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Biomedical subjects

E Walker

Publications and source records attributed to E Walker.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Relationships between symptoms, menstrual cycle and orocaecal transit in normal and constipated women.

Because severe constipation is a disorder largely confined to young women, the possibility that menstrually related factors contribute to disturbed gastrointestinal motor function has been raised. It has also been reported that normal menstruating women show changes in upper gut transit between the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle and that patients with constipation show prolonged transit. We therefore studied relationships between symptom severity and orocaecal transit during the menstrual cycle in a group of 14 constipated women and a series of control groups comprising seven normal menstruating women, five postmenopausal women, and eight normal men, to determine whether phases of the menstrual cycle were associated with alteration in symptoms or transit. A regular menstrual cycle was reported by 13 of the 14 patients (range 26-30 days) and by all the menstruating female volunteers. Seven patients noted variation in constipation during the menstrual cycle, in all cases this comprised an improvement in symptoms just before or during menstruation. No consistent relationship between symptom severity and follicular or luteal phase was noted. Repeated orocaecal transit measurements in the four study groups showed no consistent differences (greater than 0.05) between groups or during the menstrual cycle (mean change weeks 1-4, -10 +/- 20 min). These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis of a progesterone related effect upon orocaecal transit in either normal or constipated women.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Perturbation of upper gastrointestinal transit and antroduodenal motility by experimentally applied stress: the role of beta-adrenoreceptor mediated pathways.

A series of three experiments were performed on healthy adult volunteers to investigate the possible role played by beta-adrenoreceptor mediated pathways in the disturbance of human upper intestinal motor function by hand immersion in cold water. In the first experiment, (an extended pilot study on one individual), orocaecal transit of a standard meal was measured on 36 occasions with and without cold water stimulation and with and without a series of alpha and beta blocking drugs. Cold water stimulation consistently delayed transit in this individual, an effect which was attenuated by prior beta-blockade. In a double blind trial of the effect of beta-blocker atenolol v placebo on transit in nine individuals, a consistent reduction in the cold water induced transit delay was observed (p less than 0.01) independent of any direct effect of beta-blockade. In the third experiment seven individuals underwent repeated studies of antroduodenal pressure activity comparing the effects of cold and warm water stimulation with and without beta blockade to determine whether the observed transit effect could be related to an action on gastrointestinal motility. Cold water stimulation reduced antroduodenal motility, but no consistent effects of previous beta blockade were noted. These studies indicate the presence of a beta-adrenoreceptor mediated pathway in the cold water induced delay of orocaecal transit but not in the inhibition of gastroduodenal motility. Further studies are indicated to determine the site and mode of action of this transit effect more precisely.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Carriage of Candida species and C albicans biotypes in patients undergoing chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation for haematological disease.

Six hundred and seventy four yeast isolates obtained from routine microbiological screening of 153 patients with haematological disease were identified and Candida albicans isolates biotyped over nine months to determine longitudinal and cross sectional patterns of yeast colonisation. A yeast microflora persisted in many patients despite the routine prophylactic use of oral antifungal agents. Analysis of the yeast species isolated on a cross sectional basis showed that C albicans accounted for 65% of yeasts isolated from the oral cavity but only 45% of the faecal yeast flora. Longitudinal changes in yeast flora occurred significantly more often in faecal samples than in oral samples and significantly less often in sites colonised with C albicans than in sites colonised with other species. No associations were found between the yeasts isolated and the nature of antifungal prophylaxis used, or the extent of a patient's stay in hospital.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1989

Relationship between endometriosis and affective disorder.

Comparing 14 women with and 55 women without endometriosis, the authors found no significant differences in the prevalence of affective disorder. They discuss the discrepancy between their finding and Lewis et al.'s finding of an association between affective disorder and endometriosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Murine B lymphoma cell lines release functionally active interleukin 2 after stimulation with Staphylococcus aureus.

