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J Cater

Publications and source records attributed to J Cater.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Increased human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced by ethanol: potential immunopathogenic mechanisms.

Previous studies have shown that alcohol ingestion significantly increases human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated and infected with HIV-1 in vitro. Whether the increased replication of HIV-1 observed after alcohol ingestion was due to unknown factors released from the gastrointestinal tract during alcohol ingestion or to certain metabolites produced by intestinal flora that degraded alcohol was investigated. In addition, cellular mechanisms involved in the increased replication of HIV-1 after alcohol exposure were evaluated. Twelve healthy HIV-1-seronegative subjects abstained from alcoholic beverages for >10 days. Nine were infused with 500 mg/kg ethanol (7.5% at 20 ml/kg/h) in saline, whereas 3 were infused with saline alone. Compared with saline-infused subjects, ethanol-infused subjects' PBMC exhibited significantly increased replication of HIV-1 when infected in vitro, which was associated with increased inhibition of CD8+ T lymphocytes' function by alcohol.

Adolescent↗

Single-slide versus double-slide Pap smear: a comparative study.

Comparison of the single-slide versus double-slide Pap smear method was performed using ectocervical and endocervical samples taken with the Ayre spatula and Cytobrush and placed together on one slide or on two separate slides. Eight hundred cases were collected by four different physicians in a gynecologic clinic (100 consecutive cases per doctor per method). All samples were evaluated at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Parameters evaluated were: specimen adequacy, quality and detection of disease. Results for the double-slide method were: 352/400 (88%) satisfactory, 48/400 (12%) satisfactory, but limited, and 0% unsatisfactory cases. Results for the single-slide method were: 347/400 (86.7%) satisfactory, 50/400 (12.5%) satisfactory, but limited, and 3/400 (0.75%) unsatisfactory cases. Results regarding detection of disease were 16/400 (4%) CIN 1/400 (0.25%) carcinomas with the double-slide method as compared to 13/400 (3.25%) CIN and no carcinomas with the single-slide method. No statistically significant differences were found regarding specimen adequacy (P = 0.31), quality (P = 1.00), and detection of disease [CIN (P = 0.71) and carcinomas (P = 1.0)]. These preliminary findings suggest that the single-slide method is as efficacious as the double-slide method, although a larger group of patients with a longer follow-up need to be evaluated.

Female↗

Efficacy of anterior chamber paracentesis and Carbogen in treating acute nonarteritic central retinal artery occlusion.

PURPOSE: To determine whether anterior chamber paracentesis and Carbogen inhalation therapy (95% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide) produce a significant difference in final visual acuity in eyes with acute nonarteritic central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), compared with untreated eyes. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the records of 89 consecutive patients seen at the Retina Vascular Unit of Wills Eye Hospital with acute CRAO who received either both anterior chamber paracentesis and Carbogen therapy, or neither anterior chamber paracentesis or Carbogen therapy, were reviewed. Forty patients were treated with both therapies, whereas 49 received neither modality. Visual acuities before treatment and at subsequent follow-up visits were measured. All patients seen within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms were treated, whereas most of those seen after 24 hours were not treated. RESULTS: Stratified Wilcoxon analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the treated and untreated groups (P = 0.87) after adjusting for initial vision. A posthoc power analysis for the difference between two proportions showed that the study had adequate power (0.80) to detect a difference of the proportion of improved patients of 10% versus 25% between that treated and untreated groups. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that anterior chamber paracentesis and Carbogen therapy offer little benefit for treating acute nonarteritic CRAO.

Acute Disease↗

[Iris neovascularization, increased intraocular pressure and vitreous hemorrhage as risk factors for invasion of the optic nerve and choroid in children with retinoblastoma].

