Working as an advanced biomedical science practitioner in cervical cytology.
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Cell Biology↗
Biomedical subjects
M Symonds
Publications and source records attributed to M Symonds.
A study of "white spotted kidneys" in cattle.
A study was performed at an abattoir in Australia, in an attempt to correlate focal chronic interstitial nephritis (FCIN) producing the so-called "white spotted kidney", with Leptospira spp. and other pathogens in cattle. Samples of kidneys, urine and blood were collected immediately after slaughter from 46 two-year-old heifers, and 72 cows and bulls with gross lesions consistent with FCIN. The same samples were also collected from nine heifers and 12 cows with no gross kidney lesions. Aqueous humour was also collected from the eye of 17 of the adult animals. The sera were processed by a microscopic agglutination test for leptospira antibodies, while all the other samples were cultured for Leptospira spp. and also processed for routine aerobic and anaerobic culture for other pathogens. Sub-samples from all the kidneys were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and processed histologically. Antibody titers of 1:400 or higher for Lepstospira borgpeterseni serovar hardjo were found in six adult animals with FCIN and in one adult animal with no gross kidney changes, while antibody titers of 1:400 to L. borgpeterseni serovar tarassovi were found in only one animal with FCIN. L. borgpeterseni serovar hardjo was isolated from the urine and kidney of one adult animal and from the urine of another adult animal, both with FCIN. No pathogens were isolated from any of the other samples. The histological lesions were consistent in most cases with FCIN. The results suggest that neither Leptospira spp. nor active infection by other bacteria are associated with the so-called "white spotted kidneys".
Abattoirs↗
Combined topical flucytosine and amphotericin B for refractory vaginal Candida glabrata infections.
Patients with vaginitis due to highly azole resistant Candida glabrata can be particularly difficult to treat. We describe three cases of longstanding vaginal candidiasis due to C glabrata. These had failed to respond to local and systemic antifungals. Flucytosine (1 g) and amphotericin B (100 mg) formulated in lubricating jelly base in a total 8 g delivered dose, was used per vagina once daily for 14 days with significant improvement, both clinically and microbiologically.
Adult↗
N-cadherin influences migration of oligodendrocytes on astrocyte monolayers.
Oligodendrocyte cell migration is required for the development of the nervous system and the repopulation of demyelinated lesions in the adult central nervous system. We have investigated the role of the calcium-dependent adhesion molecules, the cadherins, in oligodendrocyte-astrocyte interaction and oligodendrocyte progenitor migration. Immunostaining demonstrated the expression of N-cadherin on the surfaces of both oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, and oligodendrocyte-like cells adhered to and spread on N-cadherin substrates. The blocking of cadherin function by antisera or specific peptides reduced adhesion of oligodendroglia to astrocyte monolayers, diminished contact time between oligodendrocyte processes and individual astrocytes, and significantly increased the migration of oligodendrocyte-like cells on astrocyte monolayers. Furthermore, a soluble cadherin molecule without adhesive properties increased oligodendroglial proliferation on various extracellular matrix substrates. These data suggest that cadherins are at least partially responsible for the poor migration-promoting properties of astrocytes and that decreasing cell-cell adhesion might effect repopulation of demyelinated multiple sclerosis lesions by oligodendrocyte progenitors.
Animals↗
Lithium-induced context aversion in rats as a model of anticipatory nausea in humans.
In three experiments, rats received injections of lithium chloride (LiCl) before being exposed to a distinctive context. In a subsequent test, rats given access to sucrose solution in this context consumed less than control subjects given sucrose in another context that had been paired with a saline injection (Experiment 1), or was quite novel (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 demonstrated that a context that had been associated with LiCl would serve to block the acquisition of a conditioned flavor aversion when it was presented immediately after the injection on a flavor-LiCl trial. These results show that a procedure in which rats experience the adverse effects of a lithium injection in the presence of contextual cues is effective in endowing those cues with aversive properties. It is argued that the context evokes a state of conditioned nausea, and the parallel with the clinical phenomenon of anticipatory nausea and vomiting (ANV) in human patients is outlined.
