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Biomedical subjects

B Zimmerman

Publications and source records attributed to B Zimmerman.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Evaluation of Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas) for potential pathogens associated with fibropapillomas.

Thirty-two juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were captured alive in Kaneohe Bay, Island of Oahu, Hawaii, during September 1991. Ten of the turtles sampled were afflicted with green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP) in varying degrees of severity. Virus isolation attempts were negative in all individuals. Using nasopharyngeal and cloacal swabs, we isolated 28 Gram negative bacteria, five Gram positive cocci, Bacillus spp., and diphtheroids. The most common isolates included Pseudomonas fluorescens (68%), P. putrefaciens (66%), Vibrio alginolyticus (50%), non-hemolytic Streptococcus (50%), V. damsela (47%), and V. fluvialis (47%). Chlamydial antigen was detected in four of the turtles sampled. The primary lesions in animals with GTFP were hyperplasia of squamous epithelial cells and mesodermal proliferation with a marked degree of orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis. Mites, leeches, and other organisms were associated with the surface of papilloma lesions. The etiologic agent of GTFP was not isolated.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Total blood eosinophils, serum eosinophil cationic protein and eosinophil protein X in childhood asthma: relation to disease status and therapy.

Blood eosinophils, and serum levels of the eosinophil proteins, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil protein X (EPX) were measured in childhood asthma. Seventeen patients mean age 11.9 years who were symptomatic with asthma, were enrolled in a study examining the eosinophil counts and eosinophil proteins at the onset of study and after treatment in relation to changes in their baseline forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1) and % predicted FEV1. The patients with symptomatic asthma were compared with 17 patients mean age 12.0 years with asymptomatic asthma maintained on daily inhaled steroid and 13 patients, mean age 12.0 years, without asthma but with urticaria who served as non-asthma controls. Patients with symptomatic asthma did not have significantly higher initial eosinophil counts compared with those with asymptomatic asthma (0.43 x 10(9)/l vs 0.26 x 10(9)/l, P = 0.09) but had higher serum ECP levels (28.9 micrograms/l vs 18.5 micrograms/l). Both asthma patient groups had significantly higher serum ECP levels (P < 0.01) than the controls (9.8 micrograms/l). After therapy consisting of increased dose of inhaled steroids and/or oral steroids, patients in the symptomatic asthma group demonstrated a significant rise in FEV1 (1.67 l/sec at Visit 1 vs 2.08 l/sec at Visit 2, P < 0.001). A similar rise was seen for % predicted FEV1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1992

Screening audiometry using the high-risk register in a level III nursery.

Several factors, including those in the high-risk register, were studied in 1240 graduates of an intensive care nursery who underwent auditory brain-stem response testing. Univariate analysis, with chi 2 and Fisher's Exact Test, and stepwise logistic regression were used to identify variables associated with auditory brain-stem response outcomes. Results suggest that factors in the high-risk register do not carry equal weight and that universal screening in the intensive care nursery may be preferable.

Apgar Score↗
PubMed1992

Clinicopathologic spectrum of primary uveal melanocytic lesions in an animal model.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are no animal models of primary uveal melanoma in an eye large enough to allow documentation of the clinical evolution of the lesion by either funduscopy or fundus photography. METHODS: The authors induced primary uveal melanocytic lesions in the eyes of Dutch (pigmented) rabbits using a two-stage carcinogenesis protocol involving initiation with 4 weekly topical applications of 10 microliters of a 1% solution of 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA) in acetone (21 eyes) followed by 12 weekly topical applications of a 10 microliters solution of either 0.25% or 0.5% croton oil in acetone. They also investigated the effect of initiation with DMBA without promotion and the effects of chronic topical exposure to acetone and proparacaine. RESULTS: Exposure to DMBA followed by promotion with croton oil in either concentration was the most effective means of inducing clinically detectable fundus lesions. Histologically, a spectrum of melanocytic proliferations developed including benign nevi, nevi with varying grades of cytologic atypia, and clusters of confluent atypical melanocytes that may represent early melanomas. Although clinical regression of fundus lesions was noted in eight eyes after promotion had been stopped, five of these eyes showed unequivocal histologic evidence of a residual uveal melanocytic lesion. Chronic ocular irritation is capable of inducing cytologically benign subclinical uveal melanocytic proliferations. CONCLUSIONS: The conventional classification of human uveal melanocytic lesions includes only nevi and melanomas, but a comparison of the results of this study with descriptions of human uveal melanocytic nevi suggests the existence of a spectrum of intermediate atypical precursor lesions in humans.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1992

Functional heterogeneity of human T cell clones from atopic and non-atopic donors.

