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Biomedical subjects

B M Greene

Publications and source records attributed to B M Greene.

83 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Circulating non-human microfilaria in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 12-yr-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus requiring steroid therapy was found to have a circulating microfilaria during an exacerbation of her illness. Morphologically, the microfilaria does not correspond precisely with any previously described species, though similarities exist between the patient's microfilaria and those of Dipetalonema reconditum of the dog and D. interstitium of the grey squirrel. The organism reported here is probably an undescribed species from a wild mammal. Although the association may be merely coincidental, this case suggests that compromised immunity might have led to this unusual infection with a non-human filaria.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Eosinophils and immune mechanisms. III. Production of the lymphokine eosinophil stimulation promoter by mouse T lymphocytes.

The lymphoid cell population responsible for production of eosinophil stimulation promoter (ESP), a lymphokine which increases migration of eosinophils, was investigated in murine Schistosoma mansoni infection. Con A challenge induced ESP production, whereas LPS did not. Prior treatment with anti-thetaC3H alloantiserum plus complement in vitro eliminated ESP production; in vivo treatment with rabbit anti-mouse thymocyte serum consistently reduced ESP production by splenic lymphoid cells, but affected lymph node cell ESP production only after exceptionally large doses. Thymocytes did not produce significant amounts of ESP; nor did lymphoid cells from congenitally athymic mice. Depletion of B lymphocytes and macrophages by nylon fiber adherence eliminated antigen-induced ESP production; this was partially restored by addition of non-immune, 72-hr peritoneal exudate cells. Con A-induced ESP production was not affected by nylon fiber treatment. These results demonstrate that ESP is produced by an ATS-sensitive, peripheralized T lymphocyte population, and suggest a macrophage requirement for antigen-induced production of this lymphokine.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Bacteremia with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Fifty patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal fiberoptic endoscopy were studied prospectively for the development of bacteremia by aerobic and anerobic blood cultures obtained before, during, and at 5 and 30 minutes after the procedure. Forty-six patients were culture negative; four had positive cultures at 5 or 30 minutes after the procedure, or at both times. The level of bacteremia as estimated by pour plates was very low. Bacteremia did not correlate with the performance of biopsy or the type of mucosal abnormality found. It is concluded that only very high-risk patients should receive antimicrobial prophylaxis before this procedure. The minor risk of this low-level bacteremia should not be considered a contraindication to the performance of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Duodenal Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A DNA sequence specific for forest form Onchocerca volvulus.

Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is caused by infection with Onchocerca volvulus, a filarial parasite which infects about 40 million people in Africa and Latin America. Epidemiological, clinical, entomological and serological studies of African onchocerciasis led to the hypothesis that Onchocerca volvulus exists in different forms in the forest and savannah. It is uncertain if these differences are due to genetic differences within O. volvulus itself, or to epigenetic factors, such as differences in the host populations. To date no basic biochemical differences between the forest and savannah populations of O. volvulus has been found, although isoenzyme studies have shown that differences in allele frequency between forest and savannah populations exist. Here we describe the isolation of a DNA sequence that seems to be specific for the forest form of O. volvulus, the first indication of a basic genetic difference between the savannah and forest forms.

Base Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Selective primary health care: strategies for control of disease in the developing world. VI. Onchocerciasis.

Onchocerca volvulus, a major filarial parasite of humans, infects tens of millions of people and is a leading cause of blindness. It also causes disabling or disfiguring dermatitis and lymph node involvement. The infection is transmitted by the bite of female blackflies of Simulium species, which breed around freely flowing waterways. Vector control by aerial spraying of rivers and streams with larvicide has achieved some success in the Volta River Basin, but other areas are less well-suited for such an approach. Efforts to control onchocerciasis are plagued by emerging resistance of blackflies, excessive costs of spraying, and the lack of suitable chemotherapy for existing cases. Mass chemotherapy for infected persons as a means to limit the disease and its impact is not feasible because existing drug regiments are too complex, too toxic, or not effective enough. Selective chemotherapy directed at persons at high risk of complications may be a more effective means of minimizing the impact of the disease.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Humoral and cellular immune responses to Onchocerca volvulus infection in humans.

Onchocerciasis is one of the major filarial diseases affecting humans and a leading cause of blindness. Control of the disease by chemotherapy and by elimination of the vector is not feasible in most areas of endemicity. The host immune response is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of complications. However, there is no clear evidence of protective immunity to reinfection in individuals who continue to be exposed to infective larvae. Antigens of Onchocerca volvulus are complex and show extensive cross-reactivity with other filarial parasites of humans and animals. Infection in humans results in the production of precipitating and reaginic antibodies to the parasite and in increases in levels of immunoglobulins that have no apparent specificity for parasitic antigens. Chronic antigenic stimulation in the presence of an antibody response leads to increased levels of circulating immune complexes. Cell-mediated immunity to parasite-derived antigens, as measured by migration inhibition, lymphocyte blastogenesis, and delayed skin-test reactivity, is decreased during infection. In addition, there is a decrease in delayed skin-test reactivity and in lymphocyte blastogenesis in response to unrelated antigens.

Antibody Formation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nonsurgical cure of pulmonary mucormycosis.

Pulmonary mucormycosis is an unusual infection which appears to occur with increased frequency in diabetics. We report the development of pulmonary mucormycosis in an adult onset diabetic which resolved with medical therapy alone. Computerized tomography proved useful in assessing his response to therapy.

Aged↗