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Biomedical subjects

A Hameed

Publications and source records attributed to A Hameed.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Perforin-positive cytotoxic lymphocytes in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether perforin-positive, cytotoxic lymphocytes are present in the first and second trimester as well as at term during normal gestation. STUDY DESIGN: A monoclonal antibody raised against human perforin was used to detect perforin expression in mononuclear cells in first-trimester abortion, second-trimester preterm labor due to cervical incompetence and term placentas obtained after normal delivery. Fresh frozen tissue sections containing first- and second-trimester decidua and placental tissues as well as decidua of maternal and fetal surfaces of term placenta were stained using an immunoperoxidase method. RESULTS: Occasional perforin-positive lymphocytes were present in stroma of chorionic villi of term placenta, while most were found in decidua and coagulated blood in maternal vessels and intervillous spaces. The majority of these lymphocytes were CD3-, CD2+ and CD56+. Quantitative comparison of decidual perforin-positive lymphocytes demonstrated a relative increase in these lymphocytes in decidua of second-trimester and term placentas. CONCLUSION: The presence of perforin-positive cytotoxic lymphocytes in maternal blood and decidua during gestation suggests their roles in pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Peritoneal washing in borderline epithelial ovarian tumors in women under 25: the use of cell block preparations.

Serous tumors of low malignant potential are uncommon in women under 30-years-old peritoneal washings play an important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian neoplasms. Accurate diagnosis of peritoneal washings is important in determining therapeutic regimens and in determining patient prognosis. In peritoneal washings, these tumors can be difficult to distinguish from reactive benign mesothelial cells. The cases of four women with borderline serous ovarian tumors, all of whom were under the age of 25, and had peritoneal washings which were positive for papillary tumors were reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Myxoid change in nondecidualized cutaneous endometriosis resembling malignancy.

Cutaneous endometriosis infrequently arises in the absence of pelvic disease. Rare features such as myxoid change can resemble malignancy and may pose a challenging histological diagnosis. We are not aware of any previous cases involving nondecidualized cutaneous endometriosis with myxoid change associated with an abdominal surgical scar. We report the first such case in which a 24-year-old woman presented with a steadily growing, firm, tender, painful, subcutaneous cicatrical mass that had appeared shortly after cesarean section 1 year previously. The mass was removed and permanent sections revealed foci of large, irregular endometrial glands embedded within prominent myxoid stroma and acellular mucin pools, with fibrosis and pseudoinfiltration of the fascia. No evidence of malignancy was identified. This case demonstrates that nondecidualized cutaneous endometriosis with myxoid change should be considered in the differential diagnosis of histologically similar malignancies such as mucinous adenocarcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Unusual clinical variants of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan and poses a great risk to non-immune visitors to the area. The wide spectrum of clinical variants of this common disease is at times a diagnostic challenge. A total of 1709 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis were recorded over a 1-year period. In 37 (2%) patients the lesions were very unusual, and therefore worth reporting. These included acute paronychial, chancriform, annular, palmoplantar, zosteriform and erysipeloid forms. The zosteriform and erysipeloid forms have rarely been reported previously, but to the best of our knowledge, acute paronychial, chancriform, annular and palmoplantar lesions are being reported for the first time. The morphologically unusual lesions may be attributed to an altered host response or involvement of an atypical strain of parasite in these lesions.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

A locus for autosomal recessive congenital microphthalmia maps to chromosome 14q32.

