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Biomedical subjects

O W Jones

Publications and source records attributed to O W Jones.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Human chorionic gonadotropin levels in pregnancies with aneuploid fetuses.

Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and the free alpha-hCG subunit were evaluated in 249 women from 9 to 11 weeks gestation who subsequently underwent chorionic villus sampling for determination of fetal karyotype and in 20 women of 18 or more weeks gestation who were ascertained to have an aneuploid fetus by genetic amniocentesis. Seven of the first-trimester pregnancies were determined to be aneuploid and six had hCG levels in the normal range (one triploid pregnancy had elevated hCG levels) whereas 12 of the 20 second-trimester cases had abnormal hCG levels and an additional three had elevated levels of alpha-hCG. This study confirms the previous report of abnormal maternal serum hCG levels in women with an aneuploid fetus at greater than or equal to 18 weeks gestation and demonstrates that hCG evaluation is not useful at 9-11 weeks gestation for selecting pregnancies at risk for fetal aneuploidy.

Adult↗

Meigs syndrome and elevated CA 125.

A patient presented with a pelvic mass, ascites, and pleural effusion. The serum CA 125 level was noted to be 226 U/mL (normal 5-35 U/mL). On surgical exploration, she had a benign fibroma-thecoma without malignant cytology in the ascitic fluid. Postoperatively, the pleural effusion resolved and the CA 125 decreased to 32 U/mL. This is the first reported case of Meigs syndrome and an elevated CA 125 level. As previously documented, elevated serum CA 125 does not always indicate malignancy.

Aged↗

In vitro characteristics of human fetal cells obtained from chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.

In vitro characteristics of human fetal cells have been investigated after chorionic villus sampling at the first trimester and amniocentesis at the second trimester of pregnancy. Light microscopy revealed heterogeneous morphology of cell types in both the chorionic villus culture and the amniotic fluid cultures. Based on the experiments performed, chorionic villus cells are more sensitive to pronase, trypsin, and versene during subculture and have a higher DNA content per single cell and release more [125I]-Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin into culture medium than those found in amniotic fluid cells. The practical applications of this study are discussed.

Amniocentesis↗

Oxygen saturation in the supine hypotensive syndrome.

This study used recently available, continuous noninvasive monitoring techniques to evaluate positional variations in pulse, blood pressure, and maternal oxygen saturation in 42 women undergoing fetal nonstress testing in the third trimester. Ten nonpregnant women were similarly evaluated with the automatic sphymomanometer and pulse oximeter. Six of 42 pregnant women (14.3%) developed the supine hypotensive syndrome (defined as a mean blood pressure decrease of 15 mmHg and a sustained increase in pulse of 20 beats per minute) when in the supine position. Nine of them (21.4%) met at least one of the criteria, but the majority (27 of 42, 64.3%) met neither criterion. None of the ten nonpregnant subjects had hypotension or tachycardia, although nine demonstrated blood pressure elevation after assuming the supine position. Significant oxygen desaturation did not occur in any patient, although three of six hypotensive patients had a transient 3-5% desaturation after supine rest. This study confirms that a significant percentage of patients in the third trimester are affected to some degree by supine hypotension. However, significant oxygen desaturation does not appear to occur.

Adolescent↗

Use of nude mouse xenografts as preclinical screens. Characterization of xenograft-derived melanoma cell lines.

Cell lines derived from human melanoma xenografts were characterized for surface markers, karyotype abnormalities, and in vitro drug sensitivity. Xenografts were established using metastatic explants from untreated patients and passaged in nude mice. Cell lines were readily established from melanoma xenografts, and formed colonies when plated in semisolid media. The lines expressed human melanoma-associated and other surface antigens, human lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes, and contained only human chromosomes. They failed to express murine histocompatibility determinants and were negative for murine viruses by mouse antibody production assay. Karyotypes showed abnormalities of chromosomes 3, 6, and 7 similar to other melanomas. In vitro chemosensitivity profiles were compared using cell line and xenograft colony-forming assays. Values were similar for the original xenografts and their cell lines. Xenograft-derived human melanoma lines resemble other melanoma cell lines and primary melanomas with respect to surface antigens and karyotype abnormalities, and are appropriate models for studying in vitro drug sensitivity. When used as a model for transition from solid tumor to cell line, these studies suggest cell lines closely mirror in vitro chemosensitivities of parent tumor cells. However, occasional, unpredictable changes in sensitivity to some drugs occurs during this transition.

