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Biomedical subjects

D Alper

Publications and source records attributed to D Alper.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Human leukocyte antigens A and B in Turkish patients with sarcoidosis].

OBJECTIVE: Associations between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and sarcoidosis have been reported in several studies. We aimed to investigate these associations in Turkish patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We performed HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-D typing in 83 patients with sarcoidosis and in 250 healthy controls using a microlymphocytotoxicity method to investigate genetic susceptibility to the disease. RESULTS: Because of significant violation of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at HLA-C and HLA-DQB1 loci, only results obtained at other HLA loci were used. Although HLA-A9, HLA-B5, and HLA-B8 allele frequencies were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the controls (odds ratio [OR]= 21.8, P= .015; OR= 9.34, P= .049; OR= 2.26, P= .031, respectively), none of the differences remained significant after applying the Bonferroni correction. HLA-A24, HLA-A26, and HLA-B62 alleles were significantly less frequent in the patient group compared to the controls (OR= 0.48, P= .018; OR= 0.19, P= .003; OR= 0.11, P= .044, respectively). However, the differences also failed to remain significant after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that both HLA may play significant roles (either increasing or reducing risk) in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis and in its distinct clinical forms and laboratory findings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Rectal flap advancement--a simple and effective approach for the treatment of rectourethral fistula.

OBJECTIVE: Rectourethral fistula is a rare complication of prostatic surgery and other pelvic procedures. We report our experience of surgical repair of using a rectal advancement flap. PATIENTS: Three patients with rectourethral fistula following prostatic surgery were treated. Two patients had an anterior partial thickness of rectal flap advancement via a trans-anal approach without urinary or faecal diversion. In one patient a rectal flap repair was performed through a posterior transsphincteric approach following urinary and faecal diversion. RESULTS: No significant postoperative complications occurred. Healing was successful in each patient and faecal and urinary continence was normal. CONCLUSION: Transanal rectal advancement flap is a simple and effective technique for the treatment of a rectourethral fistula with no need for urinary or faecal diversion.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Rectal prolapse: a possibly underrecognized complication of anorexia nervosa amenable to surgical correction.

OBJECTIVE: Rectal prolapse is a complication of anorexia nervosa (AN) that may be more common than previously recorded experience would suggest. METHOD: In this report we document, for the first time, the association of (AN) and rectal prolapse in a series of three patients seen in the past three years. An extensive review of the literature using Medline over the period from 1966 to Jan 2000 failed to reveal any previous example of this association. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The finding could have significant health care implications if confirmed. It would suggest that patients with either the psychiatric or surgical problem may not be receiving the appropriate complementary referrals: psychiatrist to surgeon and vice versa. The importance of recognition of this association in anorectic patients is the availability of effective surgical therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Silastic ring vertical gastroplasty- long-term results and complications.

BACKGROUND: Silicone ring vertical gastroplasty (SRVG) in some reports is associated with significant morbidity and a tendency to regain weight in the late postoperative period. The present study aims to evaluate our long-term results, along with early and late postoperative complications. METHODS: The early and late postoperative complications of 300 patients undergoing SRVG and followed for an average of 3.2 years, were reviewed retrospectively. The pre- and post-operative weight and body mass index (BMI) were recorded in a subgroup of 131 patients with an average follow-up of 5.2 years. RESULTS: Early postoperative complications occurred in 99 patients (33.1%), with mortality of one patient (0.3%). Vomiting was the most common late complication, occurring in 49.3%. Re-operation was performed in 19.7% of the patients, mostly for the repair of postoperative ventral hernia. Long-term results following SRVG showed a decrease in weight from 131 +/- 25 kg to 94 +/- 23.2 kg, and BMI decreased from 46.1 +/- 8.1 kg /m(2) to 32.9 +/- 7.4 kg/m(2). Excess body weight loss was 58.5 +/- 39.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients (76%) reported their satisfaction following SRVG. Long-term results revealed a significant and sustained weight loss, mild complications and low mortality rate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The effect of octreotide on wound healing: an in vitro and in vivo experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of octreotide on wound healing. DESIGN: Experimental studies in vitro and in rats. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Israel. MATERIAL: Cultured human diploid fetal fibroblasts, and 36 male Wistar rats. INTERVENTIONS: Octreotide was added to cultures of fibroblasts in doses of 2, 10, 30, 60 and 120 ng/ml and fibroblasts were counted after 2, 4, and 6 days. Intestinal anastomoses were made in 36 rats. Rats in the octreotide group (n = 18) were given subcutaneous injections of 0.25 microg/kg twice daily and 6 rats were killed at 3, 7, and 14 days. The control group were given injections of saline. Anastomotic bursting pressures and hydroxyproline content were measured at each of the three times. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fibroblast counts, anastomotic bursting pressures, and hydroxyproline concentrations. RESULTS: Octreotide did not inhibit fibroblast proliferation in any of the doses at any of the time periods. The anastomotic bursting pressure was slightly higher in the octreotide group at each of the time points, but not significantly so, and there was no difference in hydroxyproline content between the octreotide and control groups. Octreotide did not inhibit wound healing either in vitro or in vivo.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1995

