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Biomedical subjects

A Shah

Publications and source records attributed to A Shah.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Factors affecting the follow-up rate of infants with a hemoglobinopathy trait in a newborn screening and follow-up program.

Multiple factors may contribute to a less than satisfactory follow-up rate of infants with a hemoglobinopathy trait in many newborn screening programs. We retrospectively reviewed the information in a follow-up service of a regional community program in southern Alabama for infants with trait (hemoglobin AS or AC). The follow-up service received the screening results of infants with trait and the mothers' addresses and telephone numbers by two routes: (A) the sickle cell center newborn screening coordinator, for infants born at the university hospital (group A), and (B) the state health department, for infants born in other hospitals in a nine-county region (group B). The follow-up service notified mothers by mail and offered counseling; when no response was received, telephone contact and outreach service followed. From January 1988 through December 1989, 505 infants with trait were referred to the counseling service. Of these infants, 211 were in group A and 294 in group B. The follow-up rate was 78% and 49% in groups A and B, respectively (P less than .001). The mean duration from birth to testing results received by the follow-up service was 27 days for group A and 131 days for group B (P less than .001). Of mothers in groups A and B, 92% and 47%, respectively, resided in the same county where the follow-up service was located (P less than .001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Counseling↗
PubMed1990

Concomitant allergic Aspergillus sinusitis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis associated with familial occurrence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

A 24-year-old male, who had nasal symptoms with occasional wheezing was evaluated for consolidation of the right lung which led to the diagnosis of concomitant allergic Aspergillus sinusitis (AAS) and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), a rarely reported association. The patient's mother was a diagnosed case of ABPA. Dramatic relief of nasal and pulmonary symptoms resulted with prednisolone that could not be tapered off completely. No untoward effect of prednisolone was observed on the disease process in a follow-up of 2 years. A high index of suspicion is required for the diagnosis of AAS and family members with history of asthma and/or rhinitis should be investigated for ABPA and/or AAS.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Epidemiological survey of coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease in first-degree relatives of coeliac patients.

One hundred and sixty-two of 182 patients with coeliac disease provided satisfactory details of family size and the prevalence of coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease among their first-degree relatives. Patients ranged in age from 11 months to 79 years with a mean age of 41 (+/- 23) years. Twenty patients had at least one first-degree relative with coeliac disease: a total of 25 of 861 relatives were affected (prevalence = 2904/100,000) compared with an expected 0.9 cases (prevalence = 100/100,000; p less than 0.001). Six relatives had inflammatory bowel disease (prevalence = 697/100,000) compared with an expected 1.3 cases (prevalence = 150/100,000; p less than 0.001). Five of these had ulcerative colitis, and one had Crohn's disease. The relative risk of ulcerative colitis is, therefore, five times greater for first-degree relatives of people with coeliac disease than for the general population (95 per cent confidence interval, 4.7-7.2). There is a clear association between coeliac disease and ulcerative colitis, which may point to factors involved in the aetiology of colitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Pattern of cancer at Srinagar (Kashmir).

A total number of 3310 cancer cases were diagnosed out of 12969 biopsies and 4051 tumours received in the Department of Pathology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar during the period January 1983 to June 1987. The peak incidence of cancer in both sexes was found to be between 41-50 years of age. Cancer was more common in males (66.97 percent) than in females (33.03 percent). Cancer of the digestive system was the commonest cancer in both sexes, followed by lymphnodes, genitourinary tract and respiratory system in males and cancer of the breast and genitourinary system in females. Cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx and cancer of the cervix had a very low incidence.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Regulation of collagen gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells. Effects of adipocyte differentiation and tumor necrosis factor alpha.

