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Biomedical subjects

H Slater

Publications and source records attributed to H Slater.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Transforming growth factor beta 1 and interleukin 4 induced alpha smooth muscle actin expression and myofibroblast-like differentiation in human synovial fibroblasts in vitro: modulation by basic fibroblast growth factor.

OBJECTIVE: To discover if alpha smooth muscle actin expression and myofibroblastic differentiation are induced in synovial fibroblasts by cytokines found in the inflamed RA joint. METHODS: Immunofluorescent microscopy and western blotting were used to examine different cultures of human synovial fibroblasts for expression of alpha actin in the presence of the cytokines transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta 1), interleukin 1 alpha (IL1 alpha), IL4, IL6, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF). RESULTS: A small but significant population of cells (14.4 +/- 12.9%) expressed alpha actin under standard culture conditions. Upon treatment with TGF beta 1 there was a pronounced increase in the number of cells expressing alpha actin (68.1 +/- 5.49%), accompanied by a change in morphology to a myofibroblast-like phenotype. Other cytokines found within the inflamed joint such as IL1, TNF alpha, IL6, and basic FGF failed to induce alpha actin expression. However, IL4, which is normally absent or only present at low concentrations in the RA joint had a similar effect to TGF beta 1. It was also found that basic FGF inhibited the induction of alpha actin expression by TGF beta 1 and IL4. CONCLUSION: In the presence of TGF beta 1 or IL4, fibroblasts derived from synovial tissue or synovial fluid are induced to differentiate into myofibroblast-like cells containing the alpha smooth muscle form of actin. This differentiation is inhibited by basic FGF. It is suggested that the balance between these particular cytokines may be important in the modulation of fibroblast behaviour, which could have significant effects on joint repair mechanisms and the generation of fibrous tissue within the rheumatoid joint.

Actins↗
PubMed1997

Screening for diabetic retinopathy in primary care: retinal photography alone can be used efficiently and effectively to exclude those with sight threatening lesions.

BACKGROUND: Good screening performance of retinal photography and ophthalmoscopy together in screening for diabetic retinopathy in primary care have been reported. This study reanalysed the data to evaluate the screening performance of photography alone. METHODS: One thousand and ten patients screened by fundal photography and ophthalmoscopy were studied retrospectively. Fundal photographs were quality graded with poor quality pictures being excluded from the analysis. Each patient was reviewed initially by both retinal photographs and ophthalmoscopy by an ophthalmologist, the "gold standard". Six months later the fundal photographs were reviewed and reported in a blinded manner by the ophthalmologist. RESULTS: Two thousand and fourteen photographs were obtained, of which 162 (8%) had to be excluded because of poor quality. On review of the remaining 1852 photographs in isolation, of 77 cases of severe retinopathy as determined by the "gold standard", 67 had severe changes on photography--detection rate 87%. Of the 1775 cases without sight threatening retinopathy only five were judged to have sight threatening changes on photography--false positive rate 0.3%. Considering sight threatening and background retinopathy together, the detection rate was 69% (257 of 375) and the false positive rate 1.6% (23 of 1477). CONCLUSION: Good quality fundal photographs alone seem specific enough to screen for sight threatening diabetic retinopathy, but will underdetect background retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy↗
PubMed1997

Prader-Willi syndrome.

People with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and their families provide a unique challenge to the general practitioner. This article provides an outline of the key information and management issues for general practitioners who care for people with PWS and their families.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1996

Ophthalmological complications as a manifestation of burn injury.

Facial burns are a frequent component of the presentation of victims who have sustained thermal trauma, reportedly occurring in 20 per cent of burn patients. Even apparently 'f2p4r' facial injuries might well be associated with significant ocular trauma. A retrospective review of 865 patients admitted to our burn centre showed 22 per cent (192) with facial burns. Ocular involvement, defined as globe or eyelid pathology, was present in 15 per cent (127) of these patients. The aetiology and spectrum of ocular injuries is reviewed with lid burns and subsequent lid contractures, accounting for over 50 per cent of ocular complications. Serious ocular pathology necessitating enucleation occurred in only two patients. The difficulties encountered in performing a complete ophthalmological examination in the presence of facial burns are presented in conjunction with a recommended therapeutic plan.

