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Biomedical subjects

D Woolf

Publications and source records attributed to D Woolf.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Human keratinocytes lack the components to produce leukotriene B4.

The cellular origin of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), a potent pro-inflammatory molecule present in psoriatic lesions, has yet to be determined. In the present study, cultured human keratinocytes were evaluated for their ability to produce LTB4. Keratinocytes stimulated under a variety of conditions did not produce detectable amounts of LTB4, as measured by enzyme immunoassay and liquid chromatographic techniques. Prostaglandin E2 and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid were the only eicosanoids detected. The capacity of keratinocytes to synthesize 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) products, or lack thereof, was further evaluated by preparing subcellular fractions and examining them for the presence of 5-LO activity and the proteins responsible for LTB4 production. Using Western blot analysis, we detected no bands that migrated with the 78-kDa 5-LO enzyme. Subcellular fractions were also examined for the presence of the 5-LO-activating protein (FLAP). This protein, which is essential to 5-LO activity, could not be detected in any keratinocyte preparation examined. Consistent with the absence of proteins, the mRNAs for 5-LO and FLAP were undetectable by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions analysis. These results demonstrate that human keratinocytes lack the crucial proteins necessary for LTB4 production.

5-Lipoxygenase-Activating Proteins↗
PubMed1994

Pancreatitis in patients with organic acidemias.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The discovery of pancreatitis in two children with methylmalonic acidemia led us to review the experience with pancreatitis in a large number of patients with organic acidemias to determine whether pancreatitis is an important complication of these disorders. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Pediatric metabolism services at five tertiary care centers. PATIENTS: Records of all patients with organic acidemias followed at the five institutions during the past 10 years were reviewed. Pancreatitis was recognized by symptoms and laboratory findings and confirmed by imaging studies, surgery, or autopsy. At three institutions all cases of pancreatitis in children younger than 10 years were reviewed. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Nine children with pancreatitis (seven with acute and two with chronic cases) were identified among 108 children with branched-chain organic acidemias. They ranged in age from 13 months to 9 years. Five had methylmalonic acidemia, three had isovaleric acidemia, and one had maple syrup urine disease. There were three deaths; acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis occurred in two children, and chronic pancreatitis was found at autopsy in a third. All three patients with isovaleric acidemia and pancreatitis were identified after the occurrence of pancreatitis. The survey of pancreatitis at three institutions found 57 other patients (none with an inborn error) in addition to three patients with inborn errors included in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Acute or chronic pancreatitis may complicate branched-chain organic acidemias and must be considered in the assessment of patients with these disorders who have acute clinical deterioration and vomiting, abdominal pain, encephalopathy or shock, or milder symptoms. Conversely, an inborn error of organic acid metabolism should be considered in children with pancreatitis of unknown origin.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Pulmonary hypertension associated with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus.

A case of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, the first of our knowledge, is described. Severe pulmonary hypertension was associated with the portal hypertension and with markers of active auto-immunity. Pulmonary hypertension has not previously been associated with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. The coexistence of vasculopathy of the portal and pulmonary vascular beds in this patient with active autoimmunity supports the postulate that portal-pulmonary hypertension may be immunologically mediated.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Generalized lymphangiomatosis and chylothorax in the pediatric age group.

Four patients with generalized lymphangiomatosis presenting with chylothoraces are described. All four had bone involvement, two had involvement of the spleen, and one of the pericardium. The diagnosis was confirmed by typical radiology, histology, and in three patients by immunohistochemistry. Treatment was mainly palliative. Three patients died within 1/2 to three years of presentation.

Bone Diseases↗
PubMed1975

Phenylbutazone and hepatitis.

During a comparative trial between enteric-coated and rectally administered phenylbutazone in patients with rheumatoid disease, one patient developed a mild hepatitis. She had recently concluded a long period of gold therapy. The natural history of phenylbutazone hepatitis is reviewed on the basis of 41 case histories, and the experience with this individual patient interpreted accordingly.

Aged↗
PubMed1975

Improved recognition and quantitation technique for oncornaviruses.

A technique to recognize and quantitate oncornaviruses using perforated pointed BEEM capsules has been developed in our laboratory. Virus samples that presented problems in counting, or those which could not be evaluated at all by negative staining, could be clearly defined and counted using the thin-sectioning BEEM capsule technique. Perforation of the BEEM capsule allowed rapid infiltration of reagents into the tip of the virus pellet and made further manipulation and orientation unnecessary. The sensitivity of this technique, determined by making serial dilutions of viral concentrates, allows observation of as few as 5 times 10(5) virus particles per ml. Precision in counting by this technique varied only +/- 0.3 log in repeat aliquots of identical concentrated virus samples quantitated, making this a highly useful and reliable system.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