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Biomedical subjects

M Thein

Publications and source records attributed to M Thein.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Validation of an automated enzyme immunoassay for Interleukin-6 for routine clinical use.

Serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a proinflammatory cytokine, are increased in early stages of inflammatory diseases such as infection and sepsis. Assay systems which permit its measurement within a few hours and as a single measurement have not been reported so far. We therefore evaluated a now commercially available automated method for IL-6 measurement on the Cobas Core immunological analyzer (Roche Diagnostic Systems) which enables single IL-6 measurement within about 1 hour. The automated assay correlates well with an established, manual microtiter plate assay (Biosource GmbH) which uses the same antibodies and reagents (r=0.98). Accuracy of the automated method was established by adding known amounts of IL-6 international reference preparation. Recovery of the international standard was in the range of 92104%. The automated assay had a precision of singletons below 6% and was linear up to 2800 pg/ml. This automated assay provides a suitable, convenient and time saving method for measurement of IL-6 serum levels in the routine clinical laboratory.

Automation↗
PubMed1995

An intercomparison study of 237Np determination in artificial urine samples.

An intercomparison study of low-level 237Np determination in artificial urine samples has been carried out. The purpose of this study was to find the "optimal" method presently available for use in a routine in-vitro radiobioassay program for occupationally exposed workers. Four synthetic urine samples with differing 237Np concentrations were prepared: (1) 3 mBq kg-1 of 237Np; (2) 3 mBq kg-1 of 237Np with natural uranium, 239Pu and 241Am as interferences; (3) 50 mBq kg-1 of 237Np; and (4) a matrix blank. The solutions were submitted to 10 alpha-particle and 10 inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) laboratories of which six and four laboratories, respectively, returned results. Two laboratories performed assays using both techniques. The radiochemical method of choice used 239Np as the tracer, which utilized a combination of coprecipitation and anion-exchange separation. The best results obtained by ICP-MS were comparable with but not better than the most accurate results obtained by alpha-particle spectrometry. Alpha-particle spectrometry measurements overall gave consistently better agreement with known values.

Biological Assay↗
PubMed1995

Immunological markers of childhood fevers in an area of intense and perennial malaria transmission.

In order to describe presumed paediatric malaria on a cell-immunological basis, the soluble receptors of IL-2 (sIL-2R) and tumour necrosis factor (sTNF-R55 and sTNF-R75) were quantified in highly exposed young Tanzanian children. Sera were obtained from 66 acute and 72 reported febrile patients during health post consultations and follow-ups and from 68 community controls. Levels of sIL-2R, sTNF-R55 and sTNF-R75 were significantly elevated during fever attacks, especially in very young children. Soluble TNF-R75 levels were most stable and those of sTNF-R55 least. Levels of sTNF-R55 were related to the magnitude of fever and thus appeared to reflect attack severity. Levels of sTNF-R75 were highly significantly associated with parasite density, indicating that this response is malaria-specific. The present study indicates that sTNF-R75 levels could become a useful immunological tool in malaria intervention studies, as they reflect changes in malaria-specific immune responses. Future studies should validate this potential in different endemic settings.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

A study of glucose handling by Buddhist monks.

Fourteen Buddhist monks and comparable male subjects were studied in relation to their handling of glucose after a meal (consisting of 1190 kcal, 29 g protein, 21 g fat and 221 g carbohydrate) and afterwards subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT). The time course of blood glucose levels after the meal indicated that the monks had enhanced absorption and utilization of glucose. The monks were also found to have increased tolerance to glucose on oGTT. In addition the mean total serum cholesterol level in the monks (157.2 +/- 5.53 mg/dl) was found to be significantly higher than that of the control subjects (117.4 +/- 2.85 mg/dl).

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Comparison of human growth hormone levels in children with satisfactory and unsatisfactory growth.

