Biomedical subjects

T Benton

Publications and source records attributed to T Benton.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Immune changes in alcohol-dependent patients without medical disorders.

INTRODUCTION: We examined a battery of in vitro immune measures in inner city alcohol-dependent (as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) persons who were without liver or other medical disorders and free of other substance abuse. These subjects were seeking treatment at an ambulatory alcohol treatment center. METHODS: Alcohol-dependent subjects (n = 44) were compared with healthy, nonabusing community subjects (n = 34). Subjects, both male and female, had a mean age of 41 years and were primarily African American. Many were homeless. An extended battery of enumerative and functional immune measures was obtained, as well as information about alcohol consumption. RESULTS: CONTROLLING for age and gender, ANCOVA revealed no differences (p > 0.1) between alcohol-dependent and control subjects in leukocyte and lymphocyte subsets or in circulating CD56+ (natural killer) cells. There were also no significant differences in responses to the mitogens phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, or pokeweed mitogen ( > 0.1) or in natural killer cell activity (p > 0.1). There was, however, altered granulocyte function in the alcohol-dependent sample, with decreased phagocytic activity in the alcohol-dependent males (p < 0.04) and gender and age dependent differences in the number of circulating granulocytes (p < 0.01). Granulocyte killing of Staphylococcus aureus, however, did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that although males with chronic alcohol dependence have compromised phagocytic function, chronic alcohol-dependent subjects who are free of medical disorders do not have substantial abnormalities in many immune system functions.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Union negotiating.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Collective Bargaining↗

PubMed1984

Survival of parasite eggs upon storage in sludge.

Destruction rates of parasite eggs in stored sludge were examined to help understand the fate of these agents of enteric diseases in sludge lagoons. Eggs from the roundworms, Ascaris spp., Toxocara spp., Trichuris spp., and the tapeworm, Hymenolepis spp., were treated with domestic sludges by aerobic or anaerobic processes. Sludge samples seeded with eggs were stored at 4 or 25 degrees C or in a container inserted into the ground to simulate lagoon conditions. The number of eggs recovered from the samples decreased with storage time. The viability and infectivity of eggs recovered were related to the storage temperature; i.e., the eggs stored at 4 degrees C remained viable longer than those stored at 25 degrees C. After 25 months at 4 degrees C, the Toxocara eggs and some Ascaris eggs remained both viable and infective, whereas most of these eggs stored at 25 degrees C were rendered nonviable after 10 to 16 months of storage in sludge. Although storage temperature was found to be the most important factor affecting the destruction and viability of these eggs, other factors, such as the type of sludge digestion, whether or not the eggs were digested along with the sludge or added later, storage in the soil versus sludge, pH, and egg species also exhibited some minor effects. These controlled laboratory studies suggest that lagooning of sludge can be an effective method for the elimination of parasite eggs, particularly in warmer geographical locations.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in urine polyamines in childhood leukemias.

Urine polyamine:creatinine ratios (nm per mg) measured in eight children with active hematologic cancers were compared with those of age-matched controls and children with hematologic cancer in remission. Polyamine:creatinine ratios in the children with active disease were significantly higher than those of the controls (p less than 0.0025) and of the children in remission (p less than 0.0025). Putrescine:creatinine ratios were, in general, higher in children with hematologic tumors than in those with solid tumors. Urinary polyamines are thought to reflect variations in bone marrow polyamine content and have been postulated to be an indicator of clinical status.

Adolescent↗