Animals↗
Review of leptospirosis notifications in Queensland and Australia: January 1998-June 1999.
The World Health Organization/Food and Agricultural Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Western Pacific Region, accredited since 1958, is part of Queensland Health Scientific Services, which provide tertiary level support in epidemiology, surveillance, training and diagnosis for hospitals and pathology laboratories across the State. Databases for leptospirosis on a global, Australian and State-wide basis are maintained on site and support public health authorities in Australia, WHO and the International Leptospirosis Society. Queensland data collated and analysed from leptospirosis questionnaires, and a brief overview of Australian data based on questionnaire responses for notified cases from 1998 to June 1999, are summarised. The increase in leptospirosis notifications (77%) during 1998 possibly signalled greater awareness of the disease by clinicians. There was a significant increase in leptospirosis notifications for children and students and a high rate of hospitalisation of cases. An outbreak in North Queensland during the first half of 1999 resulted in 184 notifications with over 50% of cases hospitalised. Polymorphic presentation of the disease with severe pulmonary haemorrhage is associated in particular with the serovar australis. Serovar zanoni continues to be a major cause of severe clinical leptospirosis. Several cases were diagnosed in tourists. One of these cases presented with severe respiratory distress and required 14 days in hospital.
Adult↗
Lai-like leptospira from the Andaman Islands.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Leptospirosis has been an important public health problem in the Andaman Islands since 1988. As information about the exact etiological agent is not available, the present study was undertaken to isolate and identify Leptospira from human patients. METHODS: An isolate coded AF61 was recovered from the blood of a patient clinically suspected to have leptospirosis, with fever, headache and body aches as the main symptoms. The isolation was done using Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) medium following standard procedure. The isolate was identified using microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with 'groupsera', cross agglutination absorption test (CAAT) and monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: Agglutination tests with rabbit antisera revealed that the isolate belonged to the serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae. The CAAT results showed that it was closely related to the serovar lai. Analysis of AF61 with monoclonal antibodies confirms our observation with CAAT that it is closely related to the reference strain Lai serovar lai. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Serovar lai, has been associated with pulmonary haemorrhage in China and Korea. However, the strain AF61 was not isolated from a patient with pulmonary symptoms. Further studies are needed to understand the possible relationship between serovars and clinical patterns and the distribution of serovar lai and lai-like strains in Asia.
Australia↗
Activated T-lymphocytes express occludin, a component of tight junctions.
T-lymphocytes routinely traffic from the lymphoid and vascular compartments to the tissues during immune surveillance and inflammatory responses. This egress occurs without compromising endothelial barrier, which is maintained by tight junctions (zonula occludens). We report that T-lymphocytes up-regulate the expression of occludin, a major component of the tight junction in response to stimulation with phorbol ester (PMA) + calcium ionophore, CD3 antibody or T-cell receptor (TCR) antibody. Only activated T-lymphocytes express occludin; this adhesion molecule is nearly absent in resting T-lymphocytes. By immunofluorescence, occludin is seen in lymphocyte aggregates, but does not appear to mediate aggregation since only 50% of the cells in these clusters express occludin. Occludin is expressed between 8 and 24 h following stimulation, and persists for at least 48 h. These data indicate that activated T cells produce occludin which may regulate lymphocyte adhesion and trafficking.
Animals↗
Illness-induced context aversion learning in rats with lesions of the dorsal hippocampus.
In 2 experiments, rats with electrolytic lesions of the dorsal hippocampus and sham-operated control subjects were given injections of lithium chloride after exposure to a distinctive context. This procedure establishes a context-illness association in intact subjects. In Experiment 1, the strength of the context aversion was assessed by measuring the subjects' willingness to consume a novel flavor in the context. It was found that lesioned subjects showed less suppression of consumption than controls. Experiment 2 tested the ability of the context to block subsequent flavor-aversion learning and revealed less effective blocking in lesioned rats. These results are consistent with the view that hippocampal lesions retard context conditioning; unlike previous work that has made use of conditioned freezing as the measure of context conditioning, the present results are not explicable in terms of lesion-induced changes in general activity.
