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Biomedical subjects

E S Cooper

Publications and source records attributed to E S Cooper.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Humoral immune responses in human infection with the whipworm Trichuris trichiura.

The humoral immune response to infection with Trichuris trichirua was investigated by ELISA and immunoblotting using human sera from the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Immunoblot analysis of the degree of cross-reactivity with the related trichuroid Trichinella spiralis and with the other commonly co-existent nematodes, Ascaris lumbricoides and Toxocara canis, was carried out using selected sera. The IgM, IgA, IgE, and IgG subclass antibody levels were measured in ELISA using a detergent solubilized extract of adult T. trichiura. The IgG and IgE responses were highly Trichuris specific. Anti-T. trichiura IgM responses were totally cross-reactive with A. lumbricoides and were completely ablated by pre-incubation of sera with Ascaris antigen. The IgG response was predominantly of the IgG1 subclass with a minimal IgG3 response. Only 1 person out of 130 tested had a detectable IgG3 response. The IgG2 response appeared to be directed primarily against carbohydrate or polysaccharide antigens as pre-treatment of the ELISA plates with poly-L-lysine was necessary before a response could be detected. These data are the first demonstration of human isotypic responses to infection with T. trichiura.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Histopathology and immunohistochemistry of the caecum in children with the Trichuris dysentery syndrome.

Caecal biopsy specimens from Jamaican children with the Trichuris dysentery syndrome (TDS) and age matched Jamaican controls were investigated by immunohistochemistry and by light microscopy. Biopsy specimens from all children (with TDS and controls) showed a mild to moderate increase in inflammatory cells. Except in the vicinity of the worm, where the epithelium was flattened, there was no other epithelial abnormality. Compared with controls, children with TDS had increased IgM lamina propria plasma cells and decreased intraepithelial T cells. There was also an increase in crypt epithelial cell proliferation. Lamina propria T cells (both activated and non-activated) were no more common in children with the Trichuris syndrome than controls. Epithelial cell HLA-DR and VLA-1 expression (which are increased in other colitides) were the same in both groups. Despite the presence of large worm burdens and chronic dysentery, therefore, only minor changes were seen in the caecal mucosa of children with TDS.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1991

Cerebrovascular disease in hypertensive blacks.

There is convincing evidence that all grades of persistent diastolic hypertension, especially in blacks, should be treated in order to prevent stroke and other cardiovascular complications. Studies are now in progress to gather additional information concerning isolated systolic hypertension, especially in the aged. Inasmuch as at least one half or more of stroke deaths in blacks develop as the result of hypertension, lowering blood pressure offers the perfect opportunity to reduce considerably the frequency of this devastating illness. The recent dramatic fall in U.S. stroke mortality, greatest in the black female, is a commendable achievement, but the flattening of the declining mortality curve over the past several years should be a cause for alarm and intensive investigation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Prognostic value of DNA flow cytometry in thymomas and thymic carcinomas.

Thymomas are the most common anterior mediastinal masses. Malignant potential and prognosis are unrelated to histologic appearance. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) flow cytometry is of prognostic significance in a variety of tumors. We reviewed the records of 35 patients who on pathologic examination had a thymoma or thymic carcinoma. Flow cytometric studies, including DNA indices (ploidy) and S phase fraction, were done on paraffin block specimens from 31 patients. We believe this is the first report of DNA flow cytometric studies in thymic pathology. Mean survival was 63.5 +/- 13.3 months for patients with benign thymomas, 10.5 +/- 4.6 months for patients with malignant thymomas, and 19.3 +/- 4.1 months for patients with thymic carcinomas. Patients with benign thymomas lived significantly longer than those with malignant thymomas (P = .001) and thymic carcinomas (P = .03). DNA flow cytometry demonstrated four aneuploid tumors (two benign thymomas and two malignant thymomas). All thymic carcinomas were diploid. There was no statistically significant difference among the groups. The mean S phase fraction was 15.22% for benign thymomas, 11.15% for malignant thymomas, and 14.31% for thymic carcinomas. No statistically significant difference was found among the groups. We conclude that flow cytometry is not a useful guide to malignant potential or prognosis in thymomas and thymic carcinomas.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1990

The 1988 comprehensive blood bank survey of the College of American Pathologists.

