Biomedical subjects
M Philip
Publications and source records attributed to M Philip.
Meeting of student nurse observers, October 1966.
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Peripheral nerve injuries in children with traumatic brain injury.
The relationship between traumatic brain injuries and associated peripheral nerve injuries has not been previously studied in children in the rehabilitation setting. One hundred and fifty-seven consecutive admissions of brain-injured children were included in this prospective study to determine the frequency and pattern of recovery of peripheral nerve injuries in such patients. Twelve patients met the clinical diagnostic criteria for peripheral nerve injury. Electrodiagnostic studies confirmed the clinical diagnosis in 11 (7%) patients. Grading of spontaneous activity and electrodiagnostic study of the contralateral limb were used to differentiate electromyographic abnormalities due to upper motor neuron lesion and nerve injury. Electrodiagnostic study was useful to confirm clinical diagnosis and predict prognosis of nerve injuries. Two patients developed preventable pressure neuropathy. Eight patients showed moderate or full recovery in 9-10 months post-injury. All children with severe brain injuries should be evaluated for concomitant peripheral nerve injuries.
Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A infection in India: changing pattern.
OBJECTIVE: Recent changes in the epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection and the availability of effective vaccines have renewed interest in this infection. We determined the age-related prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in India and looked for differences by known risk factors for HAV infection. METHODS: In this prospective study, serum samples obtained from 1612 subjects aged 1 to 60 at six centers in five cities (Calcutta, Cochin, Indore, Jaipur and Patna) during the period February to August 1998 were tested for anti-HAV antibodies. Demographic and socio-economic information was obtained by questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence rate was 65.9%, varying from 26.2% to 85.3% in various cities; there was no difference between males and females. Seropositivity increased with age from 52.2% in the 1-5 year age group to 80.8% in those aged 16 years or more. Seroprevalence rates were significantly lower in those aged 1-5 years compared with other age groups (p<0.0001). There was no difference in seroprevalence between those with monthly family income Rs 5001. Multivariate analysis showed that anti-HAV seroprevalence varied significantly by source of water supply, being highest when the supply was municipal. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate an epidemiological pattern of intermediate endemicity. This finding has public health implications as it indicates that a significant proportion of the Indian adolescent and adult population is at risk of HAV infection.
Vaccination coverage assessment survey in Mangalore (urban), Karnataka.
A vaccination coverage assessment survey regarding the U.I.P. vaccines, among 210 children aged 12-23 months and 210 mothers of infants was undertaken in Mangalore (urban) in February--March 1991, with the specific objectives of assessing the extent of achievement here of the U.I.P. objectives for the vaccine coverages, and identifying the reasons for immunization failures as well the sources of immunization. The sample population was selected by the standard WHO. 30 cluster sampling technique. A door-to-door survey was undertaken in the study population and the data was elicited by interview of mothers (and confirmed from vaccination cards or registers if available). The investigator inquired about DPT 3, OPV 3, one dose each of BCG and Measles vaccine and TT2/B for mothers. The coverages for the individual vaccines were observed as follows (and indicated in parentheses) DPT 3 (91.9%) OPV 3 (92.3%), BCG (91%), Measles vaccine (69.5%) and TT2/B for mothers (94.7%). The drop-out rates from first to third dose of both DPT and OPV were observed to be 2.5%. The major reasons for immunization failures were reported to be unawareness of need, illness of child, and fear of side reaction. Hospitals were availed of more than private sources for immunization services. The universal immunization coverage in Mangalore (urban) was found to be highly satisfactory.
Evaluation of anthropometric indices of malnutrition in under five children.
Anthropometric indices in the assessment of malnutrition in under five children are being indiscriminately used especially when a community based survey is conducted and so the estimated prevalence of malnutrition varies in different methods. In this study a comparison of these common anthropometric measurements is done in order to find out the best method suitable for individual assessment of malnutrition. The evaluation technique discussed in this paper consists of comparison of the efficiency of various anthropometric measurements in detecting malnutrition and was judged in terms of specificity, sensitivity and predictive value. The test is most efficient when the sensitivity and specificity attain unity. In this study it is shown that weight for age and Body Mass Index (BMI) attain higher value of delta [delta = 1-(alpha + beta)], where - alpha is false positive value and beta is false negative value) and low value of delta standard error of which proves that the best method of assessing malnutrition using various anthropometric measurements is weight for age as against body mass index.
Urine osmolality in nursery school children in a hot climate.
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Transgene expression in dendritic cells to induce antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells in healthy donors.
Immunization with specific tumor-associated antigen (Ag) (TAA)-pulsed dendritic cells (DC) has proven to be efficacious in a variety of animal models and is being investigated for the treatment of cancer patients. Use of DC pulsed with specific peptides or transfected with TAA genes has been a focused area of investigation for the induction of potent tumor and viral immune responses. In this study we demonstrate transgene expression, including expression of the MART-1 gene, in DC transfected with plasmid DNA and cationic liposome complexes. These transiently transfected DC, derived from healthy donor monocytes cultured with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4, express the transgene and can stimulate naive CD8+ T cells to elicit an antitumor immune response. These cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) were capable of recognizing both known and unknown TAA epitopes and were able to exhibit cytolytic activity against human histocompatibility leukocyte Ag-matched tumor cells expressing the Ag. In addition to their cytolytic function, the CTL displayed an oligoclonal T-cell receptor repertoire, indicating that the presented Ag induced alterations in the T-cell population. The ability to induce tumor-specific CTL in vitro using gene-modified DC transiently expressing TAAs demonstrates the potential use of these Ag-presenting cells to generate future in vivo cancer vaccine strategies.