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Biomedical subjects

M Hussain

Publications and source records attributed to M Hussain.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Measuring blood pressure in an inner city pharmacy: an attempt at coordination with general practice.

Free blood pressure checks, targeted at those aged 30 to 64 years, were offered for a six week period in a small inner city pharmacy. The pharmacist invited 120 clients to take part, of whom 70 (58%) accepted. Thirty of those having the check were interviewed. All had seen their general practitioner within the last five years, and half recalled having had a blood pressure check in the preceding 12 months. The 70 clients were given a copy of the result of the blood pressure check to return to their general practitioner. On checking the general practitioner record of 40 such patients, 25 (63%) had previous blood pressure recordings in the last five years. Only 10 (25%) contained the pharmacy reading, although the records of high readings were more likely to be present. The majority of the 14 general practitioners interviewed were unenthusiastic about the scheme. These results are not favourable to the idea of blood pressure screening by pharmacists, unless it is part of a major coordinated programme.

Adult↗

Western blots from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels stained by metal salts.

Proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis can be stained in 5 min with zinc or copper chloride. We here report that these stained but unfixed gels can be electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose filters and probed immunologically with the same efficiency and sensitivity as unstained gels. In this way, an immunologically defined polypeptide can be identified with a specific stained protein band on a single gel.

Acrylic Resins↗

A case of plasmacytoma in muscle as a complication of needle tract seeding after percutaneous bone marrow biopsy.

A 56-year-old man who presented with backache, anemia, and renal insufficiency had an unsuccessful bone marrow biopsy from the right posterior iliac crest. A diagnosis of multiple myeloma was subsequently made on the basis of a sternal bone marrow aspiration and the presence of serum IgD/lambda monoclonal gammopathy with free lambda light chain. Since the time of iliac crest biopsy, the patient experienced persistent pain and progressive swelling at the biopsy site. Nine months later he was readmitted for a possible right gluteal abscess. A biopsy specimen disclosed an intramuscular infiltration by atypical plasma cells with positive findings for lambda light chain. This is the first reported case of needle tract seeding after bone marrow biopsy in multiple myeloma.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Increased transvascular protein transport in lungs induced by nonthrombogenic gamma-thrombin.

Infusion of 1.2 nmol/kg body wt of alpha-thrombin (2.6 clotting U/micrograms) or 12 nmol/kg of gamma-thrombin (less than 0.005 U/microgram) into the pulmonary artery of halothane-anesthetized sheep produced two-to threefold increases in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa), mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (Ppw), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Pulmonary lymph flow (Qlym) also increased two- to threefold without significant changes in the lymph-to-plasma protein concentration ratio (L/P). Leukocyte counts decreased 75% in both groups and rebounded in the gamma-thrombin group but remained depressed in the alpha-thrombin group. Platelet counts decreased 30 and 85% in alpha- and gamma-thrombin groups, respectively, and remained low at 4 h postinfusion in both groups. Plasma fibrinogen concentrations decreased similarly within 15 min after thrombin infusion in both groups, and concentrations of fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDP) increased similarly. Fibrin was present in pulmonary vessels after alpha-thrombin challenge but not after gamma-thrombin challenge. In contrast, infusion of 1.2 nmol/kg of gamma-thrombin (matching the alpha-thrombin dosage) produced no significant increases in Ppa, Ppw, PVR, Qlym or in the leukocyte and platelet counts. These data demonstrate that high concentrations of the nonthrombogenic gamma-thrombin increase lung transvascular protein transport independent of intravascular clotting in the lung.

Animals↗

Increased activated T-lymphocytes and normal thyrotropin receptor antibody levels in Graves' disease in long-term remission.

The involvement of the immune system in the attainment and maintenance of carbimazole-induced remission in Graves' disease is poorly understood. We have investigated levels of T-lymphocytes expressing the HLA DR marker of activation and levels of thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) in patients in sustained, carbimazole-induced, long-term remission from Graves' disease (median duration of remission 29 months, range 7-64). Levels of activated T-lymphocytes were increased in patients with long-term remission compared with controls (p less than 0.05) and were no different from the high levels found in patients with active Graves' disease. In contrast, levels of TRAb were normal in patients in long-term remission but high in patients with active disease (p less than 0.01). These results show that increased activated T-lymphocytes but normal levels of antibody to the thyrotropin receptor characterize patients in carbimazole-induced long-term remission of Graves' disease suggesting that activated T-lymphocytes may be important in the maintenance of remission.

Adult↗

A uterine tumor that resembled ovarian sex-cord tumors: a low-grade sarcoma.

A case is presented of a recurrent uterine tumor best classified as a variant of an endometrial stromal tumor of low-grade malignancy with predominant ovarian sex cord-like differentiation. This patient is the youngest to be reported with such a lesion fulfilling the group II criteria of Clement and Scully, and the first to develop recurrence.

Adult↗

Transglutaminase-catalysed cross-linking of proteins phosphorylated in the intact glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cell.

