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Biomedical subjects

M Baines

Publications and source records attributed to M Baines.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The use of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and radiobinding assay to investigate the cross-reactivity of Klebsiella antigens and HLA B27 in ankylosing spondylitis patients and healthy controls.

The binding of rabbit anti-Klebsiella antibodies to tissue-typed lymphocytes obtained from 30 ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and 54 healthy subjects has been measured by an enzyme immunoassay method. HLA B27 positive lymphocytes obtained from either AS patients (t = 3.60; p less than 0.001) or healthy subjects (t = 3.77; p less than 0.001) were found to bind Klebsiella antibodies to a significantly greater extent than non-B27 lymphocytes obtained from healthy controls. Absorption studies demonstrated that HLA B27 positive lymphocytes absorbed out significantly more anti-Klebsiella antibodies than HLA B27-negative lymphocytes (t = 6.76; p less than 0.005). These results are compatible with cross-reactivity or molecular mimicry between HLA B27 and epitopes on some Gram-negative bacteria such as Klebsiella.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1990

Monoclonal antibodies against antithrombin III and their application in an immunoradiometric assay.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to antithrombin III (AT III) have been produced and characterized, and a two-site immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) developed, using one of the MAbs as a 'catcher' antibody and a radiolabelled affinity-purified rabbit antibody for detection. The IRMA could be performed in one day and the optimum concentration range of AT III was 1-100 ng/ml. Assays on AT III concentrates by the IRMA method showed a good correlation with AT III antigen values measured by the immunoelectrophoresis method (Laurell), the IRMA results averaging 94.3% of the Laurell values. Two of the MAbs (11 and 16) inhibited heparin cofactor but not AT III progressive activity, and the binding of AT III to MAb 11, used for the IRMA, was blocked by heparin. These results indicate that MAb 11 is directed at or near to the heparin binding site, and could therefore be useful in the study of structural aspects of this site in normal and genetically abnormal AT III.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The ocular manifestations of sexually transmitted diseases.

The problem of ocular involvement in sexually transmitted diseases is encountered by ophthalmologists in everyday practice. This paper reviews the ocular manifestations of some of the more common sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea and infections caused by herpes simplex, Chlamydia trachomatis and Phthirus pubis. Current methods of diagnosis and treatment are discussed. Neonatal infections associated with sexually transmitted diseases are also reviewed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Analysis of site-directed mutations in the alpha- and beta-subunits of Klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase.

Using directed mutagenesis, amino acid substitutions have been made in the alpha- and beta-subunits of the klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase component 1 at positions normally occupied by conserved cysteine or tyrosine residues. Nif+, Nif- and intermediate phenotypes have been obtained. To extend our earlier biochemical characterization (Kent et al., 1989) the electrophoretic mobility of component 1 of the mutant and wild-type nitrogenases has been analysed by non-denaturing gel electrophoresis. The major and minor forms of component 1 separated by this methodology have been probed for by using both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. All Nif+ mutants exhibited a distribution of electrophoretic forms of component 1 comparable to the wild type, and the abundance of the major form found in purified nitrogenase correlated approximately with the specific activity of the extract. In contrast, after electrophoresis, component 1 from Nif- mutants exhibited either a major low-mobility form or a fast-moving form. Analysis of nitrogenase polypeptides synthesized in the absence of co-factor (FeMoco) allowed us to conclude that changing cysteine 275 to alanine in the alpha-subunit produces component 1 defective in its interaction with FeMoco. Substitution of other conserved cysteine residues by alanine appears to prevent early steps in nitrogenase assembly or to promote degradation. Two single mutations (cysteine 89 to alanine in the alpha-subunit and cysteine 94 to alanine in the beta-subunit) which are tightly Nif- can be combined to produce a weakly active nitrogenase, indicating regions involved in the interaction between subunits.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗
PubMed1988

Clinical and pathological study of dysphagia conservatively managed in patients with advanced malignant disease.

A series of patients with dysphagia associated with terminal malignant disease is presented. 33 patients had clinical evidence of organic dysphagia associated with tumours of the upper aerodigestive tract. Over 80% of this group who underwent necropsy had locally obstructive lesions. Conservative treatment alone led to amelioration of dysphagia in approximately 60% of patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

The evaluation of erythrocyte thiamin diphosphate as an indicator of thiamin status in man, and its comparison with erythrocyte transketolase activity measurements.

HPLC measurement of the major physiological form of thiamin, thiamin diphosphate, in erythrocytes (ETDP) has been assessed as an indicator of thiamin status and compared with erythrocyte transketolase activity (ETKA) before and after activation with exogenous thiamin diphosphate (TDP effect). The comparison was made by following the response of the parameters to incubation of erythrocytes with thiamin and by measurements in alcoholic, elderly and student groups. All parameters were responsive to the thiamin content of their environment, but ETDP was at least as sensitive as TDP effect and more sensitive than ETKA in reflecting thiamin uptake and utilisation by erythrocytes. There was a better correlation between ETDP and ETKA than between ETDP and TDP effect. All the groups showed a significant positive correlation between ETDP and ETKA, but only the elderly and the alcoholic groups showed a significant negative correlation between ETDP and TDP effect. The lack of correlation between ETDP and TDP effect in the student group may be due to the relative imprecision of TDP effect measurements at the lower end of the reference range. ETDP is more stable than ETKA in frozen erythrocytes, is easier to standardise and is not affected by various factors which can influence the enzyme assay. Measurement of ETDP is, therefore, recommended for first line assessment of thiamin status.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Tissue thiamin levels of hospitalised alcoholics before and after oral or parenteral vitamins.

