Biomedical subjects
B Mackey
Publications and source records attributed to B Mackey.
Energy restriction decreases number of circulating natural killer cells and serum levels of immunoglobulins in overweight women.
We examined the effects of energy restriction on immune response and also compared the effects of low fat (LF, 18.6 E%) and high fat (HF, 40.7 E%) diets during energy restriction on immunological parameters. Ten overweight women were fed the HF diet for 42 days (P1) to maintain their body weights. For the next 84 days (P2), the energy intake was reduced to 50% of the intake during P1 for all the women, five of them were fed the HF diet and the other five the LF diet. For the last 35 days of the study (P3), subjects remained on their respective diets, but the energy intake was increased to maintain BW to the level reached at the end of energy restriction. Serum concentrations of IgG, IgA, IgM, C3 and C4, numbers of lymphocytes and their subsets, blastogenesis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured with phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A and protein A were determined several times during the study. Delayed hypersensitivity skin (DHS) response to seven recall antigens was determined towards the end of each study period. None of the parameters studied were different between the HF and LF dietary groups. During energy restriction the subjects lost an average of 7 kg in the LF group and 9 kg in the HF group. Energy restriction caused a significant (P < 0.005) decrease in the serum concentration of IgG, IgA, C3, and the number of circulating natural killer (NK) cells. An increase in energy intake during P3 reversed some of the decreases caused by energy restriction, but the levels did not return to pre-restriction levels during these 35 days of refeeding adequate dietary energy. The numbers of circulating lymphocytes and their subsets with the exception of NK cells, serum levels of IgM and C4, and the DHS response monitored 48 h after the application of antigens were not affected by energy restriction. Health status of the women in our study did not seem to be compromised; however, it could be compromised under more drastic restrictions or with moderate restrictions in high risk subjects.
Hitchcock's birds, or the increased rate of exposure to histoplasma from blackbird roost sites.
A statewide survey of populations in proximity to blackbird roost sites to determine exposure to histoplasmosis from such sites has demonstrated that a site harboring Histoplasma capsulatum, even though undisturbed, adds significantly to the exposure rate of proximal populations. Disturbance of such a site increases the exposure rate dramatically with or without concurrent clinical cases of histoplasmosis.
A new appraisal of histoplasmin sensitivity in Kentucky.
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Incidence of aflatoxin in California almonds.
In a survey of California almonds, aflatoxin was found in 14% of 74 samples of unsorted, in-shell almonds as received by the processor in 1972, but it occurred at very low levels (below 20 parts per billion (ppb)) in 90% of the contaminated samples. The overall proportion of individual nuts contaminated was especially low and is estimated with 95% probability to have been in the range of 1 nut/55,300 nuts to 1 nut/14,700 nuts. Aflatoxin contamination is not restriced to any particular section of the almond-growing region of California. Commercial sorting procedures are effective in removing most aflatoxin-contaminated nutmeats, since none of 26 samples of processed, whole nutmeats contained aflatoxin. In contrast, 13 of 27 samples of diced almonds were contaminated, but nine of these 13 samples contained less than 20 ppb. Only one of 25 samples of sliced nutmeats contained aflatoxin (4 ppb). Thus, aflatoxin incidence in almonds varies greatly with the category of finished product. The apparent high incidence in diced nutmeats is probably due mostly to the more uniform distribution of aflatoxin occurring in this product (because of its small particle size) than that occurring in the other products. Sample size requirements for monitoring aflatoxin in almonds are discussed.
A comparative study of platelet aggregation in primates.
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Castor meal antigen deactivation: pilot plant lime process.
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Castor meal antigen deactivation--pilot plant ammonia process.
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Castor meal antigen deactivation--pilot plant steam process.
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Including women in clinical trials: how about the women scientists?
What happens when women scientists are excluded from designing and conducting research? This paper discusses the importance of recruiting and retaining women as scientists. It explores the impact on science of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against women scientists. The paper presents case examples suggesting that when women scientists' careers are stymied, research that could be beneficial to women may be devalued, delayed, or derailed.