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Biomedical subjects

J R Allen

Publications and source records attributed to J R Allen.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of transplacental and mammary movement of PCBs on infant rhesus monkeys.

Sixteen adult female rhesus monkeys were fed diets containing 2,5 and 5.0 ppm PCB (Aroclor 1248) for approx. 1.5 years. 6 of the 8 animals on 5 ppm PCB and 8 of the 8 animals on 2.5 ppm PCB conceived when bred after 6 months' exposure to PCB. Only 1 live infant was born to the animals of the 5.0 ppm group and 5 infants to the animals in the 2.5 ppm PCB group. All of the infants had PCBs in their tissues at birth. Thereafter, there was a rapid increase in the PCB levels of the infants' tissues. This increase was attributed to consumption of PCB-containing milk from their mothers. Within 2 months following birth the infants had facial acne and edema, swelling of the eyelids, loss of facial hair including eyelashes, and hyperpigmentation of the skin. Three of the 6 infants had expired within 8 months following birth due to PCB intoxication. The three survivors were weaned and subsequently showed marked improvement in their physical state.

Animals↗
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Klebsiella pneumoniae pseudobacteremia due to cross-contamination of a radiometric blood culture analyzer.

Blood isolates from 13 patients in one hospital were positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae over a two-week period. Vials of potassium chloride used in intravenous fluid admixture initially were suspected of being contaminated and thus causing the problem. However, a comparison of patients who had blood cultures positive for K. pneumoniae with control patients who had blood cultures negative for this organism during the same period identified no common features that would explain the increase in K. pneumoniae blood isolates. Careful evaluation of laboratory data suggested that six of the 13 culture-positive patients had probable pseudobacteremia, an explanation that would account for the increase in isolates above the endemic level of true K. pneumoniae bacteremia in the hospital. Epidemiologic data suggested that cross-contamination of adjacent and non-adjacent blood culture vials on the radiometric blood culture analyzer was the cause of pseudobacteremia; K. pneumoniae serotyping data supported this hypothesis. A mock trial using the analyzer demonstrated that cross-contamination of non-adjacent vials by the sampling needles could occur. Changing the sampling needles of the analyzer daily, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, prevented further episodes of pseudobacteremia from the analyzer.

Blood↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Estimating the risks of transfusion-associated acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The risk of transfusion-associated acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been difficult to estimate because of the long and variable incubation period. Mathematical modeling suggests there may eventually be 2100 cases among persons aged 13 to 65 who received transfusions between 1978 and 1984. An estimated 12,000 living transfusion recipients of all ages from these years are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS. Secondary transmission might be prevented by testing and counseling recipients, but the likelihood of infection in any single recipient is small.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term antioxidant exposure effects on female primates.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were incorporated in the diet of adult rhesus female monkeys at a level that ensured a daily intake of 100 mg/kg of body weight (50 mg of BHA and 50 mg of BHT) for two years. Following the initial year of exposure, during which the monkeys experienced no clinical abnormalities attributable to the antioxidants, they were bred to rhesus males that had received unmodified diets. Their gestation was free of complications and normal infants were delivered naturally. Growth rate, hemograms, and behavior of these infants were similar to those of control infants. The infants and adults were evaluated for two years following the antoxidant exposure. During this period, the adult females continued to have normal infants and the infants born during the exposure period remained heatlhy.

Animals↗
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Nosocomial infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa: review of recent trends.

The role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in nosocomial infections occurring since 1975 is reviewed. Data from the National Nosocomial Infections Study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, from individual medical centers, and from the literature were used to compare the relative frequency of occurrence of nosocomial infection caused by P. aeruginosa with that of infection caused by other gram-negative bacilli. The relative frequency of P. aeruginosa as a nosocomial pathogen has increased, although wide variations are seen among individual medical centers. P. aeruginosa continues to be a major pathogen among patients with immunosuppression, cystic fibrosis, malignancy, and trauma. While Staphylococcus aureus has become the predominant pathogen in some large burn centers, P. aeruginosa is the most important gram-negative pathogen. Periodic review of the epidemiology of P. aeruginosa infection is warranted in view of the changing incidence of infection caused by this organism.

Agranulocytosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Polymicrobial bacteremia associated with lipid emulsion in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Polymicrobial bacteremia developed in 5 of 20 infants in a neonatal intensive care unit during a 48-hour period; 2 infants died. Klebsiella pneumoniae serotypes 21 and 24 and Enterobacter cloacae were isolated from four infants, and K. pneumoniae serotype 24 and E. cloacae were isolated from the other infant. Case-control studies revealed an association between receipt of lipid emulsion on one day and the subsequent development of bacteremia (P = 0.0005). Epidemiologic evidence suggested that extrinsic contamination of the lipid emulsion bottles had occurred when the hands of a nurse became transiently colonized with these organisms while she was caring for an infant colonized with K. pneumoniae and E. cloacae. Repeated entry of the lipid emulsion bottle, which was used as a multidose medication, probably resulted in contamination. No further cases occurred after lipid emulsion administration practices were changed. We recommend that, except in a pharmacy where conditions for unit dose distribution exist, lipid emulsion should not be used as a multiple dose medication because repeated entry of the bottles increases the risk of contamination. Furthermore lipid emulsion from one container should be administered to only one infant.

