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C Womack

Publications and source records attributed to C Womack.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Identification of non-B human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtypes in rural Georgia.

As part of an ongoing molecular epidemiological investigation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in rural Georgia, the 5' half of reverse transcriptase (RT) genotypes from 30 patients was sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. Two patients, GA132 and GA169, were infected with pol sequences of non-B subtype origin that were found to cluster phylogenetically with subtype A-E of Thai origin. Sliding window bootstrap analysis of GA169 showed clear evidence of A/B recombination within the pol gene segment, whereas in the other patient, GA132, no break point within RT could be identified. Interestingly, pairwise comparisons between these 2 patients' C2-V3 env region revealed a 13.5% divergence. However, similar comparisons within the non-B pol segments yielded a 1.23% nucleotide divergence, which suggests a complex phylogenetic and epidemiological history of the subtype A pol genotype in this region. These data demonstrate an increasing diversity of HIV-1 subtypes and the potential emergence of previously unidentified HIV-1 A-E/B recombinants in the rural United States.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Paratesticular liposarcoma with smooth muscle differentiation mimicking angiomyolipoma.

AIMS: To discuss the differential diagnosis of a case of well-differentiated liposarcoma which had areas resembling angiomyolipoma-a feature which, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. METHODS AND RESULTS: A tumour in the paratesticular region had apparently been present for 40 years, but had grown recently. A fat component containing lipoblasts was admixed with areas resembling angiomyolipoma, i.e. desmin positive, but HMB45-negative smooth muscle proliferation with atypia and thick-walled blood vessels devoid of elastin. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of liposarcoma, rather than angiomyolipoma with adipose atypia, in this case is based on the fact that smooth muscle differentiation is documented in liposarcoma, lack of HMB45 staining and recent clonality studies which suggest that the fat in angiomyolipoma is not neoplastic.

Angiomyolipoma↗
PubMed2000

Human research tissue banks in the UK National Health Service: laws, ethics, controls and constraints.

National Health Service (NHS) histopathology laboratories are ideally placed to bank cadaveric and surplus surgical tissue to supply the needs of research organisations, whether in the NHS, universities or the commercial sector. This review outlines the constraints to setting up a human tissue bank in an NHS histopathology laboratory, identifies the controls required and answers the question: is it ethical and legal?

Commerce↗
PubMed1999

Supplying commercial biomedical companies from a human tissue bank in an NHS hospital--a view from personal experience.

NHS histopathology laboratories are well placed to develop banks of surgically removed surplus human tissues to meet the increasing demands of commercial biomedical companies. The ultimate aim could be national network of non-profit making NHS tissue banks conforming to national minimum ethical, legal, and quality standards which could be monitored by local research ethics committees. The Nuffield report on bioethics provides ethical and legal guidance but we believe that the patient should be fully informed and the consent given explicit. Setting up a tissue bank requires enthusiasm, hard work, and determination as well as coordination between professionals in the NHS trust and in the commercial sector. The rewards are exiting new collaborations with commercial biomedical companies which could help secure our future.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1998

Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR for genomic analysis of HIV-1-infected individuals.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) is a DNA fingerprinting technique used to detect genomic polymorphisms. We employed sixteen different RAPD-PCR 10-mer primers to amplify DNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 80 HIV-1-infected individuals. These individuals were previously identified as either heterozygotes (+ /delta32) and homozygotes (+/+) for the CCR5 locus by PCR with gene specific primers. Four of the sixteen randomly selected RAPD primers produced distinguishable banding profiles between CCR5 (+/delta32) heterozygotes and CCR5 (+/+ ) homozygotes. Direct sequencing of some RAPD-PCR products obtained with one of the four RAPD primers that were tested yielded clearly readable, but limited sequences, which were similar to portions of the previously published sequences for (+/+ ) homozygotes (98% similarity) and (+/delta32) heterozygotes (87% similarity) of the CCR5 alleles. Thus, the RAPD-PCR technique may be useful for the identification of human molecular markers that may correlate with susceptibility to HIV-1-infection, or differences in disease progression among HIV-l-infected individuals.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Achievable laboratory standards; a review of cytology of 99 women with cervical cancer.

The Working Party guidelines are a significant advance in the audit of the National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme (NHSCSP), the priority of which is to reduce mortality and morbidity from cervical cancer. This study was undertaken to apply the guidance on review of screening history to a series of 99 women with invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in one centre during a 9 year period. The majority (approx. 64%) of these women had not been screened within the 5 years preceding diagnosis, 25% had negative, inadequate or abnormal smears and 6% had previous treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). In four patients diagnosis was delayed. No standards are yet available to test the results of this series of women. Cervical cancer is relatively uncommon, and for data to be aggregated and compared across the UK, it is important that strict criteria are developed and applied to ensure that recruitment to the Working Party categories is uniform and not open to local interpretation. Full review and documentation of screening history should be mandatory for all women who develop cervical cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

An unusual cutaneous manifestation of myelodysplastic syndrome: "pseudo-Koebner phenomenon".

An unusual and hitherto unreported complication of myelodysplastic syndrome is reported: the "pseudo-Koebner phenomenon." The skin lesions were characterised by exuberant "fleshy" masses at the sites of intravenous cannulation and skin trauma, and by histological evidence of chronic inflammation with focal necrosis and abscess formation. No evidence of dermal infiltration by malignant haemopoietic cells was seen. The exact aetiopathology of the phenomenon is unclear but an inappropriate and exaggerated inflammatory response owing to aberrant mediator mechanisms that are known to occur in some cases of myelodysplastic syndrome may be implicated.

Catheterization, Peripheral↗