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Biomedical subjects

D A Williams

Publications and source records attributed to D A Williams.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Community immunization programme in response to an outbreak of invasive Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C infection in the Trent region of England 1995-1996.

Between 8 December 1995 and 16 January 1996 seven laboratory confirmed cases of septicaemia owing to infection with Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strains and one highly probable case of meningococcal septicaemia occurred in three electoral wards in south Rotherham and the Retford area of north Nottinghamshire. All cases occurred among children aged 1-17 years. One patient died. The public health response to this outbreak was the largest community prophylactic antibiotic and immunization programme against meningococcal infection, to date, in the United Kingdom. The target group for each Health Authority was 8900 for Rotherham Health Authorities and 8000 for North Nottinghamshire Health. Local logistical factors led to differences in the implementation of the programme by each Health Authority. At the completion of each programme, 8320 doses of vaccine had been administered (92.5 per cent coverage) during the Rotherham Health Authorities programme and 7660 (95.7 per cent coverage) during the North Nottinghamshire Health programme. The additional financial cost of the exercise amounted to approximately Pounds 125000 for each Health Authority. This paper describes the evolution of the outbreak, the decision-making process resulting in the immunization programme in each Health Authority, the implementation of each programme, problems identified and lessons learned.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Protective effects of interleukin-11 in a murine model of ischemic bowel necrosis.

The present study examined the effect of interleukin-11 (IL-11) in a murine model of bowel ischemia (BI). Prophylactic IL-11 administration in BI mice (induced by occluding the superior mesenteric artery for 90 min) was associated with significantly decreased morbidity and mortality. IL-11-treated mice demonstrated rapid recovery of intestinal mucosa as evidenced by an increase in mitotic activity and suppression of apoptosis in intestinal crypt cells as well as increased peripheral platelet and leukocyte counts primarily due to an increase in peripheral lymphocyte number in BI mice. In contrast to vehicle-treated mice, which uniformly developed thrombocytopenia after ischemic injury, no IL-11-treated BI mice developed thrombocytopenia during the experimental period. These data suggest a role for IL-11 in the treatment of gastrointestinal mucosal diseases due to a wide variety of causative injuries.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

In situ visualization of spontaneous calcium waves within perfused whole rat heart by confocal imaging.

We describe the first direct visualization of Ca2+ oscillations in the perfused whole rat heart. Dye loading at a low temperature and enhanced optical-section techniques of confocal microscopy by elimination of the refractive index mismatch with use of saline-immersible objective lens enabled us to image multiple Ca2+ waves in the subepicardial myocardium of the fluo 3-loaded heart. These Ca2+ waves were sporadically seen even with a physiological extracellular Ca2+ perfusion in either a paced or an arrested heart and propagated beyond cellular boundaries within the three-dimensional structures of cardiac muscle. Under these conditions, the velocity of wave propagation was 60-100 microns/s and the frequency of initiation was relatively low (< 2 Hz). With an increase in extracellular Ca2+ concentration, however, the waves became more prevalent and tended to be multifocal, and an increasing fraction of the waves exhibited faster propagation velocities and higher frequencies. These results suggest that perfused rat hearts exhibit spontaneous Ca2+ waves in an apparently resting state and that under Ca(2+)-overload conditions the multifocal and high-frequency waves become more widespread in the heart syncytium, which may provide an understanding of the ionic basis for the summation of afterdepolarizations and triggering of arrhythmias seen under pathological conditions.

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed1997

Contractile properties of clenbuterol-treated mdx muscle are enhanced by low-intensity swimming.

The beta 2-agonist clenbuterol has potent anabolic properties in normal and denervated muscle and, as such, may be of use in muscle wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy. However, potential side effects such as the transformation of the fiber type pool toward increased proportions of fast-twitch fibers must be balanced with the beneficial anabolic properties. In the present report, we clearly show that extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles from dystrophic mdx mice exposed to a combination of clenbuterol and low-intensity endurance swimming exercise did not undergo the slow- fast-twitch fiber transformations caused by clenbuterol administration alone, yet increases in the force-generating capacity of the soleus (30-40%) that resulted from the clenbuterol treatment were maintained after the swimming program. The increased sensitivity of dystrophin-deficient dystrophic muscle to clenbuterol and low-intensity exercise that is evident in this study may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of muscle wasting diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Increased gelatinolytic activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in stable lung transplant recipients.