A review of 289 eyes enculeated for retinoblastoma to evaluate prognostic factors for involvement of the choroid or optic nerve revealed choroidal invasion in 67 eyes (22%) and optic nerve invasion in 84 eyes (27%) due to retinoblastoma. Intraocular pressure (IOP) > or = 22 mmHg was found in 85 eyes prior to enucleation. A total of 118 eyes (38% showed histopathologic evidence of the development of glaucoma: 90 of them with iris neovascularisation and 28 with angle closure configuration. Patients with elevated IOP, iris neovascularisation and angle closure configuration had a significantly higher risk of optic nerve (P < 0.005) and choroidal (P < 0.002) involvement. On the other hand, optic nerve invasion due to retinoblastoma was significantly more frequent in eyes with elevated IOP (P < 0.02) and iris neovascularisation or angle closure configuration (P < 0.01). Risk factors for choroidal invasion of retinoblastoma were raised IOP (P < 0.04) and iris neovascularisations or angle closure configuration (P < 0.01) (univariant analysis). Raised IOP, iris neovascularisations and vitreous haemorrhage remained significant in the multivariant analysis. This study emphases the importance of IOP, iris neovascularisation and angle closure configuration as risk factors for outspreading invasion due to retinoblastoma.

Adolescent↗

Regression of retinoblastoma after plaque radiotherapy.

A review of 400 consecutive patients with retinoblastoma disclosed that 103 tumors in 103 eyes were treated with solitary plaque radiotherapy. The tumors were from 1 to 16 mm (mean, 7 mm) in basal diameter and from 1 to 8 mm (mean, 4 mm) in thickness. Thirty-one tumors were treated with plaque radiotherapy as initial treatment, whereas 72 tumors were treated with plaque radiotherapy as secondary treatment after failure of other methods. Of the 102 tumors on which adequate follow-up data were available, all responded initially to plaque radiotherapy with tumor regression. Over the mean follow-up of 38 months (range, six to 192 months), 89 tumors (87%) showed persistent regression and 13 (13%) showed tumor recurrence. The recurrence occurred at a mean interval of five months (range, one to 11 months) after plaque radiotherapy. A statistical analysis of tumor size, tumor location, tumor proximity to the optic disk and foveola, presence of vitreous seeds, radioactive plaque diameter, plaque shape, radioisotope, and primary or secondary treatment disclosed no important predictors of tumor recurrence. Carefully selected retinoblastoma, even juxtapapillary and macular tumors and those with localized vitreous seeds, can be successfully treated with plaque radiotherapy.

Brachytherapy↗

Choroidal invasion of retinoblastoma: metastatic potential and clinical risk factors.

There is considerable debate about the significance of choroidal invasion of retinoblastoma with regard to metastatic disease. The charts of patients with retinoblastoma were reviewed over a 17 year period to determine the frequency of histopathological choroidal invasion of retinoblastoma and its risk for eventual metastatic disease. Sixty seven of 289 eyes (23%) enucleated for retinoblastoma had histopathological evidence of choroidal invasion. Those patients with choroidal invasion (with or without optic nerve invasion) were more likely to develop metastases than those without choroidal invasion (p = 0.0001). When considering those patients with isolated choroidal invasion of retinoblastoma, excluding those with associated optic nerve invasion, there was no significant risk but there was a trend towards the development of metastases (p = 0.10). The clinical factors found to be predictive for choroidal invasion from retinoblastoma from a univariate analysis included increased intraocular pressure (p = 0.04) and iris neovascularisation (p = 0.007) and, from a multivariate analysis, iris neovascularisation (p = 0.02). The histopathological factors statistically associated with choroidal invasion included the presence of optic nerve invasion (p = 0.002) and poorly differentiated retinoblastoma (p = 0.003). Factors not predictive for choroidal invasion included the age, race, and sex of the patient and the tumour laterality, inheritance, size, and growth pattern. Choroidal invasion of retinoblastoma is a risk for metastases, especially if it is associated with any degree of optic nerve invasion.

Adolescent↗

Possible opiate action in the anxiolytic and antinociceptive actions of alprazolam.

Chronic treatment with alprazolam reversed the effect of acute stress on the concentration of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-BE) in the anterior pituitary (AP) and increased the amount of beta-endorphin (BE) relative to beta-lipotropin (B-LPH). In chronically stressed animals, administration of alprazolam did not alter the effect of a single stressful episode on the concentration of IR-BE in the AP, the NIL or the plasma, however, the amount of BE relative to B-LPH was increased in the AP and the plasma. Administration of alprazolam resulted in a significant decrease in the perception of pain. A low dose of alprazolam produced the most consistent decrease in nociception over time. The present findings suggest that alprazolam may modify the effects of acute and chronic stress on BE release from the pituitary. Moreover, alprazolam appears to have an antinociceptive effect in addition to its affect as an anxiolytic.

