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Biomedical subjects

D Culver

Publications and source records attributed to D Culver.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Hepatitis E virus antibody prevalence among persons who work with swine.

Prevalence of antibody and risk factors to hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection were determined in a cross-sectional study of 2 group-matched populations: swine farmers (n=264) and persons without occupational exposure to swine (n=255) in Moldova, a country without reported cases of hepatitis E. The prevalence of HEV infection was higher among swine farmers than among the comparison group (51.1% vs. 24.7%; prevalence ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62-2.64). In multivariate analysis, HEV infection was associated with an occupational history of cleaning barns or assisting sows at birth (odds ratio [OR], 2.46; 95% CI, 1.52-4.01), years of occupational exposure (OR, 1.04 per year; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07), and a history of drinking raw milk (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.08-2.40). HEV infection was not associated with civilian travel abroad or having piped water in the household. The increased prevalence of HEV infection among persons with occupational exposure to swine suggests animal-to-human transmission of this infection.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1998

Cloning of m-calpain 80 kD subunit from the axonal degeneration-resistant WLD(S) mouse mutant.

Calpains are calcium-activated cysteine proteases that are involved in cellular degradation in models of neurodegeneration. Calpains are the effectors of cytoskeletal disruption during axonal degeneration, a pathological feature of many neurological disorders. The WLD(S) mouse mutant is resistant to axonal degeneration and demonstrates prolonged survival of the cytoskeleton after nerve injury. To investigate the possibility that a mutation in calpain or abnormalities in calpain protein expression is responsible for the resistance to axonal degeneration seen in the WLD(S) mouse mutant, we 1) cloned and sequenced the large subunit of the high calcium-requiring form of calpain (m-calpain) from nervous system tissues of WLD(S) and from wild-type C57BL/6 mice, and 2) generated polyclonal m-calpain antibodies for comparison of relative protein levels by Western blot. We found our sequence for mouse m-calpain to be almost identical to another recently published mouse sequence, and the wild-type and WLD(S) sequences to be identical. Our fusion protein and peptide polyclonal antibodies were specific for the 80 kD subunit and recognized appropriate protein bands from pure m-calpain, fusion protein, and in tissue. There was no apparent difference in m-calpain expression in nerve or spinal cord in noninjured adult animals. These data suggest that a defect in m-calpain 80 kD subunit does not likely underlie the WLD(S) phenotype, but raise questions about other subunits of calpain and possibly other proteases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Nosocomial infections in HIV-infected patients: preliminary results from a multicenter surveillance system (1989-1995).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of and trends in nosocomial infection among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. DESIGN: Multicenter prospective cohort study. SETTING/PATIENTS: HIV-infected patients were enrolled at time of first inpatient admission at five Veterans' Administration Medical Centers (VAMCs). RESULTS: As of March 1995, 2,541 patients with 6,625 inpatient admissions had been monitored in the five VAMCs. A total of 530 nosocomial infections were detected using standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions. Overall distribution by infection site was 31% for primary bloodstream infections (BSIs), 28% for urinary tract infections, 15% for pneumonia, and 26% for all other sites. Of BSIs, 63% were central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABs). The rate of CLABs per 1,000 central line days was 6.5 (range, 2.3-8.3) for all patients from participating hospitals, similar to the median CLAB rate of 6.0 for patients in medical intensive-care units (ICUs) of National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System hospitals from January 1990 through September 1994. For ICU-specific CLABs, the rate from hospitals reporting at least one ICU CLAB was 12.7 (range, 12.1-13.1), comparable to the 90th percentile of NNIS hospital medical ICUs (13.1). Staphylococcus aureus, associated with 35% of BSIs, was the most common nosocomial BSI pathogen. Our data demonstrated the following: 13 (10%) of 134 patients with CD4 counts > or = 200 cells/mm3 had a CLAB, compared with 61 (6%) of 1,011 patients with CD4 counts < 200 cells/mm3, P = .08; the per-day risk of CLABs did not change with increased duration of catheterization (P = .4); and the per-day risk of a temporary (ie, short-term) CLAB was greater than that of a permanent CLAB (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that HIV-infected patients were at higher risk of acquiring a BSI than were patients in the NNIS population; patients with CD4 counts > or = 200 cell/mm3 and temporary central lines were at increased risk for BSI, perhaps reflecting widespread prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole among patients with CD4 counts < 200 cells/mm3, and, in contrast to most studies, S aureus, not coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, was the most common BSI pathogen.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1996

Risk factors for mortality associated with enterococcal bloodstream infections.

