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Biomedical subjects

M Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to M Thompson.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Costs and outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

A prospective descriptive study was done on the direct and indirect costs to ambulatory patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, stratified at study entry by level of function. Measures of health status over a 1-year period were taken. On a yearly basis, in 1979 dollars, patients spent an average of $147 for arthritis medications, aids, and devices, and $207 for outpatient visits. A small number were hospitalized and incurred an average charge of $245, and an additional $84 for physician fees. In addition to direct monetary costs, patients averaged 6.8 days of restricted activity costs, patients averaged 6.8 days of restricted activity per month, in some cases so severe as to confine patients to bed for an average of 1.3 days per month. Among students and working patients, 2.5 work-days per month were lost due to arthritis, and 30% reported that they were unemployed or retired because of impaired health. Functional capacity and specific diagnosis on entry to the study were the most important determinants of arthritis-related expenditures. Both direct and indirect costs varied considerably from the observed average. Twenty percent of patients incurred no costs for arthritis-related purchases, 42+ had no costs for outpatient visits, and 93% had no inpatient costs. Yet for some patients, the financial burden was very high.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1984

Low molecular weight proteins in human malignant hyperthermic muscle.

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic disorder provoked by volatile anesthetics and depolarizing muscle relaxants. The preoperative diagnosis of MH is difficult because it requires a large muscle biopsy and a laboratory dedicated to such diagnostic studies. The authors performed electrophoresis of six muscles taken from MH patients or their relatives to determine whether the protein composition is different from normal muscle. MH muscle was found to contain large amounts of two low molecular weight proteins (15,000 daltons and 13,500 daltons) that are not present in normal muscle. Although it has not been determined that these differences are specific for MH, this finding eventually might be of assistance in diagnosing MH.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Haematuria in rheumatoid arthritis: an association with mesangial glomerulonephritis.

Twenty-four patients with rheumatoid arthritis and isolated haematuria were investigated for the cause of their haematuria. In 3 patients local urological disorders were identified, including a pelvicaliceal carcinoma. Renal biopsies were performed on the remaining 21 patients, and the most common abnormality found was a mild mesangial glomerulonephritis (71%). Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy in these patients usually gave normal results. The lesions occurred independently of gold or D-penicillamine therapy and were not associated with impairment of glomerular function.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Immunologic differentiation between E. coli and CHO cell-derived recombinant and natural human beta-interferons.

The products of the human IFN-beta gene expressed in E. coli, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and human fibroblasts appear similar when purified on a monoclonal antibody column and analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC, indicating little difference in their hydrophobic nature. SDS-PAGE differentiates E. coli-rHuIFN-beta ser (Mr = 17,000) from CHO-rHuIFN-beta and HuIFN-beta (Mr = 23,000), with glycosylation accounting for 26% of the apparent m.w. of the latter two proteins. CHO-rHuIFN-beta is preferentially neutralized by mouse monoclonal and monospecific rabbit polyclonal anti-HuIFN-beta antibodies, whereas E. coli-rHuIFN-beta ser is preferentially neutralized by goat polyclonal anti-E. coli-rHuIFN-beta antibodies. Adsorption measurements by a sensitive radioimmunoassay indicate that the binding of the three proteins to anti-HuIFN-beta antibodies is similar. The results show that all three molecules can be differentiated by the heteroclitic cross-reactivities of anti-HuIFN-beta and anti-E. coli-rHuIFN-beta antibodies to the antigens.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Aetiological factors in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis.

The risk of developing gastrointestinal cancer varies markedly between and within populations. These variations indicate that environmental factors, especially those associated with diet, are correlated strongly with the risk of developing intestinal tumours. In particular a diet high in animal fat and protein carries a high risk for colon cancer whereas the consumption of salted or pickled foods is associated with gastric cancer. Although many carcinogens have been identified in various food items none have been associated specifically with the incidence of a particular gastrointestinal cancer, not have any specific carcinogens been isolated from colonic or gastric contents. Mutagens, presumptive procarcinogens, have been detected in faecal and gastric samples, but, owing to problems with experimental design, have not been correlated with risk. As most common intestinal cancers arise in those segments of the intestine that are, or may be, most heavily colonised it has been hypothesised that these bacteria may form biologically active substrates in situ. In vitro studies have confirmed that intestinal bacteria can metabolise a wide range of substrates, such as steroids, bile acids and amino acids, to potential precarcinogens. Furthermore, the substrate for these reactions are generally present in higher concentration in the faeces of high risk colon cancer subjects, although similar data are not available for potential stomach cancer subjects.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1983

Treatment of hypertension following endotracheal intubation. A study comparing the efficacy of labetalol, practolol and placebo.