Congenital microphthalmia (CMIC) (OMIM 309700) may occur in isolation or in association with a variety of systemic malformations. Isolated CMIC may be inherited as an autosomal dominant, an autosomal recessive, or an X-linked trait. On the basis of a whole-genome linkage analysis, we have mapped the first locus for isolated CMIC, in a five-generation consanguineous family with autosomal recessive inheritance, to chromosome 14q32. All affected individuals in this family have bilateral CMIC. Linkage analysis gave a maximum two-point LOD score of 3.55 for the marker D14S65. Surrounding this marker is a region of homozygosity of 7.3 cM, between the markers D14S987 and D14S267, within which the disease gene is predicted to lie. The genes for several eye-specific transcription factors are located on human chromosome 14q and in the syntenic region of mouse chromosome 12. However, both CHX10 (14q24.3), mutations of which give rise to CMIC in mouse models, and OTX2 (14q21-22) can be excluded as candidates for autosomal recessive congenital microphthalmia (arCMIC), since they map outside the critical disease region defined by recombination events. This suggests that arCMIC is caused by defects in a novel developmental gene that may be important or even essential in eye development.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Satisfaction with health services among the Pakistani population in Middlesbrough, England.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the quality of the health care available to ethnic minority groups. In the absence of empirical data, the National Health Service (NHS) is often criticized for failing to meet their needs. We assessed whether the Pakistani population in Middlesbrough used, and was satisfied with, a range of health services. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of an age, sex and socio-economically stratified sample of Pakistani people. Data were collected by interview in the home. RESULTS: Satisfaction among those who had used NHS services was high. For example, 94 per cent were satisfied with general practitioner (GP) care, 93 per cent with help from the GP receptionist, and 97 per cent with the care from hospital doctors. The most dissatisfaction was with casualty, and accident and emergency services (19 per cent), the care received from the nurses in hospital, and with information given about the condition or treatment (both 12 per cent). When services were not used, lack of knowledge or need, not dissatisfaction, was the dominant problem. Of 34 hospital patients, 19 were informed about 'Asian' meals. Sixty-five per cent (11 of 17) of those who had such meals were satisfied. Dissatisfaction was mainly because of taste and quality of food. Only three of 63 (5 per cent) hospital in- or out-patients were informed of the availability of a professional interpreter, and none used the service. Fifteen (four men and 11 women; 25 per cent) said they would have used the interpreting service if they had known of it. CONCLUSIONS: Pakistani patients reported surprisingly high levels of satisfaction with health services. Policies on culturally sensitive meals and interpretation services, however, were not properly implemented. Locally, the findings are encouraging. Nationally, the message is that high levels of satisfaction with services among ethnic minority groups are potentially achievable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

3,4-Dichloroisocoumarin serine protease inhibitor induces DNA fragmentation and apoptosis in susceptible target cells.

3,4-Dichloroisocoumarin (DCI) inhibition of serine proteases generates reactive intermediates that have been theorized to affect apoptosis. To examine this possibility various target cells were treated with different concentrations of DCI and assessed for intracellular nuclear DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. DCI treatment caused oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation in cell lines expressing high levels of protease activity (LAK cells, NK-92, CTLL-2, L929, 3T3). This DNA breakdown characteristic of apoptosis occurred in a dose-dependent fashion within 4-6 hr of treatment and was confirmed by electron microscopy. In cell lines expressing low levels of protease activity (unstimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMN) cells, YAC-1 cells), DCI effectively inhibited protease activity without inducing oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation. ZN2+ ions significantly inhibited DCI-induced DNA degradation. The mixture of DCI and BLT esterase active NK cell lysate triggered DNA fragmentation in isolated YAC-1 nuclei. Degree of DNA fragmentation in YAC-1 nuclei was proportional to the level of BLT esterase activity. Cell lysate protease activity, initially inhibited by DCI acylation, was restored by hydroxylamine deacylation, thus preventing DCI-mediated DNA fragmentation. Our results suggest that DCI treatment of cells expressing high levels of protease activity generates toxic levels of acyl-enzyme intermediates. These intermediates may trigger nuclear DNA breakdown and apoptosis by activating endogenous endonucleases. This effect may compromise the analysis of apoptosis in experimental systems using high concentrations of DCI for extended periods.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1998

A case of clofazimine enteropathy.

A case of clofazimine enteropathy is described. A young male received clofazimine 200 mg daily for four years. He was admitted in a pigmented, emaciated state with abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss. At laparotomy his abdominal organs were stained with dark brown-black pigment due to heavy infiltration with clofazimine crystals. Despite withdrawal of clofazimine his symptoms failed to settle. He developed oedema and hypoalbuminaemia. He died following a cerebral infarction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Ovarian mucinous cystadenoma associated with mural leiomyomatous nodule and massive ovarian edema.

