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Biomedical subjects

J E Fitzpatrick

Publications and source records attributed to J E Fitzpatrick.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Antibody response to Serratia marcescens isolated from patients with malignant diseases.

Sixty-four patients with malignant diseases from whom Serratia marcescens was isolated from various sources were studied regarding their antibody responses to somatic O antigens of this microorganism. Antibodies were titrated by the passive hemagglutination test. An antibody response was considered present when either a fourfold or greater rise in antibody titers between two consecutive serum specimens was demonstrated, or when elevated titers (greater than or equal to 40 for serogroup O14 and greater than or equal to 160 for all others) were present in the first available specimen. Overall, 31% of subjects mounted an immune response, but there were differences depending upon the infection site. Seventy-one percent of patients with S. marcescens bacteremia responded immunologically; whereas the percentage for patients with Serratia present in the respiratory tract was only 22%, in the urinary tract, 31%, and in wounds, 26%. Documentation of an immune response to the patient's own infecting strain of Serratia aids in the differentiation between infection and contamination and possibly also between clinical disease and colonization. In addition, immunoglobulin samples collected in different decades were examined to determine whether the background level of antibodies to S. marcescens had changed in the general population over the years. No difference in antibody titers to 13 O antigens was observed in immunoglobulin preparations from 1951, 1962, 1971, and 1975.

Adult↗

Antibody response of patients with malignancies to bacteremia with gram-negative bacteria.

Antibody response, determined by means of the indirect bacterial hemagglutination tests, was studied in 58 consecutive patients with various malignancies whose blood culture yielded growth of Enterobacteriaceae or Pseudomonas and from whom serum specimens were obtained. Of these patients 59% had a significant antibody response. The invading microorganisms were Escherichia coli in 33 and Klebsiella in 19 subjects, an antibody response being documented with essentially equal frequency (60 and 57% of the subjects, respectively). Two patients had positive blood cultures for both E. coli and Klebsiella, one of whom had a significant response to one isolate only. A specific antibody resonse was documented in 67% of the subjects from whom blood for antibody titration was obtained at least 5 days after the blood culture, but from only 21% of patients whose serum was procured during the first 5 days after the blood culture. Similarly, such an antibody response was identified in 73% of subjects with two consecutive serum specimens, but in only 28% of the patients with a single serum specimen for antibody titration. Documentation of the immune response may be of diagnostic aid in differentiating between infection and contamination even in patients with underlying malignancy and under potentially immunosuppressive therapy.

Adolescent↗

In vitro production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity by murine bone marrow and spleen following vinblastine administration in vivo.

The production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity (CSA) by isolated murine femur shafts, non-dispersed bone marrow and spleens was assessed following administration of Vinblastine (VLB). These organs were removed from 2 h to 10 days post-VLB and allowed to condition endotoxin-free medium for 48 h. CSA activity was assessed using a soft agar cloning system. The data demonstrate that CSA elaboration was maximal 24 h post-VLB, corresponding to the nadir of bone marrow GM-CFC, and 6 h after splenic reached a minimum. No relationship between peripheral blood granulocyte count or serum endotoxin levels were observed.

Animals↗

Opioid use in HIV patients with neurological changes.

The neurological changes that are common in the HIV population may complicate the use of analgesics, particularly opioids. These changes, in combination with care providers' fear of opioids, often lead to the inappropriate use of antagonists, such as naloxone. Used injudiciously, naloxone can lead to withdrawal syndrome, return of severe pain, and other adverse effects. The authors describe the many disease and treatment-related causes for pain in patients with HIV disease, as well as common neurologic conditions that alter cognition and complicate the use of opioids. A case study is included to illustrate the dangers of inappropriate naloxone use.

Adult↗

Simultaneous detection of platelet and lymphocyte antibodies by slide enzyme immunoassay.

The feasibility of using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect simultaneously the antibodies bound to platelets and lymphocytes on glass slides was investigated. A peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) immune complex method was used in which lymphocytes and platelets were attached to glass slides by poly-L-lysine and the preparations were stored at -20 degrees C for subsequent assays. Test sera were incubated with the cells. Reagents linking the platelet and/or leukocyte antibody to the PAP enzyme marker were added, followed by a staining step to localize the antigen-antibody complex. Any brown staining of the perimeter of the cells and in the cytoplasm was considered indicative of a positive reaction. A total of 146 sera were assayed; 36 were from Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) plasmapheresis donors, 75 were from RPMI oncology patients, and 35 were from other laboratories. The PAP method agreed with complement lysis inhibition assay (CLIA) by 97 percent in detecting antibodies capable of reacting with platelets while concordance with complement dependent lymphocytotoxicity (CDL) was 81 percent. With further investigation, this method could be adapted as a screening procedure in the clinical laboratory. It is easy, inexpensive, and could be performed in a few hours.

Antibodies↗