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Biomedical subjects

J D Fox

Publications and source records attributed to J D Fox.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Aqueous and vitreous humor samples for the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus retinitis.

PURPOSE/METHODS: Techniques for detection of viral DNA based on the polymerase chain reaction are increasingly being applied to ocular fluids; however, the clinical significance of such findings can sometimes be unclear. Two patients had the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in whom different herpesviruses were detected in aqueous and vitreous fluids from the involved eye. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: In both patients dual viral infections were present and the application of polymerase chain reaction-based methods to ocular fluids made a useful contribution to the treatment of the patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

Detection of herpesvirus DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction in cerebrospinal fluid of human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons with neurologic disease: a prospective evaluation.

A nested polymerase chain reaction-based method was used prospectively to detect herpesvirus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 111 patients with AIDS, 39 of whom had a suspected diagnosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated neurologic disease (patients with encephalopathy, polyradiculopathy, or peripheral neuropathy) and 72 who had alternative diagnoses. CSF from 24 (62%) of the patients with suspected CMV-associated disease had detectable CMV DNA compared with only 8 (11%) of the patients with other diagnoses. Varicella-zoster virus DNA was detected in CSF from 3 patients (2 with myelitis and 1 with encephalitis), all of whom had recent cutaneous zoster. No CSF specimen contained detectable herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA, and none of the patients with myelitis had detectable herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA in CSF. This study demonstrates a significant association between detectable CMV DNA in CSF and suspected CMV-associated neurologic disease in patients with AIDS.

Cytomegalovirus Infections↗
PubMed1995

Herpes simplex virus type 2 encephalitis and concomitant cytomegalovirus infection in a patient with AIDS: detection of virus-specific DNA in CSF by nested polymerase chain reaction.

A Caucasian homosexual man with AIDS and cytomegalovirus retinitis presented with facial pain and episodic confusion, had several seizures and became obtunded. An electroencephalogram was suggestive of herpes simplex encephalitis. The diagnosis was confirmed by detection of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV 2), but not type 1, DNA in cell-free cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after amplification by nested polymerase chain reaction. The patient also had evidence of concomitant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with detectable CMV DNA in CSF. With high-dose acyclovir the patient recovered. Analysis of a follow up CSF sample taken four months later showed no detectable HSV-2 DNA.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Detection of herpesvirus DNA in cottontop tamarins: no association with colitis.

Colitis occurs spontaneously in the cottontop tamarin; it shares similar clinical, endoscopic and histological features with, and has a similar response to treatment as, human ulcerative colitis. An association between human ulcerative colitis and the presence of DNA from multiple herpesviruses (human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the colon has been described. Intestinal herpesvirus infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of this condition. In a pilot study, coded full thickness colonic specimens from 27 cottontop tamarins were examined for the presence of HHV-6, CMV and EBV DNA using the nested polymerase chain reaction. The sections represented a spectrum of disease activity ranging from histologically normal bowel to severe colitis. A low prevalence of DNA from these viruses was found, which bore no relation to the presence of inflammation. Although these herpesviruses may have a pathogenetic role in human ulcerative colitis, they are not associated with colitis in this animal model.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Vitreous fluid sampling and viral genome detection for the diagnosis of viral retinitis in patients with AIDS.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) causes severe necrotizing retinitis in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other herpesviruses have been implicated in the acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN), seen in both the immunocompetent and the immunosuppressed. At present the diagnosis of viral retinitis relies solely on clinical appearances. In order to assess whether the detection of herpesvirus-specific DNA in cell-free vitreous biopsy samples could be useful in the early diagnosis of viral retinitis, vitreous fluid samples were taken from 100 patients. Fifty patients had AIDS as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, (MMWR 36 (suppl 1S):1S-15S, 1987) and retinal disease. The remainder were not known to be HIV infected and had no clinical evidence of retinal infection. Each sample was tested for the presence of CMV, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), by amplification of viral DNA using a sensitive and specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The presence of detectable CMV or VZV DNA was clearly associated with clinical disease whereas the presence of HSV-1, EBV, and HHV6 sequences were not. Clinical discrimination between CMV- and VZV-associated retinitis was greatly enhanced when the PCR results were taken into consideration.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1994

Detection of varicella-zoster virus DNA in ocular samples from patients with uveitis but no cutaneous eruption.

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is a well-recognised cause of intraocular inflammation, which may become recurrent or chronic after the acute phase has elapsed. Although it commonly presents with the typical rash, cases of ocular zoster with no cutaneous eruption have been well documented. We present two patients with unilateral anterior uveitis complicated by cataract, in whom molecular techniques based on the polymerase chain reaction detected varicella-zoster virus DNA in intraocular material obtained during cataract surgery. Neither patient gave a history of cutaneous eruption.

