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Biomedical subjects

O Sela

Publications and source records attributed to O Sela.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

UV disinfection of wastewater effluents for unrestricted irrigation.

Wastewater reuse in arid regions is important for the production of a water resource to be utilised for non-potable purposes and to prevent the environmental transmission of disease-causing agents. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of water quality on the comparative disinfection efficiency of viruses, bacteria and spores by UV irradiation. Furthermore, the microbial quality of effluent produced by coagulation, high rate filtration (HRF) and either UV irradiation or chlorination was determined. Using low pressure collimated beam, a UV dose of 80 mWs/cm2 was needed to achieve a 3-log10 inactivation of either rotavirus SA-11 or coliphage MS2, whereas over 5-log10 inactivation of E. coli was reached with a dose of only 20 mWs/cm2. B. subtilis inactivation was found to be linear up to a dose of 40 mWs/cm2 and then a tailing up to a UV dose of 120 mWs/cm2 was observed. It is worth noting that effluent turbidity of < 5 NTU did not influence the inactivation efficiency of UV irradiation. Operation of a pilot plant to treat secondary effluent by coagulation, HRF and UV disinfection at a UV dose of 80 mWs/cm2 resulted in the production of high quality effluent in compliance with the Israel standards for unrestricted irrigation (< 10 CFU/100 mL faecal coliform and turbidity of < 5 NTU). Sulphite reducing clostridia (SRC) were found to be more resistant than coliphages and F coliform for UV irradiation. The results of this study indicated that UV disinfection is suitable for the production of effluents for unrestricted irrigation of food crops.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2000

Gynecological aspects of female familial dysautonomia.

BACKGROUND: Familial dysautonomia is a genetic disease in which there is a defect in the autonomic and sensory nervous systems. These systems have a major role in the reproductive system. OBJECTIVE: To study the inter-relationship of autonomic and sensory dysfunction and gynecological function. METHODS: The gynecological histories of 48 women with familial dysautonomia were analyzed retrospectively. Their mean age was 22.25 years (range 12-47). Thirty-three women (65%) were available for further questioning and investigation of hormonal status. RESULTS: Menarche had occurred in 32 of the 48 (66.7%). Their average age of menarche was significantly delayed as compared to their unaffected mothers (15.5 vs. 13.6 years respectively, P = 0.002). The most prominent finding was the very high prevalence, 81.2%, of premenstrual symptoms. Seven of 26 had premenstrual syndrome symptoms of dysautonomic crisis. Blood sex hormone levels were normal in 27 of the 33 patients studied. None reached natural menopause. One patient had adenomyosis, and another, dysgerminoma. Three patients became pregnant and delivered healthy infants. CONCLUSION: Menarche is delayed in women with FD, and the physiological monthly hormonal fluctuations may disturb autonomic homeostasis sufficiently to precipitate dysautonomic crisis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Fulminant hepatic failure due to hepatitis A].

Fulminant hepatic failure accompanied by encephalopathy is a rare complication of acute liver disease, especially infection due to hepatitis A virus. We describe a 24-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man who developed this complication. One case presented with loss of consciousness and ended fatally. In the other the presenting symptoms were mental confusion and transient asterixis. Although hepatitis due to virus A is usually mild and the course favorable, one should be aware of the possibility of severe encephalopathy as a complication.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Radioimmunodetection of tumors with monoclonal antiplacental ferritin antibody: preliminary results.

Two mouse monoclonal antiferritin antibodies were employed to detect tumors. In the first case a solitary hepatoma was defined, while in the second one, mediastinal metastases of breast cancer were detected. In both cases serum ferritin levels were raised. The availability of monoclonal antiferritin antibodies offers certain advantages over polyclonal antibodies (ease of production, purification and reproducibility). These antiferritin antibodies may be found useful in diagnosis and therapy of certain tumors.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Shigellosis in adults: epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory features.

One hundred and sixteen cases of adult patients hospitalized for shigellosis have been reviewed. The most common presentation included diarrhea (most frequently watery), fever, and abdominal pain, while dysentery has been less frequent. S. flexneri infection, as compared to S. sonnei, was more common in elderly patients and in males, and was characterized by a more prolonged clinical course. Abnormalities of serum electrolytes and hepatic enzymes were the most common laboratory complications, most often seen in elderly patients. Most isolates exhibited susceptibility to the common antimicrobial agents used in shigellosis therapy.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1987

A common anti-DNA idiotype in sera of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis.

The sera of 57 patients with active, untreated pulmonary tuberculosis were examined for the presence of a common anti-DNA idiotype, 16/6. Thirty-four of the 57 sera (60%) had an increased level of the idiotype, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a specific rabbit anti-16/6 serum. Of 28 matched control sera, only 1 (4%) was found to be positive for the idiotype. The sera of patients with tuberculosis also showed increased activity against a variety of antigens with which lupus autoantibodies are known to crossreact (e.g., single-stranded DNA, double-stranded DNA, polynucleotides, and cardiolipin). A correlation was observed between serum IgG and IgM levels and the 16/6 idiotype levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Serum immunoglobulin levels in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and patients with Klebsiella infection.

Serum immunoglobulins levels were determined in 42 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis as a prototype of chronic infection and 41 patients with Klebsiella infection representing acute infection, using a radial immunodiffusion technique. The mean serum concentration of IgG, IgA and IgM of the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (1980 +/- 688, 314 +/- 152 and 222 +/- 123 mg/dl, respectively) were found to be significantly higher than normal control levels (P less than 0.005). The mean serum IgG, IgA and IgM concentration of the patients with Klebsiella infection (1102 +/- 340, 287 +/- 133 and 168 +/- 105 mg/dl, respectively), were also higher than normal levels but only IgM level differed significantly from the normal control levels (P less than 0.05). The difference in serum IgG and IgM between the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and Klebsiella infection was statistically significant (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.05, respectively). These findings reflect the polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia found in chronic infections, on the one hand, and the rise of IgM of the primary immune response in acute infection, on the other.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

The sera of patients with Klebsiella infections contain a common anti-DNA idiotype (16/6) Id and anti-polynucleotide activity.

In view of recent reports linking Klebsiella pneumoniae with autoimmunity, we have examined the sera of 52 patients with urinary tract infection or septicaemia from this Gram-negative pathogen, for the presence of antibodies to DNA, polynucleotides, cardiolipin and a common anti-DNA idiotype 16/6. Up to 27% of these patients had anti-polynucleotide antibodies detectable, and in 37% the 16/6 idiotype was found. Absorption of the sera of two patients, with no DNA binding, against the Klebsiella polysaccharide K-30 induced a significant fall in both their anti-K30 antibody and 16/6 idiotype levels. Among 52 patients with other Gram negative infections a maximum of 17% and 19% respectively, had anti-DNA antibodies and the 16/6 idiotype present in their serum. In 37 normal controls, the rate of antibody and idiotype detection was 5% or less. The presence of autoantibodies in the serum of patients with Klebsiella infections may be the result of non-specific stimulation due to bacterial polyclonal activation. However, there might also be a specific stimulus triggered by idiotypic cross-reaction between autoantibodies and anti-Klebsiella antibodies.

Adult↗