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Biomedical subjects

G Lloyd

Publications and source records attributed to G Lloyd.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Hemodynamic responses to cold stress in blacks: effect of application site.

Black Americans have been shown to exhibit increased blood pressure responses to a variety of physical stressors. However, few investigators have examined hemodynamic responses to cold stress. Additionally, no studies have compared blood pressure responses to forehead and foot stress in blacks. Therefore, in this study, hemodynamic responses to cold pressor tests were compared in 30 blacks (15 males, 15 females) utilizing two application sites. Baseline comparisons of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), forearm blood flow (FBF) and forearm vascular resistance (FVR) were not different prior to forehead and foot cold stress. Following baseline measurements, ice was applied separately to the forehead and foot for 90 seconds with hemodynamic measurements being recorded at 45 and 90 seconds. During application of ice to the forehead, FVR-90 was significantly higher (P < .002, 97.0 units vs. 66.4 units) compared to the foot. The application of ice to the foot resulted in significantly greater SBP-45 responses (P < .0001, 147 mmHg vs. 139 mmHg), HR-45 responses (P < .0043, 80, b.min-1 vs. 69 b.min-1). HR-90 responses (P < .0001, 78 b.min-1 vs. 64 b.min-1), and FBF-45 responses (P < .05, 2.74 ml.min-1.100ml-1 vs. 1.98 ml.min-1.100ml-1). These findings suggest that blacks exhibit disparate patterns of reactivity in response to cold stress as a function of application site. Therefore, investigators should consider the application site when interpreting studies examining a biracial cohort.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) reservoir in wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations in the UK.

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii, the causal agent of Q fever in humans, was examined in wild brown rat populations from 4 Oxfordshire farmsteads (n = 127), 9 Somerset homesteads (n = 98), and 1 captive enclosure (n = 88) in the UK. Seroprevalence ranged between 7 and 53%, the lowest being within the captive population and the highest on dairy farmsteads with sheep present. This is the first reported investigation of C. burnetii in wild rats outside India. We suggest that the high seroprevalence among rats (i) provides evidence that wild rats constitute an important reservoir for C. burnetii in the UK, and (ii) explains why cats, as frequent predators of rats, are so important in the epidemiology of this disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Psychiatric and social outcome of liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: This study measures psychiatric morbidity, quality of life, and cognitive function after liver transplantation. METHOD: We undertook a cross-sectional study, with a longitudinal subgroup. The setting was a tertiary referral centre for liver transplantation. The subjects were 30 post-liver-transplantation patients, including 11 also interviewed before the operation. The main outcome measures were the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). RESULTS: Of the patients, 8/30 were CIS cases, and 7/30 were GHQ cases. NHP scores were higher than a previous postal study indicated, with less impairment after than before transplant. MMSE scores were 24-30. Median GHQ was 7.0 before operation and 1.0 after operation (P = 0.03), with no significant change in CIS score. CONCLUSION: Liver transplantation improves quality of life, but not to the level of the general population; post-transplantation patients have a prevalence of psychiatric morbidity comparable with that of general medical patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

A case of Japanese encephalitis.

We report a case of Japanese encephalitis that occurred in a woman who had spent only a few days in an area where she could have been exposed to the virus. The risks and protective efficacy of vaccination against Japanese encephalitis virus for travellers who visit endemic areas for only a short period are discussed.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1994

Clustering of human T lymphotropic virus type I seropositive in Montserrat, West Indies: evidence for an environmental factor in transmission of the virus.

A community survey of human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in Montserrat, West Indies, identified 22 instances in which 2 HTLV-I-seropositive adults lived within 60 m of each other (close pairs), compared with 7.8 expected (P < .001). Five of these close pairs were mother-offspring or husband-wife. The remaining 17 pairs were of unrelated members in separate households. The percentages of male-female (41%), female-female (41%), and male-male (18%) types in these 17 pairs were very similar to those among the 1377 similarly defined pairs in which neither or only 1 member was seropositive, affording no support for extramarital heterosexual activity as an explanation for the clustering observed. Thus, the demography of HTLV-I was not accounted for completely by sexual and mother-to-offspring transmission. The predominance of clustering of unrelated HTLV-I-seropositive individuals in locations with high mosquito infestation raised the possibility of sporadic transmission of HTLV-I by hematophagous insects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Rapid detection of viruses of the tick-borne encephalitis virus complex by RT-PCR of viral RNA.

Studies were performed to identify a pair of primers, specific for the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus complex of the Flaviviridae, with which to develop a rapid and specific identification system based on reverse transcription and the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The specificity of a putative primer pair was examined by RT-PCR of representative viruses from other antigenic complexes of the Flaviviridae and by computer sequence homology checks. All viruses of the TBE complex tested, with a single exception, were identified by RT-PCR using the identified primer pair. Accumulated data suggest that one of the putative primers identified in these studies may have flavivirus group specificity. The advantages of such a primer in the development of identification systems for all virus complexes of the Flaviviridae is discussed.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

The clinical spectrum of human hantavirus infection in Somerset, UK.