Cataract↗
PubMed1994

Varicella zoster gastritis in a bone marrow transplant recipient.

A case is reported of a patient who had previously undergone autologous bone marrow transplantation for recurrent Hodgkin's disease. The patient developed a generalised vesicular skin eruption. The clinical diagnosis was of disseminated shingles. Herpes viral particles were identified within the vesicular fluid by electron microscopy and using a specific monoclonal antibody to varicella zoster virus (VZV), positive immunofluorescence was detected in scrapings from the base of a vesicle. Gastroscopy and biopsy were performed because of severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The histological features were of non-specific active inflammation. Despite the histological absence of viral inclusions electron microscopy of the gastric biopsy revealed the presence of intranuclear herpes viral particles with a diameter of 90-100 nm. VZV specific DNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction in the gastric biopsy extract. The patient was treated with acyclovir and made a full recovery.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Liposome encapsulation improves the effect of antifibrotic agent in rat lung fibrosis.

We studied whether the therapeutic efficacy of the antifibrotic agent cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline (cHyp) in preventing bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats is enhanced by intratracheal delivery in liposomes. Dual-radiolabeled liposomes were used to study the distribution and stability of liposomes after intratracheal instillation. Lung retention was > 20% 1 wk after intratracheal instillation of 9 mumol phospholipid, and liposomes were intact as indicated by the ratio of the lipid and aqueous-phase markers remaining unchanged. For the fibrosis study, groups of rats were instilled with 1.2 U bleomycin (Bleo) and treated 1 and 2 wk later by single intratracheal instillation of test compounds. The control group received 0.3 ml saline (Bleo/sal). The treated groups received 9 mumol phospholipid in 0.3 ml of the following liposome preparations: empty liposomes (Bleo/lip), liposomes and 100 mg/kg of free unencapsulated cHyp (Bleo/lip/cHyp), and 100 mg/kg of liposome-encapsulated cHyp (Bleo/lip-cHyp). At 3 wk, fibrosis (mg hydroxyproline/g weight lung) by groups was as follows: control, 2.6 +/- 0.1 (SEM); Bleo/sal, 3.2 +/- 0.1, Bleo/lip, 3.2 +/- 0.1, and Bleo/lip/cHyp, 3.1 +/- 0.1, p < 0.05 compared with control; Bleo/lip-cHyp, 2.6 +/- 0.1, p < 0.05 compared with Bleo/sal, n = 3 to 6. Histologic grading of fibrosis did not show decreased fibrosis in the Bleo/lip-cHyp group, probably because of the focal nature of the fibrotic lesions. We conclude that cHyp encapsulated in liposomes prevents bleomycin-induced fibrosis by biochemical measurements. Delivery of antifibrotic agents to the lung in carrier vehicles promotes retention and may enhance their efficacy in treating bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Detection of varicella-zoster virus DNA using the polymerase chain reaction in an immunocompromised patient with transverse myelitis secondary to herpes zoster.

A case of herpes zoster transverse myelitis is described in which the clinical diagnosis was confirmed by demonstrating the presence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by amplification using the polymerase chain reaction. This case illustrates the potential role of the selective amplification of VZV DNA from CSF in contributing to the diagnosis of neurological complications associated with VZV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Detection of herpesvirus DNA in the large intestine of patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease using the nested polymerase chain reaction.

The prevalence of herpesvirus DNA was examined in inflammatory bowel disease tissue. DNA was extracted from resection and biopsy specimens of the large intestine from patients with ulcerative colitis (n = 21), patients with Crohn's disease (n = 29), and patients with noninflammatory bowel disease (controls) (n = 21). The nested polymerase chain reaction was used to detect viral DNA using primer pairs specific for either cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), varicella zoster virus (VZV), or Epstein Barr virus (EBV). HSV1 and VZV DNA were not detected in any of tissue samples. There was a high prevalence of CMV (81%), HHV6 (76%), and EBV (76%) DNA in ulcerative colitis tissue compared to Crohn's disease tissues (CMV 66%, HHV6 45%, EBV 55%). Control tissue had a relatively low frequency of CMV (29%) and EBV (19%) DNA but a prevalence of HHV6 DNA similar to that of ulcerative colitis (86%). However, the simultaneous presence of HHV6 and CMV and/or EBV DNA in ulcerative colitis tissue (76%) was much greater than in either Crohn's disease tissues (38%) or control tissue (29%) (P < 0.05). There was a low prevalence of CMV, HHV6, and EBV DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from all patient groups. CMV and EBV are capable of reactivating HHV6: the high prevalence of coexistent HHV6 infection with either or both of these two viruses in ulcerative colitis tissue suggests that they may play a synergistic role in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Liposome-entrapped antifibrotic agent prevents collagen accumulation in hypertensive pulmonary arteries of rats.

