Biomedical subjects

K Searle

Publications and source records attributed to K Searle.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The role of inflammation in preterm birth--focus on periodontitis.

It is universally accepted that acute inflammation is responsible for a substantial fraction of preterm births, particularly early cases. Much of this inflammation is caused by intrauterine infection. There is also evidence that infection and perhaps inflammation remote from the genitourinary tract can trigger preterm labour. Several studies have suggested that periodontitis during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth. Periodontitis may cause preterm birth by causing low-grade bacteraemia, which lodges in the decidua, chorion and amnion or by releasing endotoxin into the maternal circulation, which triggers intrauterine inflammation and preterm birth. Alternatively, it may release cytokines and other inflammatory products, which then trigger preterm labour. It is also conceivable that periodontitis might serve as a marker for other unhealthy behaviours, or immune hyperresponsiveness and that hyperresponsiveness to low-grade intrauterine infection itself might cause preterm birth. Currently, there are few data available to distinguish these possibilities. Such distinctions are important since they have clear implications for whether treatment of periodontitis might reduce the incidence of preterm birth. Several clinical trials of treatment of periodontitis are continuing, but until their results are known there is currently little evidence that treatment of periodontitis during pregnancy reduces the incidence of preterm birth.

Epidemiologic Methods↗

PubMed2005

High scores on the Western Aphasia Battery correlate with good functional communication skills (as measured with the Communicative Effectiveness Index) in aphasic stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the correlation between an impairment-level and a functional-level assessment scale of aphasia. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal study. SETTING: A stroke rehabilitation unit. SUBJECTS: Sixty-seven aphasic acute stroke patients who were undergoing a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation programme, including conventional speech and language therapy (SLT). INTERVENTION: Patients were assessed on study entry and 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of SLT. The language impairment was assessed with the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and the communicative functional limitation associated with aphasia was measured with the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI).Results. There was a statistically significant correlation between the two scales for all assessment periods (Pearson's r=0.71; P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The study suggests that in the acute and subacute stages of stroke the scores of WAB and CETI can be surmised from one another.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2000

Seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 NS1-specific IgG in B19-infected and uninfected individuals and in infected pregnant women.

Parvovirus B19 is the causative agent of erythema infectiosum in children, but the virus is associated with an increasing range of different diseases. These include acute and chronic arthritis, hydrops fetalis in pregnant women, aplastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. The host's immune response is directed against the viral structural proteins VP1 and VP2. This study investigated the presence of IgG against the viral nonstructural protein NS1 using Western blot. Serum panels from healthy individuals, B19-infected pregnant women, and various disease groups were tested. The disease groups included patients with symptoms that may be linked to parvovirus B19 infection. The results showed that IgG against the NS1 protein was present in 22% of healthy individuals with past B19 infection. In cases of persistent or prolonged B19 infections, the prevalence of NS1-specific antibodies was as high as 80%. It is concluded that NS1-specific IgG may be used as an indicator of chronic or more severe courses of parvovirus B19 infections.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Development of antibodies to the nonstructural protein NS1 of parvovirus B19 during acute symptomatic and subclinical infection in pregnancy: implications for pathogenesis doubtful.

At present little is known about the mechanisms influencing the course and severity of parvovirus B19 infection. Antibodies to the parvovirus nonstructural protein NS1 were reported in patients with parvovirus-associated arthritis and those with persisting infection but not in those without complications, suggesting a potential involvement of NS1 or anti-NS1 antibodies in pathogenesis. The immune response to NS1 was examined retrospectively in 33 pregnant women with acute parvovirus B19 infection, 14 of whom experienced symptomatic infection and 19 in whom the infection was subclinical. Antibodies to NS1 were found in 15 (45%) of the women, seven with symptomatic and eight with subclinical infection. No association was found between the development of anti-NS1 antibodies and the occurrence of fetal complications. Of the seven cases in which fetal complications were observed, anti-NS1 antibodies were detected in only three. The finding that an immune response to NS1 can also be demonstrated in patients with asymptomatic infection suggests that anti-NS1 antibodies do not appear to represent a marker for an altered or severe course of infection in pregnant women or to contribute significantly to pathogenesis. Since anti-NS1 antibodies first become detectable at least six weeks postinfection, their presence can be used to exclude acute infection in patients with unclear serology or be used to aid differential diagnosis of rashlike illnesses.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1998

Life-threatening parvovirus B19-associated myocarditis and cardiac transplantation as possible therapy: two case reports.