In this study it is shown that an IL-2-like functional lymphokine activity derived from the murine B cell lines 2PK-3 and L10A2J after stimulation with Staphylococcus aureus can be blocked with anti-IL-2 mAb such as 9B11, DMS-1, and S4B6. Experiments demonstrate that the stimulation of the IL-2-sensitive cell line CTLL-2 by the IL-2-like functional activity derived from murine B cell tumors can also be blocked with the anti-IL-2R mAb PC61. Additionally, in RNA-RNA hybridization experiments with radiolabeled SP6-derived ssRNA probes developed from murine IL-2 genomic DNA sequences and specific for IL-2 mRNA, quantitatively significant amounts of IL-2-specific mRNA in both 2PK-3 and L10A2J are shown subsequent to stimulating the cells with S. aureus. These results suggest the murine B cell tumor lines 2PK-3 and L10A2J synthesize and release IL-2 after stimulation with selected polyclonal activators such as S. aureus.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Slight hyperinsulinaemia but no hypoglycaemia in pertussis patients.

Because of the central rôle postulated for Pertussis Toxin in the pathogenesis of whooping cough, and the well-established ability of this toxin to alter insulin and glucose levels in animal blood, a study of insulin and glucose levels in hospitalised pertussis patients and in controls was made. With blood specimens collected in heparin-fluoride anticoagulant, the geometric mean plasma-insulin level (13.3 microU/ml) in a series of 24 pertussis patients was slightly, but statistically significantly, higher than that (8.9 microU/ml) in a series of 27 non-pertussis controls with other infectious diseases (p less than 0.02). Portions of the same blood specimens collected in lithium-heparin anticoagulant yielded higher mean plasma-insulin values of 15.5 and 11.4 microU/ml respectively, with no significant difference between them (p less than 0.05). Mean plasma glucose concentrations were not significantly different between the two groups, and hypoglycaemia was not detected in any pertussis patient. There were no statistically significant differences between pertussis and control children in the mean levels of plasma calcium, magnesium or phosphate.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1988

Effect of codeine and loperamide on upper intestinal transit and absorption in normal subjects and patients with postvagotomy diarrhoea.

Patients with chronic severe diarrhoea after truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty are often difficult to treat using conventional antidiarrhoeal drugs and remain severely disabled. We examined the effect of two drugs, codeine phosphate and loperamide, on upper intestinal transit and carbohydrate absorption, measured non-invasively by serial exhaled breath hydrogen monitoring, in patients with postvagotomy diarrhoea who had previously failed to gain relief from drug therapy. Orocaecal transit was consistently faster in these patients than a group of controls and was associated with malabsorption of glucose. Codeine phosphate 60 mg significantly delayed transit in patients and controls and was associated with a reduction in glucose malabsorption and improvement in symptoms. Loperamide also delayed transit and improved symptoms, but the doses required for this effect (12-24 mg) were higher than usually considered necessary in secretory diarrhoea. These studies indicate that rapid intestinal nutrient transit and associated malabsorption is a factor in the development of diarrhoea postvagotomy and that symptomatic relief can be achieved in most patients by more rational use of existing drugs.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Relationship of chronic pelvic pain to psychiatric diagnoses and childhood sexual abuse.

Structured psychiatric and sexual abuse interviews were administered to 25 women with chronic pelvic pain and a comparison group of 30 women with specific gynecological conditions. All 55 patients underwent diagnostic laparoscopy, and the results of the fiberoptic pelvic examination were objectively classified by the study gynecologist, who was blind to the psychiatric diagnoses. The patients with chronic pelvic pain showed a significantly higher prevalence of major depression, substance abuse, adult sexual dysfunction, somatization, and history of childhood and adult sexual abuse than the comparison group. There were no significant differences between the groups in severity or type of pelvic pathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The association between chronic pelvic pain, psychiatric diagnoses, and childhood sexual abuse.

Twenty-five women with chronic pelvic pain who had undergone diagnostic laparoscopy and 30 women who had laparoscopic examinations for tubal sterilization or infertility investigation were compared psychologically using structured psychiatric and sexual abuse interviews. Results of the fiberoptic pelvic examination were rated independently using the American Fertility Society classification of endometriosis. Compared with controls, the patients with chronic pelvic pain showed significantly greater prevalence of lifetime major depression, current major depression, lifetime substance abuse, adult sexual dysfunction, and somatization. They were also significantly more likely than controls to have been a victim of childhood and adult sexual abuse. There were no significant differences in either the degree or type of pelvic disease between patients with pelvic pain and controls.