We studied the therapeutic efficacy of an intravenously injected antifibrotic agent encapsulated in liposomes on inhibiting collagen accumulation in hypertensive blood vessels. cis-4-Hydroxy-L-proline (cHyp) in liposomes was injected into rats exposed to 10% O2, and drug effect was evaluated by measuring right ventricular pressure and hydroxyproline content of the pulmonary artery. Right ventricular pressure was 11 +/- 1 mm Hg (mean +/- SEM) 5 days after a single intravenous injection of 200 mg/kg cHyp in liposomes compared with 14 +/- 1 mm Hg in rats injected with empty liposomes; hydroxyproline content was also reduced by cHyp treatment (87 +/- 6 versus 107 +/- 7 micrograms per vessel) (p less than 0.05 for both, n = 6-9). Injections of cHyp in liposomes every 5 days partially prevented hypertension and vascular collagen accumulation during a 3-week exposure to hypoxia, and the dose required was one tenth the dose of unencapsulated cHyp. Therapeutic doses of cHyp in liposomes injected for 6 months affected tensile properties of main pulmonary artery and aorta, but there were no apparent histological effects on other organs. Liposomes injected intravenously were identified in pulmonary artery endothelial cells. The prolonged effect of a single injection of cHyp in liposomes may be due to uptake of the liposomes by the endothelium. Liposome delivery of drugs to the arterial wall may be useful in the study and treatment of hypertensive vascular disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Miniaturization of three carbohydrate analyses using a microsample plate reader.

Three carbohydrate analyses (reducing value by copper-bicinchoninate, total carbohydrate by phenol-sulfuric acid, and D-glucose by glucose oxidase) have been miniaturized using a microsample plate reader. The use of the reducing-value procedure to measure the hydrolysis of starch by alpha-amylase and the use of the glucose oxidase method to measure the hydrolysis of lactose by lactase are illustrated.

Carbohydrates↗
PubMed1990

Human herpesvirus 6 in salivary glands.

In an investigation of the role of saliva in the transmission of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) sections of salivary gland tissue were screened for HHV6-specific DNA by in-situ hybridisation and for HHV6-specific protein by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies against the virus. All of nine submandibular glands and one of four parotid glands showed the presence of HHV6 genome and expressed protein by these techniques. The findings are consistent with transmission of HHV6 by saliva and suggest that salivary gland tissue is a site of replication of the virus and a potential site for HHV6 persistence.

DNA, Viral↗
PubMed1990

Production of IgM antibody to HHV6 in reactivation and primary infection.

The cross-reaction of HHV6 antibody with that to the other herpesviruses was studied in 96 blood donors whose sera were tested for IgG antibody to human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV6), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicella zostervirus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV). No correlation was found between IgG antibody to HHV6 and that to any of the other herpesviruses in these individuals. Antibodies to HHV6 and CMV were measured in patients undergoing documented serological responses to HHV6. Eleven cases of primary HHV6 infection associated with roseola infantum in babies, 1 of whom suffered from gastroenteritis as well as pyrexia and rash, are reported. Three cases of HHV6 reactivation, 1 in a 3-year-old child and 2 in adults, 1 of whom simultaneously underwent a primary CMV infection are also reported. Our results suggest that indirect immunofluorescence is a specific way of measuring HHV6 antibody, that HHV6 IgG and IgM can be detected in the absence of antibody to CMV and that HHV6 IgM is present both in primary HHV6 infections and in reactivations.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cytomegalovirus and human herpesvirus-6 in sudden infant death syndrome: an in situ hybridization study.

Thirty lung, spleen, and thymus sections and four lymph node sections from 40 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases were probed with biotinylated DNA probes specific for human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Control material gave a strong, distinct signal with little or no background staining and no cross-reactivity. No staining was found with the SIDS material. We find no evidence to implicate an overwhelming infection by either virus in SIDS.

Cytomegalovirus Infections↗
PubMed1989

Serological prospects for peptide vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease virus.

Antibodies to a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 141 to 160 amino acid sequence of the protein VP1 of type O foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) neutralize a wider range of type O isolates than anti-virion serum. Extending this peptide at the amino terminus reduced the number of strains neutralized by the antipeptide sera. Reactions with antisera to peptides representing non-contiguous native sequences showed that it was also possible to increase the number of strains effectively neutralized. Selected substitutions of a single amino acid at position 148 markedly altered the neutralizing specificity of antibodies elicited by the 141 to 160 peptide. In particular, a peptide with an L----S substitution at this position induced antibodies which neutralized a type O and a type A virus equally, and guinea-pigs inoculated with it were protected from challenge with either virus. Attempts to isolate variant viruses resistant to neutralization with anti-peptide antibody indicated that these occurred at low frequency, and there was some evidence that resistance may be partially conferred by mutations outside the peptide sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