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Biomedical subjects

M Roberts

Publications and source records attributed to M Roberts.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

IgA and IgG antibody activities of serum and bronchoalveolar fluid from symptomatic and asymptomatic pigeon breeders.

Serum IgA and IgG antibody activities against pigeon serum were measured in 16 symptomatic pigeon breeders, 20 asymptomatic pigeon breeders, and 3 normal subjects by radioimmunoassay. The IgA and IgG antibody activities against pigeon antigen of the group of patients with disease was significantly greater than those of patients in the asymptomatic and the control group. The overlap of results for the symptomatic and asymptomatic breeders limits the diagnostic value of these individual IgA or IgG antibody determinations. Bronchoalveolar fluid and serum samples from a smaller group of pigeon breeders who underwent lung lavage were available for studies of antibody activity against pigeon serum. Ten asymptomatic and 6 symptomatic breeders were available for study. Both IgG and IgA antibody activities were detected by radioimmunoassay in serum samples and bronchoalveolar fluid. The IgA antibody activity determined by the radioimmunoassay was higher in the respiratory secretions.

Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic↗
PubMed1979

Is a healthier person less susceptible to noise-induced hearing loss?

Several studies in the literature suggest that poor health is related to hearing loss. One hundred subjects claiming occupational hearing loss were chosen randomly for this study. Information was obtained on employment, noise exposure, medical history, family history, and use of cigarettes, alcohol, and medication. Physical examination audiometric tests, and biological tests were carried out. Computer analysis of the data with chi-square test did not show conclusively that noise-induced hearing loss is related to poor health, indicated by abnormal biological or physical findings, or both. There were, however, some indications that the presence of cardiovascular risk factors may influence hearing loss.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1978

Lymphoid blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukaemia and Philadelphia positive acute lymphoid leukaemia.

Membrane markers (anti-ALL and anti-Ia antisera) and an enzyme marker (terminal transferase) have been used to define an L-type or "lymphoid" type of acute transformation in chronic myeloid leukaemia and Ph1 positive acute leukaemia. Patients with L-type ("lymphoid") blasts responded to regimens including vincristine and prednisolone (VP). The markers showed better correlation with survival than did the morphology of blasts. The clinical course of patients was variable; elimination Ph1 positive clone (and hypoplasia), return to the chronic phase and relapses (including meningeal leukaemia) were observed. In contrast, patients with myeloid blasts ("M" type of blast crisis) failed to respond to vincristine and prednisolone.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1978

The assessment of immunologic and clinical changes occurring during corticosteroid therapy for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

Twenty-two patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis have been treated and evaluated for a period ranging from two months to nine years. Twelve are available for periodic blood sampling. Data are presented suggesting the following: (1) Patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis have high initial levels of total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE). These levels are significantly higher in those patients who had not been previously treated with prednisone for the control of asthma. (2) Treatment with alternate day prednisone (0.5 mg/kg given on alternate days) caused clinical and roentgenologic improvement as well as marked decreases in total serum IgE but does not necessarily prevent recurrence of the disease. (3) Total and specific IgE against Aspergillus antigen may increase prior to and during exacerbations of disease. (4) Specific IgG and IgE against Aspergillus antigen are increased in most patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and reflect disease activity as evidenced by x-ray and clinical exacerbations in some cases. (5) Lymphocyte transformation using Aspergillis antigen, as measured by the whole blood technic, is present in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, but serial changes in lymphocyte transformation do not correlate with disease activity. (6) Precipitin reactions are present in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, but presence or absence does not reflect disease activity in most cases.

Antigens, Fungal↗
PubMed1978

Antibody activity in sera of patients with humidifier disease: studies of the water supply as a source of antigens.

In 5 patients with respiratory symptoms consistent with humidifier or air conditioner disease, a hypersensitivity pneumonitis, no identifiable organism was cultured from the humidifier water (HW). The water source to the humidifier or air conditioner was investigated for possible antigens which might explain the occurrence of the disease. Three subjects who lived in the same city supplied by Lake Michigan had increased IgG antibody activity against the city water supply when compared with another patient from a different city and a control subject. Both of the latter lived in cities with water supplied from Lake Michigan. Two of the 5 patients showed definite inhibition by concentrated tap water (TW) of IgG antibody against HW. The source of antigens in water was not determined but must be considered in cases of this type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. A sixth case consistent with humidifier disease had Cephalosporium cultured from her HW. On gel diffusion there was a band of identity with her serum against Cephalosporium extract and her own HW, and by radioimmunoassay (RIA) there was over 50% inhibition of her IgG antibody activity against HW by Cephalosporium. No antibody against her city TW was demonstrated.

Acremonium↗
PubMed1978

Lymphoblastic transformation of Ph1-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia: therapeutic implications and relevance to haemopoietic stem cell theory.