Parvovirus B19 infection can cause a wide spectrum of disease syndromes. Two cases of parvovirus B19 infection were identified that resulted in life-threatening myocarditis shortly after acute infection in immunocompetent individuals. The diagnosis was made with serological and polymerase chain reaction techniques. One patient was successfully treated by heart transplantation. Sequence analysis showed that the parvovirus B19 cloned from the patients' sera had 99% homology with the prototype sequence. Clinicians should be alerted to the possible role of parvovirus B19 in myocarditis presenting in immunocompetent patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin in pregnant women with acute parvovirus B19 infection with and without fetal complications.

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) and human gonadotropin (MS-hCG) were retrospectively determined in 137 sera from 65 pregnant women with an acute parvovirus B19 infection. In 35 of the pregnant women, fetal complications occurred (group 1); in the remaining 30 women, there were no fetal complications (group 2). In group I, significant elevations of MS-AFP were detected in 13 of the 35 women (37 per cent) and of MS-hCG in 25 of the 35 women (71 per cent). In nine of those women, sera were obtained before occurrence of fetal complications and MS-AFP was elevated in one case and MS-hCG in four cases. In one woman, both MS-AFP and MS-hCG were elevated. In group 2, significant elevations of MS-AFP were found in two of the 30 women (6-7 per cent) and of MS-hCG in five of the 30 women (16.7 per cent). Neither MS-AFP nor MS-hCG appears to be a regular early marker for poor pregnancy outcome in parvovirus B19-infected pregnancies, although they were frequently elevated at the time of complications.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Parvovirus B19 diagnosis in pregnant women--quantification of IgG antibody levels (IU/ml) with reference to the international parvovirus B19 standard serum.

On the basis of the results of a collaborative study the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation has issued an international standard (IS) serum for parvovirus B19 IgG antibody (NIBSC 93/724). In this study this IS was used to calibrate an in-house standard serum for reporting the results of parvovirus B19 IgG testing in IU/ml. The IgG titre distribution in 939 pregnant women was determined. These samples were sent to the laboratory for determining the immune status to parvovirus B19 following contact with parvovirus B19 infected individuals or for detecting acute infection in patients with symptoms suggestive of parvovirus B19 infection.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Acute parvovirus B19 infection in pregnant women--an analysis of serial samples by serological and semi-quantitative PCR techniques.

The serological and virological course of parvovirus B19 infection was followed in 14 women who suffered symptomatic or subclinical acute infection during pregnancy. Serial serum samples from the patients were tested for IgG and IgM antibodies and the levels of parvovirus B19 DNA were monitored using a semi-quantitative PCR assay. In addition, the outcome of the pregnancies was documented by clinical information and by testing cord blood for parvovirus B19 specific antibodies as well as for parvovirus B19 DNA by PCR. Levels of IgG antibodies rose steadily within 2 months of infection and in some cases began to decline at the end of pregnancy. IgM antibodies were usually detected for at least 2 months and persisted for as long as 9 months in one case. Viral DNA was detectable for at least 8 weeks following infection and semi-quantitative analysis revealed a gradual reduction in virus load during the viraemic phase of infection. There were no apparent differences in the course of antibody development and duration of viraemia in symptomatic versus subclinical infections.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A successful laboratory outreach program.

Many economists say the recession is ending--if not over already. Those of us in health care are still facing trying times, and health-care reform may be just around the corner. Many hospitals are developing or enhancing laboratory outreach programs to ease their financial burdens. In the first of a two-part "As We See It," CLMR spoke with expert laboratorians who discuss the need for an outreach program and who should be involved in its development, as well as how hospital laboratories can establish the proper business culture to run a successful program. We asked: How do you develop and operate a successful laboratory outreach program?

Laboratories, Hospital↗