Analysis of Variance↗
Review of leptospirosis notifications in Queensland 1985 to 1996.
To provide an overview of leptospirosis in Queensland, the World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis undertook a study of notifications of the disease from 1985 to 1996. The review encompassed information drawn from notifications to Queensland Health and questionnaires sent to doctors. Notifications were highest between February and July and the highest population rates were identified in the Central West and Peninsula Health Regions. Ninety-one per cent of notifications were for males. At risk population groups included meat workers, those working with farm animals and banana workers. The study found the incidence of leptospirosis was higher in 1996 than in previous years. Improved diagnosis and surveillance will aid our understanding of the preventable risk factors for leptospirosis, especially in geographic areas not considered at high risk and in groups not in occupations traditionally linked to the disease.
Abattoirs↗
Stimulus preexposure, comparison, and changes in the associability of common stimulus features.
In four experiments, rats received preexposure either to both of two compound flavours (AX and BX), or to just one (BX). Experiment 1 demonstrated a perceptual learning effect, showing that, for animals given preexposure to both flavours, an aversion conditioned to AX generalized only poorly to BX. Subsequent experiments assessed the properties of the common feature, X. Experiment 3 showed that the two preexposure treatments did not differ in the extent to which they produced habituation of the neophobia evoked by X. Experiment 2 showed that conditioning to X proceeded more rapidly in subjects given preexposure to both AX and BX than in subjects preexposed to BX alone. In Experiment 4, a similar effect was found when the elements of the compounds were presented serially. It is concluded that the perceptual learning effect of Experiment 1 occurs in spite of the fact that preexposure to two stimuli tends to maintain the associability of their common elements.
Analysis of Variance↗
A comparative study of the fetal electrocardiogram recorded by the STAN an Nottingham systems.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the T:QRS ratio recorded by the STAN and Nottingham fetal electrocardiogram (FECG) monitors. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: London teaching hospital delivery suite and research unit. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: The T:QRS ratios generated by the STAN and Nottingham FECG monitors were simultaneously recorded and compared using signals generated from a computer-produced ECG signal and signals from 11 term fetuses recorded during labour. RESULTS: There was an acceptable level of agreement between the two systems with the computer-generated signals, but it was not clinically acceptable with the signals from the fetuses recorded during labour. Disagreements in the T:QRS values were probably due to differences in the reference points for the measurement of the S-T segment and T-wave height. CONCLUSION: The different points of reference for measurement of S-T segment and T-wave height can explain poor agreement between the two methods of FECG waveform analysis. The suggested adopted points of reference are those corresponding to adult electrocardiographic methodology.
Delivery, Obstetric↗
Characteristics associated with smoking cessation during pregnancy among working class women.
Although smoking prevalence among pregnant women is highest among those of lower socio-economic status, the factors associated with cessation in this high risk group are poorly documented. This paper reports on data from a survey of working class women in Nottingham and Coventry, who were interviewed 6 months after having delivered a baby. It compares the characteristics of the 32 women who quit smoking during their pregnancy and were still ex-smokers at the 6 month post-natal point, with 472 women who had continued to smoke during their pregnancy or had returned to smoking in the post-partum period. A logistic regression analysis revealed three variables that were independently associated with long term cessation-having previously quit for more than 1 week, having a non-smoking partner, and believing that the children of smokers are more likely to get infections. Among the most disadvantaged, an understanding of how close social ties and economic circumstances influence smoking behaviour is crucial, if we are to develop more effective smoking cessation intervention strategies for working class women.
Adolescent↗
Victim responses to terror.
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Adjustment Disorders↗
Hypertension and oral contraceptives.
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Adult↗
The psychodynamics of violence-prone marriages.
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Aggression↗
ASPA adhesion study.
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Acid Etching, Dental↗
The rape victim: psychological patterns of response.
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Adult↗