Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Lawlor

Publications and source records attributed to E Lawlor.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of infection with hepatitis C virus in recipients of anti-D immunoglobulin.

In a retrospective investigation of possible transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by anti-rhesus D immunoglobulin (anti-D) in 1977, we compared variants infecting anti-D recipients in Ireland of one of the implicated batches with those of epidemiologically unrelated HCV-infected individuals. All 100 of the recipients of the batch investigated to date were infected with a single genotype (type 1), consistent with a single-source outbreak, whereas a wider range of genotypes (1, 2, and 3) were found in anti-HCV positive individuals from Ireland infected by different routes. Nucleotide sequences from a 222 base fragment from the NS-5 region of the genome amplified from stored aliquots of the implicated batch closely matched those detected in anti-D recipients 17 years after the transmission event. This study shows the value of molecular epidemiological techniques for identifying distant sources of infection, and for the epidemiological investigation of the current distribution and transmission of HCV in different populations.

Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic↗
PubMed1995

An outbreak of hepatitis A among Irish haemophiliacs.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of hepatitis A (HAV) occurred in 1992 in Irish haemophilia A patients treated with high purity solvent-detergent (SD) treated factor VIII. Similar outbreaks were reported in Italy, Germany and Belgium. The aim of this study was to investigate the outbreak, and to test the hypothesis that it was caused by exposure to SD-treated factor VIII. METHODS: A case-control study was started in early 1993. Haemophilia A cases with acute HAV (n = 29) were compared with haemophilia A controls for exposure to SD-treated factor VIII and other environmental factors. Details of factor VIII usage were obtained from the National Haemophilia Register and environmental data were obtained by a telephone-administered questionnaire. The response rate was approximately 90%. RESULTS: The incidence of acute HAV infection among haemophilia A patients exceeded the notified national incidence of HAV by a factor of approximately 300. The incidence was higher in younger patients and those with more severe bleeding disorders. Contact with hepatitis, with children, and exposure to factor VIII were associated with increased risk. The association with factor VIII was the strongest risk factor after controlling for other factors (odds ratio = 27.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.5-117.3). A dose-response effect was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: Although person-to-person transmission is likely to have caused a few of the cases, the results of our investigation suggest that the major contributing factor was exposure to certain batches of SD-treated factor VIII.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Investigation of an outbreak of hepatitis A in Irish haemophilia A patients.

Since 1990, Irish haemophilia A patients have been treated with solvent-detergent(SD)-treated virally inactivated high-purity factor VIII concentrate prepared from plasma from Irish voluntary non-remunerated donors. In 1992, 13 haemophilia A patients developed clinical hepatitis A and a further 17 patients showed serological evidence of recent infection by hepatitis A. All but 3 of these patients had had recent exposure to SD-treated product. A case-control study is underway to determine whether these cases represent transmission through product or environmentally acquired hepatitis A.

Blood Component Transfusion↗
PubMed1992

Probability of finding a compatible sibling donor for bone marrow transplantation in Ireland.

This study was undertaken to ascertain the frequency of compatible sibling donors for individuals requiring bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in Ireland. During the study period 1984-89, a total of 392 patients were HLA typed. Of these, 218 (55.6%) had a compatible sibling donor. Among the latter there were 4 degrees of compatibility: 168 (42.9%) were HLA-A,B,DR identical MLC unreactive: three (0.8%) were HLA-A,B,DR identical MLC reactive: 12 (3.0%) were HLA-A,B,DR identical (no MLC performed) and 35 (8.9%) were HLA-A, B identical (no DR or MLC performed). The leukaemias and aplastic anaemia comprised 82.9% of all requests. The majority of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (64.4%), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (51.2%), chronic myeloid leukaemia (73.9%) and aplastic anaemia (77.3%) had a potential sibling donor. Subsequently 144 of these patients had an allogeneic BMT, 79.9% of which were for patients with leukaemia (acute and chronic). This study found that there was a higher probability of finding a donor within the family than reported in most series. A clear relationship was demonstrated between family size and the likelihood of obtaining a HLA-identical sibling donor.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗
PubMed1991

Non-radioactive detection of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene rearrangement in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Rearrangements of the heavy chain immunoglobulin gene and T cell receptor beta gene were investigated in 25 patients suffering from precursor B cell acute leukaemia and six patients suffering from T cell acute leukaemia using biotinylated DNA probes. All precursor B acute leukaemia patients had IgH gene rearrangements and 63% of those studied also had TCR beta gene rearrangements. All T cell acute leukaemia patients had TCR beta gene rearrangements and germline IgH configuration. Dilution experiments indicated that DNA from leukaemic cells representing 1-2% of a tested sample could be detected using this technique which compares favourably to radioactive DNA probes.