Proteolytic enzymes have been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory pulmonary diseases accompanied by parenchymal remodeling. To assess the role of inflammatory cells and proteolytic enzymes in the development of chronic allograft rejection after lung transplantation, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from clinically stable lung transplant (LT) recipients (i.e., without evidence of active infection or rejection), heart transplant (HT) recipients, and healthy volunteers (NL) were analyzed for total white blood cell (WBC) count and differential cell count, along with gelatinolytic/type IV collagenolytic activity. The LT group displayed a significantly increased total WBC count, neutrophil count, and percent neutrophils compared with the NL group, confirming the presence of inflammation. Furthermore, gelatin zymography revealed a significant increase in activity of the 72 and 92 kD gelatinases in the LT group compared with the NL group. A positive correlation existed between neutrophil counts and the increase in proteolytic activity. Immunosuppressive therapy did not account for the findings, since no significant difference in cell counts or proteolytic activity existed between the NL and HT control groups. These findings, together with those of others that relate chronic lung allograft dysfunction to an increase in BALF neutrophils and collagen matrix remodeling, collectively indicate that up-regulated proteolytic activity may have a role in chronic rejection after lung transplantation.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗
PubMed1996

Validation of an immunoassay for canine thyroid-stimulating hormone and changes in serum concentration following induction of hypothyroidism in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To validate a new immunoradiometric assay for canine thyroid-stimulating hormone (cTSH) and to document changes in serum cTSH concentration during induction of hypothyroidism in dogs. ANIMALS: Six healthy adult male Beagles. PROCEDURE: Sensitivity, specificity, precision, and accuracy of the cTSH assay were evaluated in vitro. Hypothyroidism was induced in dogs by i.v. administration of sodium iodide I 131 solution. Subsequently, L-thyroxine was administered orally to normalize serum thyroxine concentrations. RESULTS: The cTSH assay appeared to be specific and was sufficiently sensitive to detect cTSH in the serum of these dogs prior to induction of hypothyroidism. There was a 35-fold increase in mean serum cTSH concentration following induction of hypothyroidism, and 35 days after initiation of thyroid replacement therapy, mean serum cTSH concentration was not significantly greater than mean baseline value. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Assay of serum cTSH is likely to prove helpful in the differential diagnosis of primary, secondary, and tertiary hypothyroidism in dogs, and in monitoring response to thyroid hormone replacement treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Prolonged administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim) to patients with Fanconi anemia: a pilot study.

This report examines the effect of filgrastim (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, [G-CSF] in 12 patients with neutropenia [absolute neutrophil count [ANC] < 1,000/mm3]) caused by Fanconi anemia (FA). Two of 14 patients who were evaluated for study entry were ineligible because of unsuspected cytogenetic abnormalities in their bone marrow (BM). G-CSF was started at 5 micrograms/kg/d. All patients had an increase in their ANC at week 8 (mean increase = 15,664/mm3). The median ANC during therapy was 5,030/mm3. Eight of 10 patients who completed 40 weeks on study maintained an ANC > 1,500/mm3 on G-CSF given every-otherday. Four patients had an increase in their platelet count by week 8 without transfusion (maximum increase = 23,000 to 45,000/mm3); however, platelet counts fell toward baseline levels as the G-CSF dose was reduced. BM CFU-MK were increased at week 8 in three of four evaluable patients. Four patients who did not receive red blood cell transfusions had an increase in their hemoglobin level of at least 2.0 g/dL. A fifth patient had a red blood cell transfusion in week 2 and then had a similar increase in hemoglobin level without subsequent transfusion. Eight of 10 patients who completed 40 weeks of treatment showed increases in the percentage of BM CD34+ cells measured by flow cytometry. The same proportion showed increases in peripheral blood CD34+ cells. Increased BM cellularity and myeloid hyperplasia were constant findings and were associated with increased expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Adverse experiences were mild fever (1 patient) and a new BM cytogenetic abnormality at week 40 (1 patient). This study shows that prolonged administration of G-CSF exerts a stimulatory effect on the BM of FA patients and may be used to maintain a clinically adequate ANC in these patients. G-CSF has beneficial effects on multiple hematopoietic lineages in some patients and may be a good candidate for use in combination cytokine protocols for FA patients with progressive aplastic anemia. G-CSF use results in an increase in circulating CD34+ cells, a finding with important implications for future gene transfer protocols.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Fibronectin improves transduction of reconstituting hematopoietic stem cells by retroviral vectors: evidence of direct viral binding to chymotryptic carboxy-terminal fragments.

