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Biomedical subjects

M Griffiths

Publications and source records attributed to M Griffiths.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Isolation, partial sequence and asynchronous appearance during lactation of lysozyme and alpha-lactalbumin in the milk of a marsupial, the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus).

1. Lysozyme and alpha-lactalbumin from the milk of the common ringtail possum have been purified and partially sequenced. 2. The lysozyme had similar enzymic activity to the c-type lysozyme of the domestic hen and 43% homology over the N-terminal 49 residues. 3. alpha-Lactalbumin was present in the milk in two biologically active forms; the more acidic form had 66% sequence homology with the N-terminal 35 residues of red-necked wallaby, 54% with human and 43% with bovine alpha-lactalbumin. 4. SDS polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of milk samples showed that alpha-lactalbumin was present in the milk throughout lactation but that lysozyme first appeared only in mid-lactation. The implications of this functional adaptation are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Intraperitoneal radioimmunotherapy for ovarian cancer: pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and efficacy of I-131 labeled monoclonal antibodies.

Thirty-six patients with ovarian cancer were treated with intraperitoneal I-131 labeled monoclonal antibodies to tumor associated antigens. The activity of I-131 administered was increased from 20 mCi to 158 mCi and the pharmacokinetics and toxicity evaluated. Five patients who had developed HAMA (Human Antimouse Antibodies) were retreated, and the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of the first and second treatment compared. Patients receiving their first therapy (HAMA negative), had a maximum of 25% (range 19.8-39.8%) of the injected activity in their circulation. This was accompanied by severe marrow suppression at I-131 activities over 120 mCi. The 5 HAMA positive patients had only 5% injected activity in the systemic circulation (range 3.8-6%), with rapid urinary excretion and neglible marrow suppression. In 31 patients with assessable disease there were no responses in 8 patients with gross disease (nodules greater than 2 cms), partial responses in 2 out of 15 patients with nodules less than 2 cms, and complete responses in 3 out of 6 patients with microscopic disease. The non specific radiation dose to the peritoneal cavity was estimated to be less than 500 cGy by lithium fluoride TLD, and could not be expected to account for the responses seen.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The association of Angelman's syndrome with deletions within 15q11-13.

The inheritance of Angelman's syndrome, a disorder characterised by mental retardation, epilepsy, ataxia, and a happy disposition, is debated because affected sibs occur less frequently than expected with autosomal recessive inheritance. After discovering two unrelated patients with a small deletion of the proximal long arm of chromosome 15, 10 further patients with Angelman's syndrome were reassessed. Five had apparently normal karyotypes, four had a deletion within 15q11-13, and one had a pericentric inversion, inv(15)(p11q13) involving the same chromosomal region. In the latter case, the healthy mother had the same pericentric inversion, indicating that the patient also had a submicroscopic mutation on his other chromosome 15. These data map the Angelman locus to 15q11-13 and suggest that de novo visible deletions (associated with a low recurrence risk) and autosomal recessively inherited cases combine to give an overall sib recurrence risk of less than 25%.

Ataxia↗
PubMed1989

Taking cervical smears in departments of genitourinary medicine.

The smear taking practices of departments of genitourinary medicine were investigated by telephone inquiry. Departments seem to be broadly and equally divided into those where the smear is taken before the cervix is wiped or endocervical specimens are taken for microbiology, and those where the smear is taken afterwards. In the unit at Guy's Hospital we compared cervical smears taken in both of these sequences and concluded that, to diagnose more cases of premalignant cervical disease, smears should be taken before any other cervical samples.

Female↗
PubMed1989

Laser vaporization versus laser excision conization in the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

One hundred patients with histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia suitable for ablative therapy were randomly allocated to treatment by either laser vaporization or laser excision conization under local anesthesia in the outpatient colposcopy clinic. The two methods were compared with respect to the immediate surgical complications, ease of performance, and long-term complications. They were comparable in most respects, and both were well accepted by the patients. Laser excision had the added advantage of providing further material for histologic examination to confirm the absence of invasion and the completeness of excision of the lesion.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Comparison and standardization of measurement of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody between laboratories.

The presence of autoantibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (anti-AChR) is useful in the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, and their titre correlates with severity of the disease. Standardization of their measurement is therefore clinically important. Six laboratories world-wide were asked to determine anti-AChR under local conditions in coded samples and to repeat the measurement on the same samples recorded. There was a high degree of consensus over rank order of the samples but a wide systematic variation in the titres obtained. Standardization of units is an important next step in improving the comparability of anti-AChR data between laboratories.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1988

The significance of striated muscle in the mammary glands of marsupials.

