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Biomedical subjects

F Carswell

Publications and source records attributed to F Carswell.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

House dust mites in Bristol.

A survey of bedding in Bristol revealed reducing mite concentrations on children's toys, mattresses, overblankets and pillows. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was the commonest mite found. A vacuuming schedule was devised for removing mites so that a double blind trial could be carried out. Investigation suggests that even with expert utilization of efficient vacuum cleaners the clinical efficacy would be limited as the mites appear to rapidly migrate back into the bedding.

Allergens↗
PubMed1981

A preliminary survey of malnutrition and helminthiasis among schoolchildren in one mountain and one lowland ujamaa village in Northern Tanzania.

The nutritional status, parasite prevalence and immediate skin hypersensitivity to Ascaris and Schistosoma antigens were determined for 185 schoolchildren living in two ujamaa villages in Northern Tanzania. In the lowland village of Kwamsisi the parasite ova found were Schistosoma haematobium (53.8%), Ascaris (26.0%) and hookworm (24.7%). 57.5% of the children examined were regarded as malnourished, being less than 80% of their expected weight for age. In the mountain village of Ubiri the parasite prevalence rates were 15.2% for Schistosoma haematobium, 1.6% for S. mansoni, 65.2% Ascaris and 24.1% hookworm. Malnutrition was found in 81.9% of the boys and in 41.2% of the girls. This sex difference is considered to be due to the physiological effects of living in a hilly environment. Correlation between malnutrition and multiple infections of Ascaris, hookworm and Schistosoma gave a chi-square value of 5.972 (p = 0.02). All other statistical comparisons between parasite prevalence and nutritional status were insignificant. Immediate skin hypersensitivity tests proved unreliable with 23.3% false negatives (negative skin test with parasite ova found). The serum IgE levels were extremely high with a mean of 3174 units per ml suggesting that the immune mechanisms were not retarded by undernutrition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Nutritional status, globulin titers, and parasitic infections of two populations of Tanzanian school children.

Two schools in rural Tanzania were surveyed regarding the pupils' nutrition (weight and height), serum immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM, and IgE), autoantibodies, malaria antibodies, hepatitis B antigenemia, and fecal and urinary parasites. The survey attempted to quantify the relative importance of undernutrition and parasitic infestation in determining the serological abnormalities found. Of all the children surveyed 69% were undernourished (less than 80% of expected weight for age); 63% had fecal parasites and 38% had urinary schistosomiasis. Serum IgG and IgM concentrations were raised and the serum IgE concentration was strikingly raised (mean 4990IU/ml). Elevated serum IgE was associated with ascariasis. Autoantibodies were common but no autoimmune disease was detected. Notably there was a 35% prevalence of reticulin antibody. This reticulin antibody positivity correlated with increased malaria antibody concentrations. Reduced malaria antibody concentration was significantly associated with hepatitis B antigenemia. The study illustrates that parasites, notably malaria, are important determinants of the serum antibodies of children in the tropics and suggests that mild undernutrition has little effect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Reduced tracheal mast cell numbers in adjuvant-sensitized rats associated with reduced pulmonary reactivity.

PVG/c inbred rats were sensitized by intra-peritoneal injection of DNP 19-ovalbumin with or without heat-killed Bordetella pertussis as adjuvant. The use of adjuvant was associated with a greater serum IgE, greater cutaneous immediate hypersensitivity, but no increase in immediate pulmonary reactivity to aerosol challenge. The number of mast cells in the trachea of adjuvant-sensitized rats was significantly reduced when compared with both unsensitized and allergen sensitized rats but this reduction in mast cell number did not occur in the skin. The reduction in tracheal and possibly other airway mast cells may explain the failure of the adjuvant sensitized rats to show increased pulmonary reactivity despite the increased serum IgE. The B. pertussis may have acted on the mediastinal lymph nodes, which drain both the peritoneal cavity and the lungs, to produce the observed reduction in tracheal mast cells.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1979

Allergy in cystic fibrosis.

