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Biomedical subjects

E Ward

Publications and source records attributed to E Ward.

123 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Mobile medical relief and military assistance in Somalia.

INTRODUCTION: Mobile medical clinics were established by an international medical relief organization to provide health care to victims of the war in Somalia. The study's purpose was to examine the prevalence of diseases seen and the effectiveness of mobile medical clinics, and to evaluate military support in security and care provisions. METHODS: This is a descriptive case series conducted over a 6-month period. Physicians determined clinical diagnoses, and clinic personnel assigned security scores (one to five) based on: 1) crowd control; 2) the incidence of looting; and 3) threats of violence by individuals demanding treatment. SETTING: Mobile medical teams that provided health care to regions in urban and rural Somalia assisted by United States and Italian military forces. PARTICIPANTS: At 149 mobile clinics, 25,265 patients were treated. INTERVENTIONS: Medical treatment included dispensing medications, intravenous rehydration, and minor surgical procedures. The effectiveness of security measures was scored based on: 1) effective crowd control; 2) the lack of theft or threats of violence; and 3) the unimpaired operation of the clinic. RESULTS: Medical teams treated 25,265 patients. The most common medical problems encountered were skin infections (19.5%), upper and lower respiratory tract infections (16.1%), and gastroenteritis with dehydration (7.1%). Malnutrition was seen in 4.7% of cases, and trauma accounted for only 0.7% of complaints. When military escorts were provided, the mean security score was 43% higher (4.85 +/- 0.46) as compared to the absence of a military escort (3.40 +/- 0.60) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mobile medical clinics were found to be effective in this setting despite difficult conditions, limited therapeutic modalities, and few in-patient facilities. Infectious diseases were most common, while malnutrition and trauma were less commonly seen. The cooperation of United States and Italian military forces facilitated relief efforts by maintaining security, particularly in unstable areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new multigene family inducible by tobacco mosaic virus or salicylic acid in tobacco.

A previously undescribed cDNA family was isolated from tobacco challenged with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). A cDNA library was constructed with mRNA from upper leaves of Xanthi nc tobacco plants that had been inoculated with TMV on the lower leaves 11 days previously. The library was screened differentially with radiolabeled cDNA synthesized with mRNA from upper, uninoculated leaves of either TMV-inoculated or mock-inoculated tobacco plants. The new cDNA family, designated SAR8.2, had at least five expressed members, one or more of which were inducible by TMV inoculation and by salicylic acid treatment. The cDNAs encoded small, highly basic proteins containing N-terminal hydrophobic signal peptides and highly conserved cysteine-rich C-terminal domains. One of the SAR8.2 family members contained a direct repeat of the C-terminal domain in tandem. Hybridization of SAR8.2 cDNA to tobacco genomic DNAs indicated a gene family of 10-12 members.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Regulation of a hevein-like gene in Arabidopsis.

An Arabidopisis cDNA clone was isolated that encodes a protein similar to the antifungal chitin-binding protein hevein from rubber tree latex. This hevein-like (HEL) mRNA was inducible by either turnip crinkle virus infection or ethylene treatment. In addition, expression was moderately inducible by treatment with the resistance-inducing compounds salicylic acid and 2,6-dichlorisonicotinic acid. The 786-bp cDNA contains an open reading frame of 212 codons. The deduced amino acid sequence contains a putative signal sequence of 21 amino acids followed by a 43-amino-acid cysteine-rich lectin domain and a 129-amino-acid carboxy-terminal domain. The predicted protein is approximately 70% identical to hevein, to the wound-inducible WIN1 and WIN2 proteins from potato, and to PR-4, a pathogenesis-related protein from tobacco.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Regulation of cucumber class III chitinase gene expression.

The chromosomal region encoding the acidic class III chitinase from cucumber has been isolated and characterized. As a result of an apparent gene triplication, the pathogen-induced gene (CHI2) is flanked by two closely related genes with complete open reading frames (ORF). The high level of conservation within the three ORFs suggests an essential role for each encoded protein in plant growth and development. The developmental and tissue-specific expression of RNA from each gene was analyzed using both gene-specific probes and RNA-PCR. The expression of each gene in response to various inducing treatments was also characterized. Only transcripts corresponding to CHI2 were detected. Chitinase mRNA abundance increased slightly following cycloheximide application; however, its potent induction by salicylic acid was inhibited by cycloheximide treatment.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of human papillomavirus among STD clinic attenders in Jamaica: association of younger age and increased sexual activity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus is the major etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Although the incidence of cancer of the cervix is high in Jamaica, the prevalence of human papillomavirus among Jamaican women has not been defined. GOAL OF THE STUDY: To estimate the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and associated risk factors in women attending an STD clinic in Kingston, Jamaica. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was done of 202 women attending an STD clinic in Kingston in 1990. Cervical and vaginal cells were collected by lavage, and human papillomavirus genomes were detected in extracted DNA using low-stringency Southern blot hybridization. RESULTS: Fifty-eight (28.7%) women were identified as HPV positive. Prevalence of HPV by age group was 39% in women 15-19 years old, 33% of women 20-24 years old, 31% in women 25-29 years old, and 17% in those 30 years or older. Increasing age was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus infection (test for trend, P = 0.025). The effect of age was independent of years of sexual activity. Women reporting more than one sexual partner per month on average were found to have a significantly higher HPV prevalence (odds ratio 2.87, 95% confidence Interval 1.29-6.38), as were women who reported more frequent sex (test for trend, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual behavior is associated with risk of human papillomavirus infection. The decrease of human papillomavirus prevalence in older women agrees with other studies that argue in favor of a biological effect, such as increased immunity to human papillomavirus with age. A better understanding of why immunity to human papillomavirus may develop in older women may provide the basis for developing an effective vaccine to prevent cancer of the cervix.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia mimicking community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia is a rare disease that mimics infectious pneumonia. Most patients respond well to corticosteroid therapy. METHODS: We report a single case and findings from an English language literature search of MEDLINE using key words "bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia." RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia should be considered when a patient with pneumonia does not respond to antibiotics and has multiple patchy infiltrates and characteristic bronchoalveolar lavage patterns. A tissue sample is required for definitive diagnosis. Infection by a multiresistant organism can occur with multiple antibiotic therapy and concomitant use of corticosteroids, particularly when no initial infecting organism is identified.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cytophotometric and cytogenetic analyses of mouse lymphomas.

Simultaneous cytophotometric and cytogenetic analyses of spontaneous mesenteric lymphomas from three female mice are reported. No statistically significant deviation from normal lymph node cells could be detected for any of the tumors with respect to nucleic acid content. However, all three tumors demonstrated trisomy as the major cytogenetic anomaly. Chromosome 7 or 8 was found to be the extra chromosome in two of the lymphomas while identification of chromosomes was not possible in the third.

Animals↗