Child↗
PubMed1987

Characterization of adult human marrow hematopoietic progenitors highly enriched by two-color cell sorting with My10 and major histocompatibility class II monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies, My10 (HPCA-1) and major histocompatibility class II (HLA-DR), were used to enrich and phenotype normal human marrow colony-forming unit: granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), burst-forming unit: erythroid (BFU-E), and multipotential colony-forming unit: granulocyte-erythroid-macrophage-megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM) progenitor cells. Nonadherent low density T lymphocyte-depleted marrow cells were sorted on a Coulter Epics 753 dye laser flow cytometry system with the use of Texas Red-labeled anti-My10 and phycoerythrin conjugated anti-HLA-DR. Cells were separated into populations with nondetectable expression of antigens (DR-My10-) or with constant expression of one antigen and increasing densities of the other antigen. More than 98% of the CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-GEMM were found in fractions containing cells expressing both HLA-DR and My10 antigens. The cloning efficiency (CE) of cells in the DR-My10- cell fraction was 0.01%. In the antigen-positive sorted fractions, the CE was highest (up to 47%) in the fractions of cells expressing high My10 and low DR (My10 DR+) antigens and was lowest (2.5%) in the fraction of cells expressing low My10 and low DR (My10+DR+) antigens. Populations of cells varying in the density of HLA-DR, but not My10, antigens varied in the proportion and types of progenitor cells present. When My10-positive cells were sorted for HLA-DR density expression, the CE for CFU-GM was similar in the DR+ and DR++ fractions, but most of the BFU-E and CFU-GEMM were found in the DR+ fraction. Within the CFU-GM compartment, most of the eosinophil progenitors were found in the DR+ fraction, whereas a greater proportion of macrophage progenitors were detected in the DR++ fraction. CFU-GM and BFU-E in the fractions of cells positive for DR and My10 were assessed for responsiveness to the effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha, recombinant human interferon-gamma, and prostaglandin E1. Colony formation from CFU-GM was suppressed by the three molecules, and colony formation by BFU-E was suppressed by recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma and enhanced, in the presence of T lymphocyte-conditioned medium, by prostaglandin E1 in all antigen-positive fractions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Alprostadil↗
PubMed1987

Positive and negative symptoms in psychotic and other psychiatrically disturbed children.

The positive and negative symptom distinction has been found to be valid in research on schizophrenia in adulthood. The present study examined age-related changes in the occurrence of positive and negative symptoms in psychiatrically disturbed children who were receiving psychiatric treatment for the first time. The effect of age on the manifestation of positive and negative symptoms was significant; positive symptoms increased linearly with age, while negative symptoms were most frequent in early childhood and late adolescence. This finding held for the entire sample of children, as well as the subsample of children with psychotic diagnoses. There were few sex differences in the rate of symptoms, although age trends varied somewhat by sex. Examination of the relation between symptomatology and IQ revealed that high-IQ children showed greater positive and fewer negative symptoms than low-IQ children. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of examining developmental differences in positive and negative symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Action of centrally mediated autonomic stimulation on human upper gastrointestinal transit: a comparative study of two stimuli.

Two well established experimental stressors, hand immersion in cold water, and mental stimulation with dichotomous listening, were applied to 37 normal subjects after the ingestion of a standard meal. Orocaecal transit was measured by serial exhaled breath hydrogen sampling. Cold water significantly delayed transit compared with warm water control (warm water 71.8 +/- 3.6 mins v cold water 93.2 +/- 5.7 mins p less than 0.01), with significant rises in blood pressure pulse rate perceived discomfort and plasma catecholamines. In contrast mental stimulation was unaccompanied by any change in transit (control; 67.4 +/- 4.7 v test 64.3 +/- 5.3 mins p greater than 0.1) despite a significant rise in pulse rate, skin conductance and plasma catecholamines. Repeated cold water immersion studies in eight individuals produced consistent orocaecal transit and autonomic responses, whereas mental stimulation showed reduced autonomic responses on repeat testing, suggesting that tolerance to the stimulus had occurred. The results of these studies show stimulus specific gastrointestinal response patterns to autonomic stimuli, and appear to have important implications for the design of future studies of human gastrointestinal autonomic physiology and for the investigation of patients with stress related gut dysfunction.

Acoustic Stimulation↗