Several distinct T helper (TH) subsets have been identified, based on the cytokines secreted. Recently, it has been demonstrated that these subsets can regulate the isotype of humoral responses. To investigate the possible differences in TH subsets between atopic donors which have elevated serum IgE and donors with normal serum IgE, we examined series of human TH cell clones. A total of 31 and 22 CD4+ T cell clones from the atopic and non-atopic donors, respectively, were characterized for the ability to help for IgE synthesis in vitro. T cell clones generated with allergen AgE from the atopic donor were autoreactive and all induced IgE synthesis. Tetanus toxoid-specific (TT) and phytohaemagglutinin clones were generated from both donors. There was significant heterogeneity between the T cells isolated with different stimuli from the same atopic donor. Also, there was a significant difference in the number of T cells generated from the atopic versus the non-atopic donor which helped for IgE, although there was no significant difference between the total number of T cells able to help for immunoglobulin synthesis of other isotypes. Most importantly, there was a higher frequency of clones able to support IgE synthesis between TT-specific T cell clones generated from the atopic versus the non-atopic donor. These results suggest that there are changes in subsets of TH cells specific for microbial antigens as well as allergens in atopics, which may have important implications for the aetiology of atopic disease.

Clone Cells↗
PubMed1991

Role of sinusitis in asthma.

Chronic sinusitis has been suggested to play a causal role in creating recalcitrant asthma. However, this hypothesis has never been confirmed in a blind placebo-controlled study. Several studies have documented an association between abnormal sinus X-rays and asthma in 30-70% of patients, depending on criteria chosen for evaluation of the radiologic changes. Asthma is associated with inflammation in the lower airways, and the same inflammation might involve the sinuses in a parallel fashion. It is now felt that early therapy of this inflammation can modify the course of asthma resulting in its amelioration. Conversely, delay in institution of this therapy might result in the inflammation entrenching airway reactivity. It must be clearly proven in a controlled fashion that antibiotic or other therapy of sinusitis will improve the course of asthma since such therapy could delay the aggressive management of inflammation.

Asthma↗
PubMed1990

A multigene deletion in the immunoglobulin heavy chain region in a highly atopic individual.

Highly atopic individuals, with marked allergy, have extremely elevated total plasma IgE levels. To determine if atopy could be associated with structural alterations involving the IGHE gene of the immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region, the genomic DNA from five atopic individuals was examined. We describe here the identification of a deletion of approximately 120kb, including the IGHA1, IGHGP, IGHG2, AGHG4, and IGHE genes of the IGH constant region, in one atopic patient. This deletion arose de novo from a maternally derived chromosome. The deletion, although apparently not the primary cause of the atopic phenotype of this patient, could be indirectly responsible for the phenotype by exposing aberrant immunoglobulin-regulating elements within the paternally derived IGH constant region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Comparison between the prevalence and treatment of wheezing and coughing in Brampton and Mississauga children.

An analysis of hospital discharge data showed that Brampton children 4 years and under had higher rates of hospital admissions for asthma, bronchitis and upper respiratory infections than children in the same age group living in Mississauga and other Ontario municipalities. The present study was done to compare the prevalence and treatment of wheezing and coughing between Brampton and Mississauga children 4 and 5 years of age. The study showed that increased use of pediatricians on the part of Mississauga children in comparison to Brampton children resulted in a higher proportion being placed on anti-asthmatic medications even though the underlying prevalence rate of wheezing and coughing was the same in the two samples. Further study is required to determine whether differences in primary care between the two samples can explain a two-fold increase in hospital admission rates for lower respiratory illness among Brampton preschool children in comparison to their counterparts in Mississauga.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1989

Highly atopic children: formation of IgE antibody to food protein, especially peanut.

