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Biomedical subjects

T G Merrett

Publications and source records attributed to T G Merrett.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Measurement of specific IgE antibodies in nasal secretion--evidence for local production.

Serum levels of total and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) have been determined by radioimmunoassays in sixty-nine allergic subjects. The forty-one subjects with mild symptoms were the most difficult to diagnose, since nine had IgE levels less than 50 U/ml and nineteen had no detectable specific IgE antibodies. Samples of nasal secretions were collected from these nineteen subjects and five were found to have specific IgE antibodies, and in a further eight increased amounts of total IgE. The possibility of locally produced IgE antibodies should therefore be considered when using in vitro tests to diagnose mild or recently acquired allergies, especially when serum IgE levels are less than 50 U/ml.

Humans↗
PubMed1976

Allergy and parasites: the measurement of total and specific IgE levels in urban and rural communities in Rhodesia.

Eighty adult asthmatics living in an African city had a significantly higher serum IgE level (799 u/ml) than the control group (350 u/ml). A high proportion (78.7%) of the asthmatics had demonstrable circulating mite-specific IgE antibodies. The rural population of a filariasis endemic region was investigated and although no allergic subjects were identified, the group had a significantly higher IgE level (1613 u/ml) than the asthmatics and also showed a relatively high incidence of grass pollen-specific IgE antibodies (35%). The discrepancy between clinical history and laboratory results supports the mast cell saturation hypothesis and suggests: (a) an explanation for the susceptibility to allergy of African and Asian immigrants to Great Britain, and (b) a practical approach for preventing allergic reactions in vivo.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Identification of allergen-specific IgE antibodies in the sera of African asthmatics.

Of eighty African asthmatics, sixty-three had significant levels of specific IgE against the house dust mite dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. By contrast, grass-specific IgE was found in six patients and mould-specific IgE in none. Sixty-three patients also had symptoms predominantly during the rainy season. Positive skin tests against D. pteronyssinus correlated well with the presence of mite-specific IgE, as did the size of these skin test weals with the amount of specific IgE. For grass pollen and moulds there was no such relationship. There was no correlation between a history of sensitivity to house dust and either skin tests or specific IgE against D. pteronyssinus. The results support previous findings that it is allergy to house dust mite and not to grass pollens or moulds which is important in producing the seasonal symptoms in our patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

A detailed investigation of circulating IgE levels in a normal population.

Total circulating IgE levels were measured in a carefully selected normal population, using a highly sensitive double antibody assay. The mean level of 36.3 u/ml found in this group is much lower than that reported in all previous studies. No circadian rhythm was evident, but IgE levels varied slightly from day-to-day. IgE levels in 100 serum samples were compared using the double antibody assay and the Phadebas test kit, based on a solid phase technique. A poor correlation was obtained with values below 100 u/ml, however, there was an excellent correlation for samples with IgE levels above this figure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

A community survey of asthmatic characteristics.

A survey was undertaken among adults aged 20-44 years in a South Wales town. Persons with a history of wheezing with breathlessness and in the absence of a cold were identified by postal questionnaires and seen at a clinic, together with a sample of subjects without these symptoms. The response rates for the first and second stages of the survey were 99.6% and 91.0% respectively, and 574 subjects were ultimately seen. Asthmatic patients (those receiving treatment within the previous year) had some airways obstruction at rest, which increased after exercise. They also had strong allergic tendencies, as shown by personal and family history, skin tests, and serum IgE levels. The ex-asthmatics (those not receiving treatment within the previous year) showed these tendencies to a lesser extent. A larger group gave a history of wheezing but stated that they had never had asthma; in their response to exercise and allergic traits they resembled the control group rather than the asthmatics, and appeared to have the features of chronic bronchitis. Asthma and chronic bronchitis would therefore seem to be distinct entities within the population studied.

Adult↗