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Biomedical subjects

R F Lockey

Publications and source records attributed to R F Lockey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Nasal and bronchial provocation challenges with bayberry (Myrica cerifera) pollen extract.

Southern bayberry, distributed throughout the southeastern United States, is the source of the fifth most common windborne tree pollen in Tampa, Fla. Fifteen percent of 400 consecutive subjects evaluated for allergic respiratory symptoms in the Tampa Bay area had positive skin tests to bayberry pollen extract. Bayberry pollen extract was obtained commercially and used to perform 25 nasal and 22 bronchial challenges on 45 subjects. Twelve of 13 (92%) study subjects with allergic rhinitis and positive skin tests to bayberry pollen extract and two of 12 (17%) control subjects with negative skin tests had positive nasal challenges (p = 0.0001). Four of seven (57%) study subjects with extrinsic asthma and positive skin tests to bayberry pollen extract and none of the 15 (0%) control subjects with negative skin tests had positive bronchial challenges (p = 0.001). Sera from 30 subjects who underwent 31 challenges were assayed for bayberry pollen extract-specific IgE by plate radioimmunoassay. Specific IgE antibodies were present in the sera of 8 of 13 (62%) subjects with positive challenges and absent in 15 of 18 (83%) subjects with negative challenges (p = 0.01). Intradermal skin tests with bayberry pollen extract were more predictive of provocation challenge results than plate radioimmunoassay (positive predictive value of 80%, 95% CI 62% to 98%; versus 73%, 95% CI 47% to 99%). Bayberry pollen extract is allergenic, and the Southern bayberry tree fulfills Thommen's criteria defining aeroallergen-producing plants.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Medic alert!

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Cardiovascular System↗
PubMed1991

Environmental assay for cockroach allergens.

A sandwich ELISA was developed to measure the concentration of cockroach allergen in the environment. The assay was based on a monospecific rabbit antibody preparation reactive with determinants shared by the important allergens, Per a I and Bla g I, from American and German cockroaches. The sensitivity was 0.2 ng Lowry protein of Per a I equivalents per milliliter, corresponding to 1 ng of Per a I equivalents per gram of dust (Per a I eq/gm). The assay did not react with noncockroach-allergen sources. Dust samples from 73 households in a cockroach-infested area were assayed. The concentration in these samples varied from below detection to 200,000 ng of Per a eq/gm of dust. Three commercial cockroach-allergen extracts all contained the allergen. The assay will be valuable for studies of the clinically relevant cockroach-allergen exposure levels and for assessment of efficacy of allergen-avoidance measures. Furthermore, the assay could be used for sanitary documentation in bakeries, restaurants, etc.

Allergens↗
PubMed1991

Prevalence of specific IgE to the storage mite, Aleuroglyphus ovatus.

Aleuroglyphus ovatus (Ao) is a storage mite that has a worldwide distribution and has been found in stored bran, wheat, chicken meal, and dried fish products. Ao was isolated from a chicken meal sample, cultured on whole wheat flour at 75% relative humidity, and 1 gm of pure Ao bodies were extracted, 1:20 wt/vol, in 0.2 mol/L of ammonium bicarbonate. Der p I, major allergen of Dermatophagoides, pteronyssinus (Dp), or Der f I major allergen to Dermatophagoides farinae (Df), was not detected in extracts of Ao. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed 25 bands (6 to 110 kd), and thin-layer isoelectric focusing revealed 19 bands (isoelectric point, 3.5 to 9.3). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblots with six different sera identified nine IgE binding bands (16 to 100 kd). Thin-layer isoelectric focusing immunoblots identified 16 IgE binding bands (isoelectric point, 4.5 to 9.3). An aliquot of the Ao extract was diluted in bicarbonate buffer (pH 9.2) and adsorbed to plastic microtiter plates. RAST to Ao and Dp were performed with sera of 163 atopic individuals (88 with allergic rhinitis and 75 with allergic asthma with or without allergic rhinitis). All individuals had appropriately positive skin tests that correlated with a history of exacerbation secondary to allergen exposure. RAST results to Dp and Ao were analyzed by regression analysis (r = 0.64; p = 0.0001). Fifty-five individuals were RAST positive to Dp alone, 32 to Ao and Dp, and three to Ao alone; 73 individuals were negative to Ao and Dp. RAST inhibition demonstrated moderate cross-reactivity between Ao and Dp.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Caffeine, a naturally occurring acaricide.

