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Biomedical subjects

B Chapman

Publications and source records attributed to B Chapman.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Visual responses in adult cat visual cortex depend on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors.

We have investigated the role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a subtype of glutamate receptor, in the responses of cells in adult cat visual cortex. After intracortical infusion of the NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (DL-APV) for one day, iontophoretic responses to NMDA, to kainate, and to quisqualate revealed a receptor blockade specific to NMDA receptors and extending several millimeters from the cannula. In this region, neuronal responses to visual stimulation were profoundly suppressed, in a manner strongly correlated with the degree of NMDA receptor blockade. Neither NMDA receptor blockade nor activity suppression was caused by the inactive stereoisomer L-APV. Hence, we conclude that NMDA receptors make a major contribution to normal excitatory transmission in adult visual cortex.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗

Effect of acyclovir on radiation- and chemotherapy-induced mouth lesions.

Several chemotherapeutic regimens and radiation therapy, if delivered to the oral mucosa, are associated with a high frequency of mouth lesions. The cause of this side effect is not known for certain, but in past studies it has sometimes been associated with the ability to culture herpes simplex virus type 1 from the mouth. In a double-blind prospective trial, patients with head and neck tumors treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy were treated with either acyclovir or placebo. Although the frequency of culture-positive herpes simplex virus was low in the untreated group, it was significantly lower, zero, in the acyclovir-treated group. However, there were no differences in the frequency or type of mouth lesions experienced by patients receiving either radiation or chemotherapy who were taking acyclovir or placebo. These results suggest that herpes simplex virus is not a frequent cause or complication of oral lesions afflicting this patient population.

Acyclovir↗

Whole-body echo-planar MR imaging at 0.5 T.

The ultra-high-speed echo-planar imaging technique produces instant snapshot magnetic resonance images in exposure times ranging from approximately 10 to 100 msec. A particular variant, the modulus blipped echo-planar single-pulse technique (MBEST), possesses two advantages: First, it makes the technique experimentally more robust; second, it introduces inherent T2 weighting in the images. The authors have used MBEST with an exposure time of 64 msec to explore the potential range of clinical applications in a series of normal volunteers. Applications include evaluation of the heart, renal function, and gastrointestinal tract. All images were obtained with proton resonances at 22 MHz.

Abdomen↗

Gastrointestinal tract: dynamic MR studies with echo-planar imaging.

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract motility was depicted in four human volunteers with the high-speed echo-planar imaging technique: modulus blipped echo-planar single-pulse technique (MBEST). Data acquisition times of 64 and 128 msec obviate image degradation due to motion without the need for gut paralysis and allow imaging of the GI tract in real time. Peristaltic patterns of the gastric antrum and proximal small intestine were depicted for fasting and fed subjects and subjects in whom peristalsis had been pharmacologically stimulated. The potential for quantitative measurements of GI tract motion with this new technique was demonstrated.

Adult↗

Snapshot head imaging at 0.5 T using the echo planar technique.

The echo planar imaging (EPI) method and related variants of this technique can produce complete two-dimensional images from the data collected in a single experiment lasting a fraction of a second. EPI methods are used at 0.5 T to produce snapshot images of the human head with a spatial resolution of less than 2 mm.

Head↗

Evaluation of infants by echo planar imaging after repair of diaphragmatic hernia.

Three infants were studied by echo planar imaging after repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernias. Total lung volume and individual lung volumes were estimated using echo planar imaging. In the two patients with left sided hernias, the right lung was more than twice as large as the left. The patient with a right sided hernia had developed emphysema on the right side, and the right lung was twice as large as the left when estimated by echo planar imaging. Echo planar imaging studies took less than five minutes to perform and no sedation was required.

Female↗

Improvements in snap-shot nuclear magnetic resonance imaging.

New variants of the ultra-high-speed echo-planar imaging technique have been used to obtain snap-shot images of adult patients and volunteers at 0.1 T. Modified pulsed-gradient sequences together with non-linear signal sampling and activity screened gradients have greatly improved the image quality obtainable by single-shot methods. A particular variant, modulus blipped echo-planar single-pulse technique (MBEST), although slightly slower than the blipped echo-planar single-pulse technique (BEST), is experimentally more robust and incorporates intrinsic T2 weighting. An account of these improvements together with some experimental results is presented.

