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Biomedical subjects

Charles Barnes

Publications and source records attributed to Charles Barnes.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

(+/-)-1-Methyl-1,3,6-triphenyl-7-(2-phenylpropenyl)-1,2-dihydronaphthalene.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C38H32, presents a novel framework that combines the functionalities of a 1,6-diarene-substituted 1,2-dihydronaphthalene (DHN) with a 1,4-distyrylbenzene (DSB) to form a crossed bis-diarene. The lamellar crystal structure is held together by arene-arene interactions. While the orientations of the phenyl rings of the DSB units alternate within both the R and the S substructures, the homochiral substructures feature opposing polarity along the long axes of the DHN-based diarenes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of enzyme immunoassay-based assays for environmental Alternaria alternata.

BACKGROUND: Alternaria alternata-derived allergenic materials are causes of human disease. Several immunoassays exist to quantify these materials. OBJECTIVE: To compare methods for evaluating Alternaria content. METHODS: Four methods, including 1 monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based assay specific for recombinant Alt a 1, 1 MAb-based assay for chromatographically purified Alt a 1, 1 polyclonal antibody (PAb)-based assay for chromatographically purified Alt a 1, and 1 PAb-based assay for whole Alternaria extract, were evaluated. Environmental samples collected as part of the National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing were examined. Alternaria spore counts were determined in dust by observation. RESULTS: The MAb-based assay for recombinant Alt a 1 detected Alternaria in few samples (25%); the PAb-based assay for whole Alternaria proteins detected antigen in 97% of the samples. The PAb- and MAb-based assays for purified Alt a 1 detected antigen in 100% of the samples. There was a significant positive correlation between the 2 assays directed against purified Alt a 1. There was a positive correlation between the PAb-based assay for whole Alternaria and the PAb-based assay for Alt a 1. Nearly all the dust samples contained Alternaria spores, and there was a strong positive correlation between counts and all assays. CONCLUSION: Because of the multifaceted nature of Alternaria, the disparities between methods for quantifying Alternaria, the cross-reactivity between fungal allergens, and the documented genetic promiscuity of this fungus, enzyme immunoassays using PAbs against a range of Alternaria proteins will probably produce the most reliable estimation of overall Alternaria exposure in house dust.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2005

Health effects of indoor fungi.

OBJECTIVE: To review the nontoxic harmful effects that poor indoor air quality caused by fungi can have on health. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed for publications related to the various topics discussed in this review, and we relied on our knowledge of the field. STUDY SELECTION: Where more than one publication was relevant, we attempted to identify a consensus of the reports and cited the most relevant articles. Priority was given to randomized controlled trials and expert reports when available, although much of the information herein relates to laboratory research. RESULTS: Actively growing fungal colonies can release volatile substances that have an unpleasant smell, leading to psychological responses in the occupants such as fatigue and nausea. Symptoms that are likely caused by indoor fungi include respiratory complaints that involve the nose and lungs, eye symptoms, and mucous membrane irritation. These adverse effects can occur by a variety of mechanisms, including IgE-mediated hypersensitivity, fungal infection, irritant reaction to spores or fungal metabolites, and possibly toxic reaction to mycotoxins. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced fungal exposure can reasonably be expected to improve health. Removal of moisture from the indoors and proper maintenance of air filters can aid in prevention and elimination of fungi from the home environment. Small areas of present contamination can be cleaned with a dilute bleach solution, which kills viable colonies and removes their mycelia. If fungal contamination is not addressed early, substantial damage can occur, requiring professional remediation. Above all, the individual should not panic at the first sight of fungi growing in the home. Regular inspection and cleaning can prevent many fungus-related problems.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed2005

