Biomedical subjects

A Purcell

Publications and source records attributed to A Purcell.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Effect of i.v. furosemide on pelvic urinary oxygen tension in humans.

Urinary oxygen tension may be an index of renal medullary blood flow. The effect of i.v. furosemide on urinary oxygen tension was studied in four patients with indwelling nephrostomy tubes. An intravascular oxygen sensor (Paratrend 7, Biomedical Sensors Ltd, UK) was inserted into the renal pelvis via the nephrostomy and urine oxygen tension measured. In all cases, furosemide 20 mg i.v. produced a decrease in pelvic urinary oxygen. The possible mechanisms and implications are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Spreading of the immune response from 52 kDaRo and 60 kDaRo to calreticulin in experimental autoimmunity.

Calreticulin (CR) is widely recognized as a new human autoantigen but there are conflicting data concerning its relationship with the Ro(SS-A) ribonucleoprotein (RNP). Recent evidence suggests that CR binds to 52 kDaRo (Ro52) by a protein/protein interaction and binds to hY RNA and rubella virus RNA. Other studies have shown that initiation of immunity to either Ro52 or 60 kDaRo (Ro60) can lead to reciprocal spreading of autoimmunity to Ro60 or Ro52, respectively, and induce anti-La autoantibodies in some strains of mice. These findings support a physical association of these polypeptides in Ro/La complexes. To test the hypothesis that CR is physically associated with Ro52 and/or Ro60 we examined the sera of Ro52-, Ro60- and La-immunized mice for intermolecular spreading to CR. Immune sera from BALB/c and C3H/HeJ mice immunized with recombinant 6xHis-mouse Ro52, 6xHis-human Ro60 or 6xHis-human La were tested for reactivity by ELISA and immunoblotting with a full-length human CR protein expressed as a soluble maltose binding protein fusion protein (CR-MBP). Five of the six Ro52-immunized C3H/HeJ mice sera and all six Ro60-immunized C3H/HeJ mice sera reacted with the CR-MBP (but not a MBP control) on ELISA. In the BALB/c group, the responder rate was lower with one in six of the Ro52-immunized and one in five of the Ro60-immunized mice spreading to CR. In contrast, none of the BALB/c or C3H/HeJ mice which was immunized with La showed evidence of a recruited anti-CR antibody response. Immunoblotting of the different recombinant proteins with immune sera from the C3H/HeJ mice confirmed the specificity of the initial and recruited antibody responses. The spreading of immunity from Ro52 and Ro60 to CR in Ro-immunized mice suggests that a subpopulation of CR or CR-like molecules must associate under certain circumstances with Ro52 and Ro60 polypeptides in vivo, possibly as Ro/CR complexes concentrated in surface membrane blebs of apoptotic cells. The lack of spreading to CR in La-immunized mice suggests that CR may be associated with a subpopulation of Ro particles from which La has already dissociated.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Nasalance levels in the speech of normal Australian children.

OBJECTIVE: Nasalance scores have been shown to depend on the regional dialect of English spoken. Australian cleft palate clinics are increasingly making use of the Nasometer as part of their evaluation of velopharyngeal inadequacy. There are, however, no normative data for Australian English available as reference information. The objective of this study, therefore, was to obtain comprehensive nasalance data for a large group of Australian children, aged 4 to 9 years, for two standard nasalance passages (Zoo Passage and Nasal Sentences) and to investigate any gender or age differences within that age range. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 245 children (123 female, 122 male) ranging in age from 4 years, 0 months, to 9 years, 3 months. The children were recruited from a variety of schools and preschools across the Sydney metropolitan region. The children all spoke Australian English, and their hearing, articulation skills, and speech resonance were within normal limits. METHOD: Mean nasalance scores were obtained for two speech passages that are used as standards for Nasometer testing (Zoo Passage and Nasal Sentences). In addition, the nasalance data were analyzed for any gender and age dependence, using separate analyses of variance for each speech passage. Five consecutive age groups were used to examine age dependence (4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old children). RESULTS: A mean score of 13.1 (SD, 5.9) was obtained for the Zoo Passage, and a mean of 59.6 (SD, 8.1) for the Nasal Sentences. The analysis of variance results indicated that, at a probability level of p < 0.01, there was no statistically significant age or gender dependence for either speech passage. CONCLUSION: These normative nasalance data for children who speak Australian English will provide important reference information for clinicians who assess nasality disorders in cleft palate clinics in Australia.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1997