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Biomedical subjects

M R George

Publications and source records attributed to M R George.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Genetic heterogeneity among Vibrio alginolyticus isolated from shrimp farms by PCR fingerprinting.

AIMS: To study the strain variability among Vibrio alginolyticus isolates from different sources by insertion sequence-targeted PCR fingerprinting and whole cell protein profile analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eleven strains of V. alginolyticus were isolated from seven different sources including healthy, infected, farm-reared and wild shrimps. Following biochemical characterization, the isolates were analysed by PCR fingerprinting and whole cell protein analysis by SDS-PAGE. The strains were genetically different irrespective of the sources of isolation. CONCLUSIONS: Strain variation exists in V. alginolyticus isolates obtained even from the same source, and PCR fingerprinting is a simple and efficient method in identifying strain-specific variations among the different isolates. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Vibrio alginolyticus is implicated in severe vibriosis of marine aquaculture systems although many strains are avirulent and could be used as probiotic strains. As a wide variation exists among this species, differentiating the harmful and beneficial strains would help in finding ways of controlling the infections by eliminating harmful shrimp pathogenic vibrios.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Characteristics of a new reovirus isolated from epizootic ulcerative syndrome infected snakehead fish.

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) has been infecting a wide range of fishes in the South and Southeast Asia for the last 2 decades. One reovirus-like agent (snakehead reovirus, SKRV), isolated from an EUS-infected snakehead fish and investigated in the present study, is the only reovirus so far isolated from an EUS-infected fish. SKRV was characterised by the presence of a double-stranded RNA genome with icosahedral symmetry and double capsid. The virus had an average size of 71 nm, a buoyant density of 1.36 g ml(-1) in CsCl and lacked a lipid-containing envelope. Apart from the above, the presence of a segmented genome and structural proteins falling into 3 specific size classes confirmed that the virus belongs to the family Reoviridae. SKRV differed from aquareoviruses by the lack of a cytopathic effect (CPE) with syncitium formation and in the segmentation pattern of RNA genome. The resistance to pH (3.0 to 9.0) and heat treatment and inability to multiply in mammalian cell lines and haemagglutinate human 'O' red blood cells (RBCs) differentiated SKRV from the rest of the similar genera in the family Reoviridae. Serological comparison indicated the antigenic distinctness of the isolate from selected American and European aquareoviruses. SKRV grew well in SSN-1 and SSN-3 cells at 25 to 30 degrees C but not in the most common Aquareovirus susceptible coldwater fish cell line--CHSE-214.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Neuromuscular respiratory failure: what the nurse knows may make the difference.

The incidence of pulmonary compromise in neuromuscular disease is a well-established phenomenon. Classic symptoms of impending respiratory failure may be absent or nebulous however, in the neuromuscular patient. It is for this reason, that the neuroscience nurse should develop expertise in both the neuro and pulmonary sciences. The focus of this article will be on two neuromuscular patient populations at high risk of respiratory failure--myasthenics and those with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comprehensive educational program improves clinical outcome measures in inner-city patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Despite improved understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma, morbidity and mortality continue to rise, with disproportionate increases occurring among urban, indigent minorities. New approaches in the management of asthma are therefore necessary to reverse these dramatic and costly trends. OBJECTIVE: To determine if patients who are admitted to the hospital with acute asthma and receive inpatient education will have improved outpatient follow-up and clinical outcome measures compared with those receiving conventional care. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the study had a primary admission diagnosis of asthma and were between ages 18 and 45 years. Exclusion criteria included comorbid disease, inability to speak English, absence of a telephone in the primary residence, or pregnancy. Seventy-seven patients admitted from the emergency department with asthma were randomized to either the inpatient educational program (IEP) or routine care (control group). Patients in the IEP received asthma education, bedside spirometry, a telephone call 24 hours after discharge, and scheduled follow-up in an outpatient asthma program within 1 week of discharge. Those individuals randomized to the routine management group received conventional inpatient asthma care and routine follow-up. RESULTS: The patients enrolled in the IEP had a markedly higher follow-up rate compared with outpatient appointments (60% vs. 27%; P = .01) and significantly fewer emergency department visits (P = .04) and hospitalizations (P = .04) for asthma in the 6 months following IEP intervention, as compared with control patients. This represented a substantial cost savings to the managed care organization. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that an IEP in the treatment of indigent, inner-city patients hospitalized with asthma reduces the need for subsequent emergent care and improves outpatient follow-up in a cost-effective manner.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosocial and neuropsychological function in children with epilepsy.

This paper reviews the psychosocial and neuropsychological effects of epilepsy on children and families across environments in which children function, specifically home and school. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, affecting one percent of the population, that alters neurocognitive functioning effecting learning, memory and family adaptation. A review of epilepsy and its impact on quality of life, family and school function and psychiatric comorbidity are discussed.

Cognition Disorders↗