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for mortality in patients with a nosocomial enterococcal primary bloodstream infection (EPBI) and to assess whether vancomycin resistance placed a patient at increased risk of death. DESIGN/SETTING: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in four National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System hospitals. RESULTS: Of 145 patients identified with EPBIs, 74 (51%) died, and 26 (18%) had a vancomycin-resistant isolate. Upon comparing patients with EPBIs who survived to those who died, no associations were found between mortality and prior invasive device use, procedure history, type or number of prior nosocomial infections, length of hospitalization before infection, or receipt of vancomycin. Independent predictors of mortality were indices of severity of illness (APACHE II score and comorbidity weighted index), age, the use of third-generation cephalosporins or metronidazole during the week prior to infection, and female gender. CONCLUSIONS: Vancomycin resistance was not an independent predictor of death, and its role was difficult to establish, because cohort patients were among the most severely ill of all hospitalized patients. Enterococcal primary bloodstream infections appear to indicate severe, lifethreatening disease processes. The pathogenicity of enterococci and the role of vancomycin resistance as a cause of mortality in patients with EPBIs need to be assessed further.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Sensitivity and specificity of blood cultures obtained through intravascular catheters.

The reliability of blood cultures obtained through indwelling intravascular catheters is controversial. In this study, the results of 200 catheter blood cultures were compared with those of an equal number of peripheral blood cultures drawn at the same time. Catheter blood cultures were found to be 96% sensitive (95% confidence interval, 89% to 100%) and 98% specific (95% confidence interval, 96% to 100%) for the detection of septicemia. Factors thought to have influenced these favorable results were the relatively short duration of catheter placement and the particular emphasis given to aseptic technique.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1986

Chloracne from pentachlorophenol-preserved wood.

A patient is presented who developed chloracne after exposure to lumber which was pressure-treated with pentachlorophenol (PCP). It was presumed that his disease arose via percutaneous absorption of polychlorinated aromatic compounds (dioxins and furans) which are known to contaminate technical grade PCP. The patient's condition improved after treatment with oral isotretinoin.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1984

A nursery outbreak of multiple-aminoglycoside-resistant Escherichia coli.

In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of one hospital, 16 infants became colonized or infected with multiply-resistant Escherichia coli (MR-E.coli) over an 8-month period. Isolates were obtained from blood, urine, and sputum of three patients and from rectal surveillance cultures of 13 patients. The one patient with the blood isolate died. A matched case-control study identified continuous feeding (nine of 16 cases vs. one of 16 controls, p less than or equal to 0.001) and receipt of aminoglycosides (p less than or equal to 0.03) as risk factors. For case-babies not exposed to continuous feeding, duration of bolus feeding was significantly greater than for their controls (cases, 22 days; controls, 7 days; p less than or equal to 0.02). All 16 isolates were the same serotype and were resistant to amikacin, tobramycin, kanamycin, and gentamicin. The epidemiologic investigation suggested that MR-E. coli may have spread from person-to-person on the hands of personnel and that MR-E. coli persisted in the NICU for 8 months until effective control measures were instituted.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed1971

Regional Coexistence of Species and Competition between Rare Species.

A model is developed for the coexistence and exclusion of species over a region of similar habitable patches. Since the balance of local extinction and colonization would leave some patches unoccupied even without competitors, species may coexist even when all the patches are the same. Regional competition coefficients are found when species affect the local extinction or migration rates of each other. Rare species can regulate each other and even exclude other species completely.

Journal Article↗