A proportion of patients with blast crisis of CML have blast cells identical to those found in common non-T, non-B all, and whilst this disease is often referred to as lymphoid blast crisis (LBC), evidence is presented that it may in fact arise from a prelymphoid, pre-myeloid (pluripotential) stem cell. Recently developed membrane and enzyme markers (anti-ALL antiserum, TdT assay) have provided convenient diagnostic tests for the detection of LBC. The clinical and haematological features of LBC are reviewed: patients with LBC show a higher response rate to therapy with vincristine and prednisolone, and their survival may be significantly prolonged. The frequent occurrence of meningeal leukaemia suggests the need for prophylactic CNS therapy in LBC patients achieving remission.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Plasmid-mediated chromosomal gene transfer in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

An indigenous Neisseria gonorrhoeae conjugative plasmid, pLE2450, was tested for its ability to mediate chromosomal gene transfer between gonococcal strains. Plasmid-mediated chromosomal transfer was detected at a low frequency and can be used to establish certain linkage relationships between amino acid and antibiotic resistance markers.

Chromosomes, Bacterial↗
PubMed1978

Nitroblue tetrazolium test in psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthrosis.

Nitroblue tetrazolium test scores were obtained in 43 patients with psoriatic arthritis, 32 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and 16 patients with osteoarthrosis. The mean score in all groups was similar and was higher than previously reported in patients awaiting heart surgery or with noninfective dermatoses. The test is not thought to be helpful in differentiating psoriatic arthritis from rheumatoid arthritis, and its usefulness in the diagnosis of septic arthritis superimposed on other forms of arthropathy is limited.

Arthritis↗
PubMed1978

Pulmonary complications of renal transplantation: a survey of patients treated by low-dose immunosuppression.

Sixty-eight episodes of pulmonary complication developed in 52 of 416 renal transplant recipients treated with low-dose immunosuppression. Twenty-four complications were noninfectious (20 were pulmonary edema due to transplant rejection). Forty-four complications were infectious (75% of were wholly bacterial). Nine patients died from their pulmonary complications; 7 had bacterial pneumonia, but other infections were also present in 5. Several patterns were seen radiographically. Cardiomegaly, vascular congestion, and patchy consolidation indicated pulmonary edema. Segmental and labor consolidations were usually bacterial in origin. Large cavitary nodules, small nodules, and generalized consolidation were often due to diseases requiring biopsy for diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Serum IgE and IgG antibody activity against Aspergillus fumigatus as a diagnostic aid in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

Serum IgE and IgG antibody activity against Aspergillus fumigatus was measured in 3 groups of subjects by 2 different immunologic methods. Group A consisted of 23 patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Group B was composed of 19 patients with extrinsic asthma who had marked immediate type skin reactivity to A. fumigatus (prick skin test, 3 or 4+) but no other manifestation of ABPA. Group C, the control group, was composed of 12 healthy subjects. Two immunological methods, including a solid-phase polystyrene tube radioimmunoassay and an iodine-125-labeled, A. fumigatus antigen radioimmunoassay, were used to study each patient's serum sample, so as to demonstrate IgE antibody activity against A. fumigatus (IgE-Af) and IgG antibody activity against A. fumigatus (IgG-Af). Both IgE-Af and IgG-Af were significantly greater among patients in Group A than among those in Group B and Group C, as measured by both methods (P is less than 0.001). The results of this study suggest that either method can be used as a diagnostic aid for ABPA. These methods may provide a laboratory test permitting diagnosis of ABPA in its early stages before bronchial or pulmonary destruction occurs.

Aspergillosis↗
PubMed1978

Human antihapten antibodies in trimellitic anhydride inhalation reactions. Immunoglobulin classes of anti-trimellitic anhydride antibodies and hapten inhibition studies.

Inhalational exposure to trimellitic anhydride (TMA) produces an immediate-type asthmatic or a late respiratory systemic syndrome in certain workers after a latent period of work exposure. TMA has been found to react with proteins to produce a hapten-protein complex (trimellitate [TM] protein) or become hydrolyzed in aqueous, alkaline solutions to produce a salt, NaTM. Using a solid-phase radioimmunoassay technique, antibodies of different Ig classes were detected against TM-protein conjugates. IgE antibody was detected in three of five workers with asthma. IgG and IgA antibodies were detected in most exposed workers but higher levels of antibody were found in symptomatic workers even after long periods without direct TMA exposure. IgM antibody activity against TM-human serum albumin (TM-HSA) was detected but did not differentiate symptomatic from asymptomatic workers. NaTM served as a hapten for study because it does not react with proteins to form a hapten-protein complex as TMA does. The NaTM only partially inhibited IgG antibody activity against TM-HSA and much smaller amounts of TM-HSA than of NaTM were required to neutralize IgG antibody. A similar result was found with TM-ovalbumin. The latter results suggest that some IgG antibody is directed against a TM-protein moiety, probably a TM-amino acid determinant. In contrast to IgG, marked inhibition by NaTM of IgA and IgM antibody against TM-HSA was found in the sera studied.

Anhydrides↗