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Biomedical subjects

K D Miller

Publications and source records attributed to K D Miller.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Traumatic avulsion of the lumbar nerve roots.

Lumbar nerve root avulsion is rare but may follow severe traction injury of the pelvis. Diagnosis is based on neurologic deficit and myelographic demonstration of traumatic meningocele. Nerve root avulsion should be differentiated from peripheral nerve injury because surgical treatment of nerve root avulsion has uniformly proved futile.

Adult↗

Inhibition of virus-induced plaque formation by atoxic derivatives of purified cobra neurotoxins.

Venom from Naja naja siamensis was resolved into 16 toxic and nontoxic fractions by chromatography on SP-Sephadex, C-25. The principal neurotoxin preparations were chromatographically and electrophoretically homogeneous. Of the purified constituents, only the principal neurotoxin and minor neurotoxins were precursors of inhibitors of plaque formation among baby hamster kidney fibroblasts infected with Semliki Forest Virus.

Cell Line↗

Elastase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: inactivation of complement components and complement-derived chemotactic and phagocytic factors.

A purified elastase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was highly destructive for fluid-phase and cell-bound C1 and C3 and fluid-phase C5, C8, and C9. Inactivation of C4, C2, C6, and C7 by the enzyme varied from 0 to 67%. Low concentrations of elastase generated, then inactivated, a chemotactic factor from human C5 but not from C3. Higher enzyme concentrations inactivated the C5 chemotactic activity at a faster rate. Elastase treatment of sensitized pseudomonads containing cell-bound C3 reduced the phagocytic indexes of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The data support the proposed chemopathogenic role of the elastase in generation of the characteristic non-inflammatory Pseudomonas vasculitis.

Animals↗

Tetanus toxin and antigenic derivatives. I. Purification of the biologically active monomer.

A procedure for the isolation of pure tetanus toxin in a lethal monomeric form was developed based on the extraction of whole cells and chromatographic techniques. A crude extract of toxin was obtained by hypertonic extraction of cells from a 72-hr culture of Clostridium tetani Massachusetts strain. The extract was precipitated with ammonium sulfate and further purified by sequential use of ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The degree of purification obtained by the fractionation procedures was monitored by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The pure toxin has an average specific activity of 150 x 10(6) mouse MLD per mg of N and 3,000 Lf per mg of N. Immunological purity was demonstrated by a single line on both immunoelectrophoresis and agar double diffusion. One band was obtained on polyacrylamide electrophoresis, as was a single symmetrical peak in the ultracentrifuge and on Sephadex G-100 chromatography. The pure protein has an absorbancy ratio (280/260 mmu) of 2.1 in phosphate buffer (pH 7.5).

Chromatography, Gel↗

Intradermal hepatitis B virus vaccine: immunogenicity and side-effects in adults.

Fourteen adult volunteers were given a series of three 0.1 ml (2.0 micrograms of antigen protein) intradermal doses of hepatitis B virus vaccine (Merck). An antibody (anti-HBs) response was induced in 10 of 12 (83%) who were antibody negative at the start of the study. Two participants who had anti-HBs before vaccination had a significant increase in serum antibody. The two participants with no antibody response were the oldest members of the study group. Side-effects of the vaccine were limited to local reactions at the site of administration.

Adult↗

Effects of monocular deprivation and reverse suture on orientation maps can be explained by activity-instructed development of geniculocortical connections.

Mature visual cortex shows a single, binocularly matched orientation map. This matching develops without visual experience. It persists despite early monocular deprivation that largely eliminates one eye's map, followed by reverse suture (deprivation of the previously open eye and opening of the previously deprived eye), even though the two eyes lack common visual experience in this case. These results have been interpreted to suggest that the structure of orientation maps either is innately predetermined or, if it arises through self-organization, is determined by external cues such as boundary conditions or a "scaffolding" of horizontal connections. We show, to the contrary, that these results are the expected outcomes if orientation maps develop through activity-instructed, correlation-based development of the geniculocortical connections without additional cues. A weak, binocularly correlated orientation map is known to exist before deprivation onset; we previously showed how this can arise through activity-instructed development. Now we show that this initial correlation between the two eyes' maps can persist or increase despite deprivation sufficient to cause massive loss of the deprived eye's geniculocortical synaptic strength, followed by reverse suture. Given sufficient early correlated map development, each map's fate is "dynamically committed": the two eyes' maps will converge upon a common outcome, even if developing independently. This dynamic fate commitment is retained even after severe deprivation.

Animals↗