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Biomedical subjects

L A Clark

Publications and source records attributed to L A Clark.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

A state by state evaluation of patient access to hospital medical records.

Are other health information users more familiar with the content of the patient's medical record than the patient? Is it easier for the patient's insurer, employer or government agencies to access his/her personal medical information than it is for the patient? This article discusses patients' access to their medical records as facilitated or restricted by the different states.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1986

Opsonic requirements of Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The opsonic requirements of 18 strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis were compared in pooled normal human serum and in peritoneal dialysate from patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). A serum concentration of 2.5% gave optimal opsonisation. The opsonisation of all strains was antibody- and complement-dependent, and there were no significant differences in the pattern of their opsonic requirements. Peritoneal-dialysis effluent from uninfected patients was a poor source of opsonins because of the low levels of immunoglobulin G and of the C3 component of complement it contained. Growth of S. epidermidis in peritoneal-dialysis effluent rather than in broth did not alter its opsonic requirements. Strains from patients undergoing CAPD and suffering from peritonitis were not more resistant to opsonisation and phagocytic killing than those from other sources.

Complement System Proteins↗
PubMed1986

Opsonic activity of intravenous immunoglobulin preparations against Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Peritoneal dialysis effluent collected from patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis had no opsonic activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis and contained low concentrations of IgG and C3 (roughly equal to those found in 0.5% normal human serum). An intravenous immunoglobulin preparation that showed no opsonic activity against the same organism, on its own or when added to balanced salt solution or peritoneal dialysis fluid, showed good activity when combined with peritoneal dialysis effluent. This was probably due to the presence of low concentrations of C3 in the effluent as prior heat inactivation at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes eliminated any opsonic activity in the immunoglobulin-dialysis effluent mixture. Examination of a range of immunoglobulin preparations showed that their opsonic activity for S epidermidis in the absence of complement varied considerably. Luminol dependent chemiluminescence was unsatisfactory as a method for detecting complement independent immunoglobulin mediated opsonisation. Intravenous immunoglobulin preparations may be useful in boosting the peritoneal defences of those patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) who suffer from repeated intraperitoneal infections.

Complement C3↗
PubMed1975

Neutralizing antibody and lymphocyte-mediated, colony-forming inhibition responses to measles infection in Cercopithecus aethiops monkeys.

The relation between humoral and cellular immune responses to measles virus in Cercopithecus aethiops monkedy was examined by in vitro virus neutralization and colony inhibition techniques. Both types of specific immune response were maximal two or three weeks after infection and then declined at similar rates for several weeks. However, the humoral response persisted at a low level for at least 44 weeks, whereas the cell-mediated response became undetectable as early as 10 weeks after infection. The cellular response disappeared in three monkeys (including one monkey that produced no detectable circulating antibody) after natural infection as well. Second inoculations with measles virus produced a rise in titer of antibody, but the cellular response was weak or lacking. However, there appeared to be a significant increase in the capacity of lymphocytes from these animals to attach in vitro to measles virus-infected cells. Antiserum to measles virus blocked this phenomenon.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Persistence predicts latency to relapse following inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence.

Male alcoholics (N = 85) were followed for 6 months after inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence. Latency to relapse was predicted by two related persistence measures (the RD2 Persistence scale and the Orderliness/Persistence factor scale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, TPQ) as well as by job status at the time of admission to treatment, a history of vagrancy or public intoxication, amount of prior substance abuse treatment and the number of criteria met for a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Persistence predicted relapse latency even when the other predictors were used as covariates, supporting the hypothesis that normal-range personality variables may enhance the prediction of clinical outcome. Further, the relations between TPQ scales and antisocial behavior as well as the severity of alcohol dependence were examined.

Adult↗