Biotin↗
PubMed1991

Persistent polyclonal B lymphocytosis with Epstein-Barr virus antibodies and subsequent malignant pulmonary blastoma.

Persistent polyclonal B lymphocytosis (PPBL), a rare benign lymphoproliferative disorder, occurred in a 25 year old woman. The lymphocytes showed the phenotype cIgM+, FMC7+, CD19+, CD20+, which was similar to that seen in Waldenstrom's macroglobinaemia, but the proliferation was repeatedly shown to be polyclonal both immunologically and by immunoglobulin gene rearrangement studies. Eleven years after presentation the patient developed a malignant pulmonary blastoma, a rare pulmonary tumour of combined epithelial and mesenchymal origin. The failure to develop a lymphoid malignancy over 11 years together with immunological and genetic evidence of polyclonality confirms that PPBL is a benign lymphoproliferative disorder. The subsequent occurrence of a nonhaemopoietic malignancy suggests that benign lymphoid proliferations, like their malignant counterparts, may predispose to the development of neoplasia. A role for Epstein-Barr virus in the pathogenesis of one or both of these rare conditions is suggested by the finding of raised Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigen titres.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A new human plasma cell line, Karpas 620, with translocations involving chromosomes 1, 11 and 14.

We report here the establishment of a new cell line, Karpas 620 (K620), from the peripheral blood of an elderly woman with an IgG-kappa plasma cell leukaemia (PCL). The line has the same hypotetraploid karyotype as the fresh cells from the patient. The cultured cells have the ultrastructural appearance of plasma cells with abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and secrete kappa light chain. They are positive for surface antigens HLA DR, and WR17 (CD 37) and negative for CD1, CD3, CD4 and CD8. Using high resolution (HR) cytogenetic analysis it has been possible to identify all the marker chromosomes including several rearrangements commonly seen in malignancies of B cell lineage. These are a 14q+ marker with a typical 'Burkitt' morphology der(14)(pter----q32.3::8q24.1----qter) but with no reciprocal 8q-, and three translocations involving chromosome 11 at q13 with partners other than chromosome 14, namely 1q32.1, 8q24.22 and 13q14.3. An earlier report of molecular studies on the DNA of K620 has shown a rearrangement near the region on 11q13 designated BCL-1 (Rabbitts et al. 1988). This is the first report of a rearrangement in the region of 11q13 in a cell line originating from a case of plasma cell leukaemia.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Multiple lymphomatous polyposis of the gastrointestinal tract. A clinicopathologically distinctive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell centrocytic type.

Multiple lymphomatous polyposis of the gastrointestinal tract was initially described as mucosal lymphomatous involvement by any of a variety of Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's lymphomas that produced a polypoid appearance over long segments of the gastrointestinal tract. We studied four patients in whom histology revealed diffuse small cleaved cell lymphoma (one case), or intermediate lymphocytic lymphoma of diffuse type (one case), or mantle zone pattern (two cases). All four cases are classifiable as centrocytic lymphoma. Cell suspension and immunocytochemical studies demonstrated B-cells of IgMD or M type with light chain restriction (two kappa, two lambda) showing a B1+ HLA Dr+ LN2+ CD5+ CD10+. Although all four patients had a partial response to combination chemotherapy, three of them died within 3 years. Analysis of 24 cases reported since 1971 (including the present cases) suggests that MLP is a distinct clinicopathological entity that results from gastrointestinal involvement by a B-cell centrocytic lymphoma. It is distinct from the recently described clinicopathological forms of centrocytic lymphoma and intermediate lymphocytic lymphoma, which both show extensive peripheral lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, but it is probably closely related to them. The differences are probably attributable to distinct cell tropism or homing properties rather than to cellular histogenesis or degree of maturation.

Aged↗