Incubation of intact islets in the presence of [32P]Pi and stimulatory levels of glucose followed by separation of phosphorylated islet proteins by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of a high molecular weight phosphopolymer which did not transverse a 3% (w/v) acrylamide gel. The majority of this phosphopolymer (approx. 70%) was present in the 600 x g sedimented fraction of islet homogenates. Islet homogenates obtained from intact islets previously incubated with [32P]Pi and stimulatory levels of glucose when incubated under conditions that activated the islet transglutaminase resulted in an increase in the amount of phosphopolymer present in the 600 x g sedimented fraction. Inhibitors of transglutaminase activity which are known to inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin release led to a significant reduction in the fraction of phosphopolymer present in the glucose-stimulated intact islet. These findings suggest that protein cross-linking and phosphorylation reactions may be closely linked in the pancreatic beta-cell.

Animals↗

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated arthritis.

A subacute, oligoarthritic syndrome developed in four patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Three had true acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and all had lymphocyte abnormalities. The arthritis was characterized by extreme pain and disability in three patients and moderate pain in one. Knees and ankles were affected. Symptoms developed over a one- to six-week interval; response to treatment was rapid, especially to intra-articular corticosteroids. Despite the clinical severity of the arthritis, synovial fluids were non-inflammatory and biopsy specimens revealed only mild chronic synovitis. A definite etiology could not be established. None of the patients had recognized infections predisposing to reactive arthritis, and the three patients who underwent tissue typing were HLA-B27-negative. A viral infection, including HIV, is a possible cause. In distinction to these four patients, arthritides with clearly established etiologies developed during this same time period in four other HIV-infected patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Sympathetic (alpha-beta) or calcium channel blockade for hypertensive myocardial infarction? A haemodynamic comparison of labetalol and nifedipine.

The haemodynamic impact of alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blockade (labetalol) was compared with that of slow-calcium channel blockade (nifedipine) in 32 patients with sustained elevation of systemic arterial pressure (systolic blood pressure greater than 160; diastolic blood pressure greater than 95 mmHg) following a recent myocardial infarction (6-22 h). Patients with normal (pulmonary artery occluded pressure; (PAOP less than 18 mmHg; n = 16) or impaired (PAOP greater than 18 mmHg; n = 16) left ventricular function were randomized to labetalol (1 mg/kg i.v. 15 min) or nifedipine (20 mg sublingually) and haemodynamic profile was measured over 2 h. Both drugs equally reduced mean systemic arterial pressure (P less than 0.01 versus pretreatment control), and presumably left ventricular afterload; however, the heart rate (P less than 0.01) and cardiac index (P less than 0.01) increased after nifedipine, contrasting with reductions in both variables following labetalol (P less than 0.01). The elevated left ventricular filling pressure was reduced by both labetalol (P less than 0.05) and nifedipine (P less than 0.01) but the reduction was greater following nifedipine (-2 mmHg versus -5 mmHg, P less than 0.05). Thus both compounds were equally effective hypotensive agents. Labetalol consistently reduced cardiac stroke work and double product, important determinants of myocardial oxygen requirements; however, nifedipine afforded some improvement in cardiac performance in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗

Is VIP the putative non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic neurotransmitter controlling protein secretion in rat lacrimal glands?

In the combined presence of cholinergic and adrenergic antagonists, electrical field stimulation (FS) caused a marked reversible increase in protein output from superfused rat lacrimal gland segments. The FS-evoked protein output was abolished by the nerve blocking drug tetrodotoxin (TTX; 10(-6) M) whereas high potassium (K+; 100 mM) continued to elicit secretion. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), but not adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), stimulated protein secretion in a manner almost identical to that observed in response to FS. The results suggest that the non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic secretory response may involve VIP as an endogenous neurotransmitter.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Anal carcinomas: new combined modality treatment approaches.

In the past, anal cancers were treated by abdominal-perineal resection with permanent colostomy. Radiotherapy was used only for inoperable patients or those with unresectable cancers. With improvements in the delivery of radiation, external radiotherapy, brachytherapy, or combinations of the two were used in patients with localized disease of less than 4 cm in size with results similar to surgical resection. Unfortunately, up to 25% of these patients developed severe necrosis necessitating permanent colostomy. During the past decade a considerable change in the treatment of these cancers occurred. Chemo-radiotherapy has made surgical resection unnecessary in the majority of patients. The primary treatment is now the combination of mitomycin-C and 5-fluorouracil (96-hour infusion), plus radiation (3,000 cGy).

Anus Neoplasms↗

Effects of growth state and amines on cytoplasmic and vacuolar pH, phosphate and polyphosphate levels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance study.

The vacuoles of logarithmic and stationary stage cells were compared by 31P-NMR with regard to pH, orthophosphate (Pi) content and average size of polyphosphate. The vacuoles of stationary cells had lower pH, higher Pi content, and polyphosphates of longer average chain length, although total polyphosphate content was about the same as in logarithmic cells. The lower vacuolar pH in stationary cells was the major cause of a larger cytoplasmic-vacuolar pH gradient. Addition of NH4Cl, (NH4)2SO4, methylamine or amantadine at pH 8 to cells in either stage caused an increase in both cytoplasmic and vacuolar pH, with little or no change in the cytoplasmic-vacuolar pH gradient. However, the administration of ammonium salts to the cells at pH 8.0 resulted in rapid hydrolysis of the intravacuolar polyphosphate to tripolyphosphate and Pi, with attendant redistribution of Pi between the vacuolar and cytoplasmic compartments.