Chronic effects of welding exposure on pulmonary function tests and respiratory symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: The respiratory effects of exposure to welding fumes have been investigated in numerous studies; but results of these studies have not been consistent. The aim of the present study was to investigate the respiratory effects of welding exposure in a large group of manual are welders exposed primarily to mild steel welding processes in confined spaces without respiratory protection. METHODS: Respiratory symptoms and spirometry were studied in 110 welders and 55 controls. The welders and controls were of similar average age and height; smoking habits of the groups were similar. Chest x ray films were taken to exclude people with radiological abnormalities that may influence pulmonary function tests. Welders were grouped according to smoking habits and duration of employment (< 20 years or > 20 years). RESULTS: No gross radiological abnormalities were found. Respiratory symptoms and chronic bronchitis were more prevalent in welders (P < 0.05). Welders who were smokers showed a higher frequency of chronic bronchitis than controls who smoked (P < 0.05). No significant difference in the occurrence of chronic bronchitis was found between welders who smoked and welders who were non-smokers or exsmokers. Compared with the controls, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximum midexpiratory flow (MMEF) were significantly lower in welders (mean values of FVC for welders and controls were 86.06 (25.74) and 96.40 (13.03); and values for FEV1 were 87.54 (13.70) and 95.36 (12.40) respectively; P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in pulmonary function tests between welders who were non-smokers and controls who were non-smokers; whereas FVC, FEV1, PEF, and MMEF were significantly lower in welders who smoked than controls who smoked (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in pulmonary function tests and occurrence of chronic bronchitis between welders with more or less than 20 years at work. CONCLUSION: Welders working in conditions of inadequate ventilation, have increased risk of chronic bronchitis and impairment of pulmonary function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Induction of human interferon gene expression is associated with a nuclear factor that interacts with the NF-kappa B site of the human immunodeficiency virus enhancer.

The relationship between transcription of alpha and beta interferon (IFN-alpha and IFN-beta) genes and the interaction of IFN promoter-binding transcription factors has been examined in monoblastoid U937 cells following priming with recombinant IFN-alpha 2 (rIFN-alpha 2) and Sendai virus induction. Pretreatment of U937 cells with rIFN-alpha 2 prior to Sendai virus infection increased the mRNA levels of IFN-alpha 1, IFN-alpha 2, and IFN-beta as well as the final yield of biologically active IFN. Analysis of nuclear protein-IFN promoter DNA interactions by electrophoretic mobility-shift assays demonstrated increased factor binding to IFN-alpha 1 and IFN-beta regulatory domains, although no new induction-specific complexes were identified. On the basis of competition electrophoretic mobility-shift assay results, factors interacting with the IFN-alpha 1 and IFN-beta promoters appear to be distinct DNA-binding proteins. U937 factor binding was localized to the P2 domain (-64 to -55) of the IFN-beta regulatory element, a sequence motif with 80% homology to the recognition site of transcription factor NF-kappa B. Protein-DNA interactions within the IFN-beta P2 domain were, in fact, specifically competed by either excess homologous P2 fragment or the human immunodeficiency virus enhancer element which contains two duplicated NF-kappa B recognition sites. Hybrid promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusion plasmids, containing either the IFN-beta regulatory element or the human immunodeficiency virus enhancer element linked to the simian virus 40 promoter, were analyzed for virus and phorbol ester inducibility in epithelial and lymphoid cells, respectively. In the 293 cell line, both plasmids were constitutively expressed but not virus inducible, while in Jurkat cells, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity from these plasmids was induced by tumor-promoting agent treatment. These experiments suggest that induction of IFN gene expression may be controlled in part by transcription regulatory proteins binding to an NF-kappa B-like site within the IFN-beta promoter.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Modulation of nuclear proto-oncogene expression and cellular growth in myeloid leukemic cells by human interferon alpha.

