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J Deans

Publications and source records attributed to J Deans.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Age-adjusted recurrence risks for relatives of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Familial aggregation is a cardinal epidemiological feature of multiple sclerosis, but few investigators have systematically examined recurrence risks for relatives of affected individuals in the United Kingdom. As part of a cross-sectional study of multiple sclerosis in Cambridgeshire, pedigree details were taken on 674 probands. Sex-specific, crude and age-adjusted recurrence risks were assessed amongst relatives of probands, applying a statistical model based on the observed age at onset of affected individuals and providing risks for clinical counselling. Details on year of birth, present age or age at death, and disease status were available on 11 391 relatives of successive probands. Nineteen percent of patients reported an additionally affected relative; 128 non-proband affected relatives were identified and the highest risk was observed for sisters. There was a systematic reduction in relative risk with genetic distance from the proband and no preferential recurrence for maternal or paternal relatives.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Clinical concordance in sibling pairs with multiple sclerosis.

As part of a linkage study, we obtained clinical, demographic, and genetic information on 210 families with siblings concordant for multiple sclerosis (MS). Twenty-eight pairs were excluded and information was incomplete in a further 16 pairs; intrafamilial comparisons of the clinical course are reported on the remaining 166 families (155 pairs and 11 trios) in whom complete data sets were available. The demographic characteristics were comparable to those of recently performed prevalence studies in the United Kingdom, supporting the application of results in these families for genetic linkage studies in MS. We observed no significant correlation for age at onset after correction for selection bias but found a minor correlation for year at onset, which we speculate is due to earlier recognition of symptoms in second affected siblings. There was no pair-wise concordance for presenting symptoms or disability at time of assessment. However, there was a strong correlation for disease course and to a lesser degree for gender. In addition, the familial recurrence rate was 33%, almost twice that previously recorded in a local prevalence study. These results suggest that the etiology of MS involves random exposure to an, as yet unidentified, environmental trigger and the clinical features of familial disease are modified by inherited factors. That the risk of developing MS is not spread uniformly among families has important implications for the counseling of individuals with familial disease.

Female↗
PubMed1995

Multiple sclerosis in the north Cambridgeshire districts of East Anglia.

The Cambridgeshire multiple sclerosis register was established in 1989 and initially reported a prevalence of 130/10(5) population for south and east Cambridgeshire (south Cambs). This survey has now been extended to the northern county districts where there were 449 patients with multiple sclerosis in population of 378,959 on 1 July 1993 (118/10(5); 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 108-130). Four hundred and four had either definite or probable disease (107/10(5); 95% CI: 98-118). This matches the highest figures in the series of seven epidemiological surveys carried out in southern England over the past decade. Comparison with these and other studies indicates that no latitudinal gradient of disease is found in southern England despite spanning four degrees of latitude.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

The role of tyrosine phosphorylation in signal transduction through surface Ig in human B cells. Inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation prevents intracellular calcium release.

Cross-linking surface Ig on human B cells, or the TCR complex on T cells leads to the rapid appearance of newly tyrosine phosphorylated proteins. This is associated with inositol phospholipid turnover and a rise in intracellular calcium. Incubation of human B or T lymphocytes with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors, herbimycin and genistein, inhibits new tyrosine phosphorylation after receptor-linked activation. This is associated with complete abrogation of the increase in intracellular calcium in these lymphocytes and inhibition of inositol phospholipid turnover. Herbimycin- and genistein-treated lymphocytes are nevertheless still capable of responding to aluminum fluoride with a rise in intracellular calcium. These data support the contention that a B cell-associated protein tyrosine kinase regulates signal transduction via phospholipase C. CD45, the membrane associated protein tyrosine phosphatase, and PMA that activates protein kinase C, both inhibit the calcium response in B lymphocytes induced by receptor cross-linking. PMA and cross-linking CD45 both induced the appearance of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins in human B cells, although the pattern is quite distinct from that seen when surface lg is cross-linked. However, the induction of new tyrosine phosphorylation by anti-mu does not appear to be affected by these reagents. Although this may reflect an insensitivity of the tyrosine phosphorylation assay, it could indicate that regulation of the calcium response and regulation of the tyrosine kinase can be independent processes.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1991

Distinct patterns of tyrosine phosphorylation during the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei.

Regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation is a critical element in controlling growth and differentiation in higher eukaryotes. We have determined that the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, which diverged early in the eukaryotic lineage, possesses multiple proteins which react with a specific anti-phosphotyrosine antiserum. Anti-phosphotyrosine immunoprecipitates of [32P]orthophosphate-labeled cells were shown to contain phosphotyrosine by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Western analysis of cells from different stages of the life cycle demonstrates the appearance of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins at 40-42 kDa during the transition from slender to stumpy blood-forms. Growth of procyclic form cells in orthovanadate resulted in increased levels of specific tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. The demonstration of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins in T. brucei and their differential regulation during the life cycle suggests that tyrosine kinases and phosphatases may play an important role in the biology of primitive protozoa.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Using a monitored dosage system.

Traditional methods of administering medicines in nursing and residential homes have varied in standard throughout the UK. Monitored dosage systems have the potential to remedy this by making drug administration easier, safer, more hygienic and quicker. This article describes the use of one such system.

Drug Packaging↗