Forty-four patients with cystic fibrosis, sixty-seven parents, and thirty-nine controls were compared with regard to their immediate cutaneous hypersensitivity, total and specific serum IgE and serum IgG4 concentrations. The patients had increased prick test reactions and specific IgE to Aspergillus fumigatus. The development of reactions to A. fumigatus correlated with the severity of the disease. There were no other significant differences when serum total IgE, specific IgE and IgG4 concentrations or skin test reactivity were compared in the patients, parents and controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Cystic fibrosis, atopy, and airways lability.

In a survey of cystic fibrosis (CF) in the Avon area, 48 children with CF from 40 families together with 71 of their parents were studied by spirometry, exercise tests, and pinch tests. A control group of 42 young adults was similarly tested; control data for children were taken from previously published work. The prevalence of atopy (any positive prick test) in children with CF was 48%. Sensitivity to grass pollens and house dust mite was no more common in these children (29%) than in a normal population (34%). Hypersensitivity to Aspergillus fumigatus was found in 35% of children with CF and was associated with severe lung disease. The parents had a normal pattern and prevalence of atopy. Exercise-induced airways obstruction was present in only 22% of children with CF; its association with severe lung disease rendered interpretation difficult. The parents had a normal response to exercise. Both hypersensitivity to A. fumigatus and exercise-induced airways lability had the features of acquired characteristics. There was nothing in the present study to support the hypothesis that the possession of a CF gene predisposed to atopy.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Site of respiratory reaction in allergic rats challenged via the airways.

Rats systemically sensitized to DNP-ovalbumin show a characteristic respiratory response to antigen challenge delivered via the airway. The slowing of expiratory air flow which occurs on aerosol challenge still occurs when the antigen is injected via a tracheostomy but not when it is delivered solely to the upper airways. Disodium cromoglycate administered via the tracheostomy 1 min before intratracheal antigen challenge reduces the respiratory response.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1978

The respiratory response in sensitized rats to aerosol challenge.

Hooded Lister rats were sensitized to DNP-ovalbumin. These rats showed a significant alteration in respiratory pattern when challenged with DNP-ovalbumin aerosol. The respiratory response was not produced by challenging sensitized rats with intragastric DNP-ovalbumin. The magnitude of the respiratory response did not correlate with the specific IgE concentration in the serum. A similar pattern of respiratory response was inducible in unsensitized rats by intravenous administration of IgE-rich sera.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1977

IgE, parasites and asthma in Tanzanian children.

Two rural Tanzanian primary schools were surveyed to test the hypothesis that parasitic infestation prevents the development of asthma. 242 pupils were interviewed to determine the prevalence of pupils with recurrent episodes of wheezing. The nineteen pupils so discovered had more exercise-induced bronchial lability than equivalently exercised controls. More girls (12.8%) than boys (3.3%) had asthma. In one school, 77% of the controls had faecal parasites, mainly Ascaris spp., and in the other school 55% of the controls had Schistosoma haematobium in their urine. Parasites were found in similar proportions in the asthmatics. The mean serum IgE for the whole population was 3174 u/ml with no demonstrable difference between the asthmatics and controls. There was no difference in immediate cutaneous hypersensitivity to twenty-two allergens between the asthmatics and controls. These findings suggest that parasitic infestation does not prevent the development of asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Parasites and asthma in Tanzanian children.

It has been claimed that parasitic infestation suppresses the development of asthma. Eight Tanzanian schoolchildren in whom asthma was confirmed by the demonstration of exercise-induced bronchospasm were found in an ascaris-endemic area of rural Tanzania. Faecal parasites were found equally commonly in the children with asthma and the ninety-seven non-asthmatic controls. The prevalence of asthma (3.3%) in the school under study was comparable with that found in developed countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Total body potassium in children, with particular reference to coeliac disease.

1. Total body potassium was measured, by wholebody counting, in children with coeliac disease and in children not having this disease, matched as closely as possible with respect to sex, height, weight and age. 2. The measured total body potassium in children with coeliac disease was not significantly different from that in the matched children. 3. The problems associated with such measurements, particularly those of interpretation, are considered.

Body Height↗