Mural nodules associated with mucinous and serous tumors of the ovary may represent a reactive process, a benign tumor, or a malignant neoplasm. Mural leiomyomatous nodule in mucinous cystadenoma is extremely rare. Two such cases had been described previously. In this case a 43-year-old white female presented with 24-h history of left quadrant pain and a left adenexal cystic mass on ultrasound examination. An exploratory laparotomy revealed a left ovarian mass with torsion on its pedicle. Frozen section of the cystic mass showed a mucinous cystadenoma with mural smooth muscle proliferation. A total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. Histologic examination of the mass revealed a mucinous cystadenoma with a mural leiomyomatous nodule and an enlarged ovary with massive stromal edema. This is the first case of a mural leiomyomatous nodule in association with a mucinous cystadenoma in an ovary with massive edema. This case broadens the histologic spectrum in which a mural leiomyomatous nodule may be encountered.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Brassica nap cytoplasmic male sterility is associated with expression of a mtDNA region containing a chimeric gene similar to the pol CMS-associated orf224 gene.

Two different cytoplasmic male-sterility (CMS) systems, nap and pol, are found in the oilseed rape (canola) species Brassica napus. Physical mapping studies have previously shown that organizational differences between the sterile pol and fertile cam mitochondrial genomes are restricted to a relatively small region immediately upstream of the atp6 gene. An approximately 4.5-kb pol mtDNA segment containing a chimeric open reading frame (orf224) co-transcribed with atp6 is missing from cam mtDNA and located at a different site on nap mtDNA; expression of the orf224/atp6 gene region is highly correlated with the pol CMS trait. Sequence analysis now shows that the transposed nap segment contains an open reading frame (ORF) related to, but distinct from, pol orf224. This open reading frame (orf222) potentially encodes a protein of 222 amino acids possessing 79% sequence similarity to the predicted product of the pol orf224 gene. nap orf222 is co-transcribed with the third exon of the trans-spliced nad5 gene and another ORF. orf222 transcripts are several times more abundant in nap CMS than in fertility restored nap-cytoplasm plants and qualitative transcript differences for the region between CMS and restored plants are found as well. Expression of the orf222/nad5c/orf139 region is specifically correlated with nap CMS: of 21 mitochondrial gene regions examined, including all the sites of rearrangement between the nap and fertile cam mitochondrial genomes and 22 known genes, only the orf222/nad5c/orf139 region detected transcript differences between maintainer cam cytoplasm, nap CMS- and fertility restored nap cytoplasm-plants. Our results suggest that expression of the orf222/nad5c/orf139 region may be associated with nap CMS, and, more generally, that different forms of CMS may be associated with genes encoding structurally similar proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Pemphigus vulgaris autoantibody response is linked to HLA-DQB1*0503 in Pakistani patients.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune disease of the skin and mucous membranes characterized by an autoantibody response against an epidermal cadherin. We performed high resolution HLA class II typing in 19 patients with PV from Rawalpindi, Pakistan and 19 non-Jewish European PV patients from Boston by sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization. The results were compared with two separate ethnically matched control populations. WE found that PV patients from Pakistan had significantly increased frequencies of DRB1*1404 (p = 0.01), DQA1*0101 (p = 0.02), and DQB1*0503 (p = 0.01). Among the patients of non-Jewish European ancestry, DRB1*1401 (p < 10(-6)), DQA1*0101 (p < 10(-5)) and DQB1*0503 (p < 10(-6)), were increased in PV patients. Formal linkage analysis between the major histocompatibility complex and the PV antibody was performed in 67 relatives of the 19 Pakistani patients. The results showed strong evidence for linkage of HLA-DRB1*1404, DQA1*0101, DQB1*0503, with the presence of PV antibody in relatives' families with a significant logarithm of the odds score of 6.06. Based on the three dimensional structure of class II molecules, we propose that HLA-DQA1*0101 and DQB1*0503, encode a negatively charged P9 peptide binding pocket of the DQ molecule and are significantly associated with susceptibility to PV in non-Jewish populations.

Alleles↗
PubMed1997

Prevalence of anaemia in semi-urban areas of Peshawar, Pakistan: a challenge for health professionals and policy makers.