An early feature in the development of adipocytes from fibroblast-like precursor cells is the biogenesis of an extracellular basement membrane (Napolitano, 1963; Kuri-Harcuch et al., 1984). Interactions between components of the basement membrane (e.g., collagens) and the surfaces of differentiating adipocytes are thought to regulate subsequent phases of the developmental program. Since fibroblasts principally secrete type I and III collagens whereas type IV collagen is abundant in basement membrane, it appears that a switch in collagen gene expression is a key element in adipocyte differentiation. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying differentiation-dependent changes in collagen expression or the effects of the potent lipolytic cytokine TNF-alpha on collagen mRNA accumulation in preadipocytes and adipocytes. In this study, 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were found to express mRNAs encoding type I, III, and IV procollagens. When 3T3-L1 cells were stimulated to differentiate into adipocytes, the relative concentrations of type I and type III procollagen mRNAs declined by 80-90%. Parallel decreases in the rates of transcription of the procollagen I and procollagen III genes appear to account for the diminished levels of these mRNAs. In contrast, the relative rate of transcription of the procollagen IV gene increased 2.6-fold during adipocyte development. As a consequence, the abundance of type IV procollagen transcripts was elevated in adipocytes. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine that stimulates lipolysis, an apparent "dedifferentiation" of adipocytes, and inhibits transcription of certain adipocyte-specific genes. The effects of TNF-alpha on collagen mRNA levels were dependent upon the state of differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1989

Membrane abnormality in malignant hyperthermia.

In this study we report on the effect of halothane exposure on the skeletal muscle membrane and calcium localization in 9 patients with confirmed susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia and compare them with 11 non-susceptible cases of malignant hyperthermia. Two normal muscle specimens with physiologically induced muscle contractures were also included for comparison. Halothane exposure in malignant hyperthermia-susceptible cases showed severe muscle contractures, definite breaks in the plasma membrane with peroxidase penetration, and large number of calcium granules within the mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum. Malignant hyperthermia-non-susceptible cases and muscle with physiological contractures did not show discontinuity of the plasma membrane or excessive calcium deposits. Based on these findings we conclude that the halothane exposure in malignant hyperthermia-susceptible patients causes breaks in the muscle plasma membrane.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Ulcerogenic tumor syndrome of the pancreas associated with a nongastrin acid secretagogue.

Among 30 patients with islet cell neoplasms or hyperplasia who exhibited marked gastric acid hypersecretion and peptic ulceration and/or diarrhea, fasting plasma gastrin concentrations were less than 150 pg/ml in 11 patients, whereas the remaining 19 patients had hypergastrinemia. Plasma extracts from seven of these 11 patients were assayed for acid secretagogue activity in rats. All seven plasma extracts had secretagogue activity that was not found in the plasma extracts of ten patients with ordinary duodenal ulcer disease. Each of the tumor or pancreatic tissue extracts obtained from nine patients exhibited secretagogue activity in rats even though tissue gastrin content was 101.9 pmol (213.8 ng).g-1 or less. The secretagogue activity of the tumor extracts was confirmed in conscious gastric fistula dogs. The tumors' secretagogue activity, in contrast to gastrin, was destroyed by trypsin. It was eluted between porcine motilin and human gastrin I from a Sephadex G-50 (Pharmacia LKB Biotechnology, Inc., Piscataway, NJ) superfine column and was not retained by CM-cellulose, at pH 8.5. Its retention time during reverse phase HPLC on a C18 column also differed from those of G17 and G34. Thus, this secretagogue activity appeared mediated by a small, acidic peptide with a molecular size of about 2000 to 3000 daltons. The present study indicates that plasma and tumor extracts of these 11 patients contain a gastric acid secretagogue activity mediated by a nongastrin peptide. We suggest that what may be a distinct clinical entity associated with endocrine neoplasms of the pancreas should be considered in the face of excessive acid hypersecretion without fasting hypergastrinemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis with coexistent aspergilloma: a long-term followup.

Two patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) who developed aspergillomas, a rare combination, are presented. Hypertropic osteoarthropathy was a unique feature in one patient. Treatment with prednisolone resulted in striking improvement in both patients. Followup of over 30 months in Patient 1 and 18 months in Patient 2 did not show any dissemination of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Platelet number and size in relation to serum orosomucoid concentration in Crohn's disease.