An average of 2211 laboratories reported results in this comprehensive blood bank survey. In general, the participant performance remains strong in ABO and D typing, unexpected antibody detection and identification, crossmatching, and antigen identification. However, certain samples achieved less than the usual performance levels. In one sample, anti-C, which was not present, was reported by many participants. In a third sample, only 90% of the participants correctly recorded that no antibody was detectable. Two cross-match challenges did not reach the required participant consensus for grading purposes. The ungraded samples and the supplementary questions provide mock clinical situations and are used to determine current practices and procedures in transfusion medicine. The results of these studies and the participant responses are included.

Blood Banks↗
PubMed1990

Growth suppression in the Trichuris dysentery syndrome.

The Trichuris Dysentery Syndrome (Ramsey, 1962) is an insidious, chronic condition which has clinical features similar to Crohn's ileocolitis and ulcerative colitis, diseases similarly associated with growth retardation. The attained heights and weights of 19 children at the time of diagnosis of intens, -2.4 Standard Deviation (Z) scores from the Tanner-Whitehouse median with weight, adjusted for height-age, -1.3 Z. We present data on the growth velocities of 11 of the children in the half-year following worm expulsion by mebendazole. These children returned to their home environments without food supplementation or close follow-up, but showed an average height velocity of +5.5 Z and weight velocity (for height-age) of +2.4 Z. Of 8 children with unequivocal height spurts only 3 had any weight spurt. We suggest that the pattern of catch-up growth points to the existence of some specific link between allergy or inflammation in the lower intestinal tract and suppression of linear growth, rather than to stunting due to general deprivation and undernutrition.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The 1987 Comprehensive Blood Bank Survey of the College of American Pathologists.

The 1987 Comprehensive Blood Bank Survey consisted of four shipments of samples. Each presented graded challenges in ABO and D typing, crossmatching, and antibody detection and identification and ungraded challenges for antigen typing and ungraded serum samples for educational purposes. Practice patterns were elicited through supplemental questions, generally about issues raised by the survey samples. Two of the surveys showed significant problems. Set J-C included serum with anti-Lea, which was not detected by some participants. Anti-Dia was one of two antibodies in the J-D graded sample, and this additional antibody was not detected by a significant number of participants. Although minor problems were encountered in other challenges, in general performance was good.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1988

Trichuris is not trivial.

There is no doubt that whipworm, Trichuris trichiura, is common - infecting up to 800 million people throughout tropical and temperate areas. Less clear has been its clinical significance, largely because of the chronic insidious nature of the disease. Here, Ed Cooper and Don Bundy discuss the scale of disease caused by Trichuris, pointing to possible reasons for its neglect- under-recognition, under-reporting, and/or uncertainty of pathogenesis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1988

Effect of age and initial infection intensity on the rate of reinfection with Trichuris trichiura after treatment.

The study examines the rate of re-acquisition of Trichuris trichiura infection after treatment in two populations, one of mixed age and the other of children with known pre-intervention infection intensity. A population living in a Caribbean village was treated with mebendazole and the rate of reacquisition of infection of four age classes (2-4, 5-10, 11-30, 30+ years) monitored over a 20-month period. The reinfection rate was higher in the child age-classes indicating either that children are more exposed to infection or that adults slowly develop a partially effective acquired immunity. A cohort of children (mean age 4.5 years) was separated into 3 intensity categories on the basis of expelled worm burdens and their rate of reacquisition of infection monitored over a 12-month period. The rate of reinfection was directly and positively associated with initial infection status. This may indicate that children with low intensity infections are consistently less exposed to infection or that they have effective immune responses. The latter conclusion, however, would imply that they had acquired this immunity early in life, and so appears to contradict the suggestion that resistance is only slowly acquired by adults. Reconciling these two conclusions may require more sophisticated immunological models than have been suggested previously for geohelminthiases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The evidence for predisposition to trichuriasis in humans: comparison of institutional and community studies.

This article compares the results of two studies of Trichuris trichiura infection, one conducted in a children's home and the other in a village. In both, the intensity of infection of a cohort of children was determined by antihelminthic expulsion initially, and again after a period of re-infection. The cohort of village children showed a predisposition to a particular intensity of infection. An individual with a heavy infection initially was likely to re-acquire a heavier than average worm burden. No such correlation was observed for the cohort of institutionalized children. It is suggested that the causation of predisposition is multifactorial, and that the contrasting results of the two studies may be due in part to differing levels of heterogeneity in exposure to infection, the village children being exposed to dissimilar domestic environments and the institutionalized children to only one.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The 1986 Comprehensive Blood Bank Survey of the College of American Pathologists.

