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Biomedical subjects

M Waters

Publications and source records attributed to M Waters.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Tetanus immunisation in the elderly population.

OBJECTIVE: To emphasise that tetanus still occurs in the United Kingdom, particularly in elderly people-as illustrated by two case reports-and to examine the state of tetanus immunity in elderly people. METHODS: 111 elderly people (over 65 years) were studied: 43 males, mean age 77.7 years, range 67-94; 68 females, mean age 81.3 years, range 67-95. They were either attending the accident service or were hospital inpatients. An attempt was made to obtain an immunisation history and antitetanus antibody titres were measured. RESULTS: Immunisation history was uncertain and unreliable. Measurement of antibody titres showed that they were inadequate to ensure protection in 50% of those studied. Low levels were particularly prevalent in the over 80 age group and in females. Questioning about military service confirmed that this had predominantly involved males. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly people are at risk of contracting tetanus and should be targeted for community immunisation. Extra precautions in the form of passive immunisation with human anti-tetanus immunoglobulin should be used in this age group in addition to the usual wound management measures when the elderly sustain tetanus prone injuries.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Evidence of a direct role for growth hormone (GH) in mammary gland proliferation and lactation.

A panel of monoclonal antibodies to the growth hormone (GH) receptor/binding protein was used to demonstrate the existence and detail the expression of GH receptors in ductal and alveolar epithelial cells from rat and rabbit mammary glands by immunohistochemistry. Intense immunoreactivity was present in membrane, cytoplasm and some nuclei of epithelial cells during proliferation and lactation. Receptor expression decreased during weaning and was absent or weak in regressive mammary glands. Immunoreactivity was weak in ductal epithelial cells from virgin adult animals. Pronounced expression of GH receptor/binding protein was observed with two monoclonal antibodies and lesser reactivity was seen with others, paralleling their affinities for the receptor. The cytoplasmic presence of this putatively plasma membrane located GH receptor is accounted for by the existence of a soluble form on the GH receptor, namely the growth hormone binding protein derived from the membrane receptor by cleavage. Primary localization of the receptor in proliferating and lactating epithelial cells suggests that the rat and rabbit mammary gland is a GH target tissue. This finding is in contradiction to both classical GH action and the somatomedin hypothesis and challenges the widely held view that GH has no direct influence on mammary growth and function.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Identification of an antigenic domain on Mycobacterium leprae protein antigen 85B, which is specifically recognized by antibodies from patients with leprosy.

Sixty-three overlapping 15-oligomer peptides covering the 30-kDa protein antigen 85B of Mycobacterium leprae were tested by ELISA to identify epitopes recognized by human antibodies. Serum samples from patients with lepromatous leprosy (LL) reacted mainly with peptides comprising amino acid regions (AA) 206-230, 251-280, and 291-325. Sera of patients with active tuberculosis who responded to the native 30-kDa antigen did not recognize these peptides. The antibody-binding specificity to the defined B cell regions was evaluated in a blind study with 71 serum samples from patients and household contacts living in Ethiopia where leprosy is endemic. The peptide of AA 256-280 was recognized by 88% of LL patients, 15% of patients with tuberculoid leprosy, and none of the contacts. These findings suggest that there are major linear B cell epitopes on the M. leprae 30-kDa protein that are recognized by lepromin-negative LL patients, whereas lepromin-positive patients respond preferentially to conformational epitopes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Prolactin receptor and signal transduction to milk protein genes.