The signs and symptoms exhibited by 29 patients with an acute illness in whom antibodies to hantavirus were detected are described. In the severe cases the most striking signs and symptoms were the persistence for 2 or 3 weeks of a severe sore throat with pyrexia that developed early in the illness, followed by swelling of the face, neck and extremities, with arthropathy and prolonged malaise that lasted for months. A macular erythematous rash, hepatomegaly with abnormal liver function tests, and a tendency to haemorrhage was a later feature of the severe cases. Mild cases presented with a variety of signs and symptoms that were very difficult to link together as a syndrome.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1992

Toga virus-like particles in acute liver failure attributed to sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis and recurrence after liver transplantation.

Toga virus-like particles (typically 60-70 nm: enveloped with small surface spikes) were detected in the native hepatectomy specimens in 7 of 18 patients grafted for acute liver failure attributed to sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis and in 2 patients grafted for fulminant hepatitis attributed to anti-epileptic drug hepatotoxicity. These particles were not detected in the hepatectomies from 12 other patients grafted for other causes of acute liver failure, 12 for various chronic liver diseases, and 2 histologically normal livers. Acute hepatic failure, characterized histologically by severe haemorrhagic necrosis, developed 7 days after grafting in 5 patients, all in the non-A, non-B group with toga virus-like particles in native liver. Similar virus-like particles were detected in all grafts and were in greater abundance than in the native livers. The agent may be novel because pre- and post-grafting sera were negative for antibodies against representative panels of arboviruses and in first and second generation antibody tests for hepatitis C virus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Assessment of assays for the serodiagnosis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), an immunofluorescence assay (IFA), a plaque-reduction neutralization (PRN) assay and an immunoblot assay, all by means of an antigen prepared from the attenuated Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) vaccine strain of virus, were compared with the conventional haemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) assay for the serodiagnosis of VEE. The HAI assay, which includes the use of wild type virus antigen, was less sensitive than the other assays when known-positive samples of serum from an epidemic of VEE were tested. The superior sensitivity of the IgG ELISA was confirmed by assaying both VEE epidemic samples and a bank of samples from VEE vaccinees. Samples with antibody specific for other Alphaviruses, however, cross reacted weakly in this assay. The PRN, immunoblot and HAI assays, although less sensitive than the ELISA, proved more specific. Experimental infection of guinea-pigs demonstrated the value of the IgM ELISA in the early detection of VEE virus infection. Immunoglobulin M was first found at 4 days post-inoculation (p.i.) during the viraemic phase of infection. Immunoglobulin G was detected by ELISA, PRN assay and IFA at 6 days p.i. Immunoblot and HAI assays, however, did not give positive results until 10 days p.i. The results support the diagnostic use of ELISA for detecting VEE virus-specific IgM and IgG, and the use of the specific PRN assay for confirming the diagnosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Psychiatric aspects of liver disease.

This paper reviews the literature on the effects of liver disease on mental health, a topic which has been relatively neglected in the recent psychiatric literature. It discusses both the encephalopathy which may be associated with liver disease of almost any type and the psychological consequences of specific liver disorders. Also considered are the effects of liver disease on sexual function; the relationship between alcohol and hepatic disorder in causing mental disturbance; the effects of childhood liver disease; psychiatric aspects of liver transplantation; and the use of psychotropic drugs in patients with hepatic dysfunction.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1991

Injuries due to falls as a result of uneven pavements.

At least one person per day attending the A&E department at King's College Hospital has sustained injuries from uneven pavements. The injuries have a significant morbidity as well as mortality of 1%. A&E records can be a source of useful information to aid local authorities in identifying areas associated with these injuries in order to reduce their frequency and subsequent claims for compensation.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1990

Alcoholic doctors can recover.

A survey of doctors with alcohol and drug dependence who joined a self help group was carried out to find out whether they had recovered and whether their lifestyles and careers had been affected. After the group had been meeting for eight years 100 doctors had attended for over six months, and they were sent a questionnaire. Sustained recovery from dependence was achieved by 76 doctors for an average of nearly five and a half years. Among 15 who had not recovered, seven had died of causes directly related to alcohol misuse. Nearly a fifth of those surveyed had been assessed by the medical committee of the General Medical Council, and nearly half had lost their job but were in satisfactory employment again at the follow up survey. Those who recovered had contributed nearly 500 years of service to health care since contacting the group.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Expression of the Lassa virus nucleocapsid protein in insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus: application to diagnostic assays for Lassa virus infection.

The coding region of the gene for the nucleocapsid protein of Lassa virus has been inserted into the genome of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) using the transfer vector pAcYM1, so that expression of the foreign DNA is under the control of the promoter of the AcNPV polyhedrin gene. Infection of cultured Spodoptera frugiperda cells with recombinant virus resulted in the synthesis of high levels of a protein that was indistinguishable from the authentic Lassa virus protein by SDS gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with a variety of specific immune sera and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The kinetics of appearance of the protein were comparable to those of polyhedrin production in wild-type AcNPV-infected cells. The recombinant material was antigenic when used in ELISA for Lassa virus-specific antibodies, reacting well with MAbs specific for the nucleocapsid protein and with sera from experimentally infected guinea-pigs. The recombinant ELISA was able to clearly distinguish sera from human cases of Lassa fever against a panel of known negative sera of African origin. Recombinant-infected insect cells were an effective substitute for mammalian cells infected with Lassa virus itself in the immunofluorescence assay for Lassa virus-specific antibodies. This system offers attractive alternatives to the use of Lassa virus-infected materials as reagents in diagnostic procedures.

Animals↗