In 1986, a total of 2781 laboratories subscribed to the Comprehensive Blood Bank Survey of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) (Skokie, Ill). Performance of these laboratories on the ABO and Rh challenges was good, with 99.7% to 99.9% of the participants reporting the correct response. Antibody identification showed less consistency (45.4% to 97.5%). These challenges consisted of two serum samples with multiple antibodies, one serum sample with antibody to a high-incidence antigen, and one serum sample with anti-M. Performance on the cross match ranged from 95.0% to 99.8% correct, with one exception. This exception was an intended incompatible cross match with the serum containing anti-M, which was reported as incompatible by 56.2% of participants. The antigen-typing challenges ranged from 98.3% to 100% correct, but three typings proved to be a problem. Two samples, when typed for the c antigen, were correctly typed 70.4% of the time and 50.1% of the time. One of these samples, when typed for the E antigen, was correctly typed only 30% of the time. This discrepancy proved to be the result of inadvertent pooling of units of different phenotypes in the sample preparation process.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1987

Age-related prevalence and intensity of Trichuris trichiura infection in a St. Lucian community.

Age-related changes in the average worm burden and the prevalence of Trichuris trichiura infection, in a village community in St. Lucia, were examined by field studies based on worm expulsion techniques. Horizontal age-intensity profiles were convex in form with peak parasite loads occurring in the 2 to 15-year-old children. Prevalence is shown to be a poor indicator of changes in average worm load with age. Faecal egg counts (epg and epd) provide a qualitative measure of worm burdens since fecundity is shown to be approximately independent of worm load. The parasites were highly aggregated within the study community, with most people harbouring low burdens while a few individuals harboured very heavy burdens. Of the total parasite populations in the study sample, 84% were harboured by the 2 to 15-year-old children. Of those individuals harbouring 100 worms or more, 87% were in the 2 to 10-year-old age range. Crude estimates of population parameters (basic reproductive rate, 4-5; rate of reinfection, 90 year-1) suggest that the rate of reinfection is higher than for other helminth parasites of man. The control of morbidity and parasite transmission is discussed in the context of targeting drug treatment at the child segment of the study population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Epidemiology and population dynamics of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infection in the same community.

The gastrointestinal helminth infection status of an age-stratified sample from a single Caribbean community was assessed using anthelmintic expulsion techniques. The same sample was re-assessed in a similar manner after a 17 month period of re-infection. The age-prevalence profile of Ascaris lumbricoides was convex while that of Trichuris trichiura was asymptotic. The age-intensity profiles of both species were convex. These differing patterns are attributed to differences in the absolute worm burdens of the 2 species. The frequency distributions of infection intensity were similar for both species, and largely independent of host age. The basic reproductive rate of A. lumbricoides (Ro = 1-1.8) was similar to that recorded elsewhere and much lower than that of T. trichiura (Ro = 4-6), implying that the latter is intrinsically more resistant to control. Individual hosts were predisposed to high (or low) intensity infection with either species, although predisposition to both species simultaneously was not conclusively demonstrated. Further studies are required to determine the cause of these observations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Predisposition to Trichuris trichiura infection in humans.

The study examines the distribution of Trichuris trichiura infection in a village community in St Lucia, West Indies. The infection intensity of the same age-stratified population was assessed (by drug expelled worm burden and faecal egg count) at the initiation of the study, and after 17 months of reinfection following treatment. The frequency distribution of worm numbers per person was similar at both periods of sampling. There was a significant correlation between the initial infection intensity of an individual, and the intensity acquired by the same individual following the 17 month period of reinfection. This relationship was observed in a broad range of host age classes. The study provides firm evidence that individuals are predisposed to heavy (or light) T. trichiura infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Sigmoidoscopy in children with chronic mucoid diarrhoea in rural St. Lucia.

Sixty-nine per cent of a group of children with chronic mucoid diarrhoea who would not normally be seen in a tertiary health care facility had endoscopically demonstrable abnormality in the distal bowel, especially in the distal rectum. Sigmoidoscopy and punch biopsy of the rectum are safe procedures which can be undertaken in primary health care facilities. The inclusion of such investigations will facilitate the elucidation of the aetiology of chronic mucoid diarrhoea.

Biopsy↗