Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J B Mahony

Publications and source records attributed to J B Mahony.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Tubal factor infertility: an association with prior chlamydial infection and asymptomatic salpingitis.

In 265 Canadian women, with and without tubal factor infertility (TFI), we compared Chlamydia trachomatis cultures of endocervical swabs, endotubal swabs and biopsies, serology, and past history. A history of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) was absent in 69.2% of TFI women, despite visual evidence of tubal damage. C. trachomatis was not isolated in any of 52 patients with TFI (TFI group), 114 having tubal ligation (STER group), or 99 patients having hysterectomy (HYST group). However, chlamydial antigen was detected with an immunochemical method in 1 of 16 tubal biopsy specimens from TFI women. The prevalence of chlamydial IgM or IgG antibody in serum was significantly higher (P less than 0.0001) in the TFI group (79.1%) than in the other two groups (relative odds, 6.3; 95% confidence interval: 2.5, 16.8). In seropositive (IgG or IgM) subjects, there was a significant (P = 0.003) and strong (relative odds, 5.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.5, 18.1) association between chlamydial IgA antibody and TFI. In women with TFI, there was no significant association between IgM or IgG seropositivity (P = 0.56). or IgA seropositivity (P = 0.53), and a negative history for PID. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that C. trachomatis is a major cause of TFI following PID, which may or may not be asymptomatic.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Role of Ureaplasma urealyticum and other pathogens in the development of chronic lung disease of prematurity.

A prospective cohort study enrolling 107 infants weighing less than 1250 g was conducted between September 1, 1986, and November 15, 1987 in order to determine the role of microorganisms on the development of chronic lung disease (CLD). Ureaplasma urealyticum was isolated significantly more frequently from gastric aspirates and nasopharyngeal or endotracheal aspirates from 43 infants developing CLD than from 56 who did not (51% vs. 16%; P less than 0.005). Infants developing CLD, defined by radiographic and blood gas abnormalities, were significantly younger (26 vs. 29 weeks; P less than 0.0001), weighed significantly less (830 vs. 1050 g; P less than 0.0001) and required more ventilatory support (37 vs. 10 were being ventilated and 42 vs. 26 received oxygen supplementation on Day 7) compared with those who did not develop CLD. Viruses were isolated in association with U. urealyticum in two infants developing CLD and in one infant who did not develop CLD. Mycoplasma hominis was isolated from three infants who were colonized with U. urealyticum and developed CLD. Chlamydia trachomatis was not recovered from any patients. From a discriminant analysis it was found that U. urealyticum contributed to the development of CLD along with the effect of ventilatory support, gestational age and severity of initial respiratory disease. The effect of interventions directed against U. urealyticum on the development of CLD deserves further study.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1988

Chlamydial pneumonia in Costa Rica: results of a case-control study.

This paper presents a brief review of chlamydial pneumonia in infancy and indirect evidence that the incidence of this disease may be high in developing countries. The results of a case-control study in Costa Rica, involving 39 cases of pneumonia and 43 controls (cases of diarrhoea), suggest that chlamydial pneumonia is of considerable public health importance there. Thirteen out of the 39 (33%) cases of pneumonia had serum antibody to Chlamydia trachomatis serovars D, E, F, G and L2, whereas only 1 out of the 43 controls was IgM-antibody positive (P<0.001). The occurrence of chlamydial pneumonia as a major health problem in developing countries is discussed.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1987

Cost and performance analysis of haemagglutination inhibition, passive haemagglutination, radial haemolysis, and enzyme immunoassay for measuring rubella antibody.

Cost and performance of non-commercial haemagglutination inhibition (HI) and radial haemolysis (RH) tests, and the commercially available passive haemagglutination (PHA) Rubacell and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Rubazyme assays were compared in their ability to detect rubella antibodies in 316 sera. Correlation coefficients were: HI to RH 0.96; HI to EIA 0.86. All 4 tests were in agreement on pre- and post-rubella immunization sera from 10 subjects. Eleven sera collected between 1 and 15 days after natural infection possessed clear HI titres whereas only 4 of them showed positive responses by PHA, RH or EIA. Immunity screening 285 sera identified 7 discordant results (positive in 2 of 4 tests). A detailed cost analysis for testing 100 sera showed a cost per test from +2.10 for HI to +3.71 for EIA. The labour component of the total cost was different for each assay and affected the unit cost of testing a single specimen. Results are discussed in view of antibody responses to specific rubella polypeptides and recommendations for diagnosis or immunity screening are made according to the findings.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1987

Combined testing for antibodies to rubella non-structural and envelope proteins sentinels infections in two outbreaks.

