neurotransmitter are described, together with those of its receptor as defined by both iontophoretic and radiolabelled ligand binding techniques. Evidence is presented supporting the existence of a second GABA receptor at both peripheral nerve endings and within the CNS. At the classical receptor, GABA can produce a depolarisation of the ganglion cell body or mediate hyperpolarisation within the CNS by increasing membrane conductance to chloride ions. At this second receptor GABA acts in a bicuculline-insensitive manner to reduce neurotransmitter outflow. Many GABA analogues active at the classical receptor are inactive at the second receptor but by contrast baclofen which is inactive at the classical receptor is a potent agonist at the novel site.
Baclofen as a Potential Analgesic Agent
Authors: Cutting Derrick A. , Jordan Christopher C. 
Published: January 2017

It is proposed that analgesia might be achieved by pharmacological interruption of sensory input to the C.N.S. at the level of the spinal cord. On the basis of early reports that baclofen mimicked presynaptic inhibitory mechanisms in the spinal cord, baclofen was tested for potential analgesic activity in the mouse hot-plate test. Baclofen appeared to have some antinocisponsive activity in its own right and it potentiated the antinocisponsive effect of morphine. This observation has been confirmed and extended by several authors and the antinocisponsive activity appears to reside in the 1-isomer. Both spinal and supraspinal sites have been suggested for the locus of action in the C.N.S., whilst the underlying cellular mechanism may be inhibition of neurotransmitter release (via a bicuculline-refractory GABA receptor) or antagonism of the post-synaptic actions of substance P as a neurotransmitter. Baclofen is compared with two other antinocisponsive agents (morphine and clonidine) in terms of its effects on release of neurotransmitters. Consideration is given to the possibility that a further characteristic is shared by these compounds, namely that following chronic administration, abrupt cessation of therapy might be accompanied by withdrawal or ‘rebound’ effects.
Clinical Experience in the use of Baclofen in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Further Report
Authors: Young J. A. 
Published: January 2017

The results of an open trial of baclofen in children with spastic cerebral palsy are presented. In intelligent children with pure spastic diplegia there was improvement in mobility and in ability to wear orthoses. In more severely affected children the benefit lies in the possibility of preventing postural deformities, in allowing increased participation in physical therapy and in facilitating nursing care. The reduction in tone is most useful when it allows the child or his therapist to do something that had been prevented by spasticity. The drug seems to be of little value in mixed types of cerebral palsy and of no value at all in children with fixed deformities. A suitable starting dose is 5 mg twice or thrice daily increasing over two weeks to a total of 2− 2.5 mg/kg/day. Sedation and hypotonia were occasionally seen but could be controlled by adjusting the dose. Control of epilepsy did not deteriorate.
Bromocriptine in the Treatment of Acromegaly
Authors: Martyn Christopher N. , Bevan John S. 
Published: January 2017

The effects of bromocriptine were studied in 29 patients with acromegaly. The majority showed significant suppression of growth hormone secretion, often with symptomatic benefit. The drug is a useful adjunct to primary methods of treatment, especially pituitary irradiation, but regular assessment of whether it is continuing to have a suppressive effect should be undertaken.
Anabolic Steroid Therapy in Arterial Disease a Review
Authors: Walker Isobel D. 
Published: January 2017

Anabolic steroid therapy enhances fibrinolytic activity and it has been suggested that, since degenerative and thrombotic arterial diseases may be associated with impaired plasma fibrinolysis, anabolic steroids may be of potential therapeutic value in these disorders. The evidence for the use of anabolic steroids in peripheral and in coronary arterial disorders is reviewed.
What is the Significance of Raised Plasma TSH Levels after Thyroid Surgery?
Authors: Toft A. D. , Kellett H. A. , Sawers J. S. A. , Sinclair I. S. R. , Beckett G. J. , Brown N. S. , Seth J. 
Published: January 2017

