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Biomedical subjects

M Jones

Publications and source records attributed to M Jones.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Effect of direct injection of melanin-concentrating hormone into the paraventricular nucleus: further evidence for a stimulatory role in the adrenal axis via SLC-1.

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is implicated in the control of a number of hormonal axes including the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Previous studies have shown that there is evidence for both a stimulatory and an inhibitory action on the HPA axis; therefore, we attempted to further characterize the effects of MCH on this axis. Intracerebroventricular injection of MCH increased circulating adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at 10 min post injection. Injection of MCH directly into the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was found to increase both circulating ACTH and corticosterone 10 min after injection. Additionally, MCH was found to increase corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) release from hypothalamic explants, and this effect was abolished by the specific SLC-1 antagonist SB-568849. Neuropeptide EI, a peptide from the same precursor as MCH was also found to increase CRF release from explants. These results suggest that MCH has a stimulatory role in the HPA axis via SLC-1, and that MCH exerts its effects predominantly through the PVN CRF neuronal populations

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed2003

Occupational asthma from fungicides fluazinam and chlorothalonil.

We report two cases of occupational asthma caused by sensitisation to powdered fungicides fluazinam and chlorothalonil, from the same fungicide formulation plant. Both developed work related lower respiratory symptoms after a latent interval of asymptomatic exposure. The diagnosis in each case was confirmed with a serial peak flow record in the workplace followed by specific inhalation tests. These fungicides are known to cause dermatitis; this report indicates that these compounds can induce specific immunological reactions in the airways as well as skin.

Aminopyridines↗
PubMed2003

Epidural catheter migration: a comparison of tunnelling against a new technique of catheter fixation.

We investigated the efficacy of a new technique of epidural catheter fixation that relies on a strip of adhesive foam transfixed by a securing suture. We compared this technique to a tunnelled technique in a prospective, randomized trial (n = 25 in each group). Epidural catheter depth was recorded at the time of insertion and at the time of removal. Clinically significant catheter movement was considered as > 2 cm outward movement or > 1 cm inward movement. The mean duration of epidural analgesia was five days for both groups. Clinically significant movement was noted in eight patients (32%) in the tunnelled group and seven patients (28%) in the sutured group (P = 0.75). Movement of the epidural catheter did not correlate with analgesic failure. The sutured technique provided similar protection against migration to tunnelling but any potential advantages were offset by concerns about a significantly higher incidence of erythema around the catheter exist site in the sutured group (1 vs 6 patients, P = 0.04).

Adhesives↗
PubMed2003

Can early infection explain the sibling effect in adult atopy?

Atopy is strongly and inversely related to family size, a pattern which is plausibly assumed to reflect a protective effect of early infection. The current study tested this hypothesis by case-referent analysis of an adult cohort in the UK. The study established that atopy, defined by prick tests to common aeroallergens, was less common among those from larger families after adjustment for potentially confounding factors. In particular, a higher number of brothers appeared to offer protection. The current authors attempted to explain this distribution by examining contemporary family-doctor records of early childhood infections; and by a number of other indirect indices of early-life "hygiene". The sibling effect was unexplained by evidence of infection with either hepatitis A or Helicobacter pylori, or by counts of infections or antibiotic prescriptions in early life. There was a significant and independent negative association between the number of gastrointestinal infections before the age of 5 yrs and the odds of atopy. Dog ownership and home moving in early life also displayed potentially protective associations. Although the current study replicates the finding that atopy is inversely associated with family size this could not be explained by documentary or serological evidence of early infection. The findings support the suggestion that the "sibling effect" in atopy may not simply reflect protection by early infection.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Q2 evolution of the generalized Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the neutron using a 3He target.

We present data on the inclusive scattering of polarized electrons from a polarized 3He target at energies from 0.862 to 5.06 GeV, obtained at a scattering angle of 15.5 degrees. Our data include measurements from the quasielastic peak, through the nucleon resonance region, and beyond, and were used to determine the virtual photon cross-section difference sigma(1/2)-sigma(3/2). We extract the extended Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the neutron in the range of four-momentum transfer squared Q2 of 0.1-0.9 GeV2.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