Adult↗

Real-time movie imaging from a single cardiac cycle by NMR.

Using a 1-m-bore superconductive magnet at 0.1 T, whole-body transverse images through adult humans have been obtained at repetition times of 57 ms. The techniques used were minor variations of echo-planar imaging (EPI) employing large pulsed gradients to provide complete coverage of the plane in phase space, and low-angle RF excitation sequences allowing rapid repetition of the experiment. In addition active magnetic screening of the gradient coils was implemented to protect the surrounding magnet from the eddy currents induced by the necessarily fast switching of the large gradient fields.

Adult↗

Echo planar imaging of normal and abnormal connections of the heart and great arteries.

Echo planar imaging (EPI) is that form of magnetic resonance imaging which provides very short image acquisition times. EPI also provides very rapid sequential imaging. The EPI method is ideal for imaging the heart and thoracic content because images are devoid of cardio-respiratory motion artefact. Previously an analysis of transectional images has been presented. This paper is concerned with the study of the heart by the use of EPI constructions in the sagittal and coronal planes. Defining connections between ventricle and great artery is of cardinal importance in paediatric cardiology. EPI constructions in the normal heart, transposition, truncus arteriosus and right heart hypoplasia are presented and discussed.

Heart Defects, Congenital↗

Transectional echo planar imaging of the heart in cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Echo planar imaging is that form of magnetic resonance imaging which gives very short image acquisition times. The method has been used to produce images of the infant heart which are free of cardiorespiratory motion artefact, despite tachypnoea and tachycardia. EPI transections of the normal heart are compared with transections in truncus arteriosus, tetralogy of Fallot, right heart hypoplasia and transposition of the great arteries. The diagnosis of the cause of cyanosis in these infants was established by the noninvasive EPI method and validation of the findings may be found in transectional postmortem analyses reported in the literature.

Heart Defects, Congenital↗

Comparison of human and chimpanzee zeta 1 globin genes.

The DNA base sequences of the entire chimpanzee zeta 1 globin gene and an additional 1 kb of DNA flanking both the human and chimpanzee genes have been determined. Whereas the human zeta 1 gene contains a termination codon in the sixth position, the chimpanzee gene appears to be functional. This finding confirms Proudfoot et al.'s suggestion that the human zeta 1 gene was recently inactivated. Like the corresponding human zeta 1 and zeta 2 genes, the first and second introns of the chimpanzee zeta 1 gene are occupied largely by tandem repeats of short oligonucleotides. These tandem repeats have undergone several rearrangements since the divergence of the human and chimpanzee zeta 1 genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Evolution of Alu family repeats since the divergence of human and chimpanzee.

The DNA sequences of three members of the Alu family of repeated sequences located 5' to the chimpanzee alpha 2 gene have been determined. The base sequences of the three corresponding human Alu family repeats have been previously determined, permitting the comparison of identical Alu family members in human and chimpanzee. Here we compare the sequences of seven pairs of chimpanzee and human Alu repeats. In each case, with the exception of minor sequence differences, the identical Alu repeat is located at identical sites in the human and chimpanzee genomes. The Alu repeats diverge at the rate expected for nonselected sequences. Sequence conversion has not replaced any of these 14 Alu family members since the divergence between chimpanzee and human.

Animals↗

Arbovirus infections in humans in New South Wales. Seroepidemiology of the alphavirus group of togaviruses.

A seroepidemiological study of the prevalence of antibodies to alphaviruses (Ross River [RRV], Sindbis [SIN] and Getah [GET] viruses) was carried out on 16 842 specimens of sera collected during 1981 and 1982 from individuals of all ages living in all health regions of New South Wales. Prevalence rates were found to be low in the major coastal cities of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, and in the whole of the Tablelands. In coastal populations, the rates were highest in the far and mid North Coast zones (about 16%), and slightly lower in the south. The ratio of RRV:SIN antibodies was 62:1 in coastal populations. Antibody prevalence rates varied from 10%-20% in the Western Slopes, rising to 30%-40% in centres in the Western Plains; the RRV:SIN antibody ratio here was 11:1. The unexpectedly high infection rates, especially in the Western Plains, suggest that Ross River virus, in particular, may constitute a public health problem of hitherto unsuspected significance in New South Wales.

Adolescent↗