Highly atopic infants often form IgE antibodies toward multiple food protein in the first 2 years of life. They begin producing IgE antibody to inhalant allergens between the first and second year of life. We hypothesized that highly atopic children would be at significant risk of sensitization to peanut. We defined high atopy as serum IgE greater than or equal to 10 times 1 SD from normal plus multiple positive RASTs. In this study we have characterized the immunologic status of 141 patients by measuring total serum IgE and specific IgE to several allergens, including peanut. These data demonstrated that, independent of clinical history, a positive RAST to peanut was more common in the highly atopic category compared to the low atopy category. Significantly more patients who were highly atopic and had a positive peanut RAST had a positive RAST for egg or milk compared to low atopic patients. More significantly, 33 of the patients had never knowingly received peanut, yet 21 (63.6%) had a positive RAST for peanut, whereas seven (21.2%) had a peanut antibody in the highest RAST category. All these seven patients were considered highly atopic according to the definition above, and three were younger than 2 years of age. These results suggest that highly atopic infants are at special risk for sensitization to peanut, even when they have never received peanut, and that characterization of immunologic sensitization to milk, egg, and peanut will identify the highly atopic infant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Allergy in asthma. I. The dose relationship of allergy to severity of childhood asthma.

The relationship between allergy and childhood asthma was investigated. We hypothesized that if allergy were a factor in aggravating asthma, we should find that allergy (defined by symptoms and numbers of positive prick skin tests) increased with increasing severity of asthma. One hundred forty-two children with asthma, referred to a pulmonologist and an allergist, 123 of whom were skin tested, were graded according to clinical severity and compared to a group of 29 normal individuals, 48 patients with allergic rhinitis, and 52 patients with cystic fibrosis. The 29 symptom-free individuals had only one positive skin test among them, whereas 65% of the clinic patients with asthma had three or more positive skin tests (p less than 0.001). This compared with 35.4% of the patients with rhinitis (p less than 0.001) and 14% of the patients with cystic fibrosis (p less than 0.001). There was an increase in the number and size of positive skin tests with increasing severity of asthma. Similarly, there was increased reporting of allergic symptoms, such as sensitivity to animals with increasing severity of asthma. These data indicate that atopy is associated with asthma in a crude dose-response fashion, and children with chronic, steroid-dependent asthma are often highly atopic, easily sensitized, and form IgE antibodies to a broad range of allergens.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Allergy in asthma. II. The highly atopic infant and chronic asthma.

The relationship between allergy and asthma in infants and preschool children was investigated. One hundred nine children, median age 2 1/2 years, were examined immunologically by quantitation of serum IgE, RAST testing to 13 allergens, and culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes for spontaneous IgE formation. We examined a cross-section of infants and toddlers to determine whether the severity of asthma is associated with allergy as has been reported in older children with asthma. We identified a group of highly atopic infants and preschool children who have serum IgE at least 10 times the mean + 1 SE for age, multiple positive RASTs with early formation of IgE to inhalant antigens, and circulating B cells that spontaneously form IgE when these are cultured in vitro. Such highly atopic infants and preschool children were statistically more likely to have chronic asthma requiring multiple continuous medication compared to the rest of the population (p less than 0.01).

Asthma↗
PubMed1988

Diagnosis of allergy in different age groups of children: use of mixed allergen RAST discs, Phadiatop and Paediatric Mix.

Childhood asthma often begins in children under 3 years of age. Allergy contributes to the severity and persistence of childhood asthma so we examined the application of mixed allergen RAST discs (Paediatric Mix, a mixture of food antigens and Phadiatop, a mixture of inhalants) to the diagnosis of allergy. One hundred and nine children with a median age of 3 years, 71.6% of whom had asthma, were first assessed by one allergist who recorded their atopic status as positive, negative or questionable, on clinical grounds. Serum from each of these patients was used to determine a total IgE and 13 RAST assays. A laboratory definition of atopy was defined as a serum IgE greater than 1 standard deviation from normal, plus one or more positive RAST assays. The laboratory results influenced the assessment of atopy in 41% of cases. The use of just two mixed allergen discs (Paediatric Mix and Phadiatop) correctly assigned the presence or absence of atopy with a sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 98%, compared with the full laboratory evaluation. Very young infants were often just positive to food allergens but the Phadiatop disc could be used to suggest the onset of immunological sensitivity to inhalant antigens. Thus the application of mixed allergen RAST discs facilitated the diagnosis of atopy in young children.

Asthma↗
PubMed1988

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in cystic fibrosis: a secretory immune response to a colonizing organism.

One hundred and seventeen patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) were evaluated for criteria suggestive of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and atopy. We found positive skin tests to Aspergillus to be more common in patients with CF than comparison groups with asthma or non-specific nasal symptoms. This increased prick skin test reactivity to Aspergillus was especially noticeable in a group of CF patients having only one or two skin tests positive, preponderantly Aspergillus. Twelve of the CF patients (10%) had further immunologic criteria suggestive of ABPA. These patients had significantly worse lung function than the CF patients without such criteria.

Adolescent↗