Hemopoietic progenitor cells in marrow and spleen of mice with hereditary iron deficiency anemia.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Bennett.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Glass wool was substituted for anthracene in glass cartridges designed for the collection of methylated fatty acids in the effluent stream from a gas-liquid chromatograph. Inexpensive cartridges that gave the same results as those filled with anthracene were obtained.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The mechanisms responsible for the increased hepatic collagen deposition in alcoholic cirrhosis remain unknown. The question of whether ethanol or acetaldehyde has a direct effect on collagen and noncollagen protein production was investigated in human fibroblasts with no detectable activity of alcohol dehydrogenase to distinguish the effects of these metabolites. To eliminate environmental factors, protein production by confluent human skin, fetal and hepatic fibroblasts was studied after three passages. Cells were labeled with [5-3H]proline for 4 hr in the presence of 0.2 mM ascorbate alone or with addition of either ethanol (50 mM) or acetaldehyde (0 to 300 microM). Rates of protein production were calculated from the radioactivities of collagenase-sensitive and collagenase-resistant proteins. Skin fibroblasts from alcoholic individual either with cirrhosis or without liver disease have comparable rates of collagen and noncollagen protein production. Acetaldehyde, in a concentration found in the liver during ethanol abuse, significantly increased collagen production by human skin fibroblasts (up to 140%), fetal fibroblasts (up to 240%) and hepatic fibroblasts (up to 70%) but the addition of ethanol had no significant effect on basal collagen production. The effect of acetaldehyde was dose-related and affected noncollagen protein production in a similar manner. Acetaldehyde did not cause changes in either proline transport or the specific activity of the proline precursor pool. This newly recognized stimulation of collagen production by acetaldehyde may be a possible mechanism of fibrogenesis in alcoholic individuals.
BACKGROUND: Anaesthetists are at high risk from blood-borne pathogens. Universal Precautions (UP) include the routine use of appropriate barrier precautions and techniques to reduce the likelihood of exposure to blood, body fluids and tissues that may contain pathogens. The compliance of Irish anaesthetists with these precautions has not been studied. AIM: To study the attitudes of Irish anaesthetists to Universal Precautions. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to 210 anaesthetists currently practising in Ireland. The questionnaire was based on a model used in Australia and New Zealand. RESULTS: There was a 50% response rate to the survey. Only 15% of respondents had taken a risk history from a patient in the preceding four weeks. Resheathing of needles was commonplace. The effectiveness of hepatitis B immunisation was rarely checked and only 66% of respondents believe implementation of Universal Precautions to be practical. CONCLUSION: Irish anaesthetists comply poorly with Universal Precautions.
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), previously known as feline T-lymphotropic lentivirus (FTLV), was first described by Pedersen et al. (1987) who isolated the virus from cats with a variety of clinical signs suggestive of immunodeficiency. Since then FIV has become one of the most studied feline viruses, not least because of its similarity to human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) which cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in man.
Previous studies have demonstrated an increase in brain-reactive antibodies (BRA) in sera of various mammals as a function of age. The present study attempts to obtain a better understanding of the mode of formation of BRA by using various immunologic manipulations in young and old C57BL/6 mice. The mean BRA levels were significantly higher in older mice than in the young ones. Mixtures of bone marrow cells and spleen cells from old donors were able to adoptively transfer high BRA levels in young irradiated mice and this was not altered by pretreatment of the cells with anti-Thy-1.2 or anti-Ig serum plus complement. Transfer of young cells to old irradiated hosts did not lower the high BRA levels in the hosts. However, when the old hosts were also thymectomized and grafted with neonatal thymuses, BRA levels were significantly lowered. The studies tend to indicate that thymic involution or loss of thymic function in aging plays an important role in BRA formation in sera of aged mice.
2B4 (CD244) is a cell surface glycoprotein of the immunoglobulin superfamily involved in the regulation of natural killer and T lymphocyte function. It is the high affinity counter-receptor for CD48. In mouse and human NK cells, crosslinking of 2B4 with a specific monoclonal antibody or with CD48 can trigger cell-mediated cytotoxicity, IFN-gamma secretion, phosphoinositol turnover and NK cell invasiveness. Recent reports of defective 2B4 signaling and NK cell function in X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome suggest that this may contribute to the progression of this human disease. Here we describe the molecular characterization of the rat 2B4 gene. The cDNA encodes a protein of 395 amino acid residues that contain two Ig domains in the extracellular region and three unique tyrosine motifs (TxYxxV/I/A) in the cytoplasmic region. The predicted protein has 81 and 68% similarity with mouse 2B4 and human 2B4, respectively. Additionally, it has 94 and 89% similarity at the protein level with the recently reported rat 2B4 related genes, r2B4R-tm and r2B4R-se respectively. Northern blot analysis indicated the presence of multiple transcripts in rat LAK cells and RNK-16 cells. Immunoprecipitation and deglycosylation studies showed that rat 2B4 is glycosylated to similar extent as that of mouse and human 2B4. The cloning of r2B4 in the light of the availability of rat NK cell lines should facilitate in vitro and in vivo experiments to decipher the functional role of 2B4 in NK cell biology.
A reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify a 235 bp hypervariable region of the feline calicivirus (FCV) genome which encodes part of the capsid protein. Sequence from this region was used to compare viruses used in three attenuated vaccines to viruses isolated from vaccinated cats with clinical signs of FCV-infection (vaccine failures). All three vaccine viruses contained sequence similar to that published for FCV strain F9 (Carter et al. 1992, Virology 190, 443-448). However, two of the three vaccines contained a separate sequence which was 20.67% distant (number of nucleotide substitutions per 100 bases) from F9. The sequences derived from isolates obtained from vaccine failures fell into two categories. Most were distinct (21.33-38.00% distant) from vaccine sequence. However, in some cases, sequences were sufficiently similar to the vaccines' (0.00-5.33% distant) to suggest that the isolate may have originated from the vaccine. In addition, comparison of sequence determined for isolates from the same disease outbreak showed them to be closely related (0.00-1.33% distant), whereas epidemiologically unrelated isolates were 20.67-38.00% distant.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The purpose of this study was to determine the criteria by which the diagnosis of HIV dementia was made by providers in a public HIV outpatient clinic and hospital, and to evaluate the extent to which the providers' diagnosis confirmed or denied the presence of HIV dementia according to CDC recommendations. Retrospective chart analysis was conducted detailing symptomology, laboratory findings, and social characteristics of 103 HIV-infected patients from Nov 1, 1990 to Dec 31, 1993. Seventy-eight patients were evaluated by providers and given a preliminary HIV dementia diagnosis; 25 patients received no preliminary diagnosis. On follow-up, 39 were confirmed diagnosis while 64 patients received no follow-up (confirmatory) diagnosis. Inability to pay attention or remember details, memory deficit, motor weakness, and mild disorientation were all found to be significantly associated with being evaluated by a provider. Substance use was prevalent. Inconsistent manner in which HIV-demented patients were identified highlights the need for a standardized evaluation of signs and symptoms known to be associated with HIV dementia.
Drawing on focus group discussions with adolescent and adult HIV-infected women between the ages of 16 and 45, this study explores the barriers to condom use among women infected with HIV. Although most of the participants were comfortable discussing condoms and sexuality, there was little, if any, negotiation of condom use with their male partners. Most of the participants used condoms inconsistently or not at all. Reasons for nonuse included a lack of trust in the reliability of condoms to protect them, a lack of desire for pregnancy prevention, and the male partner's refusal to use condoms. Women in discordant relationships explained their uninfected partner's refusal to use condoms as denial of the risk of contracting HIV or as a way of expressing their love for the infected partner. Women also had great difficulty in disclosing their HIV status to both family and partners. Prevention efforts to increase condom use among HIV-infected women should target both men and women and focus on negotiation and communication skills.
We studied the spectroscopic appearance of radiation-induced myelinolysis in cats to understand the characteristics of proton MR spectroscopy of demyelinating disorders. Eight cats received 5,000 rads to a 1.5 x 1.5 cm area of the right cerebral hemisphere. Eight to 9 months after irradiation, a gross area of abnormal postcontrast enhancement and/or high MR signal intensity was detected in the irradiated hemisphere of six of the eight cats. Proton spectra of a 1.0 cm3 voxel in the affected region demonstrated depressed N-acetyl aspartate/creatine-phosphocreatine and N-acetyl aspartate/choline-containing compound peak ratios compared with the contralateral non-irradiated brain in all cats. Elevated amino acid resonances in the 2.0-2.5 ppm range were not consistently seen in irradiated zones of the brain with pathologic findings of demyelination. In vivo proton MR spectroscopy may show differences between irradiated brain and nonirradiated brain even when histopathologic lesions are not apparent yet.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
OBJECTIVE: To assess pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding the use of narcotics in cancer pain management, identify pharmacist counseling activities for cancer pain patients, assess pharmacy-related barriers to cancer pain management, and evaluate the availability of narcotic analgesics. METHODS: Mailing of a six-page survey. SETTING: Five hundred randomly selected pharmacists registered in North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Of 500 pharmacists surveyed, 141 surveys were completed and returned for a response rate of 28.2 percent. RESULTS: Pharmacists surveyed were knowledgeable regarding the problem of undertreatment of cancer pain. More than 80 percent of respondents replied that most cancer patients experience pain at some time during their illness. Eighty-five percent of respondents agreed that the nurse must believe the patient's report of pain and that the patient is the best judge of the intensity of the pain. Conservative physician prescribing patterns and conservative administration patterns of nurses were identified as perceived barriers to adequate pain management by 51 and 44 percent of respondents, respectively. Less than 30 percent of respondents frequently counseled cancer pain patients and were unable to identify patients who have cancer pain as a major medical illness. Hospital pharmacists recommended adjunctive therapy more often than did community pharmacists (p = 0.013). Interventions in pain management regimens were more often conducted by hospital pharmacists than by community pharmacists (p = 0.049). Differences in availability of narcotics was noted among practice sites for some more potent narcotics. Of the pharmacists surveyed, only 43 percent had attended a continuing education program on cancer pain management. Ninety-six percent of respondents were interested in attending a continuing education program in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists in North Carolina are aware that the undertreatment of cancer pain is a serious medical problem. Unfortunately, pharmacists appear to be unable to identify patients with cancer pain as a major medical problem; therefore, counseling activity is limited. Addiction is still perceived as a barrier by some pharmacists. Through organizations such as the North Carolina Pain Initiative, these problems can be addressed.