Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W C Noble

Publications and source records attributed to W C Noble.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Carriage of gentamicin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Gentamicin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci were found on various sites of the skin of 20 of 27 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In 12 cases isolates with identical susceptibility patterns could be recovered from the same patients at intervals of 2-8 weeks. In seven of these cases isolates from individuals repeatedly had the same phage type, biotype and plasmid profile and three patients shared such identical strains. The use of plasmid profiles proved to be most satisfactory for epidemiological purposes. It was concluded that out-patients on CAPD may persistently harbour their own gentamicin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcal strain and that cross-colonization may also occur.

Coagulase↗
PubMed1987

Analysis of human skin surface lipid during treatment with anti-androgens.

Skin surface lipid was collected from the foreheads of patients during a study of anti-androgen therapy for acne, and analysed for free fatty acid composition and triglyceride fatty acids. Both sebum excretion rate and bacterial flora decreased during therapy but only the ratio of free fatty acid to total glyceride plus free fatty acid changed, falling in all groups during therapy. No differences in lipid composition were detected in relation to individual therapy but patients admitted at the start of the trial, had, overall, a different lipid composition to those admitted later and had lower surface microbial counts.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1987

Developing a comprehensive breast center.

In 1985 the University of Michigan Medical Center established a multidisciplinary breast care center (BCC) to provide comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for patients with benign and malignant breast disease. Ninety-eight per cent of the first 500 new patients were women and 2 per cent were men. One-hundred thirty-one women (26.7%) and no men had breast cancer. Of the remaining 359 women, 75.3 per cent had some element of fibrocystic disease. Patients who had breast cancer were evaluated during their initial visit to the BCC by a nurse, general surgeon, radiation therapist, and oncologist. Ninety-five per cent of all patients were given a definitive treatment plan or a second opinion at the conclusion of their one visit to the center. Patient and physician satisfaction with the center concept has been high. The center emphasizes patient education and choice between mastectomy and breast-sparing procedures and radiation therapy for the control of primary cancers. Adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy is given to all nodal-positive patients. Establishment of multidisciplinary centers, such as the BCC, requires the commitment of all physician specialty groups, nursing and hospital administration. High quality patient care can be provided in such centers in a more efficient and coordinated manner than in the non-center setting. The center can serve as a source of increased patient referrals and research opportunities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Toewebs as a source of gram-negative bacilli.

The prevalence of Gram-negative bacilli on the toewebs was 8% in normal students, 24% in hospital outpatients with suspected Tinea pedis, 41% in industrial workers wearing protective clothing and 58% in coal miners. Prevalence was greatest in those exposed to wet working conditions. In miners, the presence of Gram-negative bacilli was related to symptoms of itching/soreness and cracking/fissuring, and was negatively related to malodour, but this latter trend was reversed in outpatients and in industrial workers. The feet are a source of many 'enteric' and 'environmental' bacilli and could contribute to infection elsewhere than in the toewebs themselves.

Acinetobacter↗
PubMed1986

Plasmid profiling of epidemic staphylococci from around 1960: a comparison of epidemiological techniques.

Plasmid profiles have been established for 68 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from 13 episodes of epidemic spread in hospital wards between 1958 and 1962. Despite the original lack of care in preservation of strains the profiles give, in general, the same epidemiological patterns as were established originally on the basis of phage type, antibiotic sensitivity, ward and date of isolation.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1986

Plasmids in group JK coryneform bacteria isolated in a single hospital.

Investigation of 39 JK-type coryneform isolates from patients at a single hospital revealed that 23 possessed plasmids, which formed six groups on restriction endonuclease analysis. Four of the groups were associated with production of similar bacteriocin-like substances, and shared a minimum of 6.4 kilobase pairs of DNA. These plasmids, found in isolates from different patients, provide strong direct evidence that person-to-person transmission of JK bacteria had occurred within the hospital.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1985

Application of computer taxonomic techniques to the study of cutaneous propionibacteria and skin-surface lipid.

