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Biomedical subjects

A Moody

Publications and source records attributed to A Moody.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Measuring infectious bursal disease virus RNA in blood by multiplex real-time quantitative RT-PCR.

A quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol for assessing infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) RNA levels in blood was developed using the ABI PRISM 7700 Sequence Detection System coupled with TaqMan chemistry. To control for variations in sampling and processing between samples 28S rRNA was co-amplified in a multiplex reaction and used to quantify total RNA. Relative quantification and standardisation was achieved using a log10 dilution series of RNA extracted from IBDV stock. A linear relationship was observed between input RNA and cycle threshold values (C(T)) over 5 log10 dilutions for the IBDV-specific product and 6 log10 dilutions for the 28S rRNA-specific product. As a test of the assay it was used to determine whether differences in susceptibility to IBDV observed between inbred lines of chickens could be detected at the level of viral load in the blood. Viral RNA levels peaked 2 days post-infection when there was significantly less viral RNA in the blood of resistant line 6(1) chickens compared with the more susceptible Brown Leghorns (P = 0.01). These results demonstrate that the course of IBDV infection can be monitored by quantifying IBDV RNA extracted from blood of infected chickens using TaqMan technology.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Performance of the OptiMAL malaria antigen capture dipstick for malaria diagnosis and treatment monitoring at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London.

We report here the sensitivity and specificity of OptiMAL for the diagnosis of acute malaria in patients presenting to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), a tertiary referral centre for Tropical and Infectious diseases. A sensitivity of 95.3% and a specificity of 100% for Plasmodium falciparum and a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100% for Plasmodium vivax was obtained. The ability to follow the course of the parasitaemia using OptiMAL during treatment and its significance for use in areas where expert microscopy is not available is discussed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

Clinical experience with the negative pressure wound dressing.

Between 1997 and 1999, more than 300 patients have been treated using negative pressure wound dressings. The technique has been used successfully to prepare various acute, chronic or infected wounds to accept a skin graft or flap, and to promote graft take at difficult donor sites. The advantages include rapid healing by secondary intention, reduced time to skin grafting, an increase in the rate of graft take and a reduction in donor site complications. The dressing can be applied quickly and easily and there have been no serious complications.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Increased nitric oxide production in the respiratory tract in asymptomatic pacific islanders: an association with skin prick reactivity to house dust mite.

BACKGROUND: Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) is increased in asthma and may also be increased in subclinical airway inflammation. The relationship between atopy and subclinical airway inflammation in the pathogenesis of asthma remains unclear. We have evaluated the relationship between exhaled NO levels and skin prick test reactivity to 8 common allergens in 64 asymptomatic adult Pacific Islanders. Pacific Islanders were studied as a racial group with major morbidity from asthma. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether asymptomatic subjects with skin prick test reactivity to common allergens have elevated NO levels. METHODS: All subjects underwent full lung function testing and skin prick testing. Exhaled and nasal NO levels were measured by chemiluminescence (Logan LR2000 analyzer) with use of the single-breath and breath-holding techniques, respectively. RESULTS: House dust mite (HDM) reactivity was seen in 38 of 64 (56%). Exhaled NO levels (median 8.9 ppb, range 2.9-47.3 ppb) and nasal NO levels (527.5 +/- 181.5 ppb) lay above the normal European range in 30% and 25% of subjects, respectively. HDM reactivity was associated with higher exhaled NO levels (P <. 0005) and higher nasal NO levels (P =.01). In HDM-sensitive subjects the wheal size for HDM correlated with exhaled NO levels (r = 0.35, P =.04) and nasal NO levels (r = 0.40, P =.01). On multivariate analysis, exhaled NO levels were independently and positively related to the severity of HDM reactivity (P =.01) and nasal NO levels (P <.02), equation R(2) = 0.27. CONCLUSION: NO levels are elevated in a significant proportion of asymptomatic Pacific Islanders and are associated with HDM sensitivity. This may denote subclinical airway inflammation in this population and suggests that exposure to HDM in atopic individuals might play an important role in the early pathogenesis of asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Negative pressure wound dressing of the radial forearm donor site.