Sampling for indoor fungi: what the clinician needs to know.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A great deal of concern has arisen recently regarding the potential adverse effects of indoor fungi. Our understanding of this complex problem has been hampered by a lack of standardized protocols for performing an indoor assessment for fungi. Without such standards, it is difficult to compare results from one study with those from another or to measure the effect of indoor fungal contamination on a building and its occupants. RECENT FINDINGS: References were identified that were relevant to indoor fungal sampling, health effects or remediation by searching Pubmed using the keywords 'indoor fungi.' Fungi cause three primary adverse effects: (a) they can damage a building, (b) they can render a building unpleasant to live in by looking and smelling bad, and (c) they might cause adverse health effects in sensitive individuals. Sampling methods used to evaluate indoor environments include air sampling for spores, measurement of allergens in house dust, and determination of microbially generated volatile organic compounds, ergosterols, glucans, and mycotoxins, as well as environmental conditions that lead to fungal contamination. SUMMARY: Prevention of fungal contamination involves removal of moisture sources and humidity and early identification. If fungi are found on indoor surfaces, they can be removed using a dilute bleach/detergent solution that both kills the microorganisms and denatures allergens and toxins. Larger areas require professional remediation.

Air↗
PubMed2005

Real-life environmental tobacco exposure does not affect exhaled nitric oxide levels in asthmatic children.

Serial measurement of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been shown to be a good noninvasive marker of asthma control. Active smoking decreases eNO levels. The effect of real-life environmental exposure to tobacco smoke (ETS) on eNO levels is not known. Our objective was to study the impact of environmental tobacco exposure on eNO levels in asthmatic and non-asthmatic children. Single breath off-line collection of eNO was performed in asthmatic and non-asthmatic children with and without ETS. Urine was collected for cotinine/nicotine analysis. Fifty-seven children were enrolled, of which 25 were asthmatic and 32 had smoke exposure. One active smoker was excluded from the data analysis. The mean eNO was 11.1 ppb (n = 31; SD = 18.5) in those passively exposed vs. 11.1 ppb (n = 25; SD = 19.9) among the unexposed (not statistically significant). The mean eNO was 6.1 (n = 32; SD = 4.4) among the non-asthmatics and 17.8 (n = 24; SD = 27.4) among the asthmatics (p = 0.02; CI: 1.9-21.6). Real-life environmental tobacco exposure does not appear to decrease eNO levels in asthmatic children. Off-line collection of exhaled nitric oxide with a Mylar collection device helps differentiate asthmatics from non-asthmatics.

Asthma↗
PubMed2004

First bivalent palladium and platinum cyanoximates: synthesis, characterization, and biological activity.

A series of five cyanoximes (compounds having the general formula NC-C(=NOH)-R, where R is an amide or carboxylic ester group) have been synthesized and spectroscopically and structurally characterized. These are 2-cyano-2-isonitrosoacetamide (later HACO), 2-cyano-2-isonitrosothioacetamide (HTCO), 2-cyano-2-isonitrosoethylacetate (HECO), 2-cyano-2-isonitroso-N-piperidinylacetamide (HPiPCO), and 2-cyano-2-isonitroso-N-morpholinylacetamide (HMCO). A high yield method of synthesis was developed for the last two previously unknown amidocyanoximes. Variable temperature (13)C NMR studies in DMSO-d(6) solutions allowed the determination of rotational energy barriers for these two new cyanoximes. The HPiPCO and HMCO oxime molecules adopt a trans-anti configuration in the solid state according to X-ray analysis. Reactions between aqueous solutions of K(+)L(-) (L = cyanoximate anions: TCO(-), PiPCO(-), and MCO(-)) and K(2)[MCl(4)] (M = Pd, Pt) resulted in the formation of ML(2) complexes. The crystal structure of Pd(MCO)(2).DMSO was determined and showed the formation of coplanar dimeric [Pd(MCO)](2) units with 3.13 A Pd...Pd separation. The complex adopts cis geometry with anions being in the nitroso form. In the presence of bivalent Pd and Pt, ACO(-) and ECO(-) anions completely or partially hydrolyze in aqueous solutions to the dianion of 2-cyano-2-isonitrosoacetic acid (AACO(2-)). The crystal structure of the product of the hydrolysis reaction, K(2)[Pd(AACO)(2)].4H(2)O, was determined. Data revealed planar and cis geometry of the [Pd(AACO)(2)](2)(-) anion where cyanoximes are in the nitroso form and adopt a cis-anti configuration. All synthesized cyanoxime ligands and nine of their Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes were tested in vitro on antiproliferating activity using human cervical cancer HeLa cell lines, and cisplatin as a positive control substance. Two out of the nine studied complexes, Pd(MCO)(2) and Pt(MCO), were found to be active compounds inflicting death on 28% and 16% of the cells, respectively, with 55% value for the cisplatin under the same conditions.