Two separate outbreaks of Rubella occurred in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 7 yrs apart, with a peak incidence for both in the month of April. A total of 138 cases, 51 in 1978 and 87 in 1985, was observed, the majority being in adolescents and young adults 15-25 years of age. Cases were diagnosed by the presence of Rubella IgM antibody or the combination of a negative passive hemagglutination (Rubacell-Abbott) and a positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test on a single serum or by seroconversion for Rubella IgG antibody. Routine screening of sera with the Rubacell test, which measures antibodies to nonstructural rubella proteins together with HI or EIA testing of the negatives, served as a sentinel for rubella infection in the community during both outbreaks. Rubacell antibodies usually appeared 2-3 wk after onset of infections, and when present contained either or both IgG and IgM. Only 8/103 cases had a history of Rubella vaccination. Two of three products of conception yielded rubella virus in cell culture.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Detection of chlamydial inclusions in cell culture or biopsy tissue by alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase staining.

An immunological technique for detecting Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia psittaci inclusions in infected McCoy cell cultures was developed by using a genus-specific monoclonal antibody to Chlamydia spp., rabbit anti-mouse immunoglobulin G bridging antibody, alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) monoclonal antibody conjugate, and naphthol AS-phosphate/fast red substrate. Chlamydial inclusions stained red and were easily detected against a background of blue hematoxylin-stained nuclei. After 18 h, inclusions of C. trachomatis serovar L2 LGV434/Bu and C. psittaci strain 6BC were stained by APAAP but not by iodine or Giemsa. At 48 h inclusion counts were significantly higher in the APAAP cultures. Both the APAAP procedure and conventional staining detected 35 of 239 (15%) cultures 48 h after inoculation with urethral or endocervical specimens. However, at 24 h after inoculation 22 of 35 (63%) were positive by APAAP staining while negative by iodine. This immunostain also allowed identification of chlamydial inclusions in endometrial biopsies from patients with tubal factor infertility or pelvic inflammatory disease.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1986

Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis antigens by enzyme immunoassay and immunofluorescence in genital specimens from symptomatic and asymptomatic men and women.

Chlamydia trachomatis antigens were detected in populations with the following infection prevalences: 26.5% (36 of 136) of men and 27.7% (48 of 173) of women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic, 16.3% (53 of 324) of women attending a Planned Parenthood clinic, and 3.4% (4 of 117) of an obstetrics and gynecologic practice. Compared with cell culture of the combined female cervical specimens (15.8% prevalence), the respective sensitivities of Chlamydiazyme (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois) and Microtrak (Syva, Palo Alto, California) were 98.3% and 87.9%, specificities were 97.5% and 98.4%, positive predictive values were 87.7% and 92.7%, and negative predictive values were 99.7% and 97.5%. Both assays were 70.0% sensitive with male urethral specimens, and the other parameters of performance ranged between 84.0% and 97.2%. The antigen detection assays, compared with culture, performed equally well in subjects without or with clinical signs.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Differences in antibody responses with rapid agglutination tests for the detection of rubella antibodies.

Rapid agglutination tests (Rubaquick, Rubascan, and Rubacell) were used to screen sera (374 from immune and 124 from susceptible patients) for rubella immunity. Compared with enzyme immunoassay (Rubazyme) the erythrocyte agglutination assays (Rubaquick and Rubacell) were greater than 98% sensitive and 92 to 96% specific. The latex test (Rubascan) was sensitive (97.8%) and specific (96.8%) on undiluted serum but only 68.7% sensitive on serum diluted 1:10. Although the three rapid assays detected a substantial number of positive sera within 3 months of rubella immunization, a large number of variable responses were seen after infection with rubella. Analysis of discordant results suggests that these tests may be effectively used for immunity screening. The different individual assay results observed on low-titered sera or blood collected shortly after infection or immunization may not be comparable, because each assay has a different antigenic component on the agglutinin.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1986

Accuracy of immunoglobulin M immunoassay for diagnosis of chlamydial infections in infants and adults.