The genome sequence of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

We have sequenced and annotated the genome of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), which contains the smallest number of protein-coding genes yet recorded for a eukaryote: 4,824. The centromeres are between 35 and 110 kilobases (kb) and contain related repeats including a highly conserved 1.8-kb element. Regions upstream of genes are longer than in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), possibly reflecting more-extended control regions. Some 43% of the genes contain introns, of which there are 4,730. Fifty genes have significant similarity with human disease genes; half of these are cancer related. We identify highly conserved genes important for eukaryotic cell organization including those required for the cytoskeleton, compartmentation, cell-cycle control, proteolysis, protein phosphorylation and RNA splicing. These genes may have originated with the appearance of eukaryotic life. Few similarly conserved genes that are important for multicellular organization were identified, suggesting that the transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes required more new genes than did the transition from unicellular to multicellular organization.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Do pessaries prevent the progression of pelvic organ prolapse?

Pessaries are used for the management of pelvic organ prolapse, but it is unknown whether a pessary will prevent progression of this condition. The purpose of this study was to describe the course of pelvic organ prolapse among women using a pessary for at least 1 year. Among 56 consecutive women fitted with a pessary, 19 (33.9%) continued its use under our care for at least 1 year. We compared baseline and follow-up examinations, using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitation examination system. At baseline, 16 (84.2%) had stage 3 or 4 prolapse. After 1 year we observed a significant improvement in the stage of disease ( P = 0.045, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Four women (21.1%, 95% confidence interval -0.2, 43.7%) had an improvement in stage. No women had worsening in stage of prolapse. These data suggest that there may be a therapeutic effect associated with the use of a supportive pessary.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Unnecessary peripheral intravenous catheterisation on an acute medical admissions unit: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: The ability to secure peripheral intravenous access is regarded as a basic medical skill that is often required for the management of patients admitted to acute medical admission wards. The decision to insert a peripheral intravenous catheter (PIC) is usually taken by relatively inexperienced members of the acute medical team and is primarily based on 'traditional' or 'routine' practice, rather than on an assessment of need. Furthermore, there appears to be little recognition of the potentially serious adverse events associated with PIC insertion. METHOD: We conducted a prospective study to evaluate unnecessary PIC insertion in a United Kingdom teaching hospital's acute medical admissions unit. RESULTS: Of the 338 patients included in the study, 272 (80.5%) received a PIC. Of these, 179 patients (66%) received a PIC that had been used by the post-on-call ward round. Of the 93 patients (34%) with an unused PIC, 30 patients (11%) had been catheterised inappropriately by the study criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Despite our use of conservative criteria for PIC insertion, a notable level of inappropriate peripheral intravenous catheterisation was identified. A hypothetical cost-minimisation analysis is presented and a care pathway for best practice proposed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Tyrosine phosphorylation in human lymphomas.

In a previous study, we showed that the high level of protein tyrosine phosphorylation present in lymphomas containing an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) can be demonstrated in routinely processed paraffin tissue sections using immunolabelling techniques. In the present study we investigated whether oncogenic tyrosine kinase activation also occurs in other categories of lymphoma by staining 145 cases of lymphoma covering those tumours with a range of different subtypes including those with morphological similarity to ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Twelve cases of the borderline malignant disorder lymphomatoid papulosis were also studied. Twenty seven of the 28 cases of ALK-positive ALCL showed the extensive cytoplasmic labelling for phosphotyrosine in the neoplastic cells. The remaining case containing moesin-ALK exhibited membrane-associated phosphotyrosine expression. There was no nuclear phosphotyrosine labelling in any of the ALK-positive ALCL, even though ALK was present within the cell nuclei in 23 of the tumours. Variable degrees of phosphotyrosine labelling, usually membrane-restricted, were observed in 7/40 cases of ALK-negative ALCL, 9/29 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 3/6 cases of mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, 2/7 cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma, 3/6 cases of peripheral T-cell lymphomas unspecified, 4/6 cases of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, 2/6 cases of follicular lymphomas and 2/12 cases of lymphomatoid papulosis studied. However none of these phosphotyrosine-positive cases showed the strong cytoplasmic labelling comparable to that seen in ALK-positive lymphoma. We conclude that activation of a tyrosine kinase is probably not a major oncogenic event in lymphomas other than ALK-positive ALCL.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed2002

Rapid hematopoietic engraftment following fractionated TBI conditioning and transplantation with CD34(+) enriched hematopoietic progenitor cells from partially mismatched related donors.