Crystallography, X-Ray↗
PubMed2004

Health effects of air pollution.

The general public, especially patients with upper or lower respiratory symptoms, is aware from media reports that adverse respiratory effects can occur from air pollution. It is important for the allergist to have a current knowledge of the potential health effects of air pollution and how they might affect their patients to advise them accordingly. Specifically, the allergist-clinical immunologist should be keenly aware that both gaseous and particulate outdoor pollutants might aggravate or enhance the underlying pathophysiology of both the upper and lower airways. Epidemiologic and laboratory exposure research studies investigating the health effects of outdoor air pollution each have advantages and disadvantages. Epidemiologic studies can show statistical associations between levels of individual or combined air pollutants and outcomes, such as rates of asthma, emergency visits for asthma, or hospital admissions, but cannot prove a causative role. Human exposure studies, animal models, and tissue or cellular studies provide further information on mechanisms of response but also have inherent limitations. The aim of this rostrum is to review the relevant publications that provide the appropriate context for assessing the risks of air pollution relative to other more modifiable environmental factors in patients with allergic airways disease.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

Clinical relevance of spore and pollen counts.

Many people with allergies monitor daily pollen and spore counts with the belief that they can act on that information to improve their health. Because many factors can affect personal exposure, the value of community-wide counts for an individual is questionable. These factors include the presence of local pollen and spore sources, diurnal variations, weather effects, air pollution, and a particle-free bioaerosol. To take advantage of bioparticulate counts, the public needs to be informed about their meaning and factors that can influence personal exposure.

Aerosols↗
PubMed2002

Exceptional kinetic propensity of hydroxymethyl phosphanes toward Rh(III) stabilization in water.

The reactions of (HOCH2)2P(C6H4)P(CH2OH)2 (HMPB) and P(CH2OH)3 (THP) with RhCl3.xH2O in aqueous media gave water-soluble complexes cis-[RhCl2{eta2-(HOCH2)2P(C6H4)P(CH2OH)2}2]Cl (3) and fac-[RhCl3(P(CH2OH)3)3] (4) respectively in good yields, X-ray crystal structures of 3 and 4 confirmed their molecular constitution. These reactions provide the first examples demonstrating the kinetic propensity of hydroxymethyl phosphanes to stabilize Rh in +3 oxidation state in water.

Crystallography, X-Ray↗
PubMed2002

IgE-reactive proteins from Stachybotrys chartarum.

BACKGROUND: Stachybotrys chartarum has been associated with idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants. This is thought to be mycotoxin-related. There are increasing numbers of reports linking this fungus to the indoor environment of patients with other pulmonary problems, including allergies and asthma. OBJECTIVE: Given the potential significance of this fungus as a pulmonary pathogen, this work evaluates the antigenic proteins of S. chartarum as to their molecular size and the prevalence of immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG directed against them in the general population. METHODS: S. chartarum was isolated from a local home. S. chartarum for extract production was grown on minimum salts and glucose. Plasma from 132 healthy individuals was evaluated for IgE and IgG directed against S. chartarum using direct and inhibition enzyme immunoassay. The number and molecular size of those proteins that were bound by IgE from pooled sera known to contain IgE to S. chartarum were determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblotting. RESULTS: Enzyme immunoassay indicated 65 of 132 (49.2%) sera tested contained IgG against S. chartarum and 13 of 139 (9.4%) sera tested contained IgE against S. chartarum. Pooled sera identified two IgE-binding proteins from extracts of S. chartarum spores and mycelia. These proteins are 34 and 52 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblot. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude sensitivity to S. chartarum is potentially much more widespread than previously appreciated. This fungus may impact the asthmatic and allergic population through both immunologic and toxic mechanisms. Its significance in the milieu of allergenic fungi may need to be re-evaluated.

Fungal Proteins↗