Animals↗

Duplication of distal 15q: report of five new cases from two different translocation kindreds.

Four children and one spontaneously aborted fetus from 2 separate families have a similar pattern of malformation secondary to duplication of distal 15q. In both families, the abnormal chromosomes were derived from balanced reciprocal translocations carried by the mothers. Clinical features common to the 4 liveborn children include appropriate birth weight, length, and head circumference for gestational age; similar craniofacial anomalies, including sloping forehead, bulbous nose, prominent nasal bridge and septum, midline crease in the lower lip, and micrognathia; arachnodactyly; joint contractures involving hands and feet; cardiac defects; and genital anomalies. The 2 infants with duplication 15q22.1----qter and deletion 13q32.3----qter died in the immediate neonatal period. The abortus, who shared the same chromosome constitution, had an omphalocele and a cephalic defect in neural tube closure. The 2 children with duplication 15q22----qter and deletion 11q25----qter survived but have severe psychomotor retardation and postnatal onset growth deficiency, at 48 and 30 months, respectively. The findings in these 5 cases plus review of the literature permit further delineation of a recognizable pattern of malformation secondary to duplication of distal 15q.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Abnormal maternal serum chorionic gonadotropin levels in pregnancies with fetal chromosome abnormalities.

The alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (alpha-hCG), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) were measured in the serum of 25 women with chromosomally abnormal fetuses between 18 and 25 weeks of gestation and in 74 normal pregnancies. AFP levels less than 0.5 multiples of the median (MoM) or greater than 2.5 MoM were observed in 24 per cent of the abnormal pregnancies and in 6.76 per cent of the normal pregnancies. A low concentration of hCG (less than 0.25 MoM) was observed in 8 per cent of abnormals and in 2.7 per cent of normals while an elevated concentration of hCG (greater than 2.5 MoM) was observed in 56 per cent of abnormals and in 1.35 per cent of normals. Elevated hCG-alpha (greater than 2.5 MoM) was observed in 28 per cent of abnormals and in none of the normals. Determination of elevated levels of hCG-alpha or hCG resulted in detection of 68 per cent of pregnancies with chromosomally abnormal fetuses with a false positive rate of 1.35 per cent. Determination of both elevated and depressed gonadotropin levels resulted in detection of 76 per cent of abnormal pregnancies with a false positive rate of 4.05 per cent. Measurement of hCG and hCG-alpha in maternal serum samples can be used as a screening procedure for detecting pregnancies at risk for fetal chromosome abnormalities.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗

Radiation leukemia virus and X-irradiation induce in C57BL/6 mice two distinct T-cell neoplasms: a growth factor-dependent lymphoma and a growth factor-independent lymphoma.

Two different classes of neoplastic T cells were isolated from radiation leukemia virus (RadLV)-inoculated and from X-ray-treated C57BL/6 mice. One consisted of growth factor-dependent T-cell lymphoma (FD-TCL) lines which were established from the spleens and thymuses of treated mice within a day of lymphoma detection. FD-TCL cells were often eudiploid and could be grown in pure culture only at high concentrations, or on stromal feeder layers. Non-thymic, factor-dependent TCL cells produced interleukin-2 upon lectin stimulation, and were autostimulatory because they secreted growth factor(s) constitutively. Single cell cloning of FD-TCL cells in semisolid medium required the addition of exogenous conditioned medium. In vivo, FD-TCL cells that were injected intraperitoneally or intravenously homed to the spleen, proliferated in it and killed the injected mice. FD-TCL cells did not produce local tumors at the site of subcutaneous injection. The isolation and study of FD-TCL cells was facilitated by their cultivation on stromal hematopoietic monolayers in supplemented "lymphocyte medium", until an autostimulating, self-sustaining concentration of FD-TCL cells was obtained. FD-TCL cells could not be grown from lymphoid tissue of normal, control mice. In contrast, T-cell lymphoma (TCL) lines, which were established from virus-induced thymomas which had been kept in situ for 4-6 weeks after detection, consisted of factor-independent cells that possessed an aneuploid karyotype (in some cases trisomic for chromosome No. 15), and produced local tumors at the site of subcutaneous injection. These cells could be cloned in semisolid medium without addition of exogenous factor(s). The phenotypic markers of TCL cells differed from those of FD-TCL cells, suggesting heterogeneity in the stages of differentiation at which cells can give rise to growth factor-independent (TCL) and to growth factor-dependent (FD-TCL) lines.

