PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L S Rickman

Publications and source records attributed to L S Rickman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Association of mycoplasma and human immunodeficiency virus infection: detection of amplified Mycoplasma fermentans DNA in blood.

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Mycoplasma fermentans infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection using polymerase chain reaction methodology. Targeted M. fermentans DNA sequences could be amplified from the DNA extracted from the blood of 6 (11%) of 55 HIV-seropositive patients but from none of 26 HIV-seronegative subjects at low risk for HIV infection (P = .17). There was no correlation between M. fermentans infection and HIV clinical stage. There was a nonsignificant trend toward an association between M. fermentans infection and a history of syphilis. Infection with M. fermentans may occur more commonly in HIV-infected patients; however, a role as a copathogen or opportunistic infection was not established in this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Use of adjuvant containing mycobacterial cell-wall skeleton, monophosphoryl lipid A, and squalane in malaria circumsporozoite protein vaccine.

Human immune responses to modern synthetic and recombinant peptide vaccines administered with the standard adjuvant, aluminum hydroxide, tend to be poor, hence the search for better adjuvants. Antibody responses to a Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite (CS) protein vaccine, R32NS1(81), administered with an adjuvant containing cell-wall skeleton of mycobacteria and monophosphoryl lipid A in squalane (MPL/CWS) have been compared to responses to the same immunogen administered with aluminum hydroxide. 2 weeks after the third dose the following indices were greater in the 5 patients who received MPL/CWS than in controls (p less than 0.05): the geometric mean concentration (2.0 vs 25.4 microgram/ml) and avidity index of antibodies to the P falciparum CS protein by ELISA, the geometric mean titre to P falciparum sporozoites by IFAT (1/115 vs 1/1600), and the geometric mean inhibition of sporozoite invasion of hepatoma cells in vitro (37.6 vs 90.3%). For R32NS1(81) MPL/CWS is superior to aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant, and the data support the evaluation of this complex as an adjuvant for other vaccines.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1991

Acridine orange detection of Plasmodium falciparum malaria: relationship between sensitivity and optical configuration.

Blood samples collected from five volunteers participating in a P. falciparum infectivity trial were examined to determine the efficacy of the acridine orange technique. Several lens configurations were tested for efficiency in the diagnosis of malaria using this system. There was no significant difference in the sensitivity for detecting positive specimens or number of parasites among three lens configurations: a 50x long working distance objective (0.34 mm) with either a 10x ocular (total magnification 500x) or a 12.5x ocular (625x) and a 750x configuration using a 50x objective with a shorter working distance (0.24 mm). All three lens configurations were significantly better than the 1,000x configuration using a commonly available 100x oil immersion objective. The results achieved using this lens still exceeded the sensitivity of the thick blood film.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1991

The clinical diagnosis of splenomegaly.

Assessing for the presence of splenomegaly is an important component of the physical examination. Although several methods of palpation and percussion of the spleen have been described, until recently they have not been validated by noninvasive imaging techniques such as ultrasonography, radionuclide scanning, and computed tomography that offer objective means to assess splenomegaly. We review the literature comparing various physical examination techniques with noninvasive imaging modalities and conclude that palpation and percussion of the spleen are complementary but frequently insensitive and that further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of specific diagnostic methods.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1991

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis at a U.S. military base: Republic of the Philippines.

Between August 1988 and January 1989, 2,603 cases of acute conjunctivitis occurred at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Clinical features of the disease were consistent with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. Adenovirus types 19 and 8, as well as enteroviruses, were isolated from conjunctival swabs. Approximately 18% of 9,167 active duty personnel were affected. In an attempt to contain the outbreak, active cases were isolated from the workplace, resulting in 9,038 personnel-days lost. Military preparedness was significantly impacted. A case-control study revealed multiple risk factors for acquisition of the disease.

Adenovirus Infections, Human↗
PubMed1990

Plasmodium falciparum-infected Anopheles stephensi inconsistently transmit malaria to humans.

Malaria was transmitted to only 5 of 10 volunteers bitten by 1-2 Anopheles stephensi carrying sporozoites of the 3D7 clone of the NF54 strain of Plasmodium falciparum in their salivary glands. Parasites were detectable by culture in blood taken 7-10 days following exposure and by thick blood film 14-16.5 days after exposure. Infectivity did not correlate with the numbers of sporozoites in the salivary glands.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Rapid diagnosis of Brugia malayi and Wuchereria bancrofti filariasis by an acridine orange/microhematocrit tube technique.

A microhematocrit tube technique for diagnosis of human filariasis has been previously described. A system incorporating heparin, EDTA, and acridine orange into a microhematocrit tube (Quantitative Blood Count, QBC) has been commercially developed for the quantitation of blood counts and has been used for the diagnosis of malaria. We evaluated this test for its usefulness in the diagnosis of filariasis. Upon centrifugation, the parasites were concentrated in the area of the buffy coat and could be observed through the wall of the tube. The parasites were concentrated further by a plastic float that expands the buffy coat and confines the parasites to the periphery of the tube. Acridine orange stains the DNA of the parasite, and morphologic characteristics can be examined by fluorescence microscopy. The terminal and subterminal nuclei and long cephalic space of Brugia malayi, as well as the short cephalic space and caudal nuclei of Wuchereria bancrofti, were easily recognized and differentiated from each other. Microfilariae were detected in samples diluted to a level of approximately 50/ml.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1989

Rapid diagnosis of malaria by acridine orange staining of centrifuged parasites.

A rapid diagnostic test for malaria based on acridine orange staining of centrifuged parasites in a microhaematocrit tube ('QBC' tube) was compared with the thick blood smear in 12 volunteers experimentally infected with Plasmodium falciparum, 408 residents of a malaria endemic area, and 180 hospital patients with suspected malaria. In the experimentally infected volunteers, the QBC tube test and the thick blood smear were comparable and the QBC tube could detect as few as 4 parasites/microliter blood. When used for mass screening in the field study, the test had a sensitivity of 70% for the diagnosis of malaria compared with 92% for a single thick blood smear. However, when used to diagnose malaria in hospital patients, the test detected as few as 3 parasites/microliter in 91 of 92 patients with asexual parasitaemia. For the three studies, the QBC tube was highly specific (98.4%), indicating malaria in only 8 of 487 subjects with negative blood films. The species of parasite was correctly identified in 77% of species. Processing the QBC tube was easier and much more rapid than was processing a thick blood smear, taking only 5 min for centrifugation and 5 min for examination. The QBC tube is not a substitute for the blood smear, but its speed and ease of use make it an important new tool for the diagnosis of malaria.

Acridine Orange↗