After cloning of the mammary gland prolactin (PRL) receptor cDNA, a functional assay was established using co-transfection of PRL receptor cDNA together with a milk protein promoter/chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) construct in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Different mutants of the PRL receptor were tested in this CAT assay to delimit the domains in the receptor necessary for signal transduction to milk protein genes. In CHO cells stably transfected with PRL receptor cDNA, high numbers of PRL receptor are expressed. By metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation, expressed PRL receptor was identified as a single species of 100 kDa. Using these cells, we analyzed the effects of PRL on intracellular free Ca++ concentration. PRL stimulates Ca++ entry and induces secondary Ca++ mobilization. The entry of Ca++ is a result of an increase in K+ conductance that hyperpolarizes the membranes. We have also analyzed tyrosine phosphorylation induced by PRL. In CHO cells stably transfected with PRL receptor cDNA, PRL induced a very rapid and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of a 100-kDa protein which is most probably the PRL receptor. The same finding was obtained in mammary membranes after PRL injection to lactating rabbits. Whereas tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and lavendustin were without effect, PRL stimulation of milk protein gene promoters was partially inhibited by 2 microM herbimycin in CHO cells co-transfected with PRL receptor cDNA and the beta lactoglobulin CAT construct. Taken together these observations indicate that the cytoplasmic domain of the PRL receptor interacts with one or several tyrosine kinases, which may represent early postreceptor events necessary for PRL signal transduction to milk protein genes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Stimulation of the renin-angiotensin system by growth hormone in Lewis dwarf rats.

A genetically growth hormone (GH)-deficient strain of Lewis rats was used to test the hypothesis that the actions of GH on electrolyte and fluid homeostasis are mediated by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Dwarf rats injected with recombinant bGH (2 mg.kg-1 x day-1) for 7 days (group GH1+) and 28 days (group GH4+), respectively, were compared with saline-injected dwarf (group GH-) and normal (group N) Lewis rats. GH decreased Na+ excretion and increased renal glomerular filtration rate in dwarf rats. The dietary intake and plasma concentrations of Na+ and K+ remained unchanged. GH increased plasma insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations in dwarf rats (GH - = 109 +/- 9, GH1+ = 184 +/- 5, GH4+ = 189 +/- 28, N = 477 +/- 29 ng/ml plasma). Plasma angiotensinogen increased towards the levels found in normal Lewis rats (GH- = 859 +/- 38, GH1+ = 906 +/- 18, GH4+ = 1,027 +/- 19, N = 1497 +/- 80 ng angiotensin I/ml plasma); plasma renin activity increased above that of the normal Lewis (GH- = 10.2 +/- 0.6, GH1+ = 11.7 +/- 0.7, GH4+ = 16.7 +/- 2.4, N = 10.6 +/- 0.8 ng angiotensin I.ml plasma-1 x h-1). Plasma aldosterone, corticosterone, and triodothyronine concentrations were unchanged by GH treatment. Angiotensin II receptor densities in GH- rats (liver = 356 +/- 23, kidney = 228 +/- 28, adrenal = 478 +/- 58 fmol/mg protein) were upregulated by GH (GH4+ rats; liver = 573 +/- 27, kidney = 360 +/- 86, adrenal = 721 +/- 78 fmol/mg protein).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Cholesterol levels in 1,084 healthy New Orleans males.

It is widely recognized that elevated cholesterol levels constitute a major risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Most of the previous surveys conducted in an effort to learn more about incidence of hypercholesterolemia involved patients who had other concurrent risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, or a history of myocardial infarction. Relatively few studies have been conducted in younger populations or in healthy individuals. Because we had access to baseline cholesterol data on 1,084 relatively young, otherwise completely healthy, nonobese males, we elected to determine the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia in this population. Elevated cholesterol levels (> 200 mg/dL) were found in 25.2% of our healthy subjects. These findings help to confirm the presence of a potentially serious public health problem existing among otherwise healthy, relatively young men in our community.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Obtaining services for HIV-positive patients.

Services needed for HIV-positive persons and the availability of these services were reported in the July/August 1990 issue of JONA. This article includes further information from the original study--an analysis of the factors in each reporting hospital and community that enabled or barred the development of services for HIV-positive persons. This information offers strategies to nurse executives for obtaining services in their own settings.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed1991

Rural nurses join forces for AIDS care.

Rural hospitals and communities across the nation lack comprehensive services for AIDS patients. This study identified 15 vital services that are scarce in rural settings at a time when AIDS is showing a greater increase in rural than in urban areas. Analysis of responses from rural settings that have acquired services shows that they were obtained through collaboration between rural hospitals and their communities. The authors identify strategies of successful communities that illustrate how rural hospital and community nurses can work together to obtain comprehensive services in their communities for persons with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

A critical study of the APACHE II scoring system using earlier data collection.