Animals↗

Prenatal diagnosis and follow up of a child with a complex chromosome rearrangement.

A case of de novo, apparently balanced, three way exchange by translocation plus a pericentric inversion is described. The karyotype is 46,XX,t(6;11)(p21;q21),t(11;21) (q21;p13),inv(6)(p21q11) and was ascertained through second trimester amniocentesis. The structural rearrangements appear balanced. The child was phenotypically normal at birth. Growth and motor development were normal until 30 months, at which time linear growth dropped below the 5th centile. In addition, there was delayed speech development at 2 years of age. As far as we can determine, this is the first report of a three chromosome exchange including a pericentric inversion ascertained through genetic amniocentesis.

Amniocentesis↗

Utilization of health services by Mexican immigrant women in San Diego.

The limited empirical data available on maternal health problems among Mexican immigrant women in the United States suggest that they underutilize health services, especially general preventive care. Research conducted among legal and undocumented women in the Mexican immigrant population in San Diego, California, support these findings. Among undocumented mothers, 11.5% of their births in the U.S. occurred with no prenatal care or care sought in the third trimester, which is much higher than Mexican women legally in the country (3.6%) and the general San Diego maternal population (3.8%). When we examine births which occurred within the last five years by immigration status, we find that women legally in the country have a much higher rate of cesarean delivery of both undocumented women and women in the general San Diego maternal population. Undocumented women in our sample were much less likely than their legal counterparts to return for postpartum examinations for themselves, to seek neonatal care for their infants, and to have had Pap examinations or carry out breast self-examinations.

California↗

New frontiers in genetic medicine.

Disorders determined wholly or in part by genetic factors constitute a substantial number of human diseases. This realization has grown during the past 2 decades with the recognition of many specific heritable conditions and the identification of familial risk factors for common disorders. New technologies, such as fetal visualization, chorionic villus sampling, molecular cloning methods, and gene transfer technology, provides a framework for dealing with genetically determined illness in unprecedented ways. Several current and potential applications of these methods are examined, as is the use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms to survey the variability within the genome and to generate markers permitting the prospective detection of genetic disorders. The promise and limitations of chorionic villus biopsy sampling are considered for early prenatal diagnosis. The future of gene therapy in hereditary diseases is examined, and some of the substantial social and ethical considerations engendered by these new developments are explored.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Mexican immigrants and the utilization of U.S. health services: the case of San Diego.

This paper examines survey data gathered from 2103 Mexican immigrants living or working in San Diego County, California, in order to explore four fundamental questions concerning the utilization of health services: (a) What type of health services do Mexican immigrants use? (b) When hospitals are used, do they tend to be emergency room services? (c) Do Mexican immigrants use preventive services? (d) To what extent do the utilization patterns of undocumented immigrants differ from their legally-immigrated counterparts? The socioeconomic profile of the sample is characterized through analysis of variables such as sex, age, length of residence in the U.S., occupation and income. Mexican immigrants, particularly the undocumented, are relatively young compared to the non-immigrant population, of short duration in the U.S. and earn low income. In addition, undocumented and legally-immigrated respondents are covered by medical insurance at rates far below the general population. Mexican immigrants, including the undocumented, use a variety of health services. Hospital services are not the primary source of care. However, when undocumented respondents did use hospital services, they were more likely to use emergency room care than their legally-immigrated counterparts, who were more likely to use out-patient services. Finally, undocumented respondents tended to neglect preventive services as evidenced by examination of the use of pre-natal care, general check-ups and dental services.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation of amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

A simple, inexpensive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using commercially available supplies is described. An examination of amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) values for 15 to 20 weeks' gestation is presented. The interassay coefficient of variation was 12% (N = 40) at a level of 4.75 micrograms/mL. Repeat freezing, thawing, and storage at 4C for three months had no discernible effect on measured AFP value. Data comparison with a radioimmunoassay (RIA) kit indicates similar reliability for both assays. There were no false-negative values (zero of 20). The false-positive rate for RIA was 4.4% (13 of 295) and for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was 5.0% (15 of 295).

Amniotic Fluid↗

Expanded care in obstetrics for the 1980s: preconception and early postconception counseling.

