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Biomedical subjects

G Miller

Publications and source records attributed to G Miller.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

The frequency of Epstein-Barr virus infection and associated lymphoproliferative syndrome after transplantation and its manifestations in children.

Twenty cases of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoproliferative syndrome (LPS), defined by the presence of EBV nuclear antigen and/or EBV DNA in tissues, were diagnosed in 1467 transplant recipients in Pittsburgh from 1981-1985. The frequency of occurrence in pediatric transplant recipients was 4% (10/253), while in adults it was 0.8% (10/1214) (P less than .0005). The frequency of LPS in adults declined after 1983 coincidental with the introduction of cyclosporine monitoring. However there was no apparent decline of LPS in children. We describe these ten pediatric cases and one additional case of LPS in a child who received her transplant before 1981. The frequency of EBV infection in 92 pediatric liver recipients was 63%. Of these subjects, 49% were seronegative and 77% of those acquired primary infection. Of 11 cases of pediatric EBV-associated LPS, 10 were in children who had primary infection shortly before or after transplantation. These results reinforce the importance of primary EBV infection in producing LPS, which was previously shown in adults. Children are at greater risk because they are more likely to be seronegative for EBV and to acquire primary infection. Three clinical types of LPS were recognized in children. The first (5 cases) was a self-limited mononucleosislike syndrome. The second syndrome (4 cases) began similarly, but then progressed over the next two months to widespread lymphoproliferation in internal organs and death. The third type (2 cases) was an extranodal intestinal monoclonal B cell lymphoma, occurring late after primary infection.

Adolescent↗

Ataxic cerebral palsy and genetic predisposition.

It was calculated that in the 962 family members of 36 patients with ataxic cerebral palsy there were 75 (8%) with a history of neurodevelopmental disorder and 31 (3%) with a major congenital malformation. This was not significantly greater than expected, and does not support the hypothesis of a genetic non-Mendelian role in the aetiology of ataxic cerebral palsy.

Ataxia↗

Effects of visual aids on acquisition of selected tennis skills.

The study compared the effects of supplemental visual aids on the acquisition of selected tennis skills. The forehand and backhand drive placement tests of the Hewitt Tennis Achievement Test were used to pretest, midtest, and posttest 55 subjects who were assigned to one of three treatments: control (instructor's verbal feedback only), videotaped replay viewing (with instructor's feedback), and loop-film viewing (modeling, with instructor's feedback). Each received 1200 min. of instruction. There were no statistically significant differences among groups; however, empirical evidence suggested that the use of videotaped replay and loop-film technique has merit and might be given consideration for use in instructional settings.

Feedback↗

Effect of different body postures on the pressures generated during an L-1 maneuver.

Changes in blood pressure, intrathoracic pressure, heart rate and the electromyographic activity of various muscle groups were determined while nine male subjects performed 15-s L-1 straining maneuvers at four spine-to-thigh angles (70, 84, 94, and 105 degrees) and two seatback angles (30 and 60 degrees). There was no significant difference between the changes in these variables due to the different body positions. At the onset of the L-1, arterial pressure immediately increased to 195 +/- 5 mm Hg, but fell progressively during the next 5 s to 160 +/- 5 mm Hg. It remained constant during the next 5 s of the maneuver and then recovered to 180 +/- mm Hg during the last 5 s of the maneuver. Esophageal pressure followed essentially the same pattern of response, but heart rate progressively increased during the entire L-1. No one muscle group was utilized more than another. Inflation of an anti-G suit to 4 PSI had no effect on the variables measured. Generation of high arterial pressures during L-1 maneuvers is transitory and not affected either positively or negatively by altering subject body position.

Adult↗

Stimulation of T lymphocyte proliferation by monoclonal antibodies against GD3 ganglioside.