Cross Infection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Outcomes of a nutrition audit in a tertiary paediatric hospital: implications for service improvement.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the process of anthropometric assessment of nutritional status in a tertiary paediatric hospital, to identify the barriers and to make recommendations for service improvement. METHODS: The accuracy of height and weight scales in wards was checked. Dietitians measured height and weight of a representative sample of 245 inpatients and checked whether these measurements had been recorded on bed charts. Patients were classified as overweight, obese or under-nourished. Diagnoses and procedures were obtained for each patient. Funding implications were modelled for inappropriate coding of nutritional status. RESULTS: The barriers to nutritional assessment and management of nutritional comorbidities were: (i) inaccurate height scales in seven out of 12 wards; (ii) under-recording of height and weight on patient bed charts (73% height missing, 12% both height and weight missing); (iii) under-reporting of obesity and under-nutrition in medical notes (one of eight obese patients, and none of 28 undernourished patients, reported); and (iv) low referral rate of obese or under-nourished children to dietetic services (two of 42 overweight/obese patients referred, five of 28 undernourished patients referred). Funding simulation showed that if under-nourished patients were correctly diagnosed then the potential facility reimbursement would have increased by $A52 326. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to nutritional assessment can lead to failure to diagnose and treat both over- and under-nutrition, thereby affecting quality of patient care, and may have financial implications for hospitals. Suggestions for service improvement include provision of accurate equipment, adequate training of staff undertaking nutritional assessments and clear definitions of staff responsibilities in all aspects of the process.

Body Height↗
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Obesity and under-nutrition in a tertiary paediatric hospital.

OBJECTIVE: (i) To determine the prevalence of over- and under-nutrition in both inpatients and outpatients in a tertiary paediatric hospital; (ii) to compare the prevalence of over-nutrition with that in the Australian community and (iii) to determine whether nutritional status has an impact on length of stay in hospital. METHODS: Patients aged over 12 months were proportionately sampled from medical and surgical wards and outpatient clinics. Data were collected for 245 inpatients (54% male) and 272 outpatients (55% male). Children's height, weight and body mass index (kg/m2) were measured. Overweight, obesity and under-nutrition were defined according to international criteria. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was compared with that in the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey (NNS). RESULTS: Similar proportions of inpatients and outpatients were underweight (6%) and wasted (4%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in inpatients (22%) was similar to the NNS but was significantly higher in outpatients (32%, P < 0.0001). In a regression model to predict inpatient length of stay, nutritional status (P = 0.004) and the interaction between age and nutritional status (P = 0.009) were significant predictors. For over-nourished inpatients, length of stay increased significantly with age. For normally nourished and under-nourished inpatients, length of stay was relatively constant, regardless of age. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of over-nutrition in paediatric patients, and increased length of stay for older over-nourished inpatients. These issues need to be addressed in terms of opportunities for intervention and impact on hospital resources.

Adolescent↗
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Trypanosoma theileri associated with T-lymphocytes isolated from a latently infected cow.

Trypanosoma theileri infection, latent in a mature Hereford cow, could not be demonstrated in routine blood smears or cultures. Throughout the 2-year period an intravenous injection of dexamethasone consistently produced parasitaemia which was detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. Fractionation techniques such as plastic adherence and Sephadex-G10 fractionation, designed to deplete monocytes and enrich T-lymphocytes, increased trypanosome-positive cultures from 25 to 100%. Removal of B-lymphocytes from Sephadex, non-adherent (SE-NA) cells did not reduce the percentage of positive cultures. Light and transmission electron microscopy of SE-NA PBMC cultured for 36 or 45 h revealed numerous trypanosomes and widespread T-lymphocyte destruction. No trypanosomes were observed in 12-h cultures. A close association, either extra- or intracellular, of a parasitic stage of T. theileri with T-lymphocytes is inferred.

Animals↗
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Epidemiology of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in intravenous drug abusers.

As of March 12, 1984, 3,694 cases of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control with 1,601 deaths. Among the groups at increased risk for acquiring AIDS are intravenous drug users. Six hundred forty heterosexual I.V. drug users with AIDS were reported (17.3 percent of total cases), and 326 homosexual I.V. drug users with AIDS were reported (8.8 percent of total cases). This paper describes the epidemiology of AIDS in I.V. drug users and discusses unanswered questions arising from the limited data that are available.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