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Biomedical subjects

J Harkness

Publications and source records attributed to J Harkness.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Gastrointestinal viral infections in homosexual men who were symptomatic and seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus.

Gastrointestinal viruses, predominantly rotaviruses and adenoviruses, were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, electron microscopy, or cell culture in greater than 50% of two groups of homosexual men with symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, who did (54%) or did not (50%) have diarrhea. Lower detection rates were observed in HIV-seronegative (15%) and asymptomatic HIV-seropositive (16%) men. In the patients with diarrhea, 95% of the isolates of virus were found in the most immunosuppressed patients, those patients with AIDS-related complex or opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. High excretion rates of these viruses are probably associated with both anal-oral transmission and immunosuppression. These viruses apparently cause acute episodes or relapses of diarrhea in some patients but may be co-pathogens or noncontributory to chronic diarrhea in others.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1988

Needs of the poor call for action on behalf of justice.

Catholic health facilities are a special representation or incarnation of the Church. Our response to the medically indigent is perhaps the paradigmatic way we can mediate Christ and Christian values. In the last century the Church's social teaching has reiterated the understanding that Christ identifies with the poor and the underprivileged. The fundamental challenge seems to be how to move this "option for the poor" rom theological scholarship and reflection to healthcare ministry. Poverty and the lack of access to healthcare need to be seen not simply as the problem of individuals but as structural problems. Witnessing, education, and acting on behalf of the poor require the whole healthcare community's cooperation. Individual efforts are multiplied when they are a real part of a "corporate culture" genuinely committed to the poor. One such corporate effort was undertaken by the Sisters of Bon Secours when they developed their Ministerial Stand on Care of the Poor in 1984. A task force published 32 recommendations to aid facility managers in carrying out the statement. Mission committees were formed at Bon Secours Health System facilities to oversee implementation of the recommendations. They promote and evaluate innovative programs to address care of the poor initiatives for the local community.

Catholicism↗
PubMed1988

Antibodies to a synthetic peptide can be used to distinguish between muscarinic acetylcholine receptor binding sites in brain and heart.

Since the reports elucidating the sequence of four subtypes of muscarinic cholinergic receptors appeared, it has been clear that pharmacological approaches to the study of subtypes of these receptors are inadequate to selectively detect one subtype in the presence of the others. One methodology that can provide more selective reagents with which to study these subtypes is immunology. Thus, using the information on the primary sequence of these receptors available in the literature, rabbits were injected with an oligopeptide, CRKIPKRPGSVHRTPSRQ, conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. This oligopeptide (m1 C-terminal peptide) corresponds to the 17-amino acid sequence of the carboxyl terminus of a rat m1 muscarinic receptor. This portion of the amino acid sequence of the muscarinic receptor protein has been shown to be unique to the m1 receptor and has not been found in the other subtypes of the receptor thus far sequenced. The antisera (anti-m1 antisera) had high titer against the m1 C-terminal peptide in a solid phase radioimmunoassay. The anti-m1 antisera were shown to immunoprecipitate [3H] quinuclidinyl benzilate ([ 3H]QNB) binding activity solubilized from rat forebrain. [3H]Pirenzepine ([ 3H]PZ) has been shown to interact with a subset of [3H]QNB binding sites in forebrain and heart. The anti-m1 antisera were shown to immunoprecipitate [3H]PZ binding sites in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and corpus striatum, areas believed to be rich in the m1 subtype of the muscarinic receptor. Although [3H]PZ binding activity was present in receptor preparations solubilized from heart, neither [3H]PZ- nor [3H]QNB-binding activities could be immunoprecipitated from this tissue using the anti-m1 antisera. A monoclonal antibody raised against the porcine atrial muscarinic receptor was shown to immunoprecipitate both [3H]PZ- and [3H]QNB-binding activities solubilized from rat heart, but only [3H]QNB-binding activity could be immunoprecipitated from forebrain using this antibody. Immunoprecipitation of [3H]PZ- and [3H]QNB-binding activity by anti-m1 antisera could be inhibited by the m1 C-terminal peptide. Peptides corresponding to the C-terminal portions of the rat m3 and m4 muscarinic receptor were not inhibitory in the immunoprecipitation assay. This study provides further evidence for subtypes of muscarinic receptors in rat tissues and supports the hypothesis that receptor subtypes defined using PZ can be further subclassified on the basis of differences in primary structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Pulmonary manifestations of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Between 1983 and 1985, 71 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were evaluated. Pulmonary manifestations were present in 42 patients (59%). Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) was the most common pulmonary manifestation, present in 32 patients (45%). Other pulmonary findings were cytomegalovirus pneumonia (one patient), Candida pneumonia (one patient), cryptococcal pneumonia (one patient), bacterial pneumonia (three patients), nonspecific pneumonitis (three patients), Kaposi's sarcoma (one patient), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (one patient). The presenting features of PCP were reviewed and in seven patients the chest X-ray and blood gases were normal at the time of diagnosis of PCP. Bronchoscopy was a safe and useful technique for obtaining specimens for diagnosis promptly, and a combination of samples obtained by bronchial washings/brushings and transbronchial biopsy was found to give a higher diagnostic yield than any single sample. Drug side-effects were common during therapy, requiring change of therapy in 16 patients. At one month after diagnosis 16% of patients with PCP had died. PCP is a common pulmonary manifestation in patients with AIDS which is treatable and has an initially favourable outcome.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Kinetic studies suggest that light-activated cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase is a complex with G-protein subunits.

Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) in rod disk membranes has three subunits of molecular weight 88 000 (alpha), 84 000 (beta), and 13 000 (gamma). Physiological activation of the enzyme by light is mediated by a GTP binding protein (G protein). The enzyme can also be activated by controlled digestion with trypsin, which destroys the gamma subunit, leaving the activated enzyme as PDE alpha beta [Hurley, J. B., & Stryer, L. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 11094-11099]. Addition of purified gamma subunit to PDE alpha beta inhibited the enzyme fully. This suggested the possibility that G protein could also activate PDE by removing the gamma subunit and leaving the active enzyme in the form of PDE alpha beta. Should this be true, the properties of light- and trypsin-activated enzymes should be comparable. We found this not to be the case. The Km of light-activated enzyme for cyclic GMP was about 0.9-1.4 mM while that of trypsin-activated enzyme was about 140 microM. The cyclic AMP Km was also different for the two enzymes: 6.7 mM for light-activated enzyme and 2.0 mM for trypsin-activated enzyme. The inhibition of both enzymes by the addition of purified gamma subunit also differed significantly. Trypsin-activated enzyme was fully inhibited by the addition of about 200 nM gamma, but light-activated enzyme could not be fully inhibited even with 2600 nM inhibitor subunit. The Ki of the trypsin-activated enzyme for gamma was 15 nM and of the light-activated enzyme 440 nM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1985

Controlled comparison of short-wave diathermy treatment with osteopathic treatment in non-specific low back pain.

The effectiveness of spinal manipulation carried out by a non-medical qualified osteopath was compared with that of short-wave diathermy (SWD) and a placebo (detuned SWD) in 109 patients with low back pain. More than half the subjects in each of the 3 treatment groups benefited immediately from therapy. Significant improvements were observed in the 3 groups at the end of 2 weeks' treatment, and these were still apparent at 12 weeks. The outcome of treatment was unrelated to the initial severity or duration of pain or to the trend of pain towards deterioration or improvement. It is, therefore, unlikely that the results simply reflect the natural history of low back pain. Benefits obtained with osteopathy and SWD in this study may have been achieved through a placebo effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

On the capillary-tube viscometry of placental blood.

This work was done as the first part of a continuing study of neonatal blood. In a recent paper (1), two parameters, "A" (relative whole-blood viscosity at unit rate of shear and 1% haematocrit) and "beta" (shear-sensitivity exponent) were proposed, as characteristics of a given blood-sample. Here, some 60 placentae yielded (after plasma-manipulation) 130 sub-samples having haematocrits ranging from 3% to 90%. Their viscosities were measured in a capillary viscometer set for a constant wall shear-stress of 1855 mPa. "A" and "beta" were calculated by the method given in (1). Multiple calculations on a number of sub-samples revealed systematic variations within any one blood; but when every A/beta ratio is plotted against the corresponding A, the results follow a smooth curve. This curve occupies a striking, almost central location when A-and-beta values from adult normal and pathological bloods (rotational viscometry) are superimposed on the diagram. An analytic form for the close correlation between haematocrit and relative placental blood-viscosity is given by the adoption of a single "group A" and "group beta" for all 130 results.

Blood Viscosity↗
PubMed1984

Phenol alcohol technique for permanent matricectomy.

