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Biomedical subjects

J Reddy

Publications and source records attributed to J Reddy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Cryptococcal peritonitis in a CAPD patient.

A 50-year-old diabetic woman with end-stage renal disease, who had been on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for 8 months, developed peritonitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans. The patient was completely asymptomatic and infection was confirmed by detection of budding yeast cells in Gram-stained smears of turbid peritoneal fluid. The infection was cleared after intravenous fluconazole with delayed removal of the catheter. Fluconazole may be a suitable alternative drug in treating cryptococcal peritonitis.

Cryptococcosis↗
PubMed1992

The WHO Oral Health goals for the year 2000 in South Africa.

This paper outlines a policy to attain the WHO Oral Health goals for the year 2000 by the implementation of primary and secondary prevention. The Republic of South Africa (RSA) with its complex political and social formation and an interesting mix of 1st and 3rd world populations provides the space for challenging and innovative approaches.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Does trans-lesion synthesis explain the UV-radiation resistance of DNA synthesis in C. elegans embryos?

Over 10-fold larger fluences were required to inhibit both DNA synthesis and cell division in wild-type C. elegans embryos as compared with other model systems or C. elegans rad mutants. In addition, unlike in other organisms, the molecular weight of daughter DNA strands was reduced only after large, superlethal fluences. The molecular weight of nascent DNA fragments exceeded the interdimer distance by up to 19-fold, indicating that C. elegans embryos can replicate through non-instructional lesions. This putative trans-lesion synthetic capability may explain the refractory nature of UV radiation on embryonic DNA synthesis and nuclear division in C. elegans.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Acute myocardial infarction, non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation in a severe hemophiliac.

Thrombosis in hemophilia is very rare and is usually associated with the administration of prothrombin complex concentrates. We describe a severe hemophiliac with P. carinii pneumonia who had clinical and laboratory evidence of acute myocardial infarction and disseminated intravascular coagulation, and at autopsy, nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis as well. We suggest that prothrombin complex concentrates should be used cautiously in the setting of acute infection, and perhaps be given with appropriate doses of anticoagulants such as heparin.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Asthma: a provincial study.

To identify factors contributing to increased mortality and morbidity we prospectively evaluated 200 consecutive adult (greater than 17 years) asthmatic presentations (105 patients) referred to Gisborne Hospital over a 28 month period between 1985 and 1987 using a modified protocol adapted from previous national studies. In the moderate asthmatic group (113 presentations, 56%), 6% failed to use beta agonists prior to admission and 43% were not on regular steroid inhaler therapy. No patient had a crisis plan although 45 (22.5%) had received oral steroid therapy before admission. Poor drug compliance was twice as common in the Maori. Fifty-eight percent of patients were on regular long term oral theophylline whereas 48 (43%) patients with moderate and severe asthma were not on corticosteroid inhalers. We conclude that patient education and more liberal use of steroid inhalers have the greatest potential for improving morbidity and mortality.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of hairy cell leukaemia with recombinant alpha interferon.

Eleven patients with progressive hairy cell leukaemia (three nonsplenectomised) were treated with recombinant alpha-2 interferon (Intron-A or Roferon-A) subcutaneously three times per week at a dosage of 3 x 10(6) units. Ten patients completed at least ten weeks of therapy and could be evaluated; one patient died of haemorrhage from severe thrombocytopenia after only three weeks treatment. Nine of the ten patients responded and all of these are regarded as good partial remissions (normalisation of all blood parameters but still discernible hairy cells in the marrow). Responding patients have all been followed for a median of two years and in one case 3 1/2 years since commencement of therapy. The patients are all transfusion independent and free of infection. We conclude that alpha-2 interferon therapy for progressive hairy cell leukaemia is effective therapy in both splenectomised and nonsplenectomised patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The relationship of the periodontal status to fluoride levels of alveolar bone and tooth roots.

The periodontal status and fluoride levels of alveolar bone and tooth roots were compared for subjects from a high (2.5 ppm F) and a low (less than 0.05 ppm F) fluoride area. The plaque index, gingival index, probing depth and loss of attachment were measured to determine the periodontal status. The fluoride levels were determined by the use of the fluoride ion-selective electrode. Both communities had high plaque and gingival indices. However, the mean pocket probing depths in both communities were less than 2.5 mm. No statistically significant differences could be found in the periodontal status between the 2 areas. The fluoride levels in bone and root were higher for subjects from the high fluoride area. No statistically significant difference could be demonstrated between the fluoride levels in alveolar bone and tooth roots for each area. It was found that the fluoride levels in bone and roots increased with increasing age, but to a lesser degree for subjects from the low fluoride area.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The relationship of the position of crown margins to gingival health.

