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Biomedical subjects

J A Embil

Publications and source records attributed to J A Embil.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and genital mycoplasmas in asymptomatic women.

To establish the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum in women attending a family planning and a prenatal clinic in Halifax, cervical swabs were obtained at the time of the first visit from 491 women who had no symptoms of genital infection. Among the women attending the family planning clinic M. hominis occurred in combination with C. trachomatis more frequently than expected (p less than 0.05). It occurred in the absence of U. urealyticum in only a few cases (13% of the occurrences in the family planning clinic and 6% of those in the prenatal clinic). C. trachomatis was significantly more prevalent in women under 25 years of age (p less than 0.04). However, mycoplasmas were as prevalent in women over 30 years as in those under 30. There were no significant differences in the infection rates of the organisms by trimester among pregnant women. More research is necessary for a proper understanding of the role of M. hominis and U. urealyticum in genitourinary infections and pregnancy outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Restriction endonuclease digestion analysis of DNA from viruses isolated from different sites of two fatal cases of herpes simplex virus type-1 infection.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1 was isolated from a fatal case of herpes simplex encephalitis (case 1) and from a fatal case of disseminated herpes simplex (case 2). The virus was isolated from the lip lesion, the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe of the brain in case 1 and from a mesenteric node, myocardium and salivary gland in case 2. Restriction endonuclease digestion analysis showed that each case was infected with different substrains of HSV. The changes in band pattern in isolates from case 1 occurred in the "variable" region of the genome, showing that viruses with such variations can be isolated simultaneously from different tissues. The changes in band patterns in isolates from case 2 indicated the presence of two virus substrains, one in the mesenteric node and salivary gland and a second in the myocardium.

Brain↗
PubMed1984

Microbiological and histological findings in the fallopian tubes of women using various contraceptive methods.

The oviducts of seventy-three women undergoing sterilization by partial salpingectomy were submitted for microbiological and histologic studies. Twenty women were intrauterine device users, twenty-five women were oral contraceptive pill users and twenty-eight women used natural or barrier methods of contraception. Among intrauterine device users, there was an excess of mild and severe acute inflammatory histologic changes involving both the lumen and the tubal mucosa. Five of the eight intrauterine device users with acute inflammatory change had sterile tubal cultures.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1984

Emergence of papovavirus in long-term cultures of astrocytes from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy patients.

Primary and secondary cell cultures of brain tissue from two fatal cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) were closely monitored by light and electron microscopy and immunochemical labelling for glial fibrillary acidic protein. Although the cell cultures appeared heterogeneous and sometimes included fibroblasts, most of the cells were glial and many were identified as astrocytes by their morphology and immunochemical label. In long-term primary cultures four to four and a half months old and subcultures after many passages, focal cytopathic effect was noted in many cells. At the same time, papovavirions appeared in the nuclei of degenerating cells. However, the identity of these cells could not be established. Also, consistently present in the cultures were large atypical and pleomorphic cells that were likewise morphologically and immunochemically identified as astrocytes. Complete formed virions consistent with papovavirus appeared in the nuclei of some of these cells after several cell passages. The emergence of the virus in these cultured astrocytes supports the recently held notion that there may be in PML an abortive, or nonpermissive, papovavirus infection of this cell type which is believed to undergo cell transformation.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides infection in a small Nova Scotian community.

A survey of Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence was conducted during 1976 and 1977 in a rural community of Nova Scotia. Of 431 individuals tested, 121 (28.1%) were infected. All those infected were under 20 years of age. There was no difference in the rate of infection between households with pigsties and those without. A significantly higher prevalence rate was found in homes where feces were disposed of in the yard and water was obtained from a dug well. In a concurrent random survey taken in the Halifax metropolitan area, none of the 276 individuals tested was infected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes in human and environmental specimens in Nova Scotia, 1974 to 1981.

We examined specimens for L. monocytogenes using the "cold enrichment" technique of Gray et al. (J. Bacteriol., 55: 471, 1948) and a nalidixic agar plate (Ann. Inst. Pasteur 111: 90, 1966). Between 1974 and May 1981, we isolated L. monocytogenes from four of 5,255 specimens (rectal, vaginal and placental swabs; blood; spinal fluid; semen; necropsy material) which came from eight human populations (neonates, children, adult men, and pregnant and nonpregnant women) and from 161 animals. Three of the isolated strains were type 1, and they came from a newborn born at 32 weeks' gestation, that child's mother, and another woman who had recently delivered. The fourth (type 4b) came from a newborn twin born at 36 1/2 weeks' gestation. In June through October 1981, in 529 specimens, we isolated L. monocytogenes type 1/2 from two of four larvae tested (four earwigs and five slugs were all negative) and from three of 27 samples of fresh chicken liver (however, 18 samples of coleslaw were negative). At the same time, we isolated L. monocytogenes (not yet typed) from a rectal swab from one of 112 dogs examined. Rectal swabs from 107 cats were negative, as were vaginal swabs from 144 women and urine samples from 108 newborns.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus in Nova Scotia children.

Blood samples from 304 children aged 6 months to 16 years were tested by radioimmunoassay for antibodies to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV). Of several factors examined for a possible association with the prevalence of anti-HAV--age, sex, race, geographic location and presence of malignant disease--only age showed a positive correlation with the prevalence of these antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Powassan virus encephalitis resembling herpes simplex encephalitis.

A boy from New York traveling in Nova Scotia had olfactory hallucinations and other signs of temporal lobe involvement, leading to a diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis. The patient was treated with vidarabine and made a complete recovery. However, hemagglutination inhibition, complement fixation, and neutralization tests identified Powassan virus (POW) as the pathogen. Shortly before his trip to Nova Scotia, the patient had traveled in an area where POW encephalitis had occurred in humans (the eastern part of the state of New York), and he also came in contact with a known reservoir of POW infection (a groundhog) at home.

Child↗
PubMed1982

Antibodies to the California group of arboviruses in animal populations of New Brunswick.

Wild and domestic animals of New Brunswick were tested serologically for antibodies to the California group (CAL) of arboviruses. Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) blood collected during 1976 showed 6 of 129 (4.7%) sera with neutralizing antibodies to the snowshoe hare strain (SSH) of CAL. Neutralization tests on moose (Alces alces americana Clinton) sera collected during 1979 indicated 94 of 127 (74%) with antibodies to SSH, 4 of 127 (3.2%) with antibodies to the Jamestown Canyon Strain (JC) of CAL, and 17 of 127 (13.4%) with equal antibody titers to SSH and JC. Hemagglutination inhibition tests on house blood collected during 1977 showed 54 of 204 (26.5%) with antibodies to SSH; of these, 36 also had neutralizing antibodies to SSH. This study is the first indication of CAL activity in New Brunswick and supports evidence of JC activity in northeastern North America.

Animals↗