Cell-surface gangliosides are presumed to play a role in cell growth and differentiation. With the use of monoclonal antibodies directed against GD3, a disialoganglioside expressed predominantly by cells of neuroectodermal origin, we have found that GD3 is expressed by a subpopulation of cells of the immune system including: 1) fetal thymocytes in subcortical regions and near vessels, 2) lymph node lymphocytes in interfollicular areas and near vessels, and 3) a small subset of T cells in the peripheral blood. Mouse monoclonal antibodies (two IgGs, one IgM, and F(ab')2 fragments) reacting with GD3 were found to stimulate proliferation of T cells derived from peripheral blood. Proliferation of T cells was observed even in cultures depleted of macrophages, suggesting that activation by anti-GD3 was not dependent on the presence of accessory cells. T cell proliferation was maximum between days 5 and 7 of stimulation and was preceded by expression of interleukin 2 receptors. No stimulation was observed with control antibodies of the identical isotype or with monoclonal antibodies recognizing the gangliosides GD2 or GM2. During stimulation by anti-GD3 monoclonal antibodies, there was an expansion of the GD3+ pool of T cells, but depletion of GD3+ T cells prior to stimulation abrogated the response. Proliferation induced by binding to GD3 could be augmented by exogenous interleukin 2 and phytohemagglutinin. Anti-CD3 (T3) monoclonal antibodies had little or no effect. These results demonstrate that binding to GD3 on the surface of T cells can elicit signals for T cell proliferation.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

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Adolescent↗

Novel nuclear antigens recognized by human sera in lymphocytes latently infected by Epstein-Barr virus.

We have used three latently infected cell lines, X50-7, JC-5, and Raji, to identify two new nuclear antigen complexes by Western immunoblotting with human anti-EBNA (Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen) sera. One antigen complex, termed EBNA III, is composed of a group of high molecular weight proteins between 130 and 160 kDa and the other antigen complex, termed EBNA IV, is a size-related group of polypeptides between 28 and 62 kDa. Both the EBNA III and EBNA IV groups of proteins display variation in size among the different strains of EBV. Cell fractionation of X50-7, JC-5, Raji, and C16, a cell clone of P3HR1, showed that both new antigen complexes were completely recovered from the nuclei of latently infected lymphocytes as were previously described EBNA I and II. Because these new antigens are only detected by anti-EBNA sera in EBV infected cells, it seems likely that they may be encoded by the viral genome and play some role in the immortalization of lymphocytes by the virus.

Antigens, Viral↗

Transfection of a rearranged viral DNA fragment, WZhet, stably converts latent Epstein-Barr viral infection to productive infection in lymphoid cells.

An Epstein-Barr viral gene (ZEBRA) is identified that, in human lymphoblastoid cells, activates a switch causing the virus to shift from the latent to the replicative phase of its life cycle. We have shown that a 2.7-kilobase-pair rearranged Epstein-Barr virus DNA fragment of this gene (BamHI fragment WZhet) induced transient expression of viral replicative antigens and polypeptides when it was transfected into a somatic cell hybrid, which was derived from the fusion of an epithelial line cell with a Burkitt lymphoma cell. We now show that this rearranged WZhet fragment, when introduced stably into lymphoblastoid cells, will activate expression of the complete viral replicative cycle in 1-10% of the lymphoblastoid cells, leading to production of biologically active virions that can immortalize primary lymphocytes. The transfected plasmid appears to be regulated in a manner analogous to the complete Epstein-Barr virus genome.

Antigens, Viral↗

Exposure guidelines for magnetic fields.

The powerful magnetic fields produced by a controlled fusion experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) necessitated the development of personnel-exposure guidelines for steady magnetic fields. A literature search and conversations with active researchers showed that it is currently possible to develop preliminary exposure guidelines for steady magnetic fields. An overview of the results of past research into the bioeffects of magnetic fields was compiled, along with a discussion of hazards that may be encountered by people with sickle-cell anemia or medical electronic and prosthetic implants. The LLNL steady magnetic-field exposure guidelines along with a review of developments concerning the safety of time-varying fields were also presented in this compilation. Guidelines developed elsewhere for time varying fields were also given. Further research is needed to develop exposure standards for both steady or time-varying fields.