Contracture↗
PubMed1995

Primary cutaneous Ewing's sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors in childhood. A molecular, cytogenetic, and immunohistochemical study.

Childhood cutaneous and subcutaneous malignancies are rare and include metastatic tumors of diverse histogenesis as well as primary lesions, such as sweat gland carcinomas. Some cutaneous malignancies exhibit a small round cell tumor morphology with few definitive differentiating features; they can thus pose a significant diagnostic problem. We describe two primary malignancies of the skin and superficial subcutis, which were originally diagnosed as sweat gland carcinomas on the basis of their morphological features. A cytogenetic analysis performed on one of these lesions showed the t(11;22)(q24;q12) rearrangement, believed to be unique to the Ewing's sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor (ES/pPNET) group of neoplasms. In view of this unexpected result, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed on both lesions and showed that they expressed EWS/FLI-1 fusion gene mRNA transcripts, the molecular equivalent of t(11;22)(q24;q12). The two tumors also had an immunohistochemical profile suggesting ES/pPNET, including strong expression of the MIC2 antigen. Both patients were treated with wide local excision, and one was given a course of chemotherapy. Neither patient showed evidence of tumor elsewhere after follow-up periods of 2 years and 16 years. These findings suggest that these tumors are indeed a form of primary ES/pPNET arising in the skin or superficial subcutis, which may be of low-grade malignancy and curable by local surgery.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Expansion of the CGG repeat in fragile X in the FMR1 gene depends on the sex of the offspring.

Analysis of 139 mother-to-offspring transmissions of fragile X CGG triplet repeats revealed that the repeat expansion is enhanced in mother-to-son transmissions compared with mother-to-daughter transmissions. Evidence has been based on analysis of mother-offspring differences in the size of repeat (in kb), as well as on comparisons between proportions of male and female offspring with premutations, and full mutations, inherited from mothers carrying a premutation. Mean difference in the repeat size from mother-son transmissions was 1.45 kb, compared with mother-daughter transmissions of 0.76 kb. The difference is due primarily to a greater proportion of male than female offspring with full mutation from the premutation mothers and also to a higher frequency of reduction in repeat size from mothers to daughters than from mothers to sons. Our findings suggest the possibility of an interaction of the normal X homologue in a female zygote with the FMR1 sequence on the fragile X during replication to account for the lower level of expansion in mother-to-daughter transmissions relative to mother-to-son transmissions.

Female↗
PubMed1994

Maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 13 in a phenotypically normal child.

A case of maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 13 is described. The subject is a phenotypically normal male who inherited a t(13;13)(p11.2;p11.2) from his mother who is a carrier of this translocation. The mother was ascertained through a history of recurrent abortion and is phenotypically normal. The translocation in both subjects was studied by cytogenetic and DNA analysis and appears to be a true dicentric isochromosome. These findings show that maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 13 has had no pathological consequences and suggests that there is no imprinting of genes on maternally derived chromosome 13.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed1992

Absence of satellite III DNA in the centromere and the proximal long-arm region of human chromosome 14: analysis of a 14p- variant.

Cytogenetic methods and molecular probes derived from the centromere and short arm of chromosome 14 were used to investigate the structural properties of a chromosome 14 variant. Results of GTL, CBG, Ag-NOR, and non-banded Giemsa staining of the chromosomes suggested the complete absence of the short arm and possibly a large part of the centromere. Negative in situ hybridisation with an alpha satellite III probe confirmed the absence of the arm; the detection of normal amounts of alpha satellite DNA, however, indicated retention of the centromeric domain. The natural occurrence of a human acrocentric variant lacking a short arm was thus established. Within the detection limits of the methods used, the results demonstrate that satellite III DNA is not essential for normal centromeric activity and allow us to exclude the presence of this satellite DNA within the centromere and proximal long-arm region of human chromosome 14.

Centromere↗
PubMed1992

Chondritis of the burned ear: a review.

Seventy-six patients with burns of the ears presented to the Western Pennsylvania Hospital Burn Trauma Center over a three year period. To prevent chondritis, all ears were treated prophylactically with periauricular hair shaving, daily cleaning, avoidance of pressure dressings and Sulfamylon Burn Cream. Chondritis developed in two patients. Aspects of auricular chondritis prevention and treatment are reviewed. Biology of the disease is discussed.