An improved solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with Chlamydia trachomatis L2 434/Bu elementary bodies was developed for the measurement of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to C. trachomatis in serum. Comparison of EIA and microimmunofluorescence IgM antibody titers of 156 serum samples revealed an EIA sensitivity and specificity of 100% for infants, but reduced sensitivity (85%) and specificity (76%) for sera from adults. Sera containing IgM class rheumatoid factor produced false-positive IgM results which could easily be eliminated by pretreatment of the sera with anti-human IgG. Analysis of sera from infants with chlamydial infections revealed that 17 of 17 infants with C. trachomatis pneumonia had high IgM antibody titers (geometric mean titer, 1:64,812), whereas two infants with conjunctivitis only lacked detectable IgM antibody. EIA detected IgM antibody to several serovar groups in serum, including serovars B, BDE, FG, and J. IgM antibody to C. trachomatis in serum was detected as early as 5 days after the infection that was acquired at delivery and persisted for 3 months. The availability of an EIA possessing good sensitivity and specificity for the detection of IgM antibody to C. trachomatis may permit more laboratories to diagnose perinatal chlamydial infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Effect of swab type and storage temperature on the isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from clinical specimens.

We evaluated various swabs for the recovery of Chlamydia trachomatis and found that only 7 of 14 swabs tested resulted in a greater than 50% recovery of organisms. Storage of chlamydial specimens at 4 degrees C for more than 1 day resulted in a rapid loss of viability, whereas freezing of specimens at -70 degrees C resulted in only a marginal decrease in the isolation rate.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1984

Measurement of BK papovavirus IgG and IgM by radioimmunoassay (RIA).

Current techniques for the measurement of BK papovavirus (BKV) specific IgM include sucrose density gradient centrifugation followed by hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) or indirect immunofluorescent (IF) staining of BKV infected cells using a fluorescein conjugated anti-human IgM antibody. These techniques are cumbersome and labor intensive and do not lend themselves to testing large numbers of sera. A solid phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) was developed to facilitate the measurement of BKV IgG and IgM in large numbers of sera. Solid phase antigen was prepared by adsorbing CsCl purified BKV antigen to polyvinyl chloride microtiter plates. Following reaction with serum, bound immunoglobulin was detected with iodinated goat anti-human IgG or IgM. RIA for the measurement of BKV IgG was sensitive with titers approaching 10(-6). Determination of IgG titers by RIA and HAI showed good agreement (P less than 0.01, correlation coefficient = 0.74). Measurement of BKV IgM was not affected by the presence of BKV IgG as evidenced by sucrose density gradient fractionation of IgM positive sera, removal of IgG by treatment with S. aureus protein A, and addition of BKV IgG to BKV IgM. Rheumatoid factor (RF) gave false positive IgM titers in the presence of BKV IgG when RF titers were greater than or equal to 1:640 by latex agglutination testing and BKV IgG levels exceed 1:256 by HAI. False positives due to RF could be eliminated by treatment of sera with sheep anti-human IgG antisera. RIA for BKV IgM was specific as sera containing JCV-, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-, rubella-, or hepatitis B core antibody (anti HBc)-IgM were negative by RIA. RIA detected BKV IgM in several sera from renal dialysis or allograft patients with titers ranging from 1:400 to 1:128,000 and demonstrated that BKV IgM persisted in sera of renal allograft patients for as long as 343 days post transplantation.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1984

Identification and typing of herpes simplex virus by enzyme immunoassay with monoclonal antibodies.

A double-antibody enzyme immunoassay was developed for the identification and typing of herpes simplex virus (HSV) by employing a polyclonal rabbit capture antiserum together with type-common and type 2-specific monoclonal antibodies as detectors. The test successfully identified 45 type I isolates and 30 type 2 isolates as HSVs. Compared with immunofluorescent staining and restriction endonuclease analysis, enzyme immunoassay correctly typed 45 type 1 and 30 type 2 HSV isolates. Enzyme immunoassay was 100% sensitive for identification of HSV as compared with cell culture and 100% specific for typing as compared with immunofluorescence and restriction endonuclease analysis. Electron microscopy analysis suggested that approximately 10(6) virus particles were required for the identification and typing of HSV by enzyme immunoassay.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1984

Clinical evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay for detection of rubella virus-specific immunoglobulin M.

