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Biomedical subjects

A M Reed

Publications and source records attributed to A M Reed.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

The 8.5-kb PstI allele of the stress protein gene, Hsp70-2: an independent risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus in African Americans?

SLE is dramatically more prevalent in persons of African descent than in other populations. Several genes in the class III region of the MHC have been considered as potential susceptibility loci for this disorder, but the primary association(s) remains unknown. The stress protein gene, hsp70-2, is of special interest in this regard because it encodes a protein functionally relevant to antigen processing and presentation and has itself been identified as a putative susceptibility locus in organ-specific autoimmune diseases in Caucasians. To clarify the relationship of the hsp70-2 gene to SLE in African Americans, genomic DNA from 46 patients and 42 appropriately matched control subjects was analyzed for an RFLP of the hsp70-2 gene using the probe pH2.3 and the restriction endonuclease PstI, which identifies alleles of 8.5 and 9.0 kb. The 8.5-kb hsp70-2 allele was associated with SLE in this population (X2 = 8.2473, p = 0.0044). This association was not due to linkage disequilibrium with the C4A deletion or with HLA-DR3, as has been reported in Caucasians with IDDM. These data suggest that the 8.5-kb hsp70-2 allele may be an independent susceptibility marker for SLE in African Americans.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

Association of the HLA-DQA1*0501 allele in multiple racial groups with juvenile dermatomyositis.

We wanted to determine if HLA-DQA1*0501 is as strongly associated with JDMS in Hispanic and African Americans as it is Caucasians. Using DNA sequencing and oligonucleotide typing, the DNA of 70 JDMS subjects was studied. The HLA-DQA1 allelle DQA1*0501 was present in 13 out of 15 (87%) of the African-American JDMS subjects vs 9 out of 27 (33%) of the African-American controls (p < 0.0009), 12 out of 13 (92%) of the Hispanic JDMS subjects vs 5 out of 18 (28%) of the Hispanic controls (p < 0.0004), and 36 out of 42 (86%) of the Caucasian JDMS subjects vs 36 out of 78 (46%) of the Caucasian controls (p < 0.0009).

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

Breast feeding and the development of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) are less likely to have been breast fed than controls. METHODS: Case-control study of data obtained from a survey of mothers 54 children with JRA and 79 playmates regarding breast feeding. Duration of breast feeding was tabulated and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined. RESULTS: OR for breast feeding in children with JRA was 0.40 (0.20-0.81, 95% CI) compared to playmates. For pauciarticular JRA (N = 28) OR was 0.31 (0.10-0.93); in polyarticular JRA (N = 24) OR was 0.60 (0.21-1.70). Lower OR for increased durations of breast feeding were noted in children with JRA. CONCLUSION: Children who have had JRA, especially pauciarticular JRA, are less likely to have been breast fed than controls, suggesting that breast feeding may have a protective effect on the development of JRA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

FDDI information management system for centralizing interactive, computerized multimedia clinical experiences in pediatric rheumatology/Immunology.

This paper describes the design, authoring, and development of interactive, computerized, multimedia clinical simulations in pediatric rheumatology/immunology and related musculoskeletal diseases, the development and implementation of a high speed information management system for their centralized storage and distribution, and analytical methods for evaluating the total system's educational impact on medical students and pediatric residents. An FDDI fiber optic network with client/server/host architecture is the core. The server houses digitized audio, still-image video clips and text files. A host station houses the DB2/2 database containing case-associated labels and information. Cases can be accessed from any workstation via a customized interface in AVA/2 written specifically for this application. OS/2 Presentation Manager controls, written in C, are incorporated into the interface. This interface allows SQL searches and retrievals of cases and case materials. In addition to providing user-directed clinical experiences, this centralized information management system provides designated faculty with the ability to add audio notes and visual pointers to image files. Users may browse through case materials, mark selected ones and download them for utilization in lectures or for editing and converting into 35mm slides.