Adult↗

AIDS and antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in children and their families.

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, previously known as HTLV-III/LAV) documented by a sensitive, specific immunoblotting (western blot) technique is described in 14 children with symptoms of AIDS or AIDS-related complex. For serodiagnosis of HIV infection, immunoblots blocked with milk were more sensitive than enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or immunoblots blocked with gelatin. One or both parents of 13 of these children abused intravenous drugs. Sixteen of 17 parents of the affected children but only one of eight siblings living in the same household were positive for antibody to HIV. All siblings had experienced infection and acquired antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus, which is thought to spread by saliva. In contrast to their HIV-infected parents, children with AIDS or AIDS-related complex were less likely to have decreased numbers of circulating T4 cells, and their sera recognized fewer HIV polypeptides on western blots.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Selective lack of antibody to a component of EB nuclear antigen in patients with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.

The sera of 12 patients with presumed chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection lacked antibody to a component of the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA) complex encoded by the BamHI K fragment of viral DNA. This anomaly, detected in approximately 18% of sera obtained from patients with a diagnosis of "chronic mononucleosis," was more often found in patients with severe disease (approximately 32%) who had objective clinical findings and markedly elevated antibody titers to EBV replicative antigens than in those patients with the "fatigue syndrome" (10%). The lack of antibody to the K nuclear antigen is specific because most of those who did not have antibody to the K antigen made antibody to other latent nuclear (EBNA 2) antigens or nuclear early antigens. Such patients are thus able to lyse immortalized cells, release nuclear products, and present them to the immune system. Three hypotheses are suggested to explain the lack of antibody to the K antigen: a viral mutation, a failure of immune recognition, or lack of in vivo expression of the antigen due to extensive viral replication. Lack of antibody to one component of EBNA may serve as an objective serological marker for certain patients with chronic EBV infection.

Adolescent↗

Severe hypophosphatemia in a general hospital population.

We reviewed 16,621 blood chemistry samples taken over a 12-week period; 34 patients with severe hypophosphatemia (serum phosphate level less than or equal to 1.0 mg/dl) were identified, for an incidence of 0.24%. The most common causes of severe hypophosphatemia (SH) in this population were infusion of dextrose solutions (73%), nutritional recovery syndrome (50%), phosphate-binding antacids (50%), and alcohol withdrawal (32%). In general, the patients were normophosphatemic at the time of hospitalization, and SH occurred early in the hospital course. All of the patients responded to the drop in serum phosphate by renal conservation of phosphate (Tm PO4/GFR less than 1.0 mg/dl GFR). Patients required small doses of phosphate to achieve a serum level above 2.0 mg/dl, with 50% of the population receiving less than 25 mmol of replacement therapy. Regardless of the route or amount of replacement therapy given, the course of SH was typically short and without sequelae.

Adult↗

Polymorphic proteins encoded within BZLF1 of defective and standard Epstein-Barr viruses disrupt latency.

These experiments identify an Epstein-Barr virus-encoded gene product, called ZEBRA (BamHI fragment Z Epstein-Barr replication activator) protein, which activates a switch between the latent and replicative life cycle of the virus. Our previous work had shown that the 2.7-kilobase-pair WZhet piece of rearranged Epstein-Barr virus DNA from a defective virus activated replication when introduced into cells with a latent genome, but it was not clear whether a protein product was required for the phenomenon. We now use deletional, site-directed, and chimeric mutagenesis, together with gene transfer, to show that a 43-kilodalton protein, encoded in the BZLF1 open reading frame of het DNA, is responsible for this process. The rearrangement in defective DNA does not contribute to the structural gene for the protein. Similar proteins with variable electrophoretic mobility (37 to 39 kilodaltons) were encoded by BamHI Z fragments from standard, nondefective Epstein-Barr virus genomes. Plasmids expressing the ZEBRA proteins from B95-8 and HR-1 viruses were less efficient at activating replication in D98/HR-1 cells than those which contained the ZEBRA gene from the defective virus. It is not yet known whether these functional differences are due to variations in expression of the plasmids or to intrinsic differences in the activity of these polymorphic polypeptides.