Donor site complications of the radial forearm are a significant cause of post-operative morbidity. 15 patients had radial forearm free tissue donor sites treated with split skin grafts and a negative pressure dressing. All grafts showed 100% take at 5 days. The advantages of this technique include rapid healing at an unfavourable graft recipient site, increased graft take and decreased donor site complications. This method is ideally suited for the management of large defects. The dressing can be quickly and easily applied and there have been no significant complications.

Forearm↗
PubMed1999

Simultaneous reorganization in thalamocortical ensembles evolves over several hours after perioral capsaicin injections.

Reorganization of the somatosensory system was quantified by simultaneously recording from single-unit neural ensembles in the whisker regions of the ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus and the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex in anesthetized rats before, during, and after injecting capsaicin under the skin of the lip. Capsaicin, a compound that excites and then inactivates a subset of peripheral C and Adelta fibers, triggered increases in spontaneous firing of thalamocortical neurons (10-15 min after injection), as well as rapid reorganization of the whisker representations in both the VPM and SI. During the first hour after capsaicin injection, 57% of the 139 recorded neurons either gained or lost at least one whisker response in their receptive fields (RFs). Capsaicin-related changes continued to emerge for >/=6 h after the injection: Fifty percent of the single-neuron RFs changed between 1-2 and 5-6 h after capsaicin injection. Most (79%) of these late changes represented neural responses that had remained unchanged in the first postcapsaicin mapping; just under 20% of these late changes appeared in neurons that had previously shown no plasticity of response. The majority of the changes (55% immediately after injection, 66% 6 h later) involved "unmasking" of new tactile responses. RF change rates were comparable in SI and VPM (57-49%). Population analysis indicated that the reorganization was associated with a lessening of the "spatial coupling" between cortical neurons-a significant reduction in firing covariance that could be related to distances between neurons. This general loss of spatial coupling, in conjunction with increases in spontaneous firing, may create a situation that is favorable for the induction of synaptic plasticity. Our results indicate that the selective inactivation of a peripheral nociceptor subpopulation can induce rapid and long-evolving (>/=6 h) shifts in the balance of inhibition and excitation in the somatosensory system. The time course of these processes suggest that thalamic and cortical plasticity is not a linear reflection of spinal and brainstem changes that occur following the application of capsaicin.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

Developmental analysis of the evolutionary origin of vegetative propagules in Mimulus gemmiparus (Scrophulariaceae).

Mimulus gemmiparus (Scrophulariaceae), a rare endemic of Colorado, has a novel life history that depends on an unusual method of vegetative reproduction. The plants are functionally annuals; however, reproduction is asexual via propagules that have been termed gemmae. The morphological identity and the evolutionary antecedent of these propagules are unclear. We approached this problem through comparative developmental analyses of M. gemmiparus and the presumed progenitor species, Mimulus guttatus. In M. gemmiparus there are two meristems initiated in the axil of each leaf primordium. The distal meristem has the potential to produce either a lateral branch or a flower, and the proximal meristem becomes a vegetative propagule (the gemma) that is ultimately surrounded by an expanded, ensheathing petiole. The first leaves of the propagules are thickened and are the site of nutrient storage. Consequently, these propagules can be characterized morphologically as brood bulbils. Mimulus guttatus also has two meristems in each leaf axil; however, the proximal meristem typically remains dormant and serves no function in the life history of this species. Based on architectural and developmental correspondence, we hypothesize that the propagule of M. gemmiparus is homologous to the proximal meristem of M. guttatus. Comparative analysis shows that evolution of the bulbil has involved both the incorporation of features present in shoots of M. guttatus and the acquisition of novel features.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Regulation of GAD expression in rat pancreatic islets and brain by gamma-vinyl-GABA and glucose.

Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is an important autoantigen in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but little is known about its regulation and function in islet cells. We investigated the effects of the GABA-transaminase inhibitor gamma-vinyl-GABA (GVG) on GAD expression in rat islets and brain in vitro and in vivo. In islets incubated in high glucose culture medium there was an increase in GAD activity, GAD65 and GAD67 protein levels compared to low-glucose conditions; however, even in high glucose, GVG still significantly suppressed GAD activity and GAD67 expression. Our observations suggest that glucose and GVG act on GAD in islets through different mechanisms. Quantitative immunohistochemistry of pancreatic sections from rats treated with GVG in vivo using novel monoclonal antibodies specific for GAD65 and GAD67, showed a decrease in GAD67 expression (p < 0.005) relative to untreated rats. The effects of GVG on rat pancreatic islets were very similar to those observed in brain of rats treated with GVG in vivo. In homogenates of cerebral tissue from GVG treated rats containing both membrane-bound and soluble protein GAD67 levels were significantly decreased while GAD65 levels were not significantly changed compared to untreated rats. In contrast, in homogenates of cerebral tissues containing only soluble cytosolic protein, GVG-treatment was also significantly found to decrease GAD65 levels. Taken together, these results suggest that GVG potentially could be of use to decrease GAD expression in islet cells and consequently to deviate/inhibit the autoimmune response against the beta cells seen in IDDM.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

HIV enteropathy: comparative morphometry of the jejunal mucosa of HIV infected patients resident in the United Kingdom and Uganda.

AIMS: To compare jejunal mucosal morphometry in HIV infected patients resident in London and Uganda. PATIENTS: Twenty HIV positive patients from London and 16 from Uganda were studied, and compared with HIV negative control subjects from both sites. METHODS: Stools and biopsy specimens were examined for enteropathogens. Surface area to volume (S:V) ratio was estimated morphometrically, mean crypt length of jejunal biopsy specimens was measured, and HIV infected cells detected immunohistochemically were quantified. RESULTS: Enteric pathogens were detected in none of the London patients, and in three Ugandan patients. S:V ratio was lower, and mean crypt length higher, in the specimens of London patients than in normal subjects, but there was no difference in S:V ratio or mean crypt length between Ugandan patients and controls. A negative correlation was present between S:V ratio and mean crypt length in all biopsy specimens analysed. HIV infected cells were detected only in lamina propria. CONCLUSION: Infection of cells in the lamina propria of the jejunum with HIV stimulates crypt cell proliferation, and a fall in villous surface area. The mucosal response to HIV is masked by other pathogens in the African environment.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Intestinal capillariasis as a cause of chronic diarrhoea in Egypt.

Intestinal capillariasis in humans is caused by a nematode- Capillaria philippinensis, which infects small fresh water or brackish fish and some fish eating birds. It has occurred in areas where people eat raw fish such as the Philippines and Thailand. This paper reports a case of a women with intestinal capillariasis in Menouf, in the Nile Delta of Egypt. It is the second case to be reported from the same area of Menouf. Microscopic examination of stool revealed eggs, larvae and adult male and female worms of C. philippinensis. This was successfully treated with Albendazole.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Diagnosis of 4 cases of intestinal microsporidiosis in AIDS patients].

BACKGROUND: Most of the latest clinical and epidemiologic studies indicate that microsporidiosis and above all Enterocytozoon bieneusi cause approximately 7-50% of otherwise unexplained diarrhea in HIV-infected patients. Four cases of intestinal microsporidiosis in AIDS-patients are reported. METHODS: Detection of spores of microsporidiosis in stool samples from HIV-infected patients was performed by the following techniques: 1) light microscopy, using Kokoskin's modification of the Weber trichrome stain; 2) electron microscopy, for confirmation (only available in one case), and 3) indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIF), performed on all positive samples. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies anti-Encephalitozoon cuniculi, anti-E. hellem and anti-E. (Septata) intestinalis were used to eliminate the possibilities of presence of microsporidiosis other than E. bieneusi. RESULTS: Detection of spores of microsporidiosis by trichrome stain was positive in all samples from the 4 patients. By elimination, IIF confirmed the presence of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in all 4 cases. E. bieneusi was identified by electron microscopy in the only case available. Three patients had CD4+ lymphocyte counts < 100 x 10(6)/l and one < 500 x 10(6)/l. All had AIDS and three of them were homosexual. Two patients remained positive for microsporidiosis for almost 5 months. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the very few cases described in Spain, these preliminary data lead us to believe that intestinal microsporidiosis should be considered as an possible cause of diarrhea in our country also, and mainly in acute immunodeficiency patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

T cell proliferative responses to glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 in IDDM are negatively associated with HLA DR3/4.