The distribution and amounts of striated muscle within the mammary glands of pouched and pouchless marsupials from Australia and South America are described. Invasions into the mammary secretory parenchyma in pouchless marsupials by swathes of striated muscle from the ilio-marsupialis muscle are massive, in some instances concentrated into discrete muscles, which are inserted on to the bases of the teats; the name retractor mammae is proposed for these muscles. In pouched marsupials striated muscle penetrates the parenchyma, but the distribution is diffuse and the muscle strands are not inserted on to teats except in the instance of the glands of the honey possum Tarsipes rostratus. The young of anaesthetised pouchless marsupials hang down from the teats; as anaesthesia wears off they are hauled up tightly into the mammary area. It is concluded that this is a result of contraction of the retractor mammae muscles and that it is a means of protecting the naked young from injury by rough terrain. The mammary gland musculature in pouched marsupials is considered to be vestigial, but its contraction may have the function of initiating a 'tap-response' contraction of myoepithelium acting synergistically with the 'let-down' hormone mesotocin. Mechanisms of imbibition of milk by marsupial neonates, based on observations that they can suck fluid from non-distortable tubes, are discussed.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1987

HLA class I and II, interferon, interleukin 2, and the interleukin 2 receptor expression on labial biopsy specimens from patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

Labial biopsy specimens from eight patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS), 10 patients with secondary SS, and three healthy controls were studied with monoclonal antibodies identifying HLA class I and class II antigens; interferon-alpha, beta, and gamma; interleukin 2 (IL2); and the IL2 receptor (Tac) among others. In the normal biopsy specimens there was evidence of HLA class I and, to a lesser extent, class II antigens in both ducts and acini, though this was much less marked than in the Sjögren's biopsy specimens. Interferon-gamma staining, but not interferon-alpha or beta, was also considerably enhanced in the biopsy specimens from the patients with Sjögren's syndrome. These data support the view that in Sjögren's syndrome the release of interferon-gamma may be involved in the induction of class II determinants. Our observations were broadly similar in both primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome except that patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome tended to have more diffusely scattered T lymphocytes.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Energy intake in children at high and low risk of obesity.

This study compared 7-d energy intakes of 37 young children at low (Group N) and high (Group O) risk of subsequent obesity, as judged from parental obesity. The energy intake of Group O was 16 per cent lower than Group N (P = 0.02). Although the intakes of all the children considered together and also Group N children alone showed the usual wide variability and absence of correlation with body size, the intakes of Group O children were significantly correlated with their weight and height (r = 0.5). The results confirm a previous study and suggest that, since basal metabolic rate and body weight are known to be correlated, attention should be focused on differences in expenditure in investigations of the aetiology of childhood obesity.

Body Height↗
PubMed1986

Gene activation properties of a mouse DNA sequence isolated by expression selection.

The MES-1 element was previously isolated from restricted total mouse cellular DNA by "expression selection"--the ability to reactivate expression of a test gene devoid of its 5' enhancer sequences. Mes-1 has been tested in long-term transformation and short-term CAT expression assays. In both assays MES-1 is active independent of orientation and at a distance when placed 5' to the test gene. The element is active with heterologous promoters and functions efficiently in both rat and mouse cells. MES-1 activates expression by increasing transcription from the test gene's own start (cap) site. Thus the expression selection technique can be used for the isolation of DNA sequences with enhancer-like properties from total cellular DNA.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1986

Expression of epithelial and neural antigens in small cell and non small cell lung carcinoma.

Seventy-one lung carcinomas from 66 different patients were stained with a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Twenty-nine were small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), 15 adenocarcinomas, 17 squamous carcinomas and 10 large cell carcinomas. Three of the monoclonal antibodies recognize different cytokeratins, three recognize other epithelial antigens and one recognizes a neural antigen. Both formalin-fixed and cryopreserved tumours were studied using an indirect immunoperoxidase method. 23/29 SCLC reacted with all but one of the antibodies which recognize epithelial antigens. This staining was similar to that seen in non small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and provides further evidence that SCLC are true epithelial tumours. All but one of the SCLC stained with the antibody recognizing a neural antigen. This antibody did not stain squamous or adenocarcinomas. However, four of the large cell carcinomas stained well with this antibody, suggesting that SCLC and some large cell carcinomas share a common pathway of differentiation. There were variations of staining seen both within and between tumours. This has obvious implications if immunotargetting with monoclonal antibodies is to be used diagnostically or therapeutically.

Adenocarcinoma↗