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Biomedical subjects

S Kumari

Publications and source records attributed to S Kumari.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Seroprevalence of rubella in women of reproductive age.

This study was conducted on 160 females of childbearing age and 40 girls of prefertility age group. The rubella immunity status was analysed according to their age, social class, geographical distribution and previous obstetric history. History of previous rubella infection was obtained in 12% cases only. The over all incidence of rubella immunity was found to be 55%. There was a gradual increase in the immunity status, with peak incidence of 66% between 30 to 34 years of age. Females of low socioeconomic status showed higher incidence of immunity (63%) compared to social class I (40%). Rubella immunity was higher in urban female population (57%), where-as only 49% of rural females were immune to rubella virus infection. The immunity status of women with previous BOH was higher (61%) as compared to those with normal obstetric performance (54.6%). From the above observations, it was concluded that a substantial number of women enter child bearing without immunity to rubella. A simple HAI test for rubella antibody (IgG) can be a good pointer to pick up susceptible female population and the seronegative females should be immunised against rubella before they contemplate pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Brugia malayi: the diagnostic potential of recombinant excretory/secretory antigens.

The diagnostic potential of recombinant E/S antigens of the lymphatic filaria Brugia malayi was investigated by Western blot. A cDNA expression library was constructed using B. malayi male adult worm mRNA, and E/S recombinants were identified with a rabbit antiserum raised against E/S products collected in vitro from B. malayi male and female adult worms. Two of these recombinants, Bm12 and Bm14L, were studied after subcloning the cDNA inserts in an Escherichia coli plasmid expression and purification vector, obtaining the inserts' nucleotide sequence, and purifying the expressed proteins. By homology of their deduced amino acid sequence with that of previously identified proteins, Bm12 was identified as the B. malayi gp 15/400 antigen, and Bm14 as a member of the hsp90 family of heat shock proteins. The antigenic cross-reactivity of the purified recombinant proteins was assessed with 28 serum samples from patients infected with Ascaris, Trichuris, or hookworm, and also with a few samples from patients with onchocerciasis and loiasis. For Bm12, the specificity for all of the intestinal helminthiasis together was 75%. Bm14L, on the other hand, cross-reacted with all of the ascariasis serum samples with which it was tested. Presence of antibodies cross-reactive with B. malayi was confirmed in all of these serum samples by examining their antibody reactivity with Western blots of extracts of whole B. malayi adult worms. A semiquantitative (+ or -) assessment of the sensitivity of Bm12 for antibody detection was performed using 6 serum samples from patients with chronic filariasis and 24 samples from patients with microfilaremia. All of these serum samples contained anti-Bm12 antibody (sensitivity of 100%). Finally, the ability of Bm12 to detect antibody before the onset of patency was established with a longitudinal collection of serum samples obtained from 2 African green vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) and 3 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), all of which were infected with B. malayi. Anti-Bm12 antibodies were detectable in all animals between 4 and 11 weeks before patency.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Nutrition and immunity: an overview.

Historical accounts and recent epidemiologic studies have suggested a mutually aggravating relationship between malnutrition and infection. In protein-energy malnutrition, there is a significant impairment of several aspects of immunity, including cell-mediated immune responses, secretory immunoglobulin A antibody production, phagocyte function, complement system, antibody affinity and cytokine production. Several micronutrients play a crucial role in maintenance of optimum immune responses. On the other hand, excessive intake of nutrients also impairs immunity. Animals fed diets lacking in nucleotides have lower immune responses than controls but there is no enhancement of immunity when the diet contains large amounts of nucleotides. These observations have considerable practical importance in terms of designing feeding formulas.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in Delhi.

Between 1989 and 1992 (to October), 65 patients of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis were referred to the Virology Laboratory of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi, from the major hospitals of Delhi. The cases were mainly residents of Delhi, but a few were from states bordering Delhi. The age group of affected cases ranged from 2 to 24 years. The disease (SSPE) was six times more common in males than in females. All but four patients below 3 years of age gave a past history of measles. No patient had history of measles vaccination. The titres of haemagglutination inhibition antibodies (HAI) to measles virus in serum of SSPE patients ranged from 1:8 to 1:2048 and in CSF it ranged from 1:4 to 1:64, while in the control group it ranged from 1:2 to 1:256 in serum and nil in CSF. The geometric mean titres in serum was 10-fold higher in serum and four-fold higher in CSF from SSPE cases as compared to control.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Role of transfusion-mediated viral infections on the lymphocyte subset profile in multi-transfused children.