A solid-phase capture antigen enzyme immunoassay (Rubazyme-M) was evaluated for sensitivity and specificity on sera from 1,200 blood donors, 51 patients with rubella, 2 infants with congenital rubella, 104 patients with other infections, and 126 patients with immunological abnormalities. The sensitivity was 100% for sera tested between days 3 and 40 after the onset of symptoms of rubella virus infection. Rubella virus-specific immunoglobulin M was detected at birth in sera from congenitally infected infants and persisted for several months. Positive Rubazyme-M responses were observed in some patients in the absence of rubella diagnosis (one blood donor, three other infections, and two immunological abnormalities), providing a test specificity of 99.6%. None of 67 patients with rubella virus-specific immunoglobulin G antibody and high levels of rheumatoid factor were positive in the test.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The structural conservation of S100 protein during evolution: analysis by reactivity with a monoclonal antibody.

A hybridoma cell line producing a monoclonal antibody (A4) against bovine S100 protein has been produced by fusing mouse myeloma P3X63/Ag8 cells with spleen cells from a BALB/c mouse immunized with bovine S100 protein. A4 is of the IgG2b subclass and was purified by affinity chromatography on a protein A-Sepharose column. Brain extracts from several mammalian and one avian species reacted both with polyclonal rabbit anti-S100 protein antiserum and with A4 in a radioimmunoassay. Brain extract from dog was a notable exception. It reacted with the rabbit antiserum but not with A4. Therefore A4 reacts with a common epitope that is present on S100 proteins from different vertebrate species but is absent on dog S100 protein.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Detection of antichlamydial immunoglobulin G and M antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Chlamydia trachomatis causes a wide range of infections in adults and conjunctivitis and pneumonia in neonates. The complement fixation test for chlamydial antibody is broadly reactive, but possesses low sensitivity, whereas the microimmunofluorescence test is highly sensitive, but technically difficult to perform. A simple, rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for the measurement of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies to C. trachomatis. Wells of microtiter plates were coated with Renografin-purified elementary bodies (serotype L2) grown in cycloheximide-treated McCoy cells, and serum antibody was detected with peroxidase-labeled goat antihuman IgG and IgM antibody. Of 41 sera tested from patients with lymphogranuloma venereum, pelvic inflammatory disease, cervicitis, or urethritis there was a 90 and 63% correlation of positive results for IgG and IgM, respectively, by microimmunofluorescence and ELISA. Of the positive correlates, ELISA titers were up to 128 times higher than microimmunofluorescence titers for IgG and IgM. The ELISA detected no false-positive results, but missed two positive results for IgG. Both of these sera were reactive against serotypes C and J, suggesting that the ELISA with LGV L2 antigen may not measure antibodies to serotypes within the C serogroup. The IgM ELISA detected 7 negative and 4 positive results not detected by the microimmunofluorescence test. Of four paired sera examined by ELISA, three showed a fourfold rise in IgG antibody titer, and one showed a twofold rise. Further evaluation of this ELISA will be required to determine how useful it will be in seroepidemiological studies and as a diagnostic tool.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1980

Selective action of colchicine on protein synthesis and release in a clonal line of rat glial cells.

The effect of colchicine on protein synthesis and secretion in stationary cultures of clonal rat glial cells C6 was examined. Colchicine inhibited the synthesis of the brain specific S100 protein in intact cells but not in a cell-free protein synthesizing system derived from these cells. There was no demonstrable effect of the drug on the synthesis of any of the several hundred proteins resolved by a two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis. However, colchicine specifically enhanced the secretion of several proteins of molecular weighs of 30,000 and of 200-300,000 into the medium. Two of the high molecular weight proteins were apparently membrane proteins whose release into the medium was stimulated by the drug.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Analysis of messenger RNA coding for S100 protein in the mammalian brain.

S100 protein is a brain-specific protein which is absent at birth and first appears in rabbit brain 2-3 days after birth. To determine how the synthesis of this brain-specific protein is regulated, mRNA was isolated from brain polysomes and assayed for S100 protein mRNA activity by in vitro translation in a heterologous cell-free system and immunoprecipitation of released polypeptides with rabbit anti-S100 protein antiserum. S100 protein mRNA was detected primarily in small polysomes containing five to eight ribosomes, and virtually no S100 protein mRNA was present in polysomes containing more than eight ribosomes. S100 protein mRNA was not detected in brain polysomes at stages prior to the induction of synthesis of S100 protein, i.e., in fetal brain or in 1-day neonates. The amount of S100 protein mRNA in polysomes of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum was measured to see if it correlated with the level of S100 protein in the two regions of adult brain. The cerebellum, which contained three to four times the level of S100 protein in the cerebral cortex, contained four times more S100 protein mRNA.

Aging↗