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Biomedical subjects

G Wood

Publications and source records attributed to G Wood.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Current status of cryptococcosis in Canada.

The concurrent use of microscopic, cultural, histopathologic and immunologic procedures enabled us to diagnose 91 cases of cryptococcosis, belonging to cutaneous, pulmonary, meningeal and disseminated types, from the time this mycosis was first reported in Canada in 1953 to the present. These cases occurred predominantly in Quebec (43%) followed by Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. It is not known whether any Cryptococcus neoformans infections have occurred elsewhere in Canada. The clinical and laboratory findings indicate that infections occurred in debilitated as well as nondebilitated individuals. Nearly 25% of the infections were seen in individuals having the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. In some of the AIDS cases, the latex agglutination (LA) test demonstrated exceptionally high titres of circulating cryptococcal antigen (1:256 to 1:32,768). Cr. neoformans infections occurred more commonly in males than in females, and there were 11 fatal cases of cryptococcosis. The incidence of Cr. neoformans in Canada is probably higher than our data suggest because cryptococcosis is not notifiable in Canada and underreporting is likely.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

A group of non-Y encoded Drosophila hydei primary spermatocyte nuclear glycoproteins exhibits epitopes depending on formation of Y chromosomal giant lampbrush loops.

In wild-type Drosophila hydei (genotype X/Y) four different primary spermatocyte nuclear glycoproteins, classified as non-Y encoded because of their occurrence in X/O genotypes, were demonstrated to possess a few epitopes that depended on formation of the Y chromosomal giant lampbrush loops threads (th; Mr 55,000 proteins) or pseudonucleolus (ps; Mr 38,000, 58,000 and 98,000 proteins). The epitopes reacted with lectins and/or antibodies in vitro lectin-/immunoreplica of primary spermatocyte total nuclear protein), and were lacking in mutants not possessing the respective loops. Those dependent on ps reacted with human sera. Epitopes restricted to proteins from th-forming spermatocytes reacted with lectin Con A (specific for D-Man and/or D-Glc) and antibodies directed against mouse immunoglobulins (AIA). In situ experiments (immunofluorescence microscopy of primary spermatocyte nuclei) revealed antibody cross-reactions with the respective loops. The reagents stained the distal (fused) sections and proximal (compact) parts of ps (human sera) or the proximal (compact) parts of th (AIA). Reaction with the latter loops was significantly repressed after absorption of AIA with the L-Fuc carbohydrate unit, classifying the AIA as fucosyl specific, and the epitopes along th as L-Fuc carbohydrate units.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation and regulation of pesticides in drinking water: A Canadian approach.

Pesticides are registered in Canada under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, administered by the Department of Agriculture. Pre-market registration requirements include submission of extensive toxicology data in order to allow evaluation of potential human hazards which may be associated with exposure to pesticides. Drinking water guidelines in Canada, although under provincial jurisdiction, are generally recommended by the federal government with collaboration of provincial authorities. In 1987, 42 pesticides were selected for development of guidelines for drinking water. When complete, the 42 pesticides will represent approximately 80% of all agricultural pesticides utilized in Canada, based on active ingredient weight sold. As do many other regulatory agencies, the Department of National Health and Welfare uses two different approaches to derive health-based guidelines or maximum acceptable concentrations of pesticides in drinking water. The threshold approach assumes that there is a dose below which no adverse effect will occur. This threshold level is closely related to the experimentally determined no observed adverse effect level and, when divided by an appropriate uncertainty or safety factor, forms the basis for the establishment of the maximum acceptable concentration. The second approach is the non-threshold or risk assessment approach and this assumes that these is some probability of harm at any level of exposure. This latter approach is generally utilized for chemicals believed to be capable of causing cancer and has not been used for any of the existing 29 pesticide drinking water guidelines developed in Canada.

Canada↗
PubMed1989

Substance P-like immunoreactivity in human cerebrospinal fluid.

In a study to elucidate molecular mechanisms in pain, substance P-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI) was measured in lumbar CSF from 75 patients with lower back pain. Two samples--one before and one after lidocaine treatment--were obtained from each patient, and total SP-LI was measured in unfractionated (no HPLC) samples. SP-LI data were separated into three categories: placebo responders, pharmacological responders, and pharmacological non-responders. A significant difference was observed between the total SP-LI measurement of first and second samples of pharmacological non-responders. Distribution of SP-LI immunoreactive molecular species in two CSF patient samples (no ODS) was analyzed with a combination of reversed phase (RP) HPLC and RIA. Immunoreactivity in collected HPLC fractions was measured at calibrated retention times of synthetic SP-sulfoxide (SP-O), SP, and SP. Qualitative and quantitative differences in those HPLC-RIA metabolic profiles were observed within and between those two patients' samples. These data indicate that the type and amount of SP metabolism and SP precursor-processing differs in CSF between these two representative patients and within the short amount of time elapsed between acquiring these two samples.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1989

Oral vaccination of rats with live avirulent Salmonella derivatives expressing adhesive fimbrial antigens of uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

The avirulent Salmonella typhimurium F885 was transformed with a plasmid carrying the cloned S fimbriae genes of a uropathogenic Escherichia coli. The resulting transformant (F885-1) produced efficiently E. coli S fimbriae and was used for live oral vaccination of rats. For comparison rats were immunized subcutaneously with isolated S fimbriae. Both routes of vaccination resulted in a significant IgG antibody response to S fimbriae. In addition live oral vaccination induced a serum IgA response against S fimbriae. After transurethral infection of rats with a S fimbriae producing E. coli a 10-fold reduction of bacterial counts in the kidney was observed in rats orally vaccinated with F885-1 as compared to unvaccinated controls. This study suggests that the avirulent Salmonella F885 may be used as a fimbrial antigen carrier for oral vaccination against renal infections.