Cell Line↗

Sequences of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) large internal repeat form the center of a 16-kilobase-pair palindrome of EBV (P3HR-1) heterogeneous DNA.

We have previously characterized several genomic rearrangements of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA contained in one of the defective EBV genomes harbored by the P3HR-1 (HR-1) line (H. B. Jenson, M. S. Rabson, and G. Miller, J. Virol. 58:475-486, 1986). One recombinant clone of heterogeneous DNA (het DNA) from this defective genome is an EcoRI fragment of 16 kilobase pairs (kbp) which is a palindrome. DNA digestion fragments specific for the center of this palindrome were present in cells which contained het DNA but not in cells which lacked het DNA. Thus, the palindrome was not an artifact of DNA cloning. The organization of the center of this palindrome was studied by DNA sequencing. The comparable region of the parental HR-1 genome was also studied by DNA sequencing. The central 3,495 base pairs (bp) of the palindrome were composed of sequences derived exclusively from internal repeat 1 of EBV, represented by BamHI W fragment. At each end of the central 3,495 hp was a symmetrical recombination with sequences of BamHI-Z, located more than 50 kbp away on the standard EBV genome. The central 3,495 bp were composed of an unduplicated 341 bp flanked by two perfect palindromic repeats of 1,577 bp. The 341-bp unique region was a portion of a 387-bp region of standard HR-1 BamHI-W which was identical to the central 387 bp of the palindrome. This central 387-bp region contained numerous stretches of dyad symmetry capable of forming a large stem-and-loop structure. The palindromic rearrangement had created two novel open reading frames in het DNA derived from standard HR-1 BamHI-W sequences. These two het DNA open reading frames had different amino termini but identical carboxy termini derived from the large open reading frame in standard HR-1 BamHI-W (HR-1 BWRF1). The BamHI-W sequences found in het DNA did not include either the TATA box of standard HR-1 BamHI-W or the exons which are present in the potentially polycistronic latent mRNAs encoding EBV nuclear antigens. These marked alterations in genomic structure may relate to the unique biologic properties of virus stocks containing het DNA by creation of new polypeptides or by formation or deletion of regulatory or functional signals.

Base Sequence↗

Differences among human immunodeficiency virus strains in their capacities to induce cytolysis or persistent infection of a lymphoblastoid cell line immortalized by Epstein-Barr virus.

Four strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) manifest consistent differences in biologic behavior after infection of the X50-7 line of human umbilical cord lymphocytes immortalized by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Some dilutions of the first strain examined, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III B, which is derived from a pool of patient isolates propagated in H9 cells, caused transient cytopathic effects (CPE) followed by recovery of a subpopulation of X50-7 cells which became virus carrier cultures. Other dilutions of the same virus stock completely lysed X50-7 cells. Two other strains, RF2 and YW, both from individual patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, always induced complete cytolysis of X50-7 cells at all dilutions which infected the cells. However, RF2 did establish persistent infection of H9 cells. A fourth strain, PH1-MN, from a child with acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related complex, induced only transient CPE in X50-7 and H9 cells, which thereafter always recovered to form carrier cultures. For all four strains, the dilutions of HIV stocks which caused CPE corresponded to dilutions which resulted in the detection of HIV polypeptides by immunoblot. Cytolysis in HIV-infected X50-7 cells was accompanied by a decrease in the amount of EBV nuclear antigen; however, HIV infection did not induce EBV replication. Thus CPE in X50-7 cells is due to replication of HIV per se and not to activation of EBV. The observations indicate that there are differences in the cytolytic properties of HIVs and that these differences are influenced by the target cell.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