Caecal volvulus secondary to malrotation presenting after caesarean section.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Corbett.
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Falls are the leading cause of injury, death, and disability among people older than 65. When elders fall, they sustain such injuries as hip, spine, hand, and/or pelvic fractures. The prognosis after such a fall is poor--only half of older adults hospitalized for hip fractures are able to return home or live independently again. Even without injury, falls cause a loss of confidence that results in reduced physical activity, increased dependency, and social withdrawal. As a home care agency dealing with a geriatric population, our goal was to develop a user-friendly fall prevention program that would promote multidisciplinary assessment and intervention. We have developed a preventive approach through which clinicians and patients can collaborate on preventing falls in the home and maintaining our patients' first priority: quality of life.
RAG1 and RAG2 are the two lymphoid-specific proteins required for the cleavage of DNA sequences known as the recombination signal sequences (RSSs) flanking V, D or J regions of the antigen-binding genes. Previous studies have shown that RAG1 alone is capable of binding to the RSS, whereas RAG2 only binds as a RAG1/RAG2 complex. We have expressed recombinant core RAG1 (amino acids 384-1008) in Escherichia coli and demonstrated catalytic activity when combined with RAG2. This protein was then used to determine its oligomeric forms and the dissociation constant of binding to the RSS. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays show that up to three oligomeric complexes of core RAG1 form with a single RSS. Core RAG1 was found to exist as a dimer both when free in solution and as the minimal species bound to the RSS. Competition assays show that RAG1 recognizes both the conserved nonamer and heptamer sequences of the RSS. Zinc analysis shows the core to contain two zinc ions. The purified RAG1 protein overexpressed in E.coli exhibited the expected cleavage activity when combined with RAG2 purified from transfected 293T cells. The high mobility group protein HMG2 is stably incorporated into the recombinant RAG1/RSS complex and can increase the affinity of RAG1 for the RSS in the absence of RAG2.
Leishmaniasis is a chronic parasitic protozoal disease transmitted by sandfly vectors and is endemic in some regions of South America, Asia, Africa and Mediterranean countries. This case report describes a British patient who presented with oral mucosal leishmaniasis and in whom it was also the first sign of HIV disease. We believe it is the first reported case of isolated oral mucosal leishmaniasis as a presenting feature of otherwise unknown HIV infection.
The effect of Fasciola hepatica excretory-secretory products (ES products) on the polarization and chemokinesis of sheep and human neutrophils was investigated. Flukes were cultured overnight in RPMI-1640 medium, and the resulting ES products concentrated by dialysis (cut-off 1.2 kDa) before use. At the concentrations used toxicity tests showed no effect on neutrophil viability, but ES products were capable of causing morphological changes and chemokinesis in both sheep and human neutrophils. The polarizing effect of the ES products was found to be greater in the case of sheep neutrophils with 81% of cells polarizing at 80 micrograms total ES protein/ml as opposed to 36% of human neutrophils. Chemokinesis in response to 80 micrograms total ES protein/ml was significant (P < 0.01) in both species with sheep producing the stronger response. Delipidation of the ES products with Lipidex caused no loss of polarizing activity, nor did the purified lipid fraction show any polarizing effect. ES products lost polarizing activity after heat treatment or trypsin digestion. Preliminary fractionation on an S-300 Sephacryl column suggested the presence of at least four fractions capable of causing polarization in sheep neutrophils.
The gene for the cell surface receptor for HTLV-I, the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy, has been localized to distal human chromosome 17q. A panel of somatic cell hybrids containing fragments of human 17q as the only human genetic component was mapped with a set of 10 chromosome 17 probes and utilized to regionally localize the gene. When compared to the murine fibroblast fusion partner, L-M(TK-), and a hybrid cell line containing human chromosome 20, human 17q-containing hybrid cells bound high levels of both HTLV-I virions and the monoclonal antibody, Mab 34-23, which may be directed against the putative HTLV-I receptor. Additional experiments revealed that the human 17q-containing hybrids could also be more efficiently infected by cell-free HTLV-I virions than could the control cell lines. Western blot analyses of cell lysates showed that recombinant HTLV-I envelope gp46 protein and Mab 34-23 both bound to proteins of approximate MW 30 and 31 kDa which were found only in the hybrid cell lines which contained human chromosome 17q. The data suggest that the gene for the HTLV-I receptor is located on the distal region of human chromosome 17q demarcated by the tk-1 locus (17q23.2-17q25.3).
The value of immunoscintigraphy with technetium-99m (99Tcm) labelled anti-granulocyte monoclonal antibody (BW250/183) was studied prospectively in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) antibody-positive patients presenting with fever without localizing symptoms or signs. Twenty-three studies were performed in 23 patients and the results of 99Tcm-anti-granulocyte imaging were compared with the definitive microbiological or cytological diagnosis. Twenty-one patients had an infective cause of pyrexia, one patient had disseminated lymphoma and one Kaposi sarcoma. 99Tcm-anti-granulocyte antibody imaging correctly identified the sites of infection in only five (24%) patients, four of whom had infective colitis (one also had bacterial pneumonia) and one of whom had cellulitis. Sixteen foci of infection were not localized by 99Tcm-anti-granulocyte immunoscintigraphy (false-negative scans). Six of these patients had Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; other diagnoses in this group included bacterial or fungal pneumonia and bacteraemia secondary to line infections. 99Tcm-anti-granulocyte antibody did not accumulate in the patients with disseminated lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma (true-negative scans). 99Tcm-anti-granulocyte imaging, therefore, appears useful in identifying extrathoracic infection in HIV-1 positive patients. Its lack of sensitivity for the identification of pulmonary infection means that its role in the investigation of HIV-1 antibody-positive patients with fever without localizing symptoms or signs is limited.
Two cases (mother and daughter) are reported of autosomal dominant cutis laxa which are unusual in being associated with early onset emphysema. Both mother and daughter have been smokers and are heterozygotes for the alpha 1 antitrypsin genotype. The combination of cigarette smoking and subnormal alpha 1 antitrypsin levels may explain the pulmonary spread in these two women who have what is usually a benign form of cutis laxa limited to the skin.
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