Burns↗
PubMed1991

Influences of different resuscitation regimens on acute early weight gain in extensively burned patients.

Dissatisfaction with the massive weight gain that commonly followed crystalloid resuscitation of extensively burned patients dictated the need for a study to determine if acute weight gain could be minimized with an alternative form of resuscitation. Three groups of ten patients each with statistically similar age and burn size (mean BSA 46 per cent) were resuscitated with lactated Ringer's solution (LR), hypertonic saline solution (HPT), or fresh frozen plasma (FFP). The volume of infused fluid and the patient weight gain were measured over the first 48 h of treatment. The mean urine output of the three groups was comparable (P greater than 0.05). The volume of infused resuscitation fluid to maintain urine output was a mean of 4.8 ml/kg/per cent BSA in the LR group, 3.16 in the HPT group and 2.68 in the FFP group. The difference in infusion rate between the FFP group and the LR group was statistically significant (P less than 0.01). All patients gained weight with resuscitation. The median percentage weight gain at the end of the first day of treatment was 10.69 per cent in the LR group, 7.88 per cent in the HPT group and 2.38 per cent in the FFP group. Weight gain at the end of the second day of treatment was 13.9 per cent in the LR group, 11.99 per cent in the HPT group, and 4.37 per cent in the FFP group. The differences between FFP, HPT and LR groups were statistically significant (P less than 0.01). In our study the use of fresh frozen plasma for resuscitation of extensively burned patients has been associated with minimal weight gain and minimal oedema. We believe that fresh frozen plasma resuscitation is an attractive alternative to crystalloid infusion and that further comparative studies should be performed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

Transparent polyurethane (Omiderm) dressing for free flaps.

A transparent polyurethane dressing (Omiderm) for free flaps is presented. Considering the importance of reliable flap monitoring postoperatively, this synthetic membrane allows for constant ability to observe the flap, assess the capillary filling, and detect the blood flow with an ultrasound Doppler device.

Bandages↗
PubMed1991

Penetration of antibiotics through omiderm in vitro and on split-thickness skin grafts in burn patients.

Penetration of antibiotic preparations (gentamicin, neomycin, silver sulfadiazine, mupirocin) through Omiderm, a synthetic wound covering, was tested in vitro and in 5 patients with full-thickness burns who had undergone tangential excision and split-thickness skin grafting. All antibiotic preparations tested penetrated both meshed and unmeshed Omiderm. Omiderm did not affect the zones of inhibition of antimicrobial activity as compared with controls.

Absorption↗
PubMed1991

From hopeful to hopeless ... when do we write "do not resuscitate"?

The issue of do not resuscitate (DNR) decisions has been the subject of much discussion in the medical literature. To try to understand the factors that may be determinants of the timing of DNR decisions, we reviewed the charts of 70 consecutive burned patients who died between 1986 and 1988. When a DNR decision was written, it was within 48 hours of the patient's death (74% of patients). No statistical difference was found in the sex distribution or in the percentage of body surface area burned in the DNR group and in the resuscitation group. Physicians, nurses, social workers, the hospital attorney, the district attorney, and the coroner of our county were interviewed. The uncertainty of legal guidelines and practical considerations of family expectations preclude a uniform approach to this problem.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Eidetic-like imagery in hypnosis: rare but there.

The production of eidetic-like imagery during hypnosis in subjects with high but not low hypnotizability was supported in three separate experiments using nonfakable stereograms (Julesz, 1971; Gummerman, Gray, & Wilson, 1972). In Experiment 1, 6 (25%) of 24 stringently chosen, high hypnotizables were able to perceive one of the superimposed stereograms (presented monocularly) during conditions of standard hypnosis or hypnotic age regression, or under both conditions, but not during waking. In Experiments 2 and 3, low and high hypnotizables were presented stereograms in an alternating, monocular fashion (one-half to each eye). In Experiment 2, 10% of the high hypnotizables perceived one or more stereograms in hypnosis or age regression, but not during waking. In Experiment 3, none of the 17 low hypnotizables reported correct stereograms, but 6 of the 23 high hypnotizables (26%) did. Relationships between imagery performance and visuo-spatial abilities were investigated. Results support the general hypothesis that hypnosis enhances imaginal processing of information to be remembered that is a literal or untransformed representation.

Eidetic Imagery↗