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Biomedical subjects

D J Pudifin

Publications and source records attributed to D J Pudifin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Sampling variability and its influence on the diagnostic yield of percutaneous needle biopsy of the liver.

In an investigation to determine the influence of sampling variability on the diagnostic yield of liver biopsy, 3 consecutive samples were obtained from each of 75 patients by redirecting the biopsy needle through a single entry site. In 14.7% of patients all 3 specimens were normal, and in 36% there were similar abnormalities in all 3 specimens. In the other patients, sampling variability between specimens was present. In those patients with cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic carcinoma, or hepatic granulomas the histological abnormality was present in all 3 biopsy specimens in only 50%, 54.5%, 50%, and 18.8% of patients, respectively. No complications were recorded. These findings show that important pathology can be overlooked if only a single biopsy specimen is taken, and that the method of obtaining 3 consecutive specimens improves the diagnostic yield of liver biopsy without an associated increase in complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Hospital admissions for adverse reactions to drugs and deliberate self-poisoning.

In a prospective study of 300 patients, 14 admissions (4,6%) were considered to be related to adverse drug reactions. A further 29 admissions (9,6%) were due to self-poisoning with drugs prescribed for therapeutic purposes. Agents causing adverse reactions were predominantly cardio-active drugs and anticoagulants. Mean duration of hospital stay in this group of patients was 8,3 days (range 2-18 days); there were no deaths. Tranquilizers and antidepressants were most commonly used for self-poisoning. Duration of admission in these patients was much shorter than in the previous group--mean 1,8 days (range 1-5 days), and there was 1 death. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported series of such cases in South Africa. It shows that drugs are an important cause of morbidity in hospital patients in the RSA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Cell-mediated immunity in hepatic amoebiasis.

Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was measured by blastic transformation of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 26 patients with amoebic liver abscess (ALA) and matched control subjects with no demonstrable clinical amoebiasis. During active disease, the mean mitogenic response, measured by the stimulation index of the patients' lymphocytes to Entamoeba histolytica antigen, was increased (mean +/- SD: 25.98 +/- 46.62 compared with 11.27 +/- 21.39), whereas that to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) was reduced (54.80 +/- 56.26 compared with 111.70 +/- 70.61). Both these results were statistically significant (P less than 0.01); they do not, however, appear to be due to a quantitative defect in T-cell numbers, as both total peripheral lymphocytes (3332 +/- 1450 cells/microliters compared with 2447 +/- 531 cells/microliters) and T-cells (2652 +/- 1128 cells/microliters compared with 1908 +/- 386 cells/microliters) were significantly elevated in the patients (P less than 0.01). When these tests were repeated two months later in 12 cured patients they were found to be comparable to those of the control subjects. The results indicate that there is a transient cellular sensitization to amoebic antigen together with an increase in T-lymphocytes and an impairment of the mitogenic response of lymphocytes to PHA. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Circulating immune complexes in typhoid fever.

Levels of circulating IgG- and IgM-containing immune complexes were studied in patients with typhoid fever. Raised levels of both were always found at the time of presentation; they fell towards normal over 3-4 weeks. In 1 patient with a less favourable clinical course the immune complexaemia lasted longer than in the others.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

The phytohaemagglutinin response and lymphocyte subpopulations in young Blacks and Indians with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The lymphocyte transformation response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and the relative numbers of T, B and null lymphocytes were studied in 32 insulin-dependent diabetics and 32 healthy matched controls. The mean stimulation index (Sl) of the 18 patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus was significantly lower than that of controls. No difference was seen in the mean Sl values of well-controlled diabetics compared with controls. Neither the well-controlled group nor the poorly controlled group showed any significant differences in the mean counts of the various lymphocyte subpopulations when compared with controls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Application of the leucocyte adherence inhibition test to the assessment of cell mediated immunity in invasive amoebiasis.

The leucocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) test was assessed as a means for measuring specific cell mediated immunity (CMI) in invasive amoebiasis. The LAI test and the amoebic gel diffusion (AGD) test were performed on 20 patients admitted to hospital with amoebic liver abscess (ALA) and 24 control subjects with no demonstrable clinical amoebiasis. The AGD results were acceptable for such a study in an endemic area as all the proven ALA subjects gave positive responses while all except one of the controls gave a negative reaction. A percentage adherence in the LAI test of more than 80% was considered to be negative and the mean percentage adherence of leucocytes for the control subjects was found to be 86.0 +/- 4.9 while that for the experimental group was found to be 76.1 +/- 15.4; the difference between these groups is statistically significant. It was noticed that the LAI test response was possibly linked with severity of disease in the ALA subjects. The LAI test has been found to be a relatively rapid test of specific CMI and although fastidious, it does not require the use of radio-isotopes.

Female↗
PubMed1981

Circulating immune complexes in normal blood donors of three races.

Circulating immune complexes were measured by means of a modified Raji cell assay in 50 blood donors from each of three race groups - Indian, Black and White. The results ranged widely and were, on average, higher in Blacks than in others. The difference is probably related to the hypergammaglobulinaemia commonly found in Blacks. For maximum clinical usefulness, results should be expressed so as to indicate the degree of variation from the appropriate normal mean.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Autoimmunity in selective IgA deficiency: relationship to anti-bovine protein antibodies, circulating immune complexes and clinical disease.

To test the possibility that autoimmunity could be related to increased levels of anti-bovine antibodies and/or circulating immune complexes in selective IgA deficiency, we studied the sera of 30 consecutive patients for the quantitative level of antibody to bovine milk, the presence of antigen--antibody complexes and 10 selected autoantibodies. Higher titres of anti-milk antibody and circulating immune complexes were to be correlated with positive serological tests of autoimmunity in these patients, and rheumatoid arthritis (three cases) and neurological disease (four cases) were found in individuals who had both milk precipitins and circulating immune complexes. We suggest that the chronic excessive permeability of the gastrointestinal tract in selective IgA deficiency may permit the excessive absorption of many food proteins, leading to the formation of antigen--antibody complexes and autoimmunity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Selective IgA deficiency and neoplasia.

From the Immunodeficiency Cancer Registry, it has appeared that there is an increasing frequency of neoplasia in individuals who have a selective absence of serum IgA. Approaching this question from another point of view, we have found that of 4,120 sera drawn in this cancer-oriented hospital, 12 sera had a total absence of IgA and 3 additional sera had less than 10 mg/dl. The incidence of IgA deficiency in a cancer hospital is thus 1 : 342 or 1 : 273, which is statistically similar to that previously found for other patient groups studied in the USA (average of two studies, 1 : 418), but it is substatistically increased over the incidence of IgA deficiency found in normal blood donors (average of five studies 1 : 1,677). Analysis of these sera by diagnostic categories showed that of 1,517 sera of patients with lymphoproliferative disorders, 6 were IgA deficient (frequency 1 : 253), and of 249 sera of patients with gastrointestinal neoplasm, 2 were IgA deficient (frequency 1 : 125). We conclude that, in the absence of IgA, certain organ systems, the gastrointestinal and lymphoid tissue may be at increased risk for malignant change and that the protective, anti-neoplastic role of IgA requires investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Rheumatoid factor in non-rheumatoid black patients.

A total of 301 Black patients without rheumatic diseases was studied to estimate the prevalence and causes of positive rheumatoid factor. The latex slide test was positive in 25% of patients and 21% had a 'diagnostic' titre of 80 or more. A significant relationship between gamma-globulin levels and rheumatoid factor positivity was demonstrated. IgG appeared to be the most important in determining this relationship. The most common ailments among sero-positive patients were cirrhosis and tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