Thyroid function was assessed prospectively for five years in 73 patients treated surgically for Graves' disease. No patient developed hypothyroidism after the sixth postoperative month, despite the presence of raised plasma TSH levels in 70 per cent of euthyroid patients at the end of the first year. Indeed, in those with evidence of temporary hypothyroidism (low T4, raised TSH at 3 months but normalisation of T4 at 6 months) plasma TSH continued to fall for up to three years. The majority (6) of patients developing recurrent hyperthyroidism did so within the first year, but in one of three patients who relapsed subsequently, plasma TSH had been elevated at one year. Plasma TSH cannot be used to predict thyroid status following surgery for Graves' disease. Although regular review remains necessary, it should not include measurement of TSH unless this is needed to confirm the validity of a low thyroxine level after the third postoperative month and before starting permanent replacement therapy.
Glycosylated Haemoglobin and Serum Insulin Antibodies in Type I Diabetes
Authors: Gray R. S. , Borsey D. Q. , Duncan L. J. P. , Clarke B. F. , Smith B. F. , Kurtz A. B. , Rainbow Sandra , Elton R. A. 
Published: January 2017

Type 1 diabetics receiving once (Group 1, n = 72) and twice (Group 2, n = 48) daily subcutaneous injections of conventional beef insulin were compared, on a cross-sectional basis, in respect of insulin antibody binding by serum and total glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1). Patients in Group 1 had higher insulin antibody binding (25.2 ± 15.8% vs 17.0 ± 13.9%; p < 0.01) and higher HbA1 levels (12.5 ± 2.0% vs 11.0 ± 1.8%; p < 0.001) than patients in Group 2. An inverse correlation ( τ = –0.28, p < 0.01) was observed between HbA1 and insulin antibody binding in C-peptide non-secretors of Group 1 but not in Group 1 C-peptide secretors, nor in C-peptide secretors and/or non-secretors of Group 2. It is suggested that in Type 1 diabetics who receive a single daily insulin injection and who have no endogenous insulin secretion, insulin antibodies may aid glycaemic control by prolonging insulin action.
The Results of Coronary Arteriography in Young Men after Myocardial Infarction in North-East Scotland
Authors: Irvine N. , Ward P. R. , Kenmure A. C. F. 
Published: January 2017

The case records of 50 consecutive male patients aged 40 years or under who were investigated by selective coronary arteriography after myocardial infarction were reviewed. Fourteen patients had normal coronary vessels and 36 patients had significant occlusive disease. Eighteen were considered to be in need of surgical treatment. The features of myocardial infarction on the ECG were less marked in the group of patients with normal coronary arteriograms. Many of these patients were asymptomatic and had complete resolution of the ECG changes. As well as having normal coronary arteries, many also had normal left ventricular angiograms. Cigarette smoking was very common in the whole group, 86 per cent of patients being moderately heavy cigarette smokers. Five of the 14 patients in the ‘non-occlusive’ group were non-smokers and only two of the 36 patients in the ‘occlusive’ group were non-smokers (P<0.01). The fasting serum cholesterol was significantly lower in the ‘non-occlusive’ group than in the ‘occlusive’ group. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding blood pressure, family history of ischaemic heart disease, obesity or alcohol consumption. There was, however, a high incidence of heavy alcohol consumption amongst patients who subsequently required coronary artery surgery. Many of the patients in the ‘non-occlusive’ group were considered to have had smaller, more localised myocardial infarctions and a lesser degree of coronary disease which may not be detected by coronary arteriography. Others, with more widespread cardiac damage, could be explained on the basis of thrombosis and subsequent recanalisation.
Genital Tract Metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma—A Case Report and Discussion
Authors: Sharma N. D. , McKelvie G. B. 
Published: January 2017

A case of renal cell carcinoma presenting with metastases in the female genital tract is reported. Clinical and histological features distinguishing primary and secondary clear cell adenocarcinoma of the genital tract are discussed. It is emphasised that when a clear cell adenocarcinoma is found, particularly in a post-menopausal woman, metastatic renal carcinoma has to be excluded. Although so far there are 61 cases reported in the world literature from English speaking countries, we believe that this is the first case reported from the United Kingdom.
Gastrointestinal Tuberculosis
Authors: Galloway D.J. , Scott R.N. 
Published: January 2017

In the developed countries gastrointestinal tuberculosis is no longer common in clinical practice. In this setting the importance of the condition lies in the vagaries of its presentation and the fact that it is eminently treatable, usually by a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. The clinical features and complications of gastrointestinal tuberculosis are highlighted by the seven cases which we report. Diagnosis and treatment of this condition is discussed and attention is drawn to the importance of case notification. Clinicians should bear in mind the diagnosis of gastrointestinal tuberculosis when dealing with any patient with non-specific abdominal symptoms.
Methylprednisolone, Etoposide, Vindesine, and Chlorambucil (Peec) Alone or Alternating with Chop as Initial or Salvage Therapy for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Authors: Leonard RCF , Lucraft HH , Proctor SJ , Allan NC , Dawson AA , Leonard RCF , Lucraft HH , McGillivray JB , Parker AC , Prescott RJ , Proctor SJ , Ritchie GL , Sarkar TK , Scott JS 
Published: January 2017