Nineteen adult patients with poor-risk hematologic malignancy received T cell-depleted (TCD) hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) transplant from partially mismatched related donors (PMRD). The preparative regimen (FITFA) included fractionated TBI, thiotepa, fludarabine, and horse (n = 3) or rabbit (n = 16) anti-thymocyte anti-sera (ATG). GVHD prophylaxis consisted of TCD by positive/negative selection using the Isolex 300i system and pre-transplant ATG with no post-transplant immunosuppression. The mean number (+/-s.d.) of transplanted CD34(+) and CD3(+) cells were 8.9 x 10(6)/kg +/-4.3 (range 2.6-19.3) and 1.4 x 10(4)/kg +/-1.2 (range 0.3-4.6) respectively. Seventeen patients evaluable for neutrophil engraftment achieved an ANC >0.5 x 10(9)/l at a median of 12 days (range 9-27), with evidence of full donor chimerism. Thirteen patients died of the following causes: relapse (n = 6), infections (n = 5), interstitial pneumonia (n = 1), and unknown causes (n = 1) None of the recipients of rabbit ATG required therapy for acute or chronic GVHD. Five patients are alive and disease-free at a median time of 303 days post transplant (range 100-660). The FITFA preparative regimen using fractionated TBI is well tolerated and is sufficiently immunosuppressive to allow rapid and stable donor origin hematopoietic engraftment without 'mega' doses of CD34(+) cells. Combination of stringent ex vivo TCD and pre-transplant ATG is effective GVHD prophylaxis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with early (<2 h), intermediate (2-4 h) and late (>4 h) presentation treated by primary coronary angioplasty or thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS: We examined the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with early (<2 h), intermediate (2-4 h) and late (>4 h) presentation treated by primary angioplasty or thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 2635 patients enrolled in 10 randomized trials of primary angioplasty (n=1302) vs thrombolytic therapy (n=1333) in acute myocardial infarction, and baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable. Increase in presentation delay is associated with older age, female gender, diabetes and an increased heart rate. We classified the patients according to the time delay from symptom onset to presentation into three categories: early presentation (<2 h), intermediate presentation (2-4 h), and late presentation (>or=4 h). At 30 days the combined rate of death, non-fatal reinfarction and stroke in patients presenting early was 5.8% in the angioplasty group vs 12.5% in the thrombolysis group, in patients with intermediate presentation, 8.6% vs 14.2%, respectively, and in patients presenting late 7.7% vs 19.4%, respectively. With increasing time from symptom onset to presentation, all major adverse cardiac event rates show a trend to a larger increase in the thrombolysis group compared to the angioplasty group, both at 30 days and at 6 months after the acute event. CONCLUSIONS: Major adverse cardiac event rates are lower after angioplasty compared to thrombolysis, irrespective of time to presentation. With increasing time to presentation major adverse cardiac event rates increase after thrombolysis but appear to remain relatively stable after angioplasty.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Conceptual models for implementing biopsychosocial theory in clinical practice.

The integration of the biopsychosocial model into manual therapy practice is challenging for clinicians, especially for those who have not received formal training in biopsychosocial theory or its application. In this masterclass two contemporary models of health and disability are presented along with a model for organizing clinical knowledge, and a model of reasoning strategies that will assist clinicians in their understanding and application of biopsychosocial theory. All four models emphasise the importance of understanding and managing both the psychosocial and the biomedical aspects of patients' problems. Facilitating change in patients' (and clinicians') perspectives on pain and its biopsychosocial influences requires them to reflect on their underlying assumptions and the basis of those beliefs. Through this reflective process perspectives will be transformed, and for clinicians, in time, different management practices will emerge.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2002

