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Biomedical subjects

J Ballard

Publications and source records attributed to J Ballard.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The surgical management of atypical mycobacterial soft-tissue infections.

Group IV atypical mycobacterial infections, especially Mycobacterium fortuitum and M. chelonei, are being reported with increased frequency. We report our experience with five cases of soft-tissue infection with these acid-fast bacilli. Often these infections are chronic, with formation of abscesses and multiple fistulas. Optimal surgical treatment often requires wide excision of all diseased tissue followed by delayed closure. Presentation, optimal surgical management, and antibiotic therapy are discussed.

Abscess↗
PubMed1989

Results of routine restaurant inspections can predict outbreaks of foodborne illness: the Seattle-King County experience.

To analyze the association between the results of routine inspections and foodborne outbreaks in restaurants, we conducted a matched case-control study using available data from Seattle-King County, Washington. Case restaurants were facilities with a reported foodborne outbreak between January 1, 1986 and March 31, 1987 (N = 28). Two control restaurants with no reported outbreaks during this period were matched to each case restaurant on county health district and date of routine inspection (N = 56). Data from the routine inspection that preceded the outbreak (for case restaurants) or the date-matched routine inspection (for control restaurants) were abstracted from computerized inspection records. Case restaurants had a significantly lower mean inspection score (83.8 on a 0 to 100 point scale) than control restaurants (90.9). Restaurants with poor inspection scores and violations of proper temperature controls of potentially hazardous foods were, respectively, five and ten times more likely to have outbreaks than restaurants with better results. Although this study demonstrates that Seattle-King County's routine inspection form can successfully identify restaurants at increased risk of foodborne outbreaks, it also illustrates that more emphasis on regulation and education is needed to prevent outbreaks in restaurants with poor inspection results.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1985

An outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica infections caused by contaminated tofu (soybean curd).

The authors investigated 50 Yersinia enterocolitica infections during an outbreak of illness due to contaminated tofu (soybean curd) in Washington State between December 15, 1981 and February 22, 1982. The most common clinical syndrome (36 patients) was gastrointestinal infection for which two patients underwent appendectomies and one a partial colectomy. Of the remaining 14 patients, six had extraintestinal infections, two had fever alone, and six were asymptomatic. The patients with enteric infections were younger (median age three years) than those with extraintestinal infections (median age 28 years). In a case-control study of enteritis patients, illness was associated with ingestion of one brand of tofu (p less than 0.01). Ninety-two per cent of patients with gastrointestinal infections and 33% with extraintestinal infections recalled having eaten the implicated product. Y. enterocolitica serotype O:8, the most common serotype isolated from patients, was also isolated from tofu and the plant's untreated spring water. There was little clinical or laboratory evidence of secondary spread to family members who did not eat tofu. The outbreak demonstrates the transmission of Y. enterocolitica from nature to man and the potential of "natural" foods as vehicles for environmental pathogens.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Vibrio parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis. An outbreak associated with raw oysters in the Pacific northwest.

During a 3-month period in the late summer and fall of 1981, six cases of gastroenteritis and one wound infection due to Vibrio parahaemolyticus were reported to public health agencies in Washington and Oregon. An investigation revealed that all of the gastroenteric illnesses were associated with eating raw oysters; that oysters eaten by five of the six patients were harvested at four divergent sites at Willapa Bay, Washington, a large commercial growing area; and that the V. parahaemolyticus isolates from those five patients were all Kanagawa positive, belonged to serotype 04:K12, and exhibited an atypical biochemical reaction, urea hydrolysis. No further cases linked to Willapa Bay oysters have been reported, and the infecting strain could not be found in sediment samples from the bay in February 1982. Thus, even though the origin of this self-limiting outbreak is obscure, the investigation demonstrated that the geographic distribution of V. parahaemolyticus infection in the United States includes the Pacific seacoast . Furthermore, oysters must be considered, along with crabs, shrimp, and lobster, as a vehicle of transmission of this infection in the United States.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Effect of weight, smoking, and estrogen use on the risk of hip and forearm fractures in postmenopausal women.

From the practices of approximately two thirds of the orthopedic surgeons in King County, Washington, the authors identified white women ages 50 to 74 who had sustained a fracture of the hip or forearm between 1976 and 1979. The women were interviewed concerning factors associated with levels of endogenous estrogens. Their responses were compared to those of a random sample of white female residents of King County in the same age range. The risk of hip fracture was elevated in thin women and in those who smoked cigarettes, particularly among nonusers of estrogen. Neither weight nor smoking affected the risk of forearm fracture in estrogen users, although among nonusers smoking increased the risk, particularly among those who were thin. The beneficial effect of estrogen use in preventing both types of fracture varied considerably according to the woman's weight and smoking status, being greatest in thin women who smoked cigarettes and near zero in heavy nonsmokers. Body weight and cigarette smoking history offer important information concerning the probable degree of protection against fracture afforded by estrogen use.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Functional characteristics of monocytes. II. Further observations on lymphocyte-monocyte collaboration in the response to phytomitogens.

Monocytes play a crucial role in the response of lymphocytes to phytomitogens. This role is evident during the very early events after exposure to the mitogen. Thus, significant lymphocyte transformation does occur when monocytes are removed from the culture within a few hours after exposure to mitogen, and the presence of monocytes after the initial period is no longer necessary. Monocytes appear to be required for the early increase in protein synthesis and burst in RNA synthesis following exposure to the mitogen. Monocytes may help in lymphocyte responses partly by longer range, by way of release of soluble humoral factors into culture supernatant fluids. Temperature dependence of the effect of pulse exposure of lymphocytes to these supernatants raises the possibility that membrane receptors on these cells to humoral factors released by monocytes may exist. Moncytes do not appear to act primarily by preserving the viability of lymphocytes in culture.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1978

Adrenogenital syndrome: unusual presentation in an adult.

A case of bilateral testicular tumors thought secondary to hyperplastic adrenal rest tissue in an adult with the adrenogenital syndrome is presented. The appropriate endocrinologic diagnosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency was made by extensive hormonal assay of serum and urine. Pathologic investigation suggested Leydig cell hyperplasia or tumor, but clinical and laboratory response to steroid therapy indicated elaboration of androgens from adrenal or adrenal rest sources. We believe initial medical therapy is justified in these particular cases.

Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital↗
PubMed1977

Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the bowel in primary hypogammaglobulinaemia: study of in vivo and in vitro lymphocyte function.

In vitro and in vivo lymphocyte function was studied in six patients with primary hypogammaglobulinaemia and nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) of the bowel. Lymphocyte transformation, numbers of circulating T and B lymphocytes, and delayed hypersensitivity skin tests did not significantly differ when compared with hypogammaglobulinaemic patients without NLH. However, patients with NLH had higher jejunal juice IgM concentrations and a tendency to higher serum IgM concentrations than those without NLH. The morphological features of NLH are similar to the germinal centres of lymph nodes but more closely resemble the follicle zone of Peyer's patches. These findings suggest that NLH represents a local immune response to antigens originating in the gut lumen.

Adolescent↗