Alprazolam↗

Beta-endorphin in the male rat pituitary: testosterone influences the effect of cocaine.

In order to determine if the effect of cocaine on the concentration of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-BE) in the anterior pituitary (AP), neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary (NIL) and hypothalamus was modulated by gonadal steroid, the following groups of animals were studied: a) castrated male rats treated with vehicle, b) castrated male rats treated chronically with cocaine (daily for 10 days), c) castrated male rats treated with testosterone propionate (TP) and d) castrated male rats treated with TP and chronically administered cocaine. Only in castrated rats given TP did cocaine induce a significant increase in the concentration of IR-BE in the AP. The concentration of IR-BE in the NIL was increased by cocaine and was not influenced by the presence or absence of TP. Hypothalamic IR-BE remained unchanged in response to cocaine and was decreased by TP. Column chromatography revealed that TP and cocaine interacted to modulate the amount of beta-endorphin relative to beta-lipotropin in the AP. These findings suggest that in the male rat, the effect of cocaine on the concentration of IR-BE in the AP is modulated by the gonadal steroid environment. By contrast, gonadal does not appear to play a role in the effect of cocaine on the concentration of IR-BE in the NIL.

Animals↗

The small nonstructural protein (NS2) of the parvovirus minute virus of mice is required for efficient DNA replication and infectious virus production in a cell-type-specific manner.

Seven mutations which affect only the small nonstructural protein NS2 were introduced into the infectious clone of the autonomous parvovirus, minute virus of mice (MVM). The majority of these mutants were severely defective for replication following transfection of normal host murine A9 fibroblasts; however, all were found to replicate more efficiently and produce infectious virus in certain other cell types, including human NB324K. The isolation of viral stocks from NB324K cells permitted a more detailed analysis of the mutant defect on A9 cells. NS2 mutant NS2-2018 was shown to be approximately 10-fold deficient for viral monomer replicative-form DNA production within a single-burst cycle in infected A9 cells and produced a reduced amount of progeny single strand. Mutant NS2-2018 generated wild-type levels of monomer replicative-form DNA on NB324K cells but made reduced levels of progeny single strand and small plaques on these cells. The accumulation of NS1 is reduced late in NS2-2018 infection of A9 cells, but NS1 accumulates to wild-type levels late in NB324K cell infections. NS1 nuclear localization is not dependent on NS2 in A9 or NB324K cells. These results indicate that NS2 participates in MVM DNA replication and is required for efficient viral growth. The requirement for NS2 during MVM replication is also host cell specific. This requirement is significantly more pronounced in the normal host murine A9 cells than in certain other cell types, including NB324K.

Animals↗

The response to analgesia testing is affected by gonadal steroids in the rat.

The effect of gonadal steroids on the response to analgesia testing was determined in castrated male and female rats and castrated male and female rats treated with testosterone propionate (TP) and estradiol benzoate (EB), respectively. The time to respond to a noxious somatic stimulus in the form of heat was assessed using the tail withdrawal test (tail withdrawal from hot water) and hot plate test (the time to paw lick or jump). In male rats, castration resulted in a significant reduction of the reaction time for tail withdrawal. This effect was reversed by treatment with TP. The time to paw lick or jump in male rats was also diminished by castration. Treatment with TP resulted in a partial reversal of the effect of castration on this response. In castrated female rats, the time required for tail withdrawal was decreased by castration and increased by treatment with EB. The reaction time to the hot plate in female rats was diminished by castration and further reduced by EB administration. These data indicate that gonadal steroids influence the response to a noxious heat stimulus in male and female rats and that the effect may vary according to sex and the way in which the stimulus is applied.

Analgesia↗

Electrocardiographic criteria of left atrial enlargement: do they correlate with atrial size?

In the past, M-mode echocardiography, the "gold standard" for determining left atrial dimension (LAD), has been used to examine the validity of the New York Heart Association criteria for left atrial enlargement (LAE). When the authors used two-dimensional echocardiography to determine LAD in 91 patients, they found no significant correlation between any of these criteria, either alone or together, and actual LAE. They propose that if the diagnosis of LAE is made using these criteria alone, that it be qualified at all times with the word "possible."

American Heart Association↗