Since caffeine is a plant alkaloid that has been described as a naturally occurring insecticide, its acaricidal effect on Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) was investigated. Twelve cultures were established by adding 30 Dp to 200 mg of Tetramin fish food and brewer's yeast (8:2 ratio); six cultures were treated with 20 mg of finely ground caffeine. All 12 cultures were incubated at 75% relative humidity, 25 degrees C, and observed during 8 weeks. Live mites were then counted under a stereoscope, cultures were extracted, and supernatants were analyzed for Der p I and Der f I allergen content with a two-site monoclonal RIA. Live mite counts in untreated cultures varied from 146 to 274 (215 +/- 47.1), and in caffeine-treated cultures from 0 to 3 (1 +/- 1.2; p less than or equal to 0.0001). Der p I concentrations in untreated cultures varied from 588 to 9000 ng/gm (3138.3 +/- 2990.8 ng/gm), and in caffeine-treated cultures from 52 to 117 ng/gm (78 +/- 23.8 ng/gm; p less than or equal to 0.01). Der p I was not detected in the food media or caffeine; Der f I was not detected in any of the cultures. Results demonstrate that caffeine inhibits mite growth and allergen production.

Acari↗
PubMed1991

Sensitization to Blomia tropicalis and Lepidoglyphus destructor in Dermatophagoides spp-allergic individuals.

Serum was collected from 77 atopic subjects from Cartagena, Colombia, who had a positive skin test (greater than or equal to 3 mm) to either Dermatophagoides farinae (Df) (73) or D. pteronyssinus (Dp) (70). Twenty-nine healthy volunteers with negative allergy histories and negative skin tests were used as control subjects. RAST and RAST-inhibition assays were used to study the prevalence of specific IgE to Blomia tropicalis (Bt), Lepidoglyphus destructor (Ld), and Df. RAST results were considered positive when a serum bound greater than or equal to 1% of the total counts added; 69 atopic subjects (89.6%) were positive to Df, 66 (85.5%) to Bt, and 46 subjects (59.7%) were positive to Ld. RAST results, analyzed by regression analysis, revealed the following correlation coefficients: Df versus Bt, r = 0.59; Df versus Ld, r = 0.44; and Bt versus Ld, r = 0.52. RAST-inhibition assays with a serum pool of 11 individuals highly allergic to all three mites (mean specific IgE to all mites, greater than or equal to 18.2 percent total counts bound) demonstrated considerable cross-reactivity between Bt and Ld and moderate cross-reactivity between Df and Bt and Ld. Bt, Df, and Ld possess unique, as well as common, allergens. Sensitization to Bt and Ld is very common in mite-allergic individuals in Cartagena, Colombia.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A three-year aerobiologic pollen survey of the Tampa Bay area, Florida.

An aerobiologic survey using a rotoslide sampler was conducted daily (January 1979 through December 1981) in Tampa, Florida. A major tree pollen season (Dec. through May) consisted of oak, pine, Australian pine, bald cypress, cedar, bayberry and mulberry. A minor tree season (Oct. and Nov.) consisted of Australian pine and elm. Grass pollen was found throughout the year and most prevalent April through October. A major weed pollen season (May through Dec.) consisted of ragweed, Mexican tea, pigweed, dog fennel, and false nettle. A minor weed season (March through July) consisted of sorrel and dock.

Air Pollution↗