A simple technique for partial or complete destruction of the nail matrix with the use of phenol alcohol is outlined. A retrospective analysis of 30 random patients suggests that it has a low morbidity, is easy to perform, and has a high success rate. Therefore, it offers an excellent option to cold steel surgery, especially for the nonsurgically oriented dermatologist.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1983

Bone marrow transplantation in 33 patients with malignant blood diseases and severe aplastic anaemia.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation using HLA-identical sibling donors was performed in 29 patients with malignant blood diseases and in four patients with severe aplastic anaemia. Twenty-five patients received immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporin A to minimize graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and eight received methotrexate. Twenty-one of 29 patients (72%) with malignant blood diseases and three of the four patients with severe aplastic anaemia remained alive and disease-free from 0.5 to 16 (median, seven) months after transplantation. Acute GVHD, predominantly of the skin, occurred in 25 of 28 evaluable cyclosporin A recipients (of whom two died), and in all five evaluable methotrexate recipients. Mild chronic GVHD occurred in 10 of 16 evaluable patients. Interstitial pneumonitis occurred in five patients, of whom two died. HLA-identical sibling marrow transplantation is associated with a mortality similar to that of induction chemotherapy for acute leukaemia, and should be considered in adults with acute leukaemia in remission or relapse, chronic myelogenous leukaemia in metamorphosis or blastic transformation, lymphoma unresponsive to conventional therapy, and in severe aplastic anaemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Plasma viscosity, haematocrit and red-cell transport.

An erythrocyte transport function (ETF) is proposed, as an index of the efficiency of the circulation of red cells. Under defined conditions, this ETF is shown to be proportional to the ratio of haematocrit to whole-blood viscosity (phi/eta), a ratio already used by Chien. The variations of phi/eta with phi, at selected driving pressures in a capillary viscometer, are presented, both for normal and for pathological blood samples. Maximal values of phi/eta appear generally to occur at haematocrits of about 42%, and are strongly dependent upon plasma viscosity. They are also influenced by shear. The concept of 'isograds' (curves of phi/eta against phi at constant velocity gradient) is introduced, and is analysed in technical appendices which also deal with rates of shear in capillary and rotational viscometers when Newtonian or shear-sensitive liquids are measured.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Lymphocyte studies in rheumatoid arthritis. V. Suppressor cell function in peripheral blood.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 14 controls were examined for suppressor activity by two different assays. These were the Concanavalin-A-induced and the short-lived suppressor cell assays. There was no difference in suppressor activity between patients and controls, the suppressor activity of HLA-DR3 positive patients was no less than that of non-DR3 patients. However, patients with nodules showed reduced suppression in the short-lived suppressor cell assay when compared with patients without nodules.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Whole-blood viscosity, as determined by plasma viscosity, haematocrit, and shear.

The viscometers used were: (a) a proprietary rotational coaxial-cylinder instrument; and (b) a Harkness capillary-tube viscometer. In (a), the mean shear-rate is selected by the choice of rotational speed. In (b), the wall shear-stress is selected by the choice of driving-pressure. If the viscosity is varied, the mean shear-rate varies, at constant wall shear-stress. The present paper attempts to show how, in principle, a complete family of "constant-rate" (rotational) curves can be computer-plotted from two suitably-spaced capillary-tube measurements. The reverse process, involving the correction of "playback" errors, is touched upon. A variable "Einstein coefficient" is derived from the principal parameters in the computer solution; and the basic problems of compatibility in "rates of shear" are discussed.

Blood Viscosity↗
PubMed1981

Some rheological properties of blood during anti-rheumatoid therapy.

A study was carried out to compare the whole blood and plasma viscosities in 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with hydroxychloroquine to the corresponding values in 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with either sodium aurothiomalate or D-penicillamine to determine whether hydroxychloroquine therapy altered the rheological properties of red blood cells. There was no significant difference for natural and corrected (PVC = 45%) whole blood viscosity measured by Contraves low shear viscometer and Harkness capillary viscometer, plasma viscosity, haematocrit, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate between the two group.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1980

The effect of improvement in diabetic control on plasma and whole blood viscosity.

Rheological studies were made on the blood of 12 diabetic patients after a period of poor diabetic control (HbA1 12.6 +/- 0.7% (mean +/- SD); mean home capillary blood glucose level 11.7 +/- 1.2 mmol/l), and after at least three months of improved control (HbA1 9.1 +/- 0.4%, p < 0.01; mean home capillary blood glucose level 9.2 +/- 0.6 mmol/l). There were significant decreases in plasma fibrinogen levels (4.1 +/- 0.6 to 3.7 +/- 0.6 g/l, p < 0.01), plasma viscosity (1.31 +/- 0.1 to 1.25 +/- 0.04, p < 0.001), and whole blood viscosity at low (22.8 +/- 2.7 to 20.2 +/- 2.9, p < 0.01) and high shear rates (3.4 +/- 0.2 to 3.1 +/- 0.2, p < 0.01). Ten diabetics with clinically evident complications were matched with diabetics of similar age, sex, duration and current control of diabetes. There were no significant differences in plasma or whole blood viscosities between the two groups. Hyperviscosity in diabetes seems strongly related to hyperglycaemia and to be influenced by the quality of diabetic control.

Adolescent↗