Effect of load alterations on the effective regurgitant orifice area in chronic aortic regurgitation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the load dependence of effective regurgitant orifice area (ROA) in an animal model of chronic aortic regurgitation. METHODS: Eight sheep were studied 10-20 weeks after the surgical creation of aortic regurgitation. After baseline studies, 500 ml of blood, angiotensin II, and nitroprusside were infused sequentially. Electromagnetic flow meters were used as reference standards to determine aortic regurgitation volume. The time-velocity integral was acquired using the continuous wave Doppler method. RESULTS: Baseline aortic regurgitant volume varied from 8 ml (regurgitant fraction 28%) to 29 ml (59%), with a mean (SD) value of 17 (8) ml; mean ROA was 0.15 (0.05) cm2. During angiotensin II infusion, aortic regurgitation volume (20 (8) ml) and mean diastolic aortoventricular pressure gradient (62 (18) mm Hg) increased by 26 (16)% and 48 (64)%, respectively (p < 0.01 for both). ROA did not change (0.16 (0.06) cm(2), p = 0.15). During nitroprusside infusion, aortic regurgitant volume (13 (7) ml, p = 0.05) and diastolic pressure gradient (25 (13) mm Hg, p < 0.05) decreased. ROA did not change (0.15 (0.05) cm2). When analysing 32 stages together, aortic regurgitant volume (r = 0.78, p < 0.01) and regurgitant fraction (r = 0.55, p < 0.01) correlated well with ROA. However, diastolic pressure gradient (r = 0.28) was not significantly correlated with ROA. CONCLUSIONS: In an animal model of chronic aortic regurgitation, ROA did not change with load alterations.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed2002

Sumatriptan nasal spray for migraine: a review of studies in patients aged 17 years and younger.

This review considers the epidemiology, clinical manifestations and functional consequences of migraine in children and adolescents and surveys the studies establishing the efficacy and tolerability of sumatriptan nasal spray in this patient population. Although therapeutic advances in paediatric and adolescent migraine have lagged behind those in adult migraine, the first systematic studies of migraine medications in young patients have brought about progress in the past five years. These studies show that therapeutic approaches suitable for adult patients are not always applicable to paediatric and adolescent patients. Because of the unique characteristics of paediatric and adolescent migraine, it has been difficult to demonstrate in young patients the efficacy of oral sumatriptan and other triptan tablets, which are the medications of choice for adult migraine. With sumatriptan, this finding has proven to be a consequence of the form in which the drug was administered rather than the inherent properties of the drug. The availability of sumatriptan nasal spray allows the benefits of migraine-specific therapy to be extended to children and adolescents. In both well-controlled, single-episode studies and long-term, multiple-episode studies, sumatriptan nasal spray has been effective and well tolerated for the acute treatment of migraine in children and adolescents. Except for unpleasant taste, which is not significantly distressing to patients, sumatriptan nasal spray has a tolerability profile similar to thatof placebo in young patients.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed2001

The FOXP1 winged helix transcription factor is a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene on chromosome 3p.

The JC12 monoclonal antibody recognizes a previously unknown nuclear protein that showed a restricted distribution in normal tonsil and was also overexpressed in a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Using this reagent, we expression cloned cDNAs encoding its antigenic target and identified this protein as a novel putative transcription factor, FOXP1. The FOXP1 protein sequence contains predicted domains characteristic of transcription factors, including a winged helix DNA-binding motif, a second potential DNA-binding motif, a C(2)H(2) zinc finger, nuclear localization signals, coiled-coil regions, PEST sequences, and potential transactivation domains. The FOXP1 gene has been mapped to chromosome 3p14.1, a region that commonly shows loss of heterozygosity in a wide range of tumors and which is reported to contain a tumor suppressor gene(s). Using tissue arrays and immunohistochemistry, we demonstrate that both the FOXP1 mRNA and protein are widely expressed in normal tissues. The levels of FOXP1 mRNA were compared in paired normal and tumor tissues (from the same patient) using a tissue array containing cDNAs extracted from 68 samples taken from kidney, breast, prostate, uterus, ovary, cervix, colon, lung, stomach, rectum, small intestine, and from nine cancer cell lines. Differences in FOXP1 mRNA expression between normal and tumor samples were observed in 51% of cases. Most striking was the comparative loss of expression in 73% of colon tumors and comparative overexpression of FOXP1 mRNA in 75% of stomach tumors. Analysis of the FOXP1 mRNA expression in normal tissues (not taken from cancer patients) indicated that loss of FOXP1 expression may occur in some histologically normal tissues adjacent to tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis of FOXP1 protein expression was performed on 128 solid tumors, including 16 renal, 9 breast, 12 lung, 20 colon, 21 stomach, 10 head and neck, 35 prostate, and 5 pancreatic cases. Complete loss of expression, increased expression, and cytoplasmic mislocalization of the predominantly nuclear FOXP1 protein were frequently observed in neoplastic cells. Our study identifies FOXP1 as a new candidate tumor suppressor gene localized to the chromosome 3p14.1 region.

Amino Acid Sequence↗