Labetalol, a new adrenergic receptor antagonist, has both alpha- and beta-blocking properties. Intravenous labetalol (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg), practolol (0.4 mg/kg) and saline (1 ml), injected prior to anaesthesia, were compared with respect to their effect on the haemodynamic consequences of direct laryngoscopy followed by the passage of an endotracheal tube. When compared with intravenous saline injection, both labetalol and practolol obtunded the tachycardia induced by endotracheal intubation. The higher dose of labetalol was more effective in reducing the hypertensive response than the lower dose of practolol. However, none of the regimens completely abolished the adverse haemodynamic consequences of laryngotracheal manipulations.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1983

A chemoreceptive bilayer lipid membrane based on an auxin-receptor ATPase electrogenic pump.

Auxin-binding proteins have been extracted from coleoptiles and primary leaves of maize and diffusion--reconstituted in phosphatidyl choline/partially-oxidized cholesterol membranes. Measurement of membrane ion flux at 25 mV external potential with buffered KCl electrolyte was performed for the receptor support matrix and various combinations of ATP, receptor and naphthalene-1-acetic acid. Addition of the three components in any order results in a substantial increase in current with a limit-of-detection for auxin of about 10(-7)M. The pH-dependence of the response is consistent with previous suggestions that an ATPase pump acts to translocate protons in the presence of K+ and Mg2+ and that the pump can be activated by auxin. This work provides the first direct link between the binding of a plant hormone to a putative receptor and the evocation of a biochemical response.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1983

Histocompatibility in cardiac transplantation with particular reference to immunopathology of positive serologic crossmatch.

Cardiac allografting was carried out in 33 patients during the past 2 years. Twenty-one (64%) of the patients are alive and others lived for different periods after transplantation. The number of HLA-AB and HLA-DR antigens matched or mismatched was not significantly different between the surviving and deceased patients. However, 100% (4 of the 4) of the patients with a positive serum crossmatch with donor T lymphocytes are deceased as compared to the 25% (7 of the 28) mortality rate for crossmatch-negative patients. All four of the deceased patients with a positive crossmatch had demonstrable deposition of immunoglobulins in the capillaries of the donor heart at autopsy, whereas no immunoglobulin or fibrinogen deposition was seen in the hearts of crossmatch-negative patients. Three of the four patients with positive crossmatches had sera cytotoxic to lymphocytes of more than 25% of the persons, of a 42 member panel, whereas in the remaining one the serum was cytotoxic to less than 5% of the panel members. In crossmatch-negative patients, the sera were cytotoxic to less than 20% of the panel members with one exception. The relevance of cytotoxic antibodies to lymphocytes of panel members, crossmatch, and tissue deposition of immunoglobulins is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Determinants of decisions to seek medical treatment by patients with acute myocardial infarction symptoms.

The present study examined the type A behavior, symptom experience, and decisions to seek treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms. Subjects were 43 patients admitted to the coronary care units of one of two hospitals for a suspected infarct. They were interviewed in the hospital, usually within 5 days of their arrival. The interview included questions about the patients' prehospital symptom experience, demographic characteristics, and Type A behaviors. Analyses revealed that the patients who delayed in the early phase of seeking treatment (i.e., excessive time between patients' noting initial symptoms and deciding they were ill) were those who reported that they characteristically exhibited some Type A behaviors, that they experienced little initial pain at a time when work was quite demanding, and that they responded to their symptoms with depression and fatigue. Moreover, they were currently quite pessimistic about their health. Those who delayed in the later phase (i.e., excessive time between patients' deciding they were ill and deciding they would seek treatment) were persons who were assessed as Type B on the Structured Interview and who talked to others to assess the meaning of their symptoms. The implications of the findings for a stage model of delay are discussed and some limitations of the present study are considered.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1983

Production of staphylococcal enterotoxin F and pyrogenic exotoxin C by Staphylococcus aureus isolates from toxic shock syndrome-associated sources.