Allergy and Immunology↗
PubMed1993

Repair of osteopenia in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

To test the hypothesis that the presence of osteopenia in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is directly correlated with clinical disease activity and therefore reversible, we prospectively studied cortical bone mineral density (BMD) serially in 27 children. Twenty-four (89%) had BMD > or = 2 SD below age-related normal values (disease duration 49.3 +/- 7.7 months) at the beginning of the study. Of 27 children who had clinical disease improvement measured by a disease activity score during our study period, 17 (63%) had significant improvement or significant normalization, or both, of their BMD (0.34 +/- 0.13 gm/cm2 at initiation and 0.41 +/- 0.17 gm/cm2 at completion, p < 0.05; disease activity score of 3.4 +/- 0.2 at initiation and 1.4 +/- 0.2 at completion, p < 0.005). The increase in BMD was associated with a similar directional change in serum osteocalcin concentrations (4.6 +/- 1 ng/ml at initiation vs 9.1 +/- 1.1 ng/ml). The 10 patients whose disease became or remained active had a decreased or unchanged low serum osteocalcin level and BMD (BMD 0.37 +/- 0.17 gm/cm2 at initiation and 0.37 +/- 0.16 gm/cm2 at completion; disease activity score of 3.1 +/- 0.3 at initiation and 3.4 +/- 0.2 at study completion). We conclude that children with JRA who have improvement in their disease activity have an improvement in BMD heralded by an increase in serum osteocalcin values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Testing intelligent wound dressings.

While occlusive wound dressings help provide patients with moist wound healing to reduce pain and increase reepithelialization rate, the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of these dressings remains constant even though wound exudate levels may vary with time and from wound to wound. The clinician is therefore faced with exudate buildup in heavily exuding wounds and desiccation in lightly exuding wounds-a situation requiring frequent patient monitoring and dressing changes. Am "intelligent" wound dressing would have the ability to automatically respond to a wound's exudate level by self-adjusting its MVTR to maintain a constant moist wound environment. Such a dressing could help ensure that exudate buildup or wound desiccation is reduced or avoided. Three commercial wound dressings (hydrocolloid, thin film, and membrane laminate) were studied for their ability to alter their MVTR in response to varying moisture level. An efficient test methodology and experimental design was developed, which involved direct and indirect fluid contact with the dressings using two temperatures and two test methods. One dressing, a membrane laminate, was found to exhibit intelligent MVTR behavior. Data is presented which shows this dressing's ability to adjust its MVTR nearly eight-fold as a function of hydration level. Information regarding the mechanism of action of this intelligent dressing is also presented.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1991

Molecular genetic studies of major histocompatibility complex genes in children with juvenile dermatomyositis: increased risk associated with HLA-DQA1 *0501.

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDMS) is an inflammatory disease associated with HLA-DR3. We therefore undertook molecular genetic studies of HLA region genes to determine whether HLA-DR3 itself confers susceptibility to JDMS or whether susceptibility is conferred by alleles in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DR3. Our results indicate that JDMS is associated with the HLA-DQA1 allele DQA1 *0501 on non-DR3 haplotypes in Caucasian JDMS. Furthermore, the reported of association between the C4A gene deletion and JDMS is likely due to linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DR3.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

In vivo testing of a biostable polyurethane.

At present all the commercially available "medical grade" urethane elastomers exhibit a phenomenon known as environmental stress cracking (ESC). This phenomenon is characterized by surface microcracking when the elastomer is elongated while in vivo. The degree of strain that is required to initiate microcracking varies from composition to composition. It has been found that harder compounds generally tend to have a higher strain threshold than corresponding softer ones. We theorized that this degradation occurs when certain enzymes (present only in vivo) attack and break down the ether linkages that link the polymer molecules together. Those elastomers that contain more ether linkages (such as the softer compositions) appear to microcrack more easily than elastomers with fewer ether linkages (such as the harder ones). The molecular composition of ChronoFlex urethane has been chosen so that the finished elastomer will be free of ether linkages; thus, it is expected to be immune from environmental stress cracking.

Animals↗