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Biomedical subjects

P N Foster

Publications and source records attributed to P N Foster.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Defective activation of neutrophils after splenectomy.

Neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis in the presence of serum from 20 patients who had undergone splenectomy and from 15 healthy volunteers was studied. The mean distance migrated by normal neutrophils in the presence of serum from the patients after splenectomy was significantly less than that when normal serum was used (p less than 0.005). The percentage of neutrophils phagocytosing a yeast was also significantly reduced in the presence of serum from patients after splenectomy (p less than 0.02). In addition, when neutrophils from these patients were studied both chemotaxis and phagocytosis were enhanced in normal compared with autologous serum (p less than 0.05).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Hyposplenism and T lymphocyte subpopulations in coeliac disease and after splenectomy.

An imbalance in immunoregulatory cells might explain the increase in autoimmune phenomena associated with hyposplenism. Using the monoclonal antibodies OKT3, OKT4 and OKT8 to identify T-lymphocyte subsets, we have studied 19 patients with treated coeliac disease, 9 of whom had hyposplenism, 10 splenectomized subjects, 10 gastrointestinal control patients and 10 normal subjects. There was no significant difference in the proportion of lymphocytes, OKT3+, OKT4+ or OKT8+ cells, nor in the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio, between any of the patient groups and normal or control subjects. Splenectomized subjects had higher total lymphocyte counts than normals (p less than 0.01). Hyposplenic coeliac patients had higher total lymphocyte counts than other coeliacs (p less than 0.05). Hyposplenic coeliac patients and splenectomized subjects tended to have an increase in the absolute number of OKT8+ cells, which in the latter group was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). We conclude that the increased frequency of autoimmune phenomena associated with hyposplenism due to coeliac disease or after splenectomy is not the result of an altered ratio of OKT4+/OKT8+ cells or a deficiency of OKT8+ cells.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1985

Natural killer cells in coeliac disease.

Lymphoma is a well recognized but unexplained complication of coeliac disease. Natural killer (NK) cells are a distinct population of lymphocytes with the capacity to lyse some tumour cell-lines in vitro and there is evidence that they may play a role in immune surveillance and protection against the development of malignancy. Using a monoclonal antibody (Leu 11b) and a functional assay, we have measured NK cell numbers and activity in 32 patients with treated coeliac disease (9 of whom had evidence of hyposplenism), 10 splenectomized subjects, 14 biopsied, control patients and 26 normal subjects. The proportions (mean +/- SD) of Leu 11b + cells in normals (17 +/- 5%) and coeliac patients (19 +/- 7%) were similar. NK activity in all the coeliac patients (34 +/- 15%) was not significantly different from normal (31 +/- 15%) and control (26 +/- 15%) subjects. NK activity was correlated with % Leu 11b + cells (r = 0.64; p less than 0.01). The NK activity in patients with hyposplenism associated with coeliac disease (32 +/- 18%) and after splenectomy (29 +/- 15%) was similar to that in normals. We conclude that the increased risk of malignancy in patients with coeliac disease is not due to deficient NK cell numbers or activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Oxalate-loading tests to screen for steatorrhoea: an appraisal.

We have evaluated two procedures as screening tests for steatorrhoea: firstly, a simplified, two-day, oxalate-loading test and secondly the rate of urinary oxalate excretion following a single oral dose of oxalate. Following two-day oxalate loading there was almost complete overlap of the values for 24-h urinary oxalate between 15 apparently healthy volunteers and 10 patients with steatorrhoea. The rate of oxalate excretion following a single dose of oxalate was increased in one patient with Crohn's disease and ileal resection who had normal faecal fat excretion, but three patients with steatorrhoea due to other causes had normal rates of excretion. We conclude that these oxalate-loading tests are not a useful alternative to faecal fat estimation in patients with suspected malabsorption.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Prospective comparison of three non-invasive tests for pancreatic disease.

Ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and an oral pancreatic function test were evaluated prospectively in 107 consecutive patients suspected of having pancreatic disease, the final diagnosis being made independently of these tests. Seventeen patients proved to have either chronic pancreatitis or a pancreatic neoplasm. Five had an unfused ventral pancreas and 10 had "minimal change" pancreatograms. Seventy five patients did not have pancreatic disease. Among the 17 patients with pancreatic disease the sensitivities of ultrasound, CT, and the pancreatic function test were 70%, 71%, and 76% respectively; among those without disease values of specificity of the three tests were 75%, 87%, and 72%. All three tests failed to detect most of the patients with unfused ventral pancreases or minimal change pancreatograms. The predictive values of a positive result for the three tests were 43%, 67%, and 34%. The predictive value of a negative result was greater than 90% for all the tests. Results improved when CT was combined with either of the two other tests. These findings show that CT is the most accurate of the three tests in diagnosing pancreatic disease but that a combination of ultrasound and the oral pancreatic function test offers a more widely applicable and almost as accurate alternative.

4-Aminobenzoic Acid↗
PubMed1983

Low fibronectin in portal hypertension.

We have measured plasma fibronectin in 28 patients with well-compensated chronic liver disease, 4 patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension and 6 patients who have undergone shunt surgery for the relief of portal hypertension and splenectomy. 17 patients with portal hypertension had significantly lower levels of fibronectin (207 +/- 54; mean +/- SD) compared with 15 patients without portal hypertension (315 +/- 75, p less than 0.001) and the 6 patients who had undergone shunting and splenectomy (330 +/- 66, p less than 0.001). We suggest that in patients with portal hypertension and splenomegaly, low levels of fibronectin might result from increased consumption by the enlarged spleen.

Fibronectins↗
PubMed1983

Aplastic anaemia and polyneuropathy.

We report a previously undocumented association between aplastic anaemia and acute idiopathic polyneuropathy and speculate that it was due to an antibody cross-reacting with haematopoietic stem cells and myelin.

Anemia, Aplastic↗