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Biomedical subjects

L Croft

Publications and source records attributed to L Croft.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Comparison of four echocardiographic techniques for measuring left ventricular ejection fraction.

Accurate quantitative measurement of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) by 2-dimensional echocardiography is limited by subjective visual endocardial border detection. Both harmonic and precision contrast microbubbles provide better delineation of endocardial borders than fundamental imaging. The aim of this study was to correlate 2-dimensional echocardiographic quantification of LVEF measured by 4 currently available techniques with radionuclide angiography. A total of 50 patients who underwent radionuclide (EF) measurement (47 of 50 had technically difficult echocardiograms by fundamental imaging) underwent echocardiography by 4 methods: fundamental alone, fundamental with contrast, harmonic alone, and harmonic with contrast. Three echocardiologists measured the biplane 2-dimensional echocardiographic LVEF independently and were blinded to radionuclide angiography. The correlation of echocardiographic EF with radionuclide EF improved incrementally with each method. However, contrast with harmonic imaging provided the closest correlation (r = 0.95, 0.96, and 0.95 as assessed by the 3 independent analysts.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A minimal tiling path cosmid library for functional analysis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 genome.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important pathogenic and environmental bacterium, with the most widely studied strain being PAO1. Using the PAO1 reference cosmid library and the recently completed PAO1 genome sequence, we have mapped a minimal tiling path across the genome using a two-step strategy. First, we sequenced both ends of a set of over 500 random and previously mapped clones to create a backbone. Second, we end-sequenced a second set of cosmid clones that were identified to lie within the larger gaps using hybridization of the reference library filters with probes designed against sequences at the center of each gap. The minimal tiling path was calculated using the program Domino (http://www.bit.uq.edu.au/download/), with the overlap between adjacent clones set to 5 kb (where possible) to minimize the chance of truncating genes. This yielded a minimal tiling cosmid library (334 clones) covering 93.7% of the genome in 57 contigs. This library has reduced to a workable set the number of clones required to represent the majority of the P. aeruginosa genome and gives the precise location of each cosmid, enabling most genes of interest to be located on clones without further screening. This library should prove a useful resource to accelerate functional analysis of the P. aeruginosa genome.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1995

Apolipoprotein E allele epsilon 4, dementia, and cognitive decline in a population sample.

From clinically based series it has been proposed that, in homozygotes for the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (apoE epsilon 4) allele, Alzheimer's disease is almost inevitable by the age of 80. A population sample of persons aged 70 years and over was interviewed in 1990-91 to ascertain the presence of dementia or cognitive impairment. The sample was reinterviewed in 1994, when the apoE genotype was also determined. Prevalence data for the 638 persons who completed the second examination revealed a linear association between having an apoE epsilon 4 allele and both dementia and cognitive impairment (for heterozygotes, odds ratio for dementia 1.89, 95% confidence interval 1.04-3.44 and for homozygotes OR 3.58, 95% CI 1.08-11.82; both adjusted for age). However, even in subjects homozygous for epsilon 4 the estimated prevalence of dementia by age 90 was only about 50%. Persons with one or two epsilon 4 alleles were more likely to have a family history of dementia than those with none. This study confirms in a population sample that the epsilon 4 allele is a risk factor for dementia, but refutes the suggestion that homozygosity for the epsilon 4 allele is sufficient for the development of Alzheimer's disease: persons with either one or two epsilon 4 alleles may reach late old age without cognitive impairment.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

A monoclonal anti-HLA antibody recognizes a mouse tumor-associated antigen.

The monoclonal antibody W6/32.1 recognizes a public determinant on the HLA-A, B and C antigens of all tested human haplotypes. Though the antibody does not bind to normal mouse cells of any H-2 haplotype, it does show an unexpected specificity for the T cell leukemia line MBL-2 from a C57BL/6 mouse. It is shown that the murine antigen recognized by W6/32.1 is on an H-2-like molecule which also carries the determinant recognized by the monoclonal antibody B22-249 R1, specific for the H-2Db antigen. Unlike B22-249 R1, however, W6/32.1 does not bind to normal H-2b lymphocytes, nor to a variety of tumor cell lines of the H-2b haplotype. This cross-reaction is specific to W6/32.1, and is not shared by other monoclonal antibodies of similar anti-HLA specificities. Moreover, the affinity of W6/32.1 for its human antigen is substantially higher than for its mouse antigen. We conclude that W6/32.1 fortuitously recognizes a novel determinant on the H-2Db antigen of MBL-2, rather than an extensive region of structural homology shared between HLA and H-2. Thus for cells of the H-2b allotype this determinant is detected only on MBL-2, and by definition is thus an example of a tumor-associated antigen.

Animals↗