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Biomedical subjects

A Fine

Publications and source records attributed to A Fine.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral assessment of the ability of intracerebral embryonic neural tissue grafts to ameliorate the effects of brain damage in marmosets.

The transplantation of neuronal tissue into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease is already being assessed as an experimental treatment for the symptoms of this disease, and the possibility of using similar graft tissue to ameliorate the symptoms of other neurodegenerative diseases is being considered. In this context, a small number of transplant experiments have been carried out in monkeys with lesions of the central dopamine and cholinergic systems. These experiments make it possible to determine the optimum methods of transplantation in an animal whose brain is structurally more closely related to the human than that of the rat and to assess the behavioral consequences of transplantation on symptoms that either resemble very closely the symptoms seen in patients, or are of a complex cognitive nature and are therefore more difficult to measure in the rat. It is intended that these experiments will contribute to the development of better treatments for the neurodegenerative diseases, either by the use of transplantation as a clinical treatment, or by contributing to a better understanding of the mechanisms that normally maintain neuronal function and that fail in these diseases.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Transplantation of adrenal tissue into the central nervous system.

Adrenal medullary tissue can survive transplantation to the central nervous system. Such survival has been obtained experimentally with grafts to the anterior eye chamber, to the brain and to the spinal cord, using medullary tissue from the recipient animal or unrelated animals of the same or, in some cases, different species. Appropriately placed grafts have been shown, under certain conditions, to interact with the host nervous system, exerting behavioral effects including amelioration of experimentally-induced parkinsonian symptoms. Such effects may be enhanced by administration of nerve growth factor to the grafts. On the basis of such findings, adrenal medullary tissue has been grafted to the brain of Parkinson's disease patients. Both animal and human experiments raise important questions about mechanisms of graft action and about factors that influence the outcome of these procedures.

Adrenal Medulla↗
PubMedDate not supplied

ABO-blood-group-related idiotypic network: mimicry of oligosaccharide epitope by rabbit antiidiotypic antibodies to murine monoclonal anti-A antibody.

The idiotypy of antibodies (Ab) specific for oligosaccharide determinants of blood groups of the human ABO system was studied through a cascade. Xenogenic antiidiotypic Ab (Ab2) raised in rabbits to the murine monoclonal anti-A61 (Ab1) were screened for reactivity with various anti-ABH Ab. Three anti-A and three anti-A,B monoclonal antibodies (mAb) which were developed in the same mouse strain as that producing Ab1, as well as a human polyclonal anti-A, were found to share cross-reactive idiotopes (CRI) with Ab1. CRI on murine mAb could be due to a Biozzi recurrent Id on anti-A Ab reacting with anti-Id "à la Oudin", while CRI on human anti-A Ab suggested the presence of paratope-induced anti-Id. Inhibition by Ab2 of haemagglutination of A, B or O human red blood cells by many murine anti-ABH mAb, and by polyclonal or monoclonal human anti-A, strongly supported the occurrence of anti-Id mimicking ABH epitopes belonging to type 2 determinants carried by human erythrocytes. Furthermore, a rabbit immunized with Ab2 produced a potent Ab3 response characterized by anti-H-type-2 specificity. Altogether, these results are consistent with the first successful production of anti-Id Ab that mimics the tridimensional shape of a well defined and strictly carbohydrate epitope, eliciting a haemagglutinating Ab3.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human fetal tissue research: practice, prospects, and policy.

Tissue from human fetal cadavers has long been used for medical research, experimental therapies, and various other purposes. Research within the last two decades has led to substantial progress in many of these areas, particularly in the application of fetal tissue transplantation to the treatment of human disease. As a result, clinical trials have now been initiated at centers around the world to evaluate the use of human fetal tissue transplantation for the therapy of Parkinson's disease, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and a number of blood, immunological and, metabolic disorders. Laboratory studies suggest a much wider range of disorders may in the future be treatable by transplantation of various types of human fetal tissue. A combination of characteristics renders fetal tissue uniquely valuable for such transplantation, as well as for basic research, the development of vaccines, and a range of other applications. Although substitutes for human fetal tissue are being actively sought, for many of these applications there are at present no satisfactory alternatives. Important issues remain unresolved concerning the procurement, distribution, and use of human fetal cadaver tissue as well as the effects of such use on abortion procedures and incidence. These issues can be addressed by the introduction of appropriate guidelines or legislation, and need not be an impediment to legitimate research and therapeutic use of fetal tissue.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New challenges for medical directors.

Much of the future success of managed care organizations will depend on the quality of the direction provided by medical directors. The increasing complexity of the health care industry, manifested by intense competition for patients and reduced levels of reimbursement, will necessitate that HMOs, PPOs, IPAs, and utilization review firms begin to differentiate their services according to clinical protocols and outcome measures.

Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The direct approach.

In the following excerpt from Dealing Direct: A Strategy for Business-Provider Partnerships, published in February by American Hospital Publishing, authors Gee and Fine discuss the right and wrong reasons for considering one of health care's most talked about new relationships.

Community Networks↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Calcium use increases risk of calciphylaxis: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for the development of calciphylaxis in renal failure, a poorly understood and often fatal condition characterized by calcium deposition in tissues. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. SETTING: University hospital peritoneal dialysis center. PATIENTS: Eight continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with calciphylaxis were identified in a 3-year period. We matched up to five controls for dialysis modality and length of time on dialysis with each case. STATISTICS: Multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis for matched case-controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Laboratory data and demographics were collected as well as cumulative calcium and vitamin D ingestion over the year prior to disease onset. RESULTS: All the patients were female, versus only 38% (14/37) of controls (p < 0.0001). While not statistically significant, a majority of the patients were diabetic [62.5% (5/8) vs 32% (12/37)]. Peak and average levels of serum calcium, phosphate, calcium x phosphate product, parathyroid hormone (PTH), albumin, iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and ferritin were not significantly different in cases compared with controls. The use of calcitriol alone or with calcium carbonate was not found to be a significant risk factor for the development of calciphylaxis. In a multivariate analysis, iron intake seemed to be protective, contrary to previous reports, while the use of calcium carbonate was associated with a strong trend to increased risk of calciphylaxis development (odds ratio = 1.029/g and 1.011/g calcium ingested per month, at 1 and 2 - 3 months prior to calciphylaxis development; p = 0.0556 and 0.0565, respectively). CONCLUSION: These data, although limited by the small numbers of index cases, suggest that calcium ingestion is a risk factor for calciphylaxis. The increased use of calcium salts as a phosphate binder in recent years might explain the apparent increased incidence of calciphylaxis in our and other centers. The preponderance of female diabetics among cases reported elsewhere was confirmed in our study.

Calciphylaxis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Marked variation in peritoneal insulin absorption in peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess both peritoneal insulin absorption and adsorption of insulin to the plastic delivery system, and to assess whether variation in peritoneal absorption is related to transport status. DESIGN: Eight insulin-dependent diabetic patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis were studied. Insulin was added to the dialysate. The amount adsorbed by the bag tubing was determined; peritoneal absorption was measured by complete spent dialysate collection. RESULTS: Only 14% +/- 5% of added insulin was adsorbed onto the dialysate delivery system. Marked variation in peritoneal absorption occurred (38% +/- 14%, range 17%-66%). Variations in membrane transport status did not account for variation in absorption. CONCLUSION: Marked variation in peritoneal absorption of insulin occurs, accounting for some of the variation in intraperitoneal insulin requirements. This is not related to membrane transport status.

Absorption↗