Colonisation of the forehead by propionibacteria and the composition of both free fatty acid and fatty acid of the triglyceride fraction of skin-surface lipid were studied, and the results were analysed using numerical taxonomic techniques. The density and prevalence of propionibacteria increased with age in a population of 230 children aged 5-18 years. The fatty-acid composition of casual sebum on the forehead changed with age, suggesting that the prevalence and density of organisms may be related to lipid composition. Cluster-analysis techniques revealed groups of individuals who resembled each other with respect to their triglyceride and free-fatty-acid profiles. These groups tended to consist of subjects who were of a similar age and maturity, and who were similarly colonised with propionibacteria. However, no relationship was evident between the composition of lipid and clinical acne.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The cutaneous reaction to staphylococcal protein A in normal subjects and patients with atopic dermatitis or psoriasis.

Intradermal testing with the staphylococcal cell wall component, protein A, in healthy volunteers and in patients with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis produced a range of responses but in all groups there was an immediate weal and flare response. There was marked individual variation in subsequent erythema, but the patients with atopic dermatitis had less erythema at 15 min and 24 h than normal or psoriatic individuals. The greatest erythematous reaction at 48 h was seen in patients with psoriasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Foot infection in coal miners: a reassessment.

Foot infection has been studied in 514 coal miners: 70% of men had some evidence of infection but dermatophyte fungi accounted for only one-third of those affected; Gram-negative bacilli accounted for much of the remaining pathology. Itching and cracking were more severe in those with dermatophytes than in those with Gram-negative bacilli. Duration of service in the industry correlated with increasing dermatophyte infection, but not with bacillary infection. Wetness of the feet predisposed to bacillary infection but not to dermatophyte infection. There was no evidence of an association of atopy with either form of infection.

Arthrodermataceae↗
PubMed1985

Analysis of cellular fatty acids by gas chromatography as a tool in the identification of medically important coryneform bacteria.

The fatty acid methyl esters of nineteen unidentified pathogenic coryneform bacteria were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography and the resulting profiles were compared with those of type or reference strains of possibly related species, namely Caseobacter polymorphus, Corynebacterium bovis, C. diphtheriae, C. xerosis and Rhodococcus equi. All of the strains had distinct fatty acid profiles but most of them conformed to a general pattern, with high levels of octadecanoic acids and only trace amounts of 10-methyl octadecanoic acid (tuberculostearic acid). These profiles were very similar to those from C. diphtheriae and C. xerosis but could be differentiated from C. bovis, Cas. polymorphus, R. equi and two unidentified pathogenic strains which had significantly higher levels of tuberculostearic acid.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1985

High-performance liquid chromatographic identification of beta-lactam antibiotics produced by dermatophytes.

Thirteen of 48 dermatophyte isolates were found by bioassay to produce beta-lactam antibiotics and seven produced other antibiotics. Estimation and detection of specific beta-lactams in culture broths by derivatization and HPLC was only possible following concentration and extraction procedures. Analysis of the concentrated broths demonstrated the production of penicillin X and penicillin G by two Trichophyton mentagrophytes strains and by one Microsporum canis strain; one further T. mentagrophytes strain produced only penicillin X. Additions of the beta-lactam side-chain precursors, phenylacetic acid and phenoxyacetic acid, to fermentation media failed to increase the antibiotic titres.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1985

Some effects of plasmids coding for antibiotic resistance on the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus.

The relative virulence of pairs of staphylococci differing in resistance plasmid content has been studied using the neonatal mouse weight gain test. Both clinical and laboratory strains were used which had undergone genetic manipulation, either curing for loss of plasmids or transduction for gain of plasmids. A difference in virulence was detected between two variants of S. aureus NCTC 8325 possessing different plasmids coding for penicillinase. However in most cases any form of genetic manipulation seemed to reduce the virulence of the staphylococcus. In the case of NCTC 9789 (PS 80) which was originally an epidemic strain, curing of a plasmid coding for cadmium resistance resulted in reduced virulence but original virulence could not be restored by transduction of the plasmid into the cured derivative.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Analysis of an outbreak of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome: strategies for typing 'non-typable' strains.

Thirteen newborn babies were studied during an outbreak of scalded skin syndrome. Staphylococci isolated from seven babies were non-typable using the international set of typing phages; the remainder were of phage group II. In only one instance was there transmission of phage group II strains other than within families. However, 'heat treatment' and plasmid profiles of the non-typable strains showed that five of the seven babies were infected by strains which were indistinguishable. These five strains were more closely related to phage III staphylococci than to phage group II. The identity of the epidermolytic toxin has not been established.

Bacteriophage Typing↗