A total of 74 multitransfused (MT) children of beta thalassaemia major were analysed for prevalent viral markers transmitted through transfusion. A higher incidence of serological markers for Hepatitis B virus (HBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) could be observed in the group of MT children compared to control group. There was a significant trend (chi 2 = 33.4; P < 0.001) in the increase in prevalence of viral markers along with the increase in the number of transfusions. MT children receiving more than 50 transfusions were found to have evidence for at least one or multiple viral infections transmitted through blood. Children receiving more than 50 transfusions were characterized by marked alteration of T3, T8, and B cells while T4/T8 ratio was found to be significantly decreased (P < 0.001) only in the group of children receiving more than 100 transfusions. Relative assessment of the alteration of lymphocyte subsets in various groups of viral infection showed that cases with CMV IgM to have more marked influence on the alteration of T8 cells, T4/T8 ratio, and B cells compared to other groups of viral infections. Reassessment of the lymphocyte subset profile in MT children in the light of CMV IgM positive cases revealed that in children receiving more than 50 transfusions significant alterations of lymphocyte subjects were influenced by the presence of CMV IgM positive cases in these groups. Our study points out that the correlation between the alteration of lymphocyte subset profile and number of transfusion in MT children need to be reassessed in the light of acute CMV infection in the form of CMV IgM.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Prevalence of diphtheria and tetanus antibodies in young adults in Delhi.

A total of 574 blood samples collected mainly from adult males, on a random basis, were tested for diphtheria and tetanus antibodies by Indirect Haemagglutination (IHA) test to find out the percentage of individuals with protective titres (> or = 0.015 IU/ml). A total of 502 (87.5 per cent) and 437 (76.2 per cent) of these had protective titres against diphtheria and tetanus respectively. The vaccination status of these subjects against diphtheria and tetanus was not ascertainable. The relevance of these findings is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in multitransfused children with thalassemia.

Two hundred and three multi-transfused children with thalassemia attending the Thalassemia Clinic of the Charak Palika Hospital, New Delhi were screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies by ELISA and all positive cases were confirmed by Western Blot. Of the 203 children screened, 18 (8.9%) were HIV positive, and in these children a detailed immunological work up was done and compared to 18 age-matched HIV negative thalassemics as controls. The tests included absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC), absolute and percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ cells and their ratios (CD4/CD8), immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgM and IgA) and delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (DCH) test by Multitest CMI in all the cases and the controls. Of the 18 HIV positive children, 6 were diagnosed to have clinical AIDS as per the WHO criteria. After immunological testing, the children were further classified according to the CDC criteria. By these criteria, 11 children were classified as P1 A (asymptomatic infection, normal immune function), 1 child as P1 B (asymptomatic infection, abnormal immune function), 2 children as P2 A (symptomatic infection with non-specific findings), 1 child as P2 C (lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis), 1 child as P2 D1 (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) and 2 children as P2 D2 (symptomatic infection with infections). In this paper, the clinical features of the children with AIDS is described, and the immunologic functions of these children are compared with the HIV positive asymptomatic children and with controls. These are the first cases of AIDS in the pediatric age group from India.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Neonatal herpes.

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Acyclovir↗
PubMed1992

Incidence and significance of opportunistic fungi in leukemia patients in India.

Twenty-four patients with acute leukemia were investigated for the incidence of opportunistic fungi. Culture isolations of the sputum and urine samples revealed significant levels of Candida in 14 patients; Candida albicans, C. tropicalis and C. pseudotropicalis were the predominant ones isolated. Aspergillus flavus was isolated from blood in two cases and C. albicans and a black yeast from the blood of another two. Serological studies showed fungal antibodies in seven patients; precipitins against Candida were detected in five and Aspergillus in two. Both of the Aspergillus positive cases and two patients who had rising antibodies against Candida died during the course of investigation. In this study 13 of 24 patients developed oral candidiasis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Asymptomatic Salmonella senftenberg carriage in a neonatal ward.

