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J Rabkin

Publications and source records attributed to J Rabkin.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Cytokine and T cell receptor gene expression at the site of allograft rejection.

Intragraft cytokine and T cell receptor gene expression was analyzed in rejecting renal allografts by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Message for IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha was detected in nephrectomy tissue with pathological evidence of acute or chronic rejection. Similarly, mRNA for both IL-6 and TNF-alpha was present in renal biopsies from acute rejecting kidneys. IL-2R, IL-4, and IL-5 mRNA was present in both rejecting and rejected kidney allografts, indicating that these cytokines may play a role in ongoing renal allograft rejection. Conversely, IL-2, IL-7, and IFN-gamma message was detected infrequently. In order to address the diversity of T cells in rejecting kidneys, we have analyzed the clonality of the TcR present within the allograft tissue. Rearranged TcR genes were identified in all allografts examined (n = 16) indicating the presence of T cells bearing the alpha/beta TcR. We have determined that there is a heterogeneous infiltration of T cells in the rejected allograft with TcR representing x = 7.47 +/- 2.4 families rearranged in samples obtained from nephrectomies, whereas x = 5.33 +/- 0.58 families were detected in samples obtained from biopsy tissue. These data indicate that (1) cytokines are produced locally which may contribute to graft cell destruction, (2) the heterogeneity of intragraft T cells during kidney allograft rejection may exist because nonspecific lymphocytes have been recruited to the site by locally produced cytokines or because T cells are responding to multiple epitopes or multiple donor antigens. Detection of intragraft cytokines and TcR may prove useful in elucidating the mechanism of rejection and therefore lead to improved immunosuppression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Serum prolactin levels in homosexual and bisexual men with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: Prolactin is a neurohormone that may be secreted in response to stress and also has regulatory effects on the immune system. Some, but not all, studies suggest that prolactin levels are higher than normal in persons with HIV infection. The authors measured prolactin levels in HIV-positive and HIV-negative homosexual and bisexual men to assess possible differences in levels and then examined relationships between prolactin level and measures of medical status, anxiety, depression, stress, and neuropsychological test performance. METHOD: Blood for prolactin level determination was obtained from 121 HIV-seropositive and 79 HIV-seronegative homosexual and bisexual men enrolled in a longitudinal study. The men also underwent a daylong assessment that included medical, immunological, psychiatric, psychosocial, psychosexual, and neuropsychological evaluations. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in serum prolactin level among the seronegative men, the seropositive men with no or minimal physical symptoms, and the seropositive men with significant physical symptoms of HIV infection. Furthermore, within the HIV-seropositive group, the correlations between serum prolactin level and measures of depression, anxiety, stress, and neuropsychological test performance were all nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Serum prolactin level does not seem to respond to HIV infection or to be related to stress or psychiatric symptoms in HIV-infected men. As none of the subjects had AIDS, the possibility cannot be ruled out that prolactin level increases in very late stages of HIV infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Multidisciplinary baseline assessment of homosexual men with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection. I. Overview of study design.

Although much is known about the virus believed by most experts to be the cause of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and about its pathogenic actions, major areas of ignorance remain. Among these are the reasons for the varying time between infection with human immunodeficiency virus and development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the relationship between neurologic and medical aspects of the disease, the time course of neuropsychological findings, and the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. We assessed 124 homosexual men who were positive for human immunodeficiency virus and 84 who were negative for the virus. In this article we describe the study design, method of recruitment, and medical and demographic characteristics of the cohort, which will be followed up for 5 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of seasonality in six clinical populations and two normal populations.

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was used to evaluate retrospectively self-reported seasonal changes in mood and behavior (seasonality) of two normal and six clinical populations: patients with winter-seasonal affective disorder (SAD), summer-SAD, eating disorders, bipolar affective disorder, major depressive disorder and subsyndromal winter-SAD. The SPAQ successfully discriminated between groups expected to have high seasonality scores, such as winter-SAD, summer-SAD and subsyndromal winter-SAD, and normal controls. Bipolars and major depressives had normal seasonality scores. Patients with eating disorders had unexpectedly high scores. There was a general tendency for all groups to eat and sleep more and to gain weight in the winter. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Improved results with combined donor-specific transfusion (DST) and sequential therapy protocol.