Adhesins, Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1989

The role of marital intimacy in psychiatric help-seeking.

Epidemiological studies have shown that most people with diagnosable psychiatric illnesses do not seek professional help. Symptoms of non-psychotic emotional illness, interpersonal relationship quality and personality traits have demonstrable associations. The influence of these factors on help-seeking was examined by comparing 57 psychiatric outpatients with a community sample of 90 symptomatic individuals on self-report measures of marital intimacy, life events, and personality, while controlling for symptomatology. Compared to non-patients, outpatients reported less intimacy in their marriages across a variety of relationship dimensions on the Waring Intimacy Questionnaire, and scored higher on the Psychoticism scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Marital Intimacy level proved to be the best single predictor of patient and non-patient status, suggesting that help-seeking behaviour may be partly motivated by unsatisfactory marriages. The detection of low marital intimacy in these help-seekers might be an indication for prescribing marital therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

pH-dependent influence of membrane-incorporated flunarizine on Ca-binding to phosphatidylserine monolayer membranes.

The pH-dependent 45Ca binding to phosphatidylserine monolayers was investigated. Ca binding increased with increasing pH. Between pH 10 and pH 11 a steep increase of Ca binding could be observed. This increase was interpreted to be due to complex Ca binding opposed to ionic binding at low pH. Flunarizine added to the spreading solution of the monolayer dose dependently displaced up to 100% Ca at pH 5 independently of phospholipid packing. At pH 11 less than 20% of Ca could be displaced by flunarizine. Intermediate results were found at pH 7. Flunarizine displaced less Ca from dense than from loosely packed monolayers at pH 7. The results suggest two binding states of flunarizine: ionic binding at low pH and apolar binding at high pH. The latter is much less effective in displacing Ca from phosphatidylserine monolayers. The Ca displacing properties of charged flunarizine may prevent a deleterious phospholipid reorientation within the membrane induced by the intracellular Ca rise during ischemia.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1988

Opioid receptoractivity in CSF from an atypical lower back pain patient.

One patient's lumbar CSF sample out of 54 studied for lower back pain had an atypical metabolic profile of opioid receptoractivity. To test our hypothesis that neuropeptides play a role in human lower back pain, endogenous opioid receptoractivity was compared between a control and that atypical sample. Two lumbar puncture samples were obtained from those two patients, one before and one after clinical evaluation. Total opioid receptoractivity was measured in each sample before HPLC separation, and opioid receptoractivity was measured in each fraction after HPLC separation. The latter data represent a metabolic profile of opioid receptoractivity in the human lumbar CSF. Those data demonstrate that the atypical patient had opioid receptoractivity measurements (total and profile) differing in a qualitative and quantitative sense from the other 53 patients studied. CSF opioid receptoractivity reflects the metabolism of opioid neuropeptidergic systems in the physiology in those patients, and opioid peptides may play a role in lower back pain.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1987

HPLC receptorassay of opioid peptides in the cerebrospinal fluid of lower back pain patients.

Total opioid peptide receptoractivity in human cerebrospinal fluid is measured in patients who are experiencing lower back pain. Desalted CSF is eluted from a C18 Sep-Pak and is subjected to a radioreceptorassay (RRA) that employs tritiated etorphin, which is a ligand that is effectively displaced by opioids from several different types of opioid receptors. Three clinical groups have significantly different endogenous levels of 2.4, 4.5, and 6.4 pmol of methionine enkephalin-equivalents per mL CSF. Those three levels indicate that more opioid activity is correlated with the amount of drug to relieve the patient's perception of pain. When the total opioid content exceeds an empirical threshold, the sample is further fractionated with gradient reversed phase HPLC, and the opioid receptoractivity in each HPLC fraction is measured to determine the characteristic pattern of those receptoractive opioid peptides present in that patient's CSF. Different HPLC RRA patterns are found for different clinical categories. A possible interpretation of these two different sets of data.is that a lesion exists in one or several of the opioid peptidergic systems (metabolism, receptors) in this particular patient population.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Facial rash with scarring due to granulomatous vasculitis in rheumatoid disease.

A 60-year-old man with destructive rheumatoid disease, multiple nodules, and vasculitis developed a facial rash with ulceration and scarring. Histology showed granulomatous vasculitis. The rash was rapidly controlled with oral corticosteroids. Granulomatous vasculitis has not previously been reported as causing this clinical picture in the absence of concomitant necrobiosis and palisading.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