During a 23-day period in April 1991, nine infants in a neonatal ward were found to be colonized with Salmonella senftenberg. All were asymptomatic on detection and all except one (who developed septic ileus) remained asymptomatic on follow-up. The affected babies were isolated and subsequently discharged from the ward as soon as possible. These measures, along with emphasis on handwashing and intensification of cleaning and disinfection, were able to prevent spread to other babies. Despite extensive sampling of the environment, mothers and staff, the source of the organism could not be identified.

Carrier State↗
PubMed1992

Lower respiratory tract infection in hospitalized children due to respiratory syncytial (RS) virus during a suspected epidemic period of RS virus in Delhi.

A study of 131 children below 5 years of age seeking hospitalization due to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), comprising 56 cases of bronchiolitis, 61 cases of bronchopneumonia, and 14 cases of other lower respiratory tract diseases showed significant occurrence of bronchiolitis in younger age groups (chi 2 = 79.21; P less than 0.001). Employing two rapid techniques, viz. immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFAT) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) along with tissue culture, Respiratory Syncytial (RS) virus could be detected in higher percentage of bronchiolitis cases (54 per cent by both culture and IFAT, 70 per cent by EIA) compared to bronchopneumonia (36 per cent by both culture and IFAT, 49 per cent by EIA) and other LRTI cases (14 per cent each by culture, IFAT and EIA). The detection rate of RS virus was higher in the age group 0-6 months compared to the remaining age groups combined (7-60 months) in bronchiolitis cases irrespective of the technique employed while no such difference could be noted in bronchopneumonia. Eighteen (90 per cent) out of 20 specimens positive for RS virus by EIA, but negative by culture were found to be true positives as revealed by blocking test. In comparison to culture, sensitivities of IFAT, EIA, and EIA (by blocking test) were found to be 89, 94, and 94 per cent, respectively, while specificities of these techniques were found to be 92, 74, and 76 per cent, respectively. Higher detection rate of RS virus in the present study compared to earlier ones from India is attributed to application of EIA as well as selection of LRTI cases during a period of suspected epidemic of RS virus.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Immunologic tolerance in lymphatic filariasis. Diminished parasite-specific T and B lymphocyte precursor frequency in the microfilaremic state.

To explore the mechanisms of antigen-specific immune unresponsiveness seen in microfilaremic patients with bancroftian filariasis, T and B cell precursor frequency analysis was performed using PBMC from individuals with either asymptomatic microfilaremia (MF, n = 7) or chronic lymphatic obstruction (CP, n = 20). Highly purified CD3+ cells were partially reconstituted with adherent cells and their proliferative response to parasite antigens determined in cultures of T cells by limiting dilution analysis. A filter immunoplaque assay also assessed the frequency of both total and parasite-specific Ig-producing B cells. While the lymphocyte proliferation to mitogens and to a nonparasite antigen (Streptolysin-O, [SLO]) were similar in all groups of patients, the frequency of parasite-specific CD3+ T cells was significantly lower (geometric mean [GM], 1/3,757) in MF patients when compared to that in CP patients (GM 1/1,513; P less than 0.001). Similarly, the proportion of lymphocytes producing parasite-specific IgE or IgG was significantly lower in MF patients (IgE mean, 0.2%; IgG mean, 0.33%) compared with CP patients (IgE mean, 3.2%; IgG mean, 1.76%; P less than 0.05 for both comparisons). These observations imply that low numbers of parasite-specific T and B lymphocytes may be partially responsible for the severely diminished capacity of lymphocytes from patients with MF to produce parasite-specific antibody and to proliferate to parasite antigen in vitro. Such differences in parasite-specific lymphocyte responses suggest that tolerance by clonal anergy may be a critical mechanism for maintaining the microfilaremic state.

Animals↗