Efficient transduction of reconstituting hematopoletic stem cells (HSC) is currently only possible by cocultivation of target cells directly on producer cell lines, a method not applicable to human gene therapy protocols. Our laboratory has previously shown adhesion of primitive hematopoletic stem and progenitor cells to the carboxy-terminal 30/35-kD fragment of the extracellular matrix molecule fibronectin (FN 30/35) (Nature 352:438, 1991) and increased transduction of human hematopoietic progenitor cells via retroviral vectors while adherent to this fragment (J Clin Invest 93:1451, 1994). Here we report that (1) transduction of reconstituting murine HSC assayed 12 months after infection with retrovirus supernatant on FN 30/35 is as effective as cocultivation directly on producer cells; (2) recombinant retrovirus particles directly adhere to FN 30/35 in a quantitative and dose-dependent fashion; and (3) increased transduction efficiency on FN 30/ 35 does not appear to be associated with increased cell proliferation or activation of protein phosphorylation typically induced by integrin-fibronectin interactions. Therefore, we speculate that supernatant infection of HSC on FN 30/35 leads to colocalization of retrovirus particles and target cells on FN 30/35 molecule with a large increase in local virus titer presented to the cell. These findings have direct and important implications for the modification of current human gene therapy protocols.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1996

Xenogeneic expression of human stem cell factor in transgenic mice mimics codominant c-kit mutations.

Mutations of c-kit, which encodes a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase, have been identified in mice by abnormal coat color, anemia, and germ cell defects. Mice heterozygous for mutations of c-kit have a white forehead blaze and a white ventral spot, leading these mutants to be termed dominant White spotting (W). We have previously demonstrated that the membrane-associated isoform of human stem cell factor (hSCF220, the ligand for c-kit) is inefficiently processed in murine stromal cell transfectants. Thus, in murine cell lines analyzed in vitro, hSCF220 transfectants present SCF as a membrane restricted protein in contrast to the murine SCF220 cDNA protein product, which is slowly cleaved and secreted. We show here that transgenic mice expressing the human SCF220 isoform in vivo display a phenotype indistinguishable from some alleles of W. Specifically, hSCF220-expressing transgenic mice display a prominent forehead blaze and a white ventral spot. Generations of doubly heterozygous animals that carry both a mutated c-kit allele and the hSCF220 transgene display a more severe coat color abnormality. This phenotype appears to be due to occupancy of murine c-kit by human SCF and diminished cell surface expression of endogenous murine SCF. Normal signaling events that lead to cell survival or proliferation appear to be disrupted in vivo in these transgenic mice.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Increasing DNA repair methyltransferase levels via bone marrow stem cell transduction rescues mice from the toxic effects of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, a chemotherapeutic alkylating agent.

The chloroethylnitrosourea (CNU) alkylating agents are commonly used for cancer chemotherapy, but their usefulness is limited by severe bone marrow toxicity that causes the cumulative depletion of all hematopoietic lineages (pancytopenia). Bone marrow CNU sensitivity is probably due to the inefficient repair of CNU-induced DNA damage; relative to other tissues, bone marrow cells express extremely low levels of the O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) protein that repairs cytotoxic O6-chloroethylguanine DNA lesions. Using a simplified recombinant retroviral vector expressing the human MGMT gene under control of the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter (PGK-MGMT) we increased the capacity of murine bone marrow-derived cells to repair CNU-induced DNA damage. Stable reconstitution of mouse bone marrow with genetically modified, MGMT-expressing hematopoietic stem cells conferred considerable resistance to the cytotoxic effects of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), a CNU commonly used for chemotherapy. Bone marrow harvested from mice transplanted with PGK-MGMT-transduced cells showed extensive in vitro BCNU resistance. Moreover, MGMT expression in mouse bone marrow conferred in vivo resistance to BCNU-induced pancytopenia and significantly reduced BCNU-induced mortality due to bone marrow hypoplasia. These data demonstrate that increased DNA alkylation repair in primitive hematopoietic stem cells confers multilineage protection from the myelosuppressive effects of BCNU and suggest a possible approach to protecting cancer patients from CNU chemotherapy-related toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Murine interleukin-11 (IL-11) is expressed at high levels in the hippocampus and expression is developmentally regulated in the testis.