A total of 136 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were tested for production of staphylococcal enterotoxin F (SEF) and pyrogenic exotoxin C (PEC), both of which have been identified as reliable indicators of toxic shock syndrome (TSS)-associated strains. SEF and PEC production by isolates from TSS-associated and other sources was tested independently in two laboratories, after which the two sets of data were compared. A 100% concordance between SEF and PEC production was obtained. The TSS toxin candidates were produced by 30 of 136 isolates, and in all instances SEF and PEC were made concurrently by the same strains; in no case was one toxin made and not the other. In the five groups of S. aureus tested, toxins were detected as follows: 23 of 25 (92%) acute TSS isolates, 2 of 48 (4.2%) genital non-TSS isolates, 2 of 16 (12.5%) recovered TSS isolates, 1 of 23 (4.3%) clinical nongenital isolates, and 2 of 24 (8.3%) enterotoxigenic food outbreak isolates. Comparison of purified SEF and purified PEC by immunological and biochemical criteria by immunodiffusion, isoelectric focusing, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western blot analysis show that the toxins are immunologically identical and strongly suggest that the two nominal TSS toxins are in fact a single protein.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed1983

Binding of Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin to receptors on rat intestinal cells.

This study was performed to determine whether receptors for Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) exist on intestinal epithelial cells. Binding sites for 125I-ST were found on rat jejunal and ileal villus cells. Binding was rapid, reversible, linear with cell number, saturable, and temperature dependent. Significant degradation of 125I-ST occurred when incubated with cells at 37 degrees C but not at 25 degrees C. Binding was specific to ST since binding of 125I-ST was competitively inhibited by increasing concentrations of human or porcine ST but not by E. coli heat-labile, cholera, or staphylococcal enterotoxins. Addition of excess unlabeled ST to cells preincubated with 125I-ST resulted in dissociation of much but not all of the bound 125I-ST. Binding of 125I-ST to jejunal and ileal cells occurs with two affinities, and this is due to the phenomenon of negative cooperativity. The potency of ST for inhibiting the binding of 125I-ST was identical to the potency of ST in stimulating cGMP production. These data support the existence of receptors for ST on intestinal cells, and these receptors may be involved in the action of ST.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Motor assessment tools: their concurrent validity in evaluating children with multiple handicaps.

Three developmental motor assessment tools were administered concurrently to 17 children with severe multiple handicaps in an effort to examine the relationship of developmental age equivalent scores among the 3 tools. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development, a standardized and norm-referenced infant assessment tool, was used as criterion for concurrent validity in evaluating the other 2 tools, the Callier-Azusa Scale and the Fircrest Deaf-Blind Motor Assessment Tool. In spite of variations in quantity and type of behaviors assessed on each of these 3 instruments, highly significant positive correlations were shown between age equivalent scores on the Bayley and those on each of the other 2 tests. These findings support the application of objective, quantifiable measurement tools for determining developmental motor age levels of severely disabled children with multiple handicaps.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Melittin-phospholipid interaction studied by employing the single tryptophan residue as an intrinsic fluorescent probe.

The rotational correlation time of melittin, obtained from the nanosecond anisotropy of the emission from its single tryptophan residue, has been found to increase considerably in phosphate solution relative to that in aqueous solution, consistent with protein aggregation. The steady-state fluorescence spectra as well as the absorption spectra in phosphate solution exhibit a very good degree of similarity with those of the protein bound to egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) bilayer liposomes. The value of the second-order rate constant for dynamic quenching, kq = 1.4.10(9) M-1.s-1, by acrylamide in 0.5 M phosphate solution is comparable to those for the protein-phospholipids complexes (1.10(9) and 0.7.10(9) M-1.s-1 for egg PC and DSPC, respectively). Similarities are also found in the nanosecond properties. There is a much stronger and quite similar dependence of the fluorescence spectra on time in the nanosecond range and of the fluorescence decay times on the emission wavelength in both cases as compared to the case is aqueous solution. These observations support the notion that melittin binds to the phospholipids in an aggregated form. The results suggest that the reduction in the kq values of bound melittin relative to that in aqueous solution and the blue shift of the fluorescence spectrum (from 352 to 337 nm) are brought about by shielding of the tryptophan residue from the solvent through a combination of protein aggregation and enhancement of its alpha-helical content (suggested by published CD data). The magnitude of the kq values for bound melittin, however, is still relatively high implying the occurrence of rather frequent encounters between the tryptophan residue and the hydrophilic acrylamide molecules. Thus, the residue is found not to penetrate deep into the phospholipid bilayer.

Bee Venoms↗