Based on studies in spontaneously non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, it has been suggested that the Mr 65,000 isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) is of major importance in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). In humans, antibodies to GAD65 are present before and at onset of the disease and in vitro T cell reactivity to GAD has also been reported. To further characterize the T cell recognition of GAD65, we incubated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 45 newly diagnosed IDDM patients with purified recombinant human islet GAD65 and correlated the proliferative response with HLA DR haplotype and the presence of GAD65 autoantibodies. Fifty healthy individuals were studied as controls. Of the patients, 49% showed proliferative responses to GAD65 in contrast to only 4% of the controls. T cell proliferation to GAD65 was significantly more frequent in patients not being HLA DR3/4 heterozygous (19/29, 66%) as compared to HLA DR3/4 heterozygous patients (3/16, 19%) (p < 0.01). The difference was most pronounced in females with 64% (9/14) of the HLA non-DR3/4 patients being positive compared to none (0/6) of the HLA DR3/4 patients (p < 0.05). The overall frequency of GAD65 autoantibodies was 71% (32/45) with a similar distribution between patients with HLA DR3/4 (10/16, 63%) and HLA non-DR 3/4 (22/29, 76%). There was no correlation between levels of the T and B cell responses to GAD65 (r = 0.24). In conclusion, we find a proliferative T cell response to GAD65 in approximately 50% of recent onset IDDM patients and unexpectedly find the majority of responders to be HLA non-DR 3/4 heterozygous patients. No difference was observed in B cell responsiveness between the two HLA groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Effects of oral creatine loading on single and repeated maximal short sprints.

This investigation determined whether oral creatine (Cr) loading could enhance single and repeated short sprint performance. A 1 x 10 s cycle sprint (Study One) and 6 x 6 s (departing every 30 s) repeated cycle sprints (Study two) were the performance tests used. Separate groups of subjects, randomly assigned to either a Cr or placebo (P) group, were used in each study in a double blind design. After performing a familiarization and two baseline tests subjects loaded with 5g of Cr or P four times per day for five days before repeating the tests one and three days post-loading. In Study One (n = 9 in each group), work completed (kJ) at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 s and peak power (W) were greater than baseline values in each of the post-loading trials in both the Cr and P groups. There were no between group performance differences. In Study Two (n = 11 in each group) after loading, the Cr group recorded significantly greater scores than the P group in total work (kJ) completed over the 6 sprints, work completed in sprint 1, and peak power (W). Post-exercise blood lactate and pH responses were not different between the Cr and P groups after loading in either study. Although Study One results are equivocal, Study Two results suggest that Cr supplementation can enhance both single (if sprint 1 results are considered in isolation) and repeated short sprint performance.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Detection of GAD65 antibodies in diabetes and other autoimmune diseases using a simple radioligand assay.

Autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) are frequent at or before the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). We have developed a simple, reproducible, and quantitative immunoprecipitation radioligand assay using as antigen in vitro transcribed and translated [35S]methionine-labeled human islet GAD65. By using this assay, 77% (77 of 100) of serum samples from recent-onset IDDM patients were positive for GAD65 antibodies compared with 4% (4 of 100) of serum samples from healthy control subjects. In competition analysis with unlabeled purified recombinant human islet GAD65, binding to tracer was inhibited in 74% (74 of 100) of the GAD65-positive IDDM serum samples compared with 2% of the control samples. The levels of GAD antibodies expressed as an index value relative to a standard serum, analyzed with or without competition, were almost identical (r = 0.991). The intra- and interassay variations of a positive control serum sample were 2.9 and 7.6%, respectively (n = 4). The frequency of GAD antibodies was significantly higher with IDDM onset before the age of 30 (80%, 59 of 74) than after the age of 30 (48%, 10 of 21) (P < 0.01). The prevalence of islet cell antibodies showed a similar pattern relative to age at onset. Because simultaneous occurrences of multiple autoimmune phenomena are common, we analyzed sera from patients with other autoimmune diseases. The frequency of GAD antibodies in sera positive for DNA autoantibodies (8% [2 of 25] and 4% [1 of 25] in competition analysis) or rheuma factor autoantibodies [12% (4 of 35) and 3% (1 of 35) in competition analysis] was not different from that in control samples. In contrast, in sera positive for ribonucleoprotein antibodies the frequency of GAD antibodies was significantly increased (73% [51 of 70] and 10% [7 of 70] in competition analysis [P < 0.025]). In conclusion, even large numbers of serum samples can now be tested for GAD65 antibodies in a relatively short time, allowing screening of individuals without a family history of IDDM for the presence of this marker.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Diarrhoea associated with cyanobacterium-like bodies: a new coccidian enteritis of man.