A novel cytotoxic drug combination, PEEC, has been tested in the initial or salvage treatment of lymphomas. The PEEC combination alone is active in high grade or intermediate grade NHL with two complete and two partial remissions out of four patients so treated. When combined with standard CHOP therapy using an alternating regime, seven out of 11 patients obtained a complete remission and four partial remission. Ten patients were well, off treatment, beyond one year from presentation. The combination was less impressive, however, as salvage therapy with two partial responses in a heavily pre-treated group of nine patients.
Oral Contraception and Post-Operative Thromboembolism: An Epidemiological Review
Authors: Hutchison G.L. 
Published: January 2017

It has been stated that oestrogen-containing oral contraceptive medication should be discontinued one month prior to surgery, to avoid an increased incidence of post-operative thromboembolism. Others have suggested that the risk of post-operative morbidity is low compared with the risk of pre-operative pregnancy, and that in most cases no such action should be taken. The evidence from clinical investigation is reviewed, with particular reference to study design. It is found that all studies so far conducted are subject to sources of bias or confounding which render their results inconclusive. There is a need for a randomised control trial comparing the effects of discontinuing or continuing oral contraception prior to surgery. Meanwhile, with a post-operative risk inferred but not conclusively demonstrated, if oral contraception is to be withdrawn prior to surgery, great care must be taken to reduce the risk of ensuing pregnancy to as near zero as possible.
Concomitants of Excess Coronary Deaths — Major Risk Factor and Lifestyle Findings from 10,359 Men and Women in the Scottish Heart Health Study
Authors: Smith W.C.S. , Tunstall-Pedoe H. , Crombie I.K. , Tavendale R. 
Published: January 2017

The Scottish Heart Health Study is a study of lifestyle and coronary heart disease risk factors in 10,359 men and women aged 40–59 years, in 22 districts of Scotland. The study was conducted during 1984–86, when Scotland had the highest national coronary heart disease mortality reported by the World Health Organisation. A self-completed questionnaire, complemented by a 40 minute visit to a survey clinic, staffed by nurses, enabled the classical major risk factors and some more newly described ones to be measured. The study emphasised quality control and representativeness, and incorporated a World Health Organisation protocol for measurement of key items to allow comparisons in place and time, and therefore also to provide a definitive baseline against which interventions can be assessed. This paper describes the overall findings. Current cigarette smokers constitute 39% of men and 38% of women, higher levels than those reported in England but lower than previous Scottish reports. Mean blood pressure levels were 134/84 mmHg for men and 131/81 mmHg in women, lower than in British studies of the 1960s and 1970s. Mean body mass index levels, 26.1 Kg/m2 in men and 25.7 Kg/m2 in women, were not high by international standards. However, mean serum cholesterol levels were 6.4 mmol/l in men and 6.6 mmol/l in women — as high as those in previous British studies and high by international standards. Levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-fasting triglycerides and fibrinogen are also reported. Physical activity both at work and in leisure time was low. Many participants did not eat fresh fruit or green vegetables. High cholesterol and cigarette smoking levels provide a classical explanation for the excess of coronary deaths in Scotland, justifying action, but other factors, such as the dietary deficiencies, also merit further investigation.
Influence of Anaesthesia on Blood Loss in Transurethral Prostatectomy
Authors: Mackenzie A.R. 
Published: January 2017

In this study operative blood loss was measured in 177 transurethral prostatectomies performed over a six-year period in one hospital by the author. A comparison was made relative to type of anaesthesia used i.e. general inhalation versus spinal anaesthesia. The two groups were similar in age and physical condition. Their prostrates were almost the same size and there was negligible difference in the rate of resection between the two groups. Mean loss and median loss in 113 patients given general anaesthesia were 66.6 and 29.9ml. In 64 patients who had spinal anaesthesia these losses were 35.6 and 22.2ml respectively. The findings are in agreement with two of the three previous studies devoted to the relationship between operative blood loss during transurethral prostatectomy and the type of anaesthesia used.