A combined DST-sequential CyA therapy protocol has been described that results in optimum graft survival for 1- and 2-haplotype mismatched living related donor-recipient combinations. In addition to the excellent graft survival obtained through 4 years, lower prednisone and CyA dosage levels are achieved with significantly decreased infection rates during the posttransplant period.

Blood Transfusion↗
PubMed1991

Tissue oxygen tension and other indicators of blood loss or organ perfusion during graded hemorrhage.

Currently employed clinical indicators of perfusion provide inadequate warning of developing hazards caused by marginal perfusion in certain vital organs or "peripheral" tissues that are pivotal to postsurgical wound healing. In this study, mean arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, and transcutaneous and subcutaneous oxygen tensions (PtcO2 and PsqO2) were investigated during serial hemorrhage, as indicators of the degree of both hypovolemia and perfusion to specific tissues. Blood was removed in stages (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 55%, 60%, and 65% of original volume) from anesthetized dogs. Injections of variously radiolabeled microspheres allowed assessment of blood flow at each stage of hemorrhage in bone, brain, colon, heart, kidney, liver, muscle, pancreas, skin, small intestine, spleen, stomach, and subcutaneous tissue. PsqO2 was correlated more highly with blood volume lost than was PtcO2. Furthermore PsqO2 was more sensitive to blood loss than was either cardiac output or PtcO2 and, also during the early loss (0% to 40%), was more sensitive than mean arterial pressure. Some organs (e.g., pancreas) appeared to lose considerable blood flow with only small loss of blood volume, but their blood flow then stabilized at a low level despite further hemorrhage. Other organs, notably the kidney, appeared to be relatively unaffected by substantial loss of blood volume (20% to 40%), after which, however, their blood flow quite abruptly became sensitive to further hypovolemia. This explains why blood flow-related performance of the kidney (e.g., urine volume) may not adequately predict a developing hazard or peripheral perfusion. Some indicators were found to be better indexes of blood flow in some organs than in others (e.g., cardiac output and PsqO2 correlated more closely with skin, spleen, and intestinal flows [and one another] than with vital organ flows).

Animals↗
PubMed1979

The "Moonies": a psychological study of conversion and membership in a contemporary religious sect.

The authors undertook this study to enhance psychiatric understanding of contemporary charismatic religious sects. After a pilot study, a representative sample of members of the Unification Church (N = 237) completed a 216-item structured questionnaire. Respondents were below the mean for an age- and sex-matched group on a psychological general well-being scale, and they reported significantly greater neurotic distress before conversion. The authors discuss correlates of an improved emotional state following conversion and employ attribution theory, drawn from social psychology, to put the conversion process into a psychiatric perspective.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Cerebral palsy in Cape Town: a comparative 12-year retrospective study.

Three hundred and thirty-one Coloured and 175 White children with cerebral palsy, born between 1964 and 1975, were compared as regards aetiology and changing incidence over two 6-year periods. The following were the main points which emerged: (i) there is an apparent decrease in the total number of White children with cerebral palsy born in the second 6-year period, but for reasons discussed, there is probably little or no true decrease; (ii) there is a significant increase in the total number of Coloured cerebral palsied children born in the second 6-year period, due mainly to an increase in cases of cerebral palsy of perinatal origin, particularly cases of perinatal asphyxia; (iii) there is a high incidence of acquired cerebral palsy in both racial groups, but this is significantly higher amont the Coloured; (iv) ther is no racial difference in the incidence of cerebral palsy in babies of low birth weight; (v) both racial groups have a fairly high incidence of cerebral palsy due to kernicterus. It is interesting to speculate whether improved obstetric and neonatal care and the resultant lowering of perinatal mortality produce more handicapped babies.

Age Factors↗