Amantadine↗

Predictors of recurrence and survival of patients with breast cancer.

In this study, the characteristics of 646 patient's primary breast carcinomas, including histologic grade (HG), nuclear grade (NG), mitotic grade (MG), final grade (FG), estrogen receptor (E2R) status, and patient's lymph node status (LN) at the time of surgery were correlated with recurrence-free interval and patient survival in order to determine whether any one parameter or group of parameters serve as adequate predictors of tumor behavior and, therefore, patient's prognosis. The authors' results showed that LN, tumor size, and tumor grade were themselves significant predictors of early recurrence and breast cancer death. Each unit increase in LN or MG increased the risk of death by a factor of 1.5 and 2.0, respectively. However, prediction of time to recurrence or death was considerably more accurate when those parameters were used in conjunction, rather than individually. E2R was also significant in predicting death. MG separated patients within a single LN group or E2R group into two subsets having clinically and statistically different prognoses. It was found that patients who had negative lymph nodes and whose tumors were MG1 had a better prognosis than those with MG2,3 tumors; in these latter patients recurrence and death patterns were similar to those of patients with MG1 tumors having one to three positive lymph nodes. Similarly, whereas patients with four or more positive lymph nodes had bad prognoses, those bearing MG1 tumors tended to behave more like those with MG2,3 tumors and having only one to three positive lymph nodes.

Actuarial Analysis↗

First-line treatment of left ventricular failure complicating acute myocardial infarction: a randomised evaluation of immediate effects of diuretic, venodilator, arteriodilator, and positive inotropic drugs on left ventricular function.

A prospective randomised trial compared the immediate haemodynamic effects of intravenous diuretic (frusemide), venodilator (isosorbide dinitrate), arteriolar dilator (hydralazine), and positive inotropic stimulation (prenalterol) as first-line therapy for acute left ventricular (LV) failure following myocardial infarction. Forty-eight patients with transmural myocardial infarction and a pulmonary artery occluded pressure (PAOP) of greater than 20 mm Hg were studied within 18 h of admission to a coronary care unit. Both frusemide (-4 mm Hg; p less than 0.01) and isosorbide dinitrate (-6 mm Hg; p less than 0.01) reduced LV filling pressure without change in cardiac index and heart rate. Although both hydralazine and prenalterol increased cardiac index (p less than 0.01), the reduction in LV filling pressure (-2 mm Hg; p less than 0.05) was less than with frusemide and isosorbide dinitrate, and was associated with an increased heart rate (+8 and +13 beats min-1; p less than 0.01). These data suggest that in acute heart failure following myocardial infarction the four treatment modalities could be ranked in descending order of potential benefit as follows: venodilatation (isosorbide dinitrate)--decrease of LV pressure/work; diuretic therapy (frusemide)--decrease of LV pressure/work offset by a transient pressor effect; arteriolar dilatation (hydralazine)--decrease of LV pressure/work and of PAOP, but offset by tachycardia; and positive inotropic therapy (beta 1-agonist prenalterol)--tachycardia and augmented LV afterload. Combination of the former and latter agents, because of their differing modes of action, should offer haemodynamic advantages over monotherapy and deserves further evaluation.

Adult↗

Killing of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the lysosomotropic detergent N-dodecylimidazole.

The lysosomotropic detergent N-dodecylimidazole (C12-Im) has previously been found to kill mammalian cells by concentrating in lysosomes, followed by lysosomal disruption and release of cytotoxic enzymes into the cytoplasm. The action of C12-Im on Saccharomyces cerevisiae is described in this report. C12-Im prevented growth of colonies when present in 1% yeast extract-2% Bacto-Peptone-2% glucose plates at concentrations of 5 micrograms/ml or above, or when present in a soft agar overlay at 20 micrograms/ml. Treatment of cells suspended in glucose-containing buffer (pH 8.0, 37 degrees C) with C12-Im (6 micrograms/ml) caused greater than 95% cell death within 6 min. Dependence of killing on C12-Im concentration was sigmoidal, suggesting a cooperative mode of action. Killing was pH dependent, being much more effective at pH 8.0 than at pH 5.0. Ammonium sulfate and imidazole protected against killing if added before, but not after, the addition of C12-Im. Sensitivity to C12-Im was strongly growth dependent: the cells were most sensitive at early to mid-logarithmic phase of growth and became progressively less sensitive during progression through late logarithmic and stationary phase. Vacuolar disruption by C12-Im was demonstrated by using cells loaded with lucifer yellow CH or fluoresceinated dextran in their vacuoles; vacuoles of logarithmically growing cells were more sensitive than those of stationary-phase cells. These results suggest that vacuolar disruption by C12-Im may underlie its cytotoxic effects.

Ammonium Sulfate↗