Faecal excretion of cysts known as cyanobacterium-like bodies (CLB) is associated with a diarrhoeal illness, which is often prolonged and severe. It is seen mainly in travellers and immunocompromised patients. Recently these cysts have been shown to be coccidian oocysts. We describe three patients who developed diarrhoea while travelling abroad. Stool samples from all three patients contained CLB. Jejunal aspirates from two patients also yielded CLB. Conventional histology of jejunal biopsy specimens confirmed that two patients had enteritis. Electronmicroscopy of the same biopsy specimens revealed intraepithelial coccidia. These findings suggest that the small bowel is the site of infection of this new coccidian disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Epidemic visceral leishmaniasis in Sudan: a randomized trial of aminosidine plus sodium stibogluconate versus sodium stibogluconate alone.

In a comparative trial of treatment in southern Sudan, visceral leishmaniasis was diagnosed by the following symptoms: fever for > 1 month, splenomegaly, and antileishmanial direct agglutination test (DAT) titer of > or = 1:25,600. Patients (200) were randomized to receive sodium stibogluconate (Sbv) at 20 mg/kg/day for 30 days (groups S, n = 99) or Sbv at 20 mg/kg/day plus aminosidine at 15 mg/kg/day for 17 days (group AS, n = 101). Of 192 patients who had spleens or lymph nodes aspirated at entry, 134 (70%) were positive for parasites. During treatment, 7% in group S and 4% in group AS died. All 184 patients who completed treatment were clinically cured. At days 15-17, microscopy of aspirates showed that 57 (95%) of 60 in group AS were negative for parasites compared with 47 (81%) of 58 in group S (P = .018). At day 30, 57 (93.4%) of 61 group S aspirates were negative.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Autoantibodies in IDDM primarily recognize the 65,000-M(r) rather than the 67,000-M(r) isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase.

Glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies may aid in rapid screening strategies predicting IDDM before clinical onset. Rat islets contain GAD65 and GAD67 autoantibody targets, but human islets express only GAD65, now confirmed by direct immunoprecipitation from radiolabeled rat and human islets. Because human IDDM involves beta-cell-specific autoimmunity, we tested 190 new IDDM patients and 51 healthy control subjects for antibodies to recombinant human islet GAD65, rat islet GAD67, or human insulinoma/cerebellum GAD67, each expressed separately in hamster fibroblasts. By using immunoprecipitation, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and densitometric fluorogram scanning, 132 of 190 (70%) of new IDDM patients had GAD65 autoantibodies, whereas only 17 of 190 (9%) had antibodies to rat GAD67 (P < 0.001). Of healthy control subjects, 2 of 51 (3.9%) and 1 of 51 (1.9%) had antibodies to GAD65 and GAD67, respectively. All 17 GAD67 antibody-positive patients also had GAD65 antibodies; 14 of 17 with greater GAD65 than GAD67 index. Control studies showed comparable reactivity between recombinant rat and human GAD67 and between different subcellular preparations of recombinant GAD67 of either species. In conclusion, only GAD65 is expressed in human islets, the autoantibody response is primarily to this isoform, and GAD67 antibodies add little to IDDM detection.

Adolescent↗