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Biomedical subjects

J A Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to J A Thompson.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Infant botulism: clinical spectrum and epidemiology.

Between 1977 and 1979, 12 cases of infant botulism were diagnosed in Utah, and 87 control patients (normal, nonbotulism neurologic disease, and nonbotulism systemic disease) were evaluated. Observations from these patients suggest an expanded clinical spectrum of infant botulism including asymptomatic carriers of organism; mild hypotonia and failure to thrive; typical cases with constipation, bulbar weakness, and hypotonia; and children with a picture compatible with sudden infant death syndrome. Clostridium botulinum was isolated from the stools of three normal control infants and nine control infants who had neurologic diseases that were clearly not infant botulism. These infants were termed "asymptomatic carriers" of the organism. The occurrence of the asymptomatic carrier state suggests that a diagnosis of infant botulism cannot be made on a basis of culture results alone, but must rest in historical documentation and physical confirmation of progressive bulbar and extremity weakness with ultimate complete resolution of symptoms and findings over a period of several months. A common set of environmental features characterizes the home environment of children with infant botulism and "asymptomatic carriers" and includes: nearby constructional or agricultural soil disruption, dusty and windy conditions, a high water table, and alkaline soil conditions.

Botulinum Toxins↗
PubMed1980

The effect of inflation on the cost of journals on the Brandon list.

A study of the increases over the past twenty years in the cost of the journals included in the 1977 Brandon list was conducted. This information is compared to the general U.S. rate of inflation for the same period as represented by the consumer price index. Results indicate that the Brandon list journal's prices have been increasing at a significantly higher rate than the general rate of inflation for this period. This information should be useful to the hospital librarian who must justify to administrators the need for increased funding beyond the general rate of inflation.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1980

Efficacy of various forms of fixation of transverse fractures of the patella.

To determine whether any of the commonly used wiring techniques are rigid enough to allow early motion in the treatment of transverse fracture of the patella, the patellae of twenty-five fresh cadaver knees were fractured transversely and fixed using the following techniques: circumferential wiring, tension-band wiring, Magnusson wiring, and a modification of tension-band wiring. The knees were mounted in a machine capable of measuring quadriceps force, flexion angle, and fracture separation simultaneously. The knees were extended from 90 to zero degrees by applying tension to the quadriceps tendon with the force of gravity as the only resistance, and separation of the fracture fragments was measured first with the retinaculum unrepaired and then again with the retinaculum repaired. Separation of the fracture fragments was much less with the Magnusson wiring and modified tension-band wiring than with circumferential wiring or standard tension-band wiring. The retinacular repair was found to contribute to stability; however, this seemed most important in the less rigid repairs. We concluded that if early motion is to be used in treating transverse fractures of the patella, techniques in which the wire is anchored directly in bone should be used and the retinaculum should be repaired.

Cadaver↗
PubMed1979

A possible mechanism for the increased oxidation of choline after chronic ethanol ingestion.

An attempt has been made to determine the location of the site at which the metabolism of ethanol interacts with that of choline to produce an increase in the oxidation of choline. The first enzyme in the oxidation pathway for choline, choline dehydrogenase, was assayed using a newly developed spectrophotometric assay and freshly isolated intact rat liver mitochondria. No changes were observed in either 'apparent' V or the 'apparent' Km values of choline dehydrogenase for choline after ethanol ingestion. However, when the choline oxidase system was assayed, a 28% decrease in 'apparent' Km for choline and a 53% increase in 'apparent' V was observed. The effects of ATP on choline oxidase were studied further, and a 29.4% decrease was observed in mitochondrial ATP levels from freshly isolated mitochondria from the ethanol-treated rats. In vitro aging of mitochondria further decreased the level of ATP, and the rate of decrease was considerably faster during the first hour in the mitochondria from the ethanol-treated animals. The decreases in ATP from both control and experimental mitochondria were accompanied by increases in choline oxidase activity. The initial decrease in ATP was correlated with an increase in mitochondrial ATPase activity which may be related to an increase in mitochondria Mg2+. Because chronic ethanol ingestion has resulted in decreased oxidation rates of succinate and beta-hydroxybutyrate while at the same time increasing the oxidation rates of choline, the studies reported here suggest that the effect of chronic ethanol ingestion is primarily on a step that is unique to choline and which probably exists prior to the electron transport chain.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1979

Characterization of the 5'-terminal structure of simian virus 40 early mRNA's.

RPC-5 reverse-phase chromatography has been used to isolate fragments of simian virus 40 DNA generated by appropriate digestions with restriction endonucleases. Ten specific DNA fragments, mapping successively in a counterclock-wise direction from 0.67 to 0.515 on the simian virus 40 genome, were each hybridized to cytoplasmic mRNA obtained during the early phase of simian virus 40 infection. Primer extension methods with reverse transcriptase were used to characterize the 5' ends of two species of viral mRNA which were fractionated on sucrose gradients. Analysis of the complementary DNA products demonstrated the presence of two different spliced structures of simian virus 40 early mRNA's, both of which had the same 5'-end sequences (AUU), located at residues 18 to 20 on the viral genome. The mRNA for small-t contained a segment 588 bases in length (residues 18 to 605) spliced to residues 672. A 66-nucleotide segment rich in adenine-thymine was spliced out of this mRNA. The mRNA for large-T contained a segment 308 bases in length (residues 18 to 325) which is also spliced to residue 672. A 346-base segment was spliced from this mRNA. The results suggest that there are two levels for control of genetic expression. One would be the regulation of initiation of transcription at a common promoter; the other involves post-transcriptional splicing.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1979

CT scans in Menkes disease.

The clinical courses and serial computerized tomography (CT) scans of four patients with Menkes disease are described. Although the initial clinical presentations were similar, head growth and serial CT scans showed striking individual differences. The CT scans varied from showing no abnormalities early in the disease to showing diffuse cortical atrophy, subdural accumulation of fluid, or multifocal areas of ischemic infarction. The pathologic findings in one patient showed only cerebral and cerebellar atrophy, whereas the findings in another patient showed areas of ischemic infarction, probably secondary to abnormal vessels. Menkes disease should be suspected in male infants with psychomotor deterioration and seizures, or when trauma is suspected from subdural hematoma and multiple fractures.

Brain↗