A survey was conducted of 423 crown margins that were divided into 355 subgingival margins and 68 supragingival margins. The plaque index, gingival bleeding, and recession surrounding the artificial crown were recorded and compared to the unprepared contralateral tooth. Gingival tissues tended to bleed 2.42 times more frequently with subgingival margins and have a 2.65 times higher chance of gingival recession. Crowns with supragingival margins did not differ significantly compared with the contralateral tooth, but crowns with subgingival margins had greater bleeding and recession compared with the contralateral tooth. It is recommended that supragingival margins become standard clinical procedures when feasible. A further analysis will be instituted to determine whether different crown materials affect the gingivae.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Purification and partial chemical characterization of a glycoprotein with antifertility activity from human seminal plasma.

The preparation of a highly purified antifertility factor from human seminal plasma is described, and some of its biochemical properties have been determined. Purification was achieved by ultracentrifugation of particle-free human seminal plasma, followed by chromatography of the precipitate using carboxymethyl cellulose, concanavalin A, and Sepharose 6B columns. An occasional contaminant was further removed by preparative isoelectric focusing. During the purification procedures, the activity of the fractions was monitored by mixing them with capacitated mouse spermatozoa for 20 min before adding an aliquot to intact mouse oocytes, and determining fertilization after 24 h. The I50 (amount causing a 50% reduction in fertilization as compared to the control) of the final purified factor was 45 micrograms protein. Purity was established by standard and sodium dodecyl sulfate disc gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and sedimentation analysis. These methods, as well as Sepharose gel filtration, were also used for the molecular weight estimations; good agreement was obtained between the various techniques. The factor appears to be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of about 200,000. It consists of two subunits with molecular weights of about 125,000 and 72,000 and s-20,w of 6.2 s and 4.3 s. The factor contains relatively high amounts of aspartic acid and glutamic acid residues as well as leucine and serine, but only small amounts of tryptophan and no methionine was detected. The carbohydrate fraction is particularly rich in galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine but also contains mannose and N-acetylglucosamine and small amounts of fucose and sialic acid.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1987

Periodontal disease in partial denture wearers--a biological index.

Studies on the adverse effects of partial dentures on the remaining tissues require both a yardstick of measurement to record the level of oral disease, and the use of controls, preferably within the same patient. A method was devised for pooling the individual values related to the level of periodontal disease on abutment and control teeth in partial dentitions. The difference in these combined values was expressed as the Biological Price. This value provided a useful means of evaluating partial denture designs and patient features, in attempting to assess the major contributing factors responsible for the Biological Price levied by the denture. Whilst wearing an acrylic partial denture at night adds to the price paid by the remaining tissues, the mechanical features of the partial denture, and the overall features of the patient and his remaining dentition appear to be insignificant in determining the Biological Price.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Darkfield microscopy of subgingival plaque of an urban black population with poor oral hygiene.

A low socio-economic community residing in Crossroads, Cape Town, consists of people who originated from the Eastern Cape areas of the Ciskei and Transkei. These individuals have had virtually no dental care, with the exception of emergency treatment for pain. A darkfield microscopic study of a random sample of 52 individuals was undertaken to determine the predominant morphological forms in the subgingival plaque of this population. Spirochetes were found to constitute 42.1% and motile rods, 7.7%, of the total darkfield microscopic count. Clinical assessment of the periodontal status of 100 individuals revealed the following mean values; plaque index (PI) = 1.44, gingival index (GI) = 1.31, probing depth (PD) = 2.35 mm and loss of attachment = 0.64 mm. Subgingival calculus deposits were present in 42% of the group and little or no mobility of the teeth was evident. Poor oral hygiene resulted in 90% of the tooth surfaces of the sampled population in Crossroads being covered with plaque, yet these individuals appear to be resistant to periodontitis. The high proportions of spirochetes and motile rods found in the subgingival plaque of this group were not indicative of periodontitis and therefore, fail to confirm the findings of other investigators.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Bacteriuria in pregnancy.

In a racially mixed community in Gisborne, New Zealand, the prevalence of asymptomatic (covert) bacteriuria of pregnancy was 9.6%. The prevalence in Maori women was 17.1% and in non-Maori women 4.7%. There was a higher prevalence of bacteriuria in the younger women. Escherichia coli was the infecting organism in 58 of the 72 women with bacteriuria. Twenty-five (44%) of the E. coli were resistant to ampicillin and amoxycillin. Fifty-eight (81%) of the women with bacteriuria also had pyuria. In 37 of the 44 women (84%) who received antimicrobial therapy, the infection was cured. Single dose therapy was just as effective as a course of treatment. In 14 of the 28 untreated women, the infection cleared spontaneously. Four of the 28 (14%) patients in the untreated bacteriuric group developed acute pyelonephritis. More patients with bacteriuria had anaemia and a low fetal birth-weight.

Adolescent↗