IL-11, derived from a bone marrow stromal cell line, has pleiotropic effects on both hematopoietic cells and nonhematopoietic cells. However, no previous studies have systematically addressed expression of IL-11 in primary tissues in vivo and the relationship of IL-11 tissue specific gene expression and function of IL-11 is not clear. In the present study, we examined constitutive IL-11 expression in various murine adult tissues in vivo. IL-11 mRNA is expressed in a wide range of normal tissues (including hematopoietic organs) at levels only detected by RT-PCR. IL-11 protein was detected in brain and testis by Western blot analysis. The in vivo cellular distribution of IL-11 expression was examined by in situ hybridization. In brain, IL-11 message is distributed in granular layer dentate gyrus and pyramidal cell layers of hippocampus. IL-11 is also expressed in anterior horn cells and lateral column neuronal cells of the spinal cord. In testis, IL-11 mRNA is expressed in round spermatids at stage VI-IX seminiferous tubules. IL-11 expression in testis is restricted to developing spermatogonia and is developmentally regulated, since no expression is seen in mice genetically deficient in germ cells and in mice prior to sexual maturation. These expression data correlate with functional data demonstrating that IL-11 stimulates proliferation in vitro of a hippocampus neuronal progenitor cell line and administration of IL-11 in vivo accelerates recovery of spermatogenesis after cytotoxic therapy. These studies suggest that IL-11 may be an important regulator in neural and testicular function.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Trophic effects of interleukin-11 in rats with experimental short bowel syndrome.

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a multifunctional cytokine, derived from bone marrow stromal cells, that stimulates proliferation of stem/progenitor precursor cells in the small intestinal crypts and accelerates recovery of intestinal mucosa after cytoablative therapy. This study evaluates whether IL-11 can improve the function and structure of the small intestine and enhance adaptation in an experimental model of short bowel syndrome. After 90% small bowel resection, 32 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into eight experimental groups of four animals each. Four groups were treated with IL-11 (125 micrograms/kg twice daily, subcutaneously), and the four control groups were treated with a similar volume (0.1%) of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The animals were weighed daily and were killed on day 2, 4, 6, or 8; remnant small bowel was evaluated for villus height and crypt cell mitosis. The body weight of the animals that received IL-11 was significantly greater at the beginning of postoperative day 4 in comparison to that of the BSA groups (P < .01 during days 5 to 7). The rats that had IL-11 also had significantly greater villus height and crypt cell mitotic rates (P < .05). These observations suggest that IL-11 has a trophic effect on the small bowel during the adaptive phase that follows massive bowel resection and may be useful in the treatment of short bowel syndrome.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1996

A method for measuring sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium uptake in the skeletal muscle using Fura-2.

We have presented an assay for measuring the rate of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ uptake and Ca2+ release in skeletal muscle homogenates using the fluorescent Ca2+ probe Fura-2. Using this assay, we investigated the effects of an elevated temperature (40 degrees C) and lowered pH (6.8), two factors proposed to be involved in skeletal muscle fatigue, on SR Ca2+ uptake. The EDL muscle was found to have a higher rate of Ca2+ uptake than the soleus (34%). Exposure of the muscles to a raised temperature, but not a reduced pH, resulted in a reduction in the rate of Ca2+ uptake in both the EDL and soleus homogenates. This uptake process was blocked by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) a specific inhibitor of the major transport protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the Ca(2+)-ATPase. Calcium release was induced using AgNO3 after loading of the vesicles during the uptake process. It was found that AgNO3 was only effective in producing Ca2+ release in the EDL muscles. The soleus muscles did not release Ca2+ under varying [Mg2+] or with Hg2+ substitution for Ag+, suggesting that fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibres require different conditions for maximum Ca2+ release, or that different isoforms of the Ca2+ release channels are present in the different fibres.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Colocalization of retrovirus and target cells on specific fibronectin fragments increases genetic transduction of mammalian cells.