To address the mechanisms that regulate expression of specific growth-related nuclear proto-oncogenes, the transcript levels of the c-fos, c-myc, (2'5')-oligoadenylate synthetase, IFN-alpha 1, and IFN-beta 1 genes have been measured in the human leukemic cell lines KG-1, U937, and HL-60 following growth stimulation by serum, induction of differentiation by tumor-promoting agents, and/or treatment of cells with exogenously supplied alpha interferon (rIFN-alpha 2). Production of fos and myc RNA was measured by S1 mapping, using fos DNA probes which identified either primary unspliced transcripts or steady-state-spliced mRNA levels, and using a myc probe which spanned the two major c-myc start sites, P1 and P2. Pretreatment of a quiescent KG-1 cell population with IFN for 18 hours before serum addition decreased the stimulation of both fos and myc RNA production. In HL-60 and U937 cells, IFN pretreatment had no inhibitory effect on serum-induced fos or myc transcription; however, in U937, rIFN-alpha 2 treatment alone stimulated fos mRNA 11-fold. Expression of 2'5'oligoadenylate synthetase was induced in IFN-treated cultures but not in cells stimulated with serum alone. No serum-induced IFN-alpha 1 or IFN-beta 1 gene expression was observed in KG-1 or U937 cells. These results demonstrate that exogenous rIFN-alpha 2 treatment of quiescent KG-1 cells can antagonize the effect of growth factors by altering expression of nuclear proto-oncogenes, but in general growth inhibition is not obligatorily coupled to inhibition of proto-oncogene transcription.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1988

trans activation of type 1 interferon promoters by simian virus 40 T antigen.

A human transient expression system was used to measure the influence of simian virus 40 T antigen and adenovirus E1a proteins on the activation of alpha interferon subtype 1 (IFN-alpha 1) and IFN-beta promoters linked to the reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. Large T-antigen production, amplified by expression plasmid replication in transfected 293 cells, was able to trans activate the IFN-beta promoter 5- to 10-fold, increasing both the constitutive and Sendai virus-induced levels of expression. Surprisingly, the previously quiescent transfected IFN-alpha 1 promoter in T-antigen-expressing cells displayed a level of inducibility similar to IFN-beta. The endogenous IFN-alpha 1 gene was also inducible to a limited extent in cells expressing T antigen. A truncated IFN-beta promoter deleted to position -37 relative to the CAP site was neither inducible nor trans activated by T antigen, suggesting that sequences required for efficient induction were also needed for trans activation. Since 293 cells express adenoviral E1a proteins, experiments were also performed in HeLa cells to assess the relative contribution of T antigen and E1a proteins to IFN trans activation. In HeLa cells, T-antigen coexpression increased the constitutive level of IFN-beta and IFN-alpha 1 promoter activity without augmenting relative inducibility. Coexpression of T antigen and E1a proteins did not have a cooperative effect on type 1 IFN expression.

Adenovirus Early Proteins↗
PubMed1987

Transient expression of the beta interferon promoter in human cells.

A human transient expression assay was used to examine the inducible transcriptional activation of beta interferon (IFN-beta) and IFN-alpha 1 promoters in a homologous cellular environment. Use of 293 cells, an adenovirus DNA-transformed human embryonic kidney cell line, permitted Sendai virus-inducible expression of IFN-beta-CAT hybrid gene. Introduction of the simian virus 40 (SV40) enhancer 5' or 3' to the IFN-CAT gene increased basal (uninduced) levels of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) activity; in one construct the SV40 enhancer--IFN-beta regulatory region combination increased the induced CAT activity 50- to 100-fold, suggesting that this may be a generally useful inducible enhancer-promoter combination. No expression from the IFN-alpha-CAT hybrid gene was detected in 293 cells, indicating that human epithelioid cells lack a factor required for expression of the IFN-alpha promoter. However, when the IFN-alpha regulatory region was combined with the SV40 enhancer, a low level of inducible CAT activity was detected in the human transient system.

Cell Line↗