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Biomedical subjects

C Wasson

Publications and source records attributed to C Wasson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Binge alcohol consumption by non-alcohol-dependent women during pregnancy affects child behaviour, but not general intellectual functioning; a prospective controlled study.

Effects of binge ethanol consumption during early gestation on child neurodevelopment have not been elucidated. To study whether binge drinking affects cognitive abilities and behavior of exposed children, a prospective observational study comparing 51 children exposed to binge drinking during the first trimester of pregnancy to 51 children not exposed to any teratogens was conducted. The children's physical development, intelligence, language abilities and behavior were assessed. Temperament test results showed that children exposed in utero to maternal binge drinking displayed a greater degree of disinhibited behavior and that this behavior was associated with early drinking variables. Although binge alcohol drinking by non-alcohol-dependent women during the first trimester of pregnancy does not appear to affect intelligence or cognitive and language development of young children, binge drinking in pregnancy does increase the likelihood of certain behavioral characteristics that might predispose these children to later behavioral dysfunction.

Adult↗

Long-term neurological sequelae of hemolytic-uremic syndrome: a preliminary report.

Seven patients with hemolytic-uremic syndrome who had major neurological symptoms during the acute illness were neurologically and cognitively evaluated prospectively several years after recovery from the illness. Four patients showed evidence of subtle neurological sequelae, including posturing, clumsiness, poor fine-motor coordination, hyperactivity, and distractibility. Psychoeducational evaluation of all seven subjects revealed mean scores within the average range in cognitive abilities, academic achievement, single word receptive vocabulary, visual/motor planning, overall adaptive functioning, and hyperactivity. The lapse of time (minimum of 7 years) between the acute illness and the psychometric evaluation could have been responsible for our normal results.

Achievement↗

Anti-p57: a novel association with neonatal lupus.

IgG antibodies to a 57-kD protein (p57) present in various human and bovine extracts were detected by immunoblotting in the serum of the mother of a baby with congenital heart block, but not in the corresponding cord blood, suggesting specific antibody consumption in the baby. Since this indicates a possible functional role for these antibodies, the antigen target was characterized and the association of the antibodies to heart block was further studied. A human K562 lambda gt11 cDNA library was screened and two clones were identified whose products reacted with the prototype serum. Antibody affinity-purified by use of the cloned gene products reacted on immunoblot with the 57-kD band. Partial sequences of both inserts were identical, but differed from DNA encoding the Ro(SSA) and La(SSB) antigens. Antibodies to the p57 were detected in 10% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, almost exclusively in association with anti-Ro(SSA). Furthermore, they were present in 38% (8/21) mothers of babies with neonatal lupus expressing either cardiac or cutaneous manifestations. Antibodies to this 57-kD protein may be an additional risk factor for neonatal lupus in anti-Ro-positive women. Moreover, disappearance of antibody from cord blood suggests that they may have a role in disease manifestations.

Autoantibodies↗

Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency in the Ohio Amish: origin and characterization of the mutant enzyme.

We have identified eight individuals in an Amish population in Geauga County, Ohio, who have a congenital hemolytic anemia and red cell pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency. The mutant enzyme is a low Km phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) variant associated with a slower (77.5% of normal) electrophoretic mobility in starch gel. Because of the high consanguinity in this population, we assume the affected individuals are homozygous for the mutant gene. Genealogical records allow us to trace all eight cases back to a common ancestor who lived in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. His sister was a common ancestor to all cases of PK deficiency originally described in the Pennsylvania Amish isolate. Therefore, all cases of PK deficiency in the Amish arose from a common ancestral pair.

Anemia, Hemolytic, Congenital↗