Hematopoietic cells are important targets for genetic modification with retroviral vectors. Attempts at human gene therapy of stem cells have achieved limited success partly because of low gene transfer efficiency. Chymotryptic fragments of the extracellular matrix molecule fibronectin used during infection have been shown to increase transduction of human hematopoietic progenitor cells. Here, we demonstrate that this enhanced gene transfer into mammalian target cells is due to direct binding of retroviral particles to sequences within the fibronectin molecule. Transduction of mammalian cells, including murine long-term repopulating hematopoietic cells, is greatly enhanced when cells are adherent to chimeric fragments containing these retroviral binding sequences. In addition, colocalization of retrovirus and target cells on fibronectin peptides allows targeted transduction of specific cell types by exploiting unique ligand/receptor interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Identification of primitive human hematopoietic cells capable of repopulating NOD/SCID mouse bone marrow: implications for gene therapy.

The development of stem-cell gene therapy is hindered by the absence of repopulation assays for primitive human hematopoietic cells. Current methods of gene transfer rely on in vitro colony-forming cell (CFC) and long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assays, as well as inference from other mammalian species. We have identified a novel human hematopoietic cell, the SCID-repopulating cell (SRC), a cell more primitive than most LTC-ICs and CFCs. The SRC, exclusively present in the CD4+CD8- fraction, is capable of multilineage repopulation of the bone marrow of nonobese diabetic mice with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (NOD/SCID mice). SRCs were rarely transduced with retroviruses, distinguishing them from most CFCs and LTC-ICs. This observation is consistent with the low level of gene marking seen in human gene therapy trials. An SRC assay may aid in the characterization of hematopoiesis, as well as the improvement of transduction methods.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗
PubMed1996

Basal and adenosine-mediated protein flux from isolated coronary arterioles.

We have developed a new method to quantify solute flux per unit surface area and concentration gradient (JS/S delta C) from arterioles isolated from pig hearts. The apparent permeability (Ps) was assessed from measurements of JS/S delta C for two proteins, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-lactalb) and porcine serum albumin (PSA), labeled with the fluorescent dye tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate at a mean hydrostatic pressure of 16 +/- 1 cmH2O. Ps for alpha-lactalb (Ps alpha-lactalb) was 16.5 +/- 4.6 x 10(-7) cm/s (mean +/- SE, N = 8 pigs), a value significantly higher than Ps for PSA (PsPSA) (7.1 +/- 1.4 x 10(-7) cm/s, N = 11 pigs, P < 0.05). Suffusion of the arterioles (44 +/- 10 microns diam; n = 48 arterioles) with 10(-5) M adenosine resulted in a 35% decrease in Ps alpha-lactalb and 29% decrease in PsPSA. Data from the present study are consistent with adenosine altering arteriole Js independently from its ability to change arteriolar caliber. One implication of these results is that changes in coronary exchange capacity reflect not only changes in flow through, but also solute permeation from, the microvasculature.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1996

Effects of angiotensin II on cultured rat renomedullary interstitial cells are mediated by AT1A receptors.

Renomedullary interstitial cells (RMICs) are prominent in the inner medullary interstitium and have binding sites for several vasoactive agents, including angiotensin II (ANG II). Although the functional role of RMICs remains largely unknown, it is likely that the interaction between RMICs and vasoactive peptides is important in the regulation of renal function. The current investigation characterizes the cellular responses following treatment of RMICs with ANG II. Studies were performed on RMICs isolated from Sprague-Dawley rat kidneys. 125I-labeled [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II specifically bound to RMICs at sites determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to be of the AT1A subtype. ANG II (10(-6) and 10(-10) M) had no effect on either basal or forskolin-stimulated adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate accumulation in RMICs but increased intracellular inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate concentration after 10 s and intracellular calcium concentration after 18 s. For RMICs plated at low densities, ANG II (10(-6) M) induced an increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation, mediated through the AT1-receptor subtype. For RMICs plated at high densities, ANG II (10(-6) M) induced an increase in extracellular matrix synthesis as detected by trans-35S incorporation, an effect also mediated by AT1 receptors. We conclude that ANG II AT1A receptors on cultured RMICs are coupled to intracellular second messenger pathways leading to hyperplasia and synthesis of extracellular matrix.

Angiotensin II↗