The APACHE II severity of illness scoring system was prospectively studied on 756 patients admitted to a general intensive care unit (ICU) from January 1986 to June 1988. Admission data were used. Individual and group risk of death were calculated for 3 diagnostic categories commonly seen in the A&E department and requiring admission to an ICU. The APACHE II score on admission tended to underestimate the risk of death following operative and non-operative trauma, and self-poisoning. This may have been related to the use of an analysis not yet validated against values obtained on admission to ICU. Such validation is urgently needed on a UK population if APACHE II scoring is to be of value in the A&E department.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

An algorithm for testing and reporting serum choriogonadotropin at clinically significant decision levels with use of "pregnancy test" reagents.

We present an algorithm for monitoring the concentration of human choriogonadotropin (hCG) in serum at various clinical decision levels with use of fast, simple, and cost-effective qualitative pregnancy test reagents for hCG in serum. Based on correlation between laboratory data and clinical observations described in the literature, the following concentrations of hCG in serum can be considered as clinically significant decision levels: 5 int. units/L to exclude or "rule out" the presence of increased hCG; 25 int. units/L for "confirming pregnancy" or confirming the presence of increased hCG from sources other than the trophoblast; and 6500 and 82 500 int. units/L to enhance the sonographic diagnoses of ectopic pregnancies and molar pregnancies, respectively. We used Tandem Icon II (Hybritech) pregnancy test reagents and evaluated the reagents for possible "false-positive" findings at the 25 int. units/L limit of hCG detectability by analyzing 100 post-menopausal and more than 4000 premenopausal serum specimens. The performance of the reagents was validated also at 5 int. units/L and at limits of hCG detectability greater than 25 int. units/L.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1989

The use of antigen-bearing nitrocellulose particles derived from Western blots to study proliferative responses to 27 antigenic fractions from Mycobacterium leprae in patients and controls.

Antigens present in sonicates of Mycobacterium leprae were separated by SDS-PAGE, blotted electrophoretically on to nitrocellulose, and visualized with a colloidal gold stain. Six bands identified by existing monoclonal antibodies, and a further 21 bands not previously studied, were converted into antigen-bearing nitrocellulose particles for use in vitro lympho-proliferation studies. Controls (putative non-contacts) responded poorly to the antigenic fractions presented in this way. Contacts responded variably to a wide range of the antigens, and most frequently (23%) to the 18,000 MW fraction. Responses to this, and to several other low molecular weight antigens, were not seen in non contacts, and were very rare in all patient groups, which tended to respond to high molecular weight components. The most interesting individual band was at 36,000 MW. This caused significant stimulation of cells from 25% of tuberculoid donors, but never stimulated the cells from lepromatous cases. Indeed this fraction significantly suppressed the background proliferation of the cells from 30% of the lepromatous cases, though the significance of this observation is unclear. Responses to the 65,000 MW heat-shock protein did not differ significantly between the donor groups. Overall the results suggest that the spectrum of clinical leprosy may not be determined by the response to any one antigen. However, this study can not rule out the possibility that the response to one or a few antigens determines the outcome during the first few days after infection.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

A transient rise in agalactosyl IgG correlating with free interleukin 2 receptors, during episodes of erythema nodosum leprosum.

The proportion of oligosaccharide chains on the Fc fragment of IgG which terminate with N-acetylglucosamine and not galactose (%GO) has previously been shown to be raised in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Crohn's disease (CD) and tuberculosis (Tb), but to be normal in sarcoidosis (SA), and in both lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy. However we have now studied %GO in sequential serum samples collected from lepromatous leprosy patients undergoing episodes of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). During ENL %GO is transiently raised, and this rise parallels an increase in circulating interleukin 2 receptors (IL-2R). These findings confirm that changes in T cell function occur during ENL. Moreover it appears that %GO rises when there is, simultaneously, T-cell-mediated tissue damage and an acute phase response (RA, CD, Tb, ENL), but not when there is an acute phase response without major T cell involvement, or chronic T cell activity alone (SA, and tuberculoid leprosy). We suggest therefore that %GO is an indicator of a type of T cell activity with broad immunopathological implications.

Acetylglucosamine↗
PubMed1988

Apache II scores.

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Decision Making, Computer-Assisted↗