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Biomedical subjects

J T Barrett

Publications and source records attributed to J T Barrett.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Inactivation of complement by Loxosceles reclusa spider venom.

Zymosan depletion of serum complement in guinea pigs rendered them highly resistant to lesion by Loxosceles reclusa spider venom. Guinea pigs deficient in C4 of the complement system are as sensitive to the venom as normal guinea pigs. The injection of 35 micrograms of whole recluse venom intradermally into guinea pigs lowered their complement level by 35.7%. Brown recluse spider venom in concentrations as slight as 0.02 micrograms protein/ml can totally inactivate one CH50 of guinea pig complement in vitro. Bee, scorpion, and other spider venoms had no influence on the hemolytic titer of complement. Fractionation of recluse spider venom by Sephadex G-200 filtration separated the complement-inactivating property of the venom into three major regions which could be distinguished on the basis of heat stability as well as size. None was neutralized by antivenom. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of venom resolved the complement inactivators into five fractions. Complement inactivated by whole venom or the Sephadex fractions could be restored to hemolytic activity by supplements of fresh serum but not by heat-inactivated serum, pure C3, pure C5, or C3 and C5 in combination.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Factors related to the oxygen tolerance of anaerobic bacteria.

The effect of atmospheric oxygen on the viability of 13 strains of anaerobic bacteria, two strains of facultative bacteria, and one aerobic organism was examined. There were great variations in oxygen tolerance among the bacteria. All facultative bacteria survived more than 72 h of exposure to atmospheric oxygen. The survival time for anaerobes ranged from less than 45 min for Peptostreptococcus anaerobius to more than 72 h for two Clostridium perfringens strains. An effort was made to relate the degree of oxygen tolerance to the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidases in cell-free extracts of the bacteria. All facultative bacteria and a number of anaerobic bacteria possessed superoxide dismutase. There was a correlation between superoxide dismutase activity and oxygen tolerance, but there were notable exceptions. Polyacrylamide gel electropherograms stained for superoxide dismutase indicated that many of the anaerobic bacteria contained at least two electrophoretically distinct enzymes with superoxide dismutase activity. All facultative bacteria contained peroxidase, whereas none of the anaerobic bacteria possessed measurable amounts of this enzyme. Catalase activity was variable among the bacteria and showed no relationship to oxygen tolerance. The ability of the bacteria to reduce oxygen was also examined and related to enzyme content and oxygen tolerance. In general, organisms that survived for relatively long periods of time in the presence of oxygen but demonstrated little superoxide dismutase activity reduced little oxygen. The effects of medium composition and conditions of growth were examined for their influence on the level of the three enzymes. Bacteria grown on the surface of an enriched blood agar medium generally had more enzyme activity than bacteria grown in a liquid medium. The data indicate that superoxide dismutase activity and oxygen reduction rates are important determinants related to the tolerance of anaerobic bacteria to oxygen.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1977

Enzyme immunoassay for hepatitis B and its comparison to other methods.

A solid-phase enzyme immunoassay for the qualitative detection of hepatitis B surface antigenemia is presented and the results compared to the counter-immunoelectrophoresis and radioimmunoassay methods for detection of the same antigen. The enzyme-antibody conjugate was prepared from horseradish peroxidase coupled with antibodies to three sub-types of hepatitis B virus. Polystyrene plastic tubes were used as the solid-phase support. The results of the enzyme immunoassay compare favorably with radioimmunoassay and exceed counterimmunoelectrophoresis in sensitivity.

Counterimmunoelectrophoresis↗
PubMed1977

Inhibition of leukocyte chemotaxis by homogenates of tumor tissues.

Homogenates of human cancer tissues were assayed for chemotactic activity in modified Boyden chambers utilizing polycarbonate filters with an 8micron pore size. Peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) of guinea pigs were used as indicator cells in the assays and the chemotactic responses of both eosinophilic and neutrophilic leukocytes were recorded. The chemotactic responsiveness of leukocytes to the majority of homogenates was significantly less than that observed with the negative controls. It is suggested that the anti-chemotactic activity observed in vitro may operate in vivo to abrogate inflammatory responses and tumor rejection.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Serological studies with the ficin-antificin system.

Rabbit antisera prepared against ficin reacted with it in a series of serologic tests. Upon immunodiffusion analysis, ficin was found to consist of at least nine antigenic components. Ficin will adsorb spontaneously to erythrocytes which can be used in passive hemagglutination tests. The enzymatic activity of ficin was not abolished by antificin sera.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Molar pregnancy of hyperthyroidism.

A report on a patient with clinical hyperthyroidism associated with hydatidiform mole is presented. Some biochemical characteristics of the thyroid stimulator isolated from the tumour are discussed.

Female↗
PubMed1974

Immunological studies of Brown recluse spider venom.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of Loxosceles reclusa venom demonstrated that only one of seven or eight major (plus three or four minor) protein components caused necrosis in guinea pig skin. Sephadex gel filtration separated the venom into three major peaks, the second peak of which contained the dermonecrotic activity. Hyperimmunization of rabbits with increasing doses of venom from L. reclusa produced potent precipitating antisera, and the rabbits became resistant to lesion development. Ouchterlony-type immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoretic studies revealed six to seven distinct precipitation lines, one of which stained intensely for esterase activity. Immunohistochemical techniques failed to detect any protease, lipase, catalase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, or amylase activity in the venom. The spreading activity of recluse spider venom in guinea pig skin was inhibited as much as 71% by antivenom. Venom preincubated with antivenom was unable to incite lesions in guinea pig skin. Passive immunization of guinea pigs 18 h before an injection of venom conferred venom resistance upon the animals. Local injections of antivenom immediately after intradermal injections of venom markedly reduced the dermal lesion. Heparin reduced the local and systemic effects of venom when preincubated with whole venom or when administered systemically before an intradermal injection of venom. Treatment of whole venom with the chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetate did not inhibit its necrotic activity. Transfer studies from a 24-h lesion indicated that the necrotic activity was localized and remained active in tissue for at least 24 h but not for 5 days. No lesions developed when high concentrations of venom were intradermally injected into the skin of sacrificed guinea pigs, indicating that an interaction of body constituents and venom is essential for the development of a lesion.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1971

Lipoprotein inhibitor of Newcastle disease virus from chicken lung.

A lipoprotein inhibitor of Newcastle disease virus was obtained from chicken lung tissue by means of dilute alkaline extraction procedures. The inhibitor was further purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, isoelectric precipitation, and density gradient centrifugation. The purified lipoprotein inhibited active Newcastle disease virus hemagglutination at a concentration of 2.0 mug/ml which represented a 30-fold purification over the original extract. Infection of chicken embryo fibroblasts by Newcastle disease virus was also inhibited by the purified lipoprotein, the degree of inhibition depending upon the inhibitor-to-virus ratio. Chemical analysis of the purified inhibitor provided a composition of 72% lipid, 26% protein, and 3% carbohydrate, although some compositional variation was observed from one preparation to another. The chloroform-soluble lipids were shown to contain 40 to 50% phospholipid and 10 to 20% cholesterol; of the fatty acids recovered from the saponified lipoprotein, 39% was palmitic, 22% oleic, and 17% stearic. Careful analyses of large quantities of the inhibitor revealed a small (0.84%) but significant content of sialic acid. Removal of sialic acid from the lipoprotein by means of digestion with neuraminidase produced a sharp diminution in inhibitory properties. A delipidized form of the inhibitor was obtained by ether extraction, and this material produced a single broad band of precipitate in gel immunodiffusion tests.

Animals↗