The relationship between platelet size and platelet count was investigated in 41 patients with Crohn's disease. A high platelet count was associated with a decrease in platelet size, but an overall increase in the platelet crit. There was also a significant correlation between the patient's platelet count and serum orosomucoids, which have traditionally been used to assess disease activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Stimulation of cardiac alpha receptors increases Na/K pump current and decreases gK via a pertussis toxin-sensitive pathway.

Alpha-adrenergic amines exert concentration-dependent actions on the automaticity of cardiac Purkinje fibers (Posner, P., E. L. Farrar, and C. R. Lambert. 1976. Am. J. Physiol. 231:1415-1420; Rosen, M. R., A. J. Hordof, J. P. Ilvento, and P. Danilo, Jr. 1977. Circ. Res. 40:390-400; Rosen, M. R., R. M. Weiss, and P. Danilo, Jr. 1984. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 231:1415-1420). At high concentrations they induce a largely beta adrenergic increase in the spontaneous firing rate of adult canine Purkinje fibers, whereas at concentrations less than 10(-6) M, their effect is mediated through alpha-adrenergic receptors and is seen predominantly as a decrease in the fibers' spontaneous firing rate. The mechanism for this decrease in spontaneous firing rate remains unexplained. We report here that phenylephrine (10(-7) M) increases the activity of the Na/K pump and decreases background gK in Purkinje myocytes. Both effects appear to be alpha-1 adrenergic and, in addition, are abolished on pretreatment with pertussis toxin. These results suggest that like the atrial muscarinic receptor (Pffafinger, P. J., J. M. Martin, D. D. Hunter, N. M. Nathanson, and B. Hille. 1985. Nature [Lond.]. 317:536-538; Breitwieser, G. E., and G. Szabo. 1985. Nature [Lond.]. 317:538-540) the Purkinje fiber alpha-1 receptor is coupled to background gK via a GTP-regulatory protein. Further, they suggest that the phenylephrine-induced decrease in spontaneous firing rate is due to stimulation of the Na/K pump via a novel coupling of the Na/K pump to a pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP regulatory protein.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Is vidian neurectomy worthwhile?

Vasomotor rhinitis is a frustrating experience both for the consultant and for the patient. The purpose of vidian neurectomy is to destroy the secretomotor nerve supply to the nasal mucosa, the main indication being severe intractable non-atopic vasomotor rhinitis. A review of 208 cases which have undergone transnasal vidian neurectomy by diathermy coagulation in the last five years is presented. The operation has proved worthwhile, the patients remaining symptom-free in 92 per cent of cases (longest follow-up 5 years). There have been no complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Sympathetic neural and alpha-adrenergic modulation of arrhythmias.

alpha 1-Adrenergic stimulation of the neonatal heart may induce either an increase or a decrease in ventricular automaticity, with the latter response predominating as age increases. We used isolated tissues from the hearts of neonatal and adult dogs and rats, as well as rat myocytes in tissue culture alone or in coculture with sympathetic nerves, to study the role of sympathetic innervation in modulating the alpha-adrenergic response. In the absence of sympathetic innervation, alpha-adrenergic stimulation uniformly increases automaticity. As the myocyte is innervated, an increased quantity of a GTP regulatory protein is detectable. That this protein is an essential transducer of alpha-adrenergic inhibition of automaticity is evidenced by the conversion of the alpha response from excitatory to inhibitory as the protein develops. ADP-ribosylation of the protein with pertussis toxin causes the alpha response to revert to excitation in both adult canine hearts and innervated myocytes in tissue culture. Hence, we have evidence for sympathetic modulation of cardiac rhythm via a regulatory protein whose function depends on normal neuronal development. Abnormal development of innervation may predispose to arrhythmogenesis via persistence of a primitive response to alpha stimulation.

Animals↗