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Biomedical subjects

L Spencer

Publications and source records attributed to L Spencer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Air quality and respiratory disease in Newcastle, New South Wales.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate respiratory illnesses in the Newcastle region, their change over time, and their geographic relationship to industrialised areas. DESIGN: We analysed admissions to public hospitals by postcode area in the Newcastle region, for all causes and for all the various respiratory causes, for the years 1979-1988. Comparisons were made between the State of New South Wales and the Newcastle area, and between geographic areas within Newcastle. Changes over the 10-year period were noted. RESULTS: For both all causes and respiratory causes, admission rates to Newcastle hospitals, 1979-1988, were significantly lower than those for the rest of New South Wales in 1986. There was a correlation between living in the industrial part of the city and hospital admission for all causes and respiratory causes. There was also a correlation between mean disposable family income and hospital admissions, with those areas with the higher incomes having lower admission rates. Over the 10 years studied there was a statistically significant decline in admissions for respiratory causes, both in absolute terms and after controlling for changes in admissions for all causes. In children aged 0-14 years a significant increase in admissions for asthma occurred between 1979 and 1988, which could not be explained by diagnostic shift. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of hospital statistics, the members of the Newcastle population seem little different from those in the remainder of New South Wales. From 1979-1988, the efforts by industry, with the support of the community, to reduce industrial pollution have been accompanied by a reduction in hospital admission rates for respiratory diseases in general and for chronic obstructive lung disease in older people. Other contributing factors include reduced smoking rates and improved medical management. Correlations between geographic location and respiratory admission rates may be a manifestation of social class rather than poor air quality, although a contribution from the latter cannot be discounted. A concomitant rise in asthma admission rates in children aged 0-14 is likely to be unrelated to any change in air quality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Protective immunization with invariant peptides of the Plasmodium falciparum antigen MSA2.

Three octapeptides from the N and C terminal C regions of the merozoite surface Ag 2 (MSA2) of Plasmodium falciparum elicit anti-MSA2 antibody when given as diphtheria toxoid conjugates. These antibodies also bind to the MSA2 homolog from the rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei. All mice vaccinated with these conjugates and challenged with an otherwise lethal inoculum of P. berghei showed substantial protection with most surviving. There was a inverse correlation between the development of the parasitemia and the antibody titer, with alum, algammulin, and CFA giving comparable results. These observations show that the conserved region of MSA2 could form the basis of a malaria vaccine when presented in a suitably immunogenic form, thus avoiding the problems of antigenic diversity [corrected].

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1992

Pre- and post-treatment immunodiagnostic evaluation in human schistosomiasis mansoni.

Schistosomiasis control seems to be different in countries were low parasitic burden and asymptomatic clinical patients are the features of majority of cases. Immunological methods must substitute the traditional coprologic techniques used for some decades in the Control Program. Circumoval Precipitin Test (COPT), intradermal test and ELISA with soluble egg antigen (SEA) are evaluated for using as tools for seroepidemiologic studies. COPT and ELISA were performed after treatment to known their utility when impact of chemotherapy must be assessed. One hundred sixty five persons were followed up 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment. The mean sensitivity of COPT studied by age groups was 95.6% which is very important considering that 88.4% of the studied population excreted less than 100 eggs/gr of feces, while sensitivity of intradermal test was 58.2%. Children showed the highest reactivity to COPT. When treatment is effective, COPT reactivity progressively diminish until become negative one year later. In the non cure group, the COPT reactivity diminished but never below 20%. ELISA-SEA did not modify one year after treatment. Effort should be made to isolate fractions of eggs of Schistosoma mansoni whose antibodies disappear after treatment.

Adolescent↗