Biomedical subjects

J E Stuart

Publications and source records attributed to J E Stuart.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Nasal inflammation and chronic ear disease in Australian Aboriginal children.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic middle ear disease is common in Aboriginal children, and may be linked to nasal inflammation and Eustachian tube dysfunction. The pattern of nasal inflammation is unknown. The study reported here was performed to define the role of allergy and infection in causing nasal inflammation in Aboriginal children with chronic middle ear disease. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-one Aboriginal children aged between 3 and 7 years underwent clinical assessment, audiometry and allergy skin tests. Nasal swabs for bacterial culture and cytology were performed during the winter and again in spring to identify any seasonal variation. A randomized trial of nasal beclomethasone for 8 weeks was conducted in children with abnormal tympanometry to identify the effect of therapy upon nasal cytology. RESULTS: Twenty-six of the 31 children had abnormal tympanograms. Average hearing levels were reduced in nine children. Pathogenic organisms were isolated from most children: Streptococcus pneumoniae (82%), Haemophilus influenzae (79%), Moraxella catarrhalis (39%) and Staphylococcus aureus (29%). Eight of the 31 children (26%) were atopic. Nasal cytology disclosed a marked neutrophil infiltrate (80% of cells) during the winter, which fell significantly in spring to 52% of cells. Only two subjects had nasal eosinophilia of >10%. There was no effect of beclomethasone on nasal cytology. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ear disease in Aboriginal children is associated with nasal inflammation, neutrophil infiltration and the presence of bacteria. These features suggest respiratory infection as the main cause of chronic nasal inflammation in Aboriginal children with middle ear disease. There is a seasonal variation in the severity of the nasal infiltrate, consistent with increased infections during winter. Despite a high prevalence of atopy, allergic nasal disease was uncommon.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

PubMed1993

Piriformis abscess mimicking a hip pyarthrosis.

Joint sepsis and osteomyelitis often give a confusing clinical picture in children because of the prevalent use of oral antibiotics for otolaryngeal disease, resulting in partially treated musculoskeletal infections. Unusual sites of infection must be considered when the patient does not respond to standard treatment. Recent scanning techniques can be useful in resolving this dilemma.

Abscess↗

PubMed1993

Overproduction of a 37.5-kDa cytosolic protein structurally related to prostaglandin F synthase in ethacrynic acid-resistant human colon cells.

We report the initial identification of a 37.5-kDa putative aldoketo reductase in human colon carcinoma cells. An aminoterminal trypsin fragment was sequenced and found to be identical to bovine prostaglandin F synthase in 19 of 21 amino acids. Levels of this cytosolic human aldo-keto reductase, assessed by immunoblots using polyclonal antibodies raised against this protein, increased 30-fold in cells resistant to the Michael reaction acceptor ethacrynic acid and increased with time and ethacrynic acid concentration after treatment of wild-type cells. Induction of the reductase appeared to be cell type and drug specific. It was induced by the Michael reaction acceptors dimethyl maleate, t-butylhydroquinone, and hydroquinone but not by the nitrogen mustard chlorambucil. Ethacrynic acid and dimethyl maleate induced the reductase in a second human colon cell line but not in human prostate cells. NADPH-dependent metabolism of aldoketo reductase substrates by cytosol from colon but not prostate cells was enhanced 2-3-fold when cells were grown in the presence of either ethacrynic acid or dimethyl maleate. The discrepancy between induced reductase activity and protein levels may be due to the multiplicity of constitutively expressed NADPH-dependent reductases that compete for substrate. Ethacrynic acid-resistant cells exhibited low levels of cross-resistance to Adriamycin, mitomycin C, and the bovine prostaglandin F synthase substrates phenylglyoxal and prostaglandin D2. Thus, significant overexpression of a human aldo-keto reductase structurally related to bovine prostaglandin F synthase may result from exposure of cells to Michael reaction acceptors and may give rise to an enhanced capacity to metabolize exogenous and endogenous substrates, thereby contributing to the drug-resistant phenotype.

20-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

PubMed1975

Follow-up studies of aboriginal children with ear disease and hearing loss at Cherbourg (Queensland).

A random sample of 100 Aboriginal primary school children originally examined in February, 1970, was followed up in February, 1971, and February, 1972. Over this period, the incidence of hearing loss dropped from 41% to 23%. Most of the improvement occurred in the younger children, and, while this could be attributed to treatment in a few cases, the majority of children appeared to improve spontaneously. A complete school grade of 37 children aged six years in 1970 was retested six times over a period of three years. Again, there was a general improvement, from 60% incidence of hearing loss in 1970 to 22% in 1972. Most of this improvement was spontaneous. During the three years of observation (1970, 1971, 1972), 30 Aboriginal children from Cherbourg underwent surgery including myringotomy, myringoplasty and mastoidectomy. Operative successes and failures in these children are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975