A new high performance liquid chromatographic method has been used to measure erythrocyte levels of the physiologically active form of thiamin, thiamin diphosphate (ETDP), in 25 alcoholics admitted to hospital for detoxification and rehabilitation. Measurements were made before, during and after multivitamin supplementation, either orally or parenterally, on a controlled basis. Before treatment, only one case of thiamin deficiency was detected. Within 24 hr of receiving 250 mg of thiamin both treated groups showed an increase in their mean ETDP levels, though only that of the parenterally treated group was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than the pre-treatment mean. However, after 250 mg thiamin daily for 5 days, both treated groups showed a significant (P less than 0.05) and almost identical increase in their mean ETDP levels (90 nmol/l. and 91 nmol/l. for the oral and parenteral routes respectively). The results suggest that except for alcoholics requiring thiamin urgently, for whom the parenteral route is demonstrably quicker at raising tissue levels, oral supplementation achieves the same result as parenteral.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1985

Medical management of intestinal obstruction in patients with advanced malignant disease. A clinical and pathological study.

A clinical and pathological study was made of 40 patients with intestinal obstruction due to far-advanced abdominal and/or pelvic malignant disease. Surgical intervention was feasible in only 2 cases. The remaining 38 patients were managed medically without intravenous fluids and nasogastric suction. Obstructive symptoms such as intestinal colic, vomiting, and diarrhoea were effectively controlled by drugs.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1985

Spondyloarthritis, uveitis, HLA-B27 and Klebsiella.

The association between HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis could be explained by a "crosstolerance hypothesis". Experimental studies demonstrate immunological crossreactivity between HLA-B27 and antigens found in Gram-negative bacteria, such as Klebsiella. Clinical studies show that an increased frequency of patients with ankylosing spondylitis and uveitis have Klebsiella in their fecal cultures. Furthermore, antibodies to Klebsiella can be detected in such patients during active phases of the disease. It is suggested that anti-bacterial antibodies bind to cross-reacting self-antigens, activate the complement cascade and produce inflammation which eventually leads to the development of such chronic diseases as ankylosing spondylitis and uveitis.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1982

Vitamin C and exposure to alcohol.

The relationship between the leucocyte ascorbic acid level and exposure to ethanol has been investigated in a group of patients with alcohol-related illness, and compared with indices of deficiency of other water-soluble vitamins B1 and B2. The degree of exposure to alcohol has been assessed by measurement of the serum activity of gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT, E.C. 2.3.2.2.) and by assigning the patients to three groups according to the severity of the alcohol-induced damage (group 1 - with cirrhosis, group 2 - with extensive liver cell damage, group 3 - without extensive liver cell damage). The mean leucocyte ascorbic acid level of the alcoholic group as a whole was significantly lower than that of a control group, but the means of the three groups did not differ significantly between themselves. There was poor correlation between the gamma-GT activity and the leucocyte ascorbic acid level in all three alcoholic groups, suggesting that even in the face of extensive alcohol abuse, reasonable stores of ascorbic acid may still be maintained. The relative deficiencies of the reasons briefly discussed.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1980

Clinical usefulness of the simultaneous localisation of the isoenzymes of alkaline phosphate and gamma-glutamyl transferase.

Simultaneous localisation of the isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase was carried out on 173 serum samples from patients with hepatobiliary and bone disease to determine (i) if a better discrimination of the underlying pathology could be obtained by such an approach, and (ii) if the pathology suggested by the alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme separation could help in determining the cellular location of the gamma-glutamyl transferase isoenzymes. It was found that the localisation of the gamma-glutamyl transferase isoenzymes had, with a few exceptions, little advantage over the measurement of the total activity but that some evidence concerning the cellular location of the gamma-glutamyl transferase isoenzymes could be gained by such an approach. There was support for the view that the alpha 2-migrating isoenzyme is derived from the liver parenchymal cytoplasm, but little support for the view that the alpha 1-migrating isoenzyme is predominantly the induced microsomal enzyme or that the beta-migrating isoenzyme is the result of impaired biliary secretion.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1978

Detection and incidence of B and C vitamin deficiency in alcohol-related illness.

The activity of the red blood cell enzymes transketolase, glutathione reductase, and aspartate transaminase, and their activation by the coenzymes thiamine, riboflavin, and pyridoxine, the pyruvate tolerance test, the leucocyte vitamin C concentration, and the activity in serum of gamma-glutamyl transferase were measured in a series of 35 patients with alcohol-related illness. The incidence of thiamine deficiency was 31% as assessed by the activation of transketolase, and 55% as assessed by the pyruvate tolerance test. The incidence of riboflavin deficiency was 23% and of ascorbic acid deficiency 91%. No cases of pyridoxine deficiency were detected. The pyruvate tolerance test was found to be a more sensitive test of thiamine deficiency than the transketolase activation, and the activation of red blood cell aspartate transaminase was found to be a poor indicator of pyridoxine deficiency. There was a poor correlation of the gamma-glutamyl transferase activity with the degree of vitamin deficiency, suggesting that alcohol exposure is only partly responsible for the observed vitamin deficiency.

Adult↗