This paper is an essay in which the suggestion is made to expand obstetric care during this decade to include preconception as well as early postconception counseling. The development of perinatal and neonatal medicine is traced and medical problems that might be improved by medical counseling before pregnancy occurs are tabulated. Diabetes is suggested as a prototype of a medical disorder for which preconception counseling would be helpful. The expansion of obstetric services into an area of preventive medicine might well begin in already established regional medical centers but should quickly expand to the offices of private obstetricians. In this broader interpretation of obstetric care, prevention of maternal and fetal or neonatal problems could decrease the cost of high-risk medical care.

Counseling↗

Partial phenotypic correction of human Lesch-Nyhan (hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient) lymphoblasts with a transmissible retroviral vector.

A human Lesch-Nyhan (hereditary, severe hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPR transferase) deficiency) B-lymphoblast line was infected with an amphotropic retroviral vector containing human HPR transferase cDNA under transcriptional control of viral long terminal repeat sequences. Of 17 clones isolated, 12 integration groups were defined by analysis of restriction enzyme digests of their genomic DNA with HPR transferase and viral long terminal repeat probes. These groups had HPR transferase activity restored to levels of 4 to 23% of normal values. Aberrant metabolic parameters associated with severe deficiency of HPR transferase activity, i.e. elevated rates of purine excretion, increased accumulation of hypoxanthine, elevated 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate contents, altered nucleoside triphosphate pools, resistance to toxic effects of 6-thioguanine, were partially to nearly completely corrected; the degree of correction generally corresponded to the degree of restoration of HPR transferase activity. The integration of the HPR transferase gene was found to be variably stable during 9 months of culture of the virally transformed lymphoblasts under nonselective conditions. The HPR transferase gene-infected lines reverted to resistance to 20 microM 6-thioguanine, i.e. severe HPR transferase deficiency, at frequencies of 10(-6) to in excess of 10(-5) per generation. The reversions were accompanied by either a loss or rearrangement of the integrated HPR transferase sequences or by retention of the sequences in an unaltered form.

Animals↗

Mechanism of T-cell lymphomagenesis: transformation of growth-factor-dependent T-lymphoblastoma cells to growth-factor-independent T-lymphoma cells.

In a previous paper we described the induction by x-irradiation or radiation-induced leukemia virus-inoculation of two classes of lymphoid T-cell neoplasms: The first class, designated T-cell lymphoblastoma (TCLB), consists of growth-factor-dependent eudiploid cells that home to the spleen and give rise to splenic tumors on injection into syngeneic mice; the second class, designated T-cell lymphoma (TCL), consists of growth-factor-independent aneuploid or pseudodiploid cells that give rise to local tumors at the site of subcutaneous injection. This paper describes the generation of a family of growth-factor-independent aneuploid or pseudodiploid TCL cells after the injection into the thymus of growth-factor-dependent diploid TCLB cells. In contrast to the donor TCLB cells, the resulting TCL cells could be cloned in semisolid medium, produced local tumors at the site of subcutaneous injection, and proliferated in a growth-factor-independent fashion in vitro. The induced growth-factor-independent TCL cells were chromosomally and phenotypically unstable and continued to evolve both in vivo and in vitro. After propagation in the thymus, the cells often showed stable translocations in addition to the evolving aneuploidy. We propose that the chromosome abnormalities induced during the proliferation of growth-factor-dependent TCLB cells in the thymus constitute a general mechanism by which neoplastic cells progress from growth-factor dependency to independency.

Animals↗

Swimming behavior of X and Y human sperm.

A laminar-flow fractionation method, developed primarily for removing dead sperm from human semen, was successfully modified to enrich X and Y sperm to 80% purity, and to characterize each enriched fraction for individual swimming behavior. Y-sperm fractions were rapidly detected by fluorescent cytogenetic staining. Subsequently, the degree of enrichment was quantitated with DNA extracted from each sperm fraction probed with a human male-specific recombinant DNA clone. In stationary fluid, X and Y sperm swam in circles with the same average speed. However, in a flowstream, X sperm shifted to a nearly straight path of movement in a significantly decreased angular velocity. This shift was four times more pronounced in X sperm than in Y sperm, especially after the initial transition from stationary fluid to flow. The velocity gradient across the flow axis was essential for separating X and Y sperm; uniform flow velocity did not separate them effectively.

Cell Separation↗