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Biomedical subjects

A E Robertson

Publications and source records attributed to A E Robertson.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Characterization of hemocytes from the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti.

Hemocytes are an essential component of the mosquito immune system but current knowledge of the types of hemocytes mosquitoes produce, their relative abundance, and their functions is limited. Addressing these issues requires improved methods for collecting and maintaining mosquito hemocytes in vitro, and comparative data that address whether important vector species produce similar or different hemocyte types. Toward this end, we conducted a comparative study with Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti. Collection method greatly affected the number of hemocytes and contaminants obtained from adult females of each species. Using a collection method called high injection/recovery, we concluded that hemolymph from An. gambiae and Ae. aegypti adult females contains three hemocyte types (granulocytes, oenocytoids and prohemocytes) that were distinguished from one another by a combination of morphological and functional markers. Significantly more hemocytes were recovered from An. gambiae females than Ae. aegypti. However, granulocytes were the most abundant cell type in both species while oenocytoids and prohemocytes comprised less than 10% of the total hemocyte population. The same hemocyte types were collected from larvae, pupae and adult males albeit the absolute number and proportion of each hemocyte type differed from adult females. The number of hemocytes recovered from sugar fed females declined with age but blood feeding transiently increased hemocyte abundance. Two antibodies tested as potential hemocyte markers (anti-PP06 and anti-Dox-A2) also exhibited alterations in staining patterns following immune challenge with the bacterium Escherichia coli.

Aedes↗
PubMed1999

The life of a new long stay patient: a reflexive experience.

The care received by one patient in an acute psychiatric ward setting is described and analyzed by examining the relevant literature and the patient's perspective through a therapeutic relationship with a psychiatric nursing student. The patient is described as the new long stay patient and the reasons for the existence of this group are discussed. The paper concludes by stating the need to provide for those patients who are inappropriately occupying acute beds because there is no available alternative. This is found to cause problems for the individual, for psychiatric services and for nursing care.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The mental health experiences of gay men: a research study exploring gay men's health needs.

As part of a qualitative study exploring the health needs of gay men, undertaken in the Lothian area of Scotland (Robertson & Hutcheson 1995), the mental health needs of gay men were elicited through focus groups and individual interviews. A grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss 1967) was used to analyse the responses from a sample of 37 gay men. This research followed a social interactionist approach and examined from the respondents' stance the effects of being perceived as deviant and the subsequent impact on self-identity and self-esteem. The findings were that there is a reluctance amongst gay men to disclose their sexuality in health care settings which results in mental health needs remaining unrecognized by health professionals. The research also showed that the respondents faced profound social difficulties when coming to terms with their sexuality, a process that can occur throughout their life time. Those who were married faced the strain of living two lives and cited alcohol misuse and depression amongst the effects of this stressful lifestyle.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Frozen red cells in Rhesus immunization.

The use of frozen washed cells in varying doses in primary Rh immunization is compared to two groups of men with the use of fresh washed cells in a third group. In the first two groups, using frozen cells, doses ranging from 0.5 to 20 ml of whole blood (Group I) are compared with a 200.0 ml dose of red cell concentrate (Group II), while Group III served as a control using a 20 ml dose of fresh washed red cell suspension (9.0 ml concentrated red cell equivalent). The response rate was 93% in Group II compared with only 43% in Group I, suggesting the desirability of using relatively large doses of Rh-positive red cells for primary Rh immunization. The use of frozen washed cells from a special panel for 'booster' injections is also recommended.

Blood Preservation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A successful program of immunizing Rh-negative male volunteers for anti-D production using frozen/thawed blood.

Individually matched (rhesus-D) Rh-positive frozen/thawed red blood cells were used to immunize 28 Rh-negative male volunteers. The immunizing schedule consisted of a single unit (200 ml) of frozen/thawed red blood cells, followed by six monthly booster doses (0.5 to 1.0 ml) after a rest period of six months. A final response rate of 93 percent (26 of 28) was achieved. All responders had produced anti-D before the second booster injection (mean detection time 4.25 months). Retrospective analysis indicated that the final response rate and the level of anti-D response could be predicted as early as seven to eight months from the start of immunization. These findings have practical implications for deciding when to discontinue immunization. The Rh genotype of the immunizing cells did not appear to be an important factor in determining the anti-D response, and with the matching system used, antibodies other than anti-C, D, and/or E were not produced. The use of frozen/thawed red blood cells for immunization has the advantage of permitting optimum matching for undesirable red blood cell antigens and minimizing the risk of transmitting disease to the recipients.

Antibody Formation↗