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Biomedical subjects

E Sweet

Publications and source records attributed to E Sweet.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Functional outcomes of pediatric liver transplantation.

UNLABELLED: The functional status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children who survive liver transplantation (LT) have not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to determine the functional status and HRQOL in this population using a validated measure for children, the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF50). METHODS: The CHQ-PF50 instrument was completed by the parents of 55 children who agreed to participate in a mailing survey. Subscale scores for the sample were compared with those of a published normal population (n = 391). RESULTS: Study sample characteristics were: 87% Caucasian, 54.5% female, mean age at survey was 9.6 years (range, 5-17 years). Responding caregivers were 95% biologic parents and 93% female. Compared with the normal population, LT recipients had lower subscale scores for general health perceptions (P < 0.0005), emotional impact on parents (<0.0005) and disruption of family activities (0.0005). The mean physical summary score of the LT recipients was lower than that of the normal population 48.1 +/- 12.1 (P = 0.005), but the mean psychosocial summary score was similar 48.8 +/- 11.9 (P = 0.156). Within the LT population, the original diagnosis (biliary atresia vs. other), type of LT (living donor vs. cadaveric), age at LT, z score for height, and hospital days did not significantly influence any of the subscale scores. CONCLUSIONS: Children who have survived LT have functional outcomes in the physical domain that are lower than those of normal children. Self-esteem and mental health in this group appeared normal. The parents in this sample experienced more emotional stress and disruption of family activities than did parents in a normal population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Alterations in endothelial superoxide dismutase levels as a function of growth state in vitro.

Damage to the retinal vasculature in retinopathy of prematurity is primarily at the level of the growing neovascular front. This clinical observation in combination with experimental observations that correlate the induction of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity with differentiation led to the hypothesis that the basis for the relative vulnerability to oxygen lies in the relative "undifferentiated" nature of proliferating endothelial cells (EC). To test this hypothesis, an in vitro model of microvascular EC was used and levels of SOD activity were assayed as a function of growth state and differentiation. The SOD activity was elevated significantly in EC that stopped growing as a contact-inhibited monolayer compared with its activity in cells in their log phase of growth. In addition, SOD levels were elevated in microvascular cells that stopped growing and were organized into a network of capillary-like tubes, the ultimate differentiated state of microvascular EC. To understand the mechanism of increases in SOD activity with differentiation, the effect of extracellular matrix synthesized by a confluent monolayer of EC was examined as was artificial growth arrest caused by mitomycin. Both treatments led to an increase in SOD activity over control cells. Thus, it is possible that SOD activity in cells is modulated by information provided from the extracellular matrix and "intracellular" signals that indicate cessation of cell growth. These data support the hypothesis that the growing front of retinal microvessels is more vulnerable to effects of oxygen-induced damage because of their relatively undifferentiated state with respect to the oxygen radical-scavenging enzyme system of SOD.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1988

Uses of thrombin in ocular surgery. Effect on the corneal endothelium.

Thrombin is a hemostatic factor that induces platelet aggregation and catalyzes the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. The potential for its increasing application to a variety of anterior and posterior segment surgery led us to investigate the in vitro effect of thrombin on the corneal endothelium in a sheep model. We examined freshly excised sheep corneas stained with alizarin red and trypan blue after exposure to two different concentrations of thrombin for four hours. The structure of the corneal endothelium appeared to be intact even after prolonged exposure to thrombin at concentrations of 100 and 1000 U/mL. Thrombin appears to be nontoxic to the corneal endothelium in this experimental model.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Preferential expression of a 130,000-Da cell surface protein by vascular wall cells in vitro and in vivo.

Monoclonal antibodies have been raised against cell surface proteins of cultured bovine retinal pericytes. One antibody was selected, designated PC4, which preferentially stained primary cultures of bovine pericytes and smooth muscle cells, but not endothelial cells and fibroblasts. In freshly plated cells a homogeneous cell surface staining was observed, whereas in well-spread cells the antigen was concentrated at cell attachment sites. The antigen remained at these sites after spontaneous detachment of the cells. PC4 monoclonal antibodies reacted with a major protein of 130,000 Da and two minor antigens of 75,000 and 70,000 Da in immunoblots of extracts from cultured pericytes and smooth muscle cells and from fibroblasts cultured for an extended period of time. In frozen sections of bovine tissues the antigen was found in the vascular wall. There was no staining of skeletal muscle cells or duodenal smooth muscle cells, indicating that the antigen may be a specific component of the vascular wall.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Effects of hyperoxia on microvascular cells in vitro.

Microvascular cells are most vulnerable to direct oxygen damage. Using an in vitro model system we have investigated the effect of elevated oxygen on the proliferation, morphology, and integrity of microvascular endothelial cells (EC) and pericytes. Cultivation of these cells at oxygen concentrations of 40% for 1 wk resulted in the inhibition of EC proliferation but had no effect on the growth of the pericytes. Similarly, hyperoxia induced a dramatic change in the shape of the EC, increasing their spread area by close to six-fold. Under the same conditions, the spread area of the pericytes was unaffected. To understand the effect of the hyperoxic treatment on the cells, the integrity of various membrane systems was assessed. 51Chromium release was used to monitor plasma membrane integrity. There was no difference in chromium release by EC and pericytes over the 7 d of growth under normoxic and hyperoxic conditions. Mitochondrial integrity was examined by staining the cells with Rhodamine 123, which is selectively accumulated by the mitochondria. The staining pattern of the mitochondria of both EC and pericytes was altered by growth in the elevated oxygen. Finally, the lysosomes were visualized using acridine orange. The acridine orange staining pattern revealed enlarged and perinuclear lysosomes in the EC but no change in the pericyte lysosomal staining pattern. Thus, the cells of the microvasculature seem to be differentially affected by hyperoxia, a fact that may be significant in the etiology of reperfusion injury, ischemic disease, and pathologies associated with prematurity.

Acridine Orange↗