Iron deficiency anaemia is a serious problem among Pakistani children. Pre-intervention haematological status of children under two years was assessed as part of a double-blind, randomized controlled community-based study conducted in two semi-urban areas of Peshawar. The primary objective was to assess the impact of iron deficiency anaemia and iron intervention on growth and morbidity. Three hundred and twenty children who met the criteria of a "healthy child" were recruited for the study. Blood samples were drawn from 275 children for haemoglobin (Hb) and serum ferritin (SF) analyses. The children were classified as anaemic (Hb < 11 g/dl); iron deficient (SF < 12 ng/ml) and iron deficient anaemic (Hb < 11 g/dl and SF < 12 ng/ml). Ninety percent of the children were anaemic, 67% iron deficient and 63% iron deficient anaemic. Anaemia was more prevalent in boys who had significantly lower Hb and SF values than girls. The magnitude of anaemia in these children tended to increase with age. The study demonstrates that iron deficiency is the predominant cause of anaemia (69%) in children under two years. Minimization of iron deficiency anaemia should be a public health priority in order to prevent suffering of children and avert the associated cognitive and physical deficits in child development.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency↗
PubMed1996

Endometriosis with myxoid change simulating mucinous adenocarcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei.

A case of endometriosis with myxoid change is presented here which raised concern for metastatic adenocarcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei. This is the second case similar to the one described previously in the literature. A 51-year-old woman underwent repair for an umbilical hernia. The tissue sections of the hernia specimen contained isolated pools of mucin surrounded focally by cuboidal-type epithelium. Subsequent CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a large right adenexal mass. These clinicopathologic findings raised strong suspicion for adenocarcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei. Intraoperative frozen section of the right ovary showed an endometriotic cyst. She underwent hysterectomy, bilateral salpingoophrectomy, partial omentectomy, and lysis of adhesions. Permanent sections revealed foci of endometriosis in both ovaries and cervix. Pools of acellular mucin were present in the omentum and bladder peritoneum. There was no evidence of malignancy in any of the specimen. The case illustrates that endometriosis with myxoid change can simulate with mucinous adenocarcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed1996

Human T-lymphocyte serine proteases (granzymes) 1, 2, and 3 mediated DNA fragmentation in susceptible target cells.

We reported the characterization of three serine proteases (granzymes 1, 2, and 3) from human cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In this study, human granzymes 1, 2, and 3 were purified from the cytoplasmic granules of lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells by gel filtration and cation exchange chromatography. Human perforin was purified by phenyl superose and heparin-agarose chromatography. Each purified granzyme was used with purified perforin to study DNA fragmentation in target cells of both human and murine origin. As measured by agarose gel electrophoresis and [125I]dUrd assay, the granzymes induced oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation and [125I]dUrd release respectively from various target cells. Murine target cells were generally more susceptible to nuclear DNA release than were human targets. Both enzyme activity and nuclear DNA breakdown were significantly inhibited by 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin (DCI) or by heat inactivation of each granzyme. Perforin alone or granzyme alone failed to fragment nuclear DNA in various target cells. We conclude that human granzymes are an important family of effector molecules that with perforin induce DNA fragmentation in susceptible target cells.

DNA Fragmentation↗
PubMed1996

Influence of treatment on the clinical course of pemphigus vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal autoimmune blistering disease. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to summarize reported results of treatment of PV and suggest a basis for future studies. METHODS: This retrospective review applies objective criteria to 77 studies published during the last half century. It includes only patients older than 18 years of age with idiopathic PV and excludes patients with drug-induced PV. RESULTS: Systemic corticosteroids significantly (p=0.001) reduced the mortality rate associated with PV compared with no treatment in the presteriod era. Adjuvants used with steroids significantly (p=0.001) reduced the mortality rate compared with the steroid era. The mortality rate of Jewish patients is significantly (p=0.001) higher than for non-Jewish patients. The outcome of PV is not influenced by the site of the initial lesion. CONCLUSION: Although the retrospective nature of this review limits its validity, we conclude prednisone with an adjuvant is the preferred treatment, and methotrexate should be avoided.

Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic↗