Sixty-six children with satisfactory growth and 73 with unsatisfactory growth (both sexes) from three different age groups (1 year, 5 years and 10 years) were included in this study. It was observed that the serum concentrations of human growth hormone (hGH) in children with satisfactory growth ranged from 1.00 to 4.00 ng/ml and never exceeded 4.00 ng/ml. In a comparative study there was a significant increase in serum hGH levels in subjects of all age groups who were not growing satisfactorily. Twelve children between 12 and 13 months of age with unsatisfactory growth were nutritionally rehabilitated for 4 months and the changes in weight and serum hGH levels were assessed monthly. The results indicated a definite fall of hGH level after rehabilitation and reached the normal level 3 months after rehabilitation. Moreover, an inverse relationship between body weight and serum hGH level was observed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Aerobic capacity of some Burmese workers.

The physiological responses to exercise of 18 sawmill workers and 17 trishaw pedallers were measured and compared. The oxygen intake and heart rates of the two groups were tested at different levels of exercise and samples of expired air were taken for analysis. Oxygen intake for a given work load was similar in both groups, but cardiac frequency was elevated in the sawmill group.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effect of the preceding day's energy intake on the energy costs of rest, arm and leg exercise.

Relatively little is known about the response of the human body to perturbations in the energy intake. In particular, results of the effect of a perturbation of the preceding day's energy intake on the energy expenditure on the following day are conflicting, ranging from no effect at all to an increase in the resting metabolic rate of 12 per cent following an increase in the preceding day's energy intake of 5 MJ. In the present study, the fasting energy expenditure of rest, light arm work and light leg work was determined on days following an intake of 4, 10 and 16 MJ in seven healthy men. In each subject, the difference in energy expenditure between days following intakes on the preceding day of 10-10 (control), 10-4 and 10-16 MJ was calculated for each of the three tasks. The mean percentage differences between the days following an intake of 10-10, 10-4 and 10-16 MJ were (s.d. in parenthesis) 0.0 (4.0), +1.3 (4.0) and +0.6 (3.2) for the resting metabolic rate, -1.7 (4.0), -2.2 (3.2) and -1.7 (3.7) for arm work and +0.3 (2.0), -1.2 (2.9) and -0.3 (3.2) for leg work. When the differences for the three tasks were averaged, the results were -0.5 (1.4), -0.7 (2.4) and -0.5 (1.3) for the three combinations respectively. None of these differences were found to be statistically different from zero. Changes in plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations were also measured but found not to be related to the changes in energy expenditure or to the energy intakes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Insecticide susceptibility of some vector fleas and mosquitoes in Burma.

Rat fleas and mosquitoes are insect vectors of public health importance in Burma. Plague is endemic in Central Burma and DDT has been the principal insecticide used for its control to date. Dengue haemorrhagic fever, recently introduced and transmitted by Aedes aegypti, has been spreading to major towns since 1971. The rodents, Rattus rattus, R. exulans, Bandicota bengalensis, Mus musculus, as well as shrews were commonly caught during routine trapping in the country. Rattus norvegicus, prevalent in Rangoon City, is not found in Central Burma. The rat fleas, Xenopsylla cheopis and X. astia, were found to be infesting these rodents, the former being the principal vector of plague. Insecticide susceptibility tests have been carried out periodically in plague endemic areas and Rangoon since 1966 and it is now observed that rat fleas in most of these endemic towns and Rangoon Port are no longer susceptible to DDT. Subsequent rechecks in towns where fleas became resistance to DDT show that fleas are persistently resistant to the insecticide. Aedes aegypti is found to be highly prevalent both in rural and urban areas of almost every major town and townships below 900 meters. Insecticide susceptible tests on this mosquito in limited areas show that the mosquito is generally resistant to DDT but susceptible to other insecticides. With the development of DDT resistance in fleas, it is now necessary to change to an effective insecticide in the control of plague in Burma.

Aedes↗
PubMed1975

Dengue haemorrhagic fever in Burma.

Although sporadic from 1965 to 1969, a major outbreak of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) occurred for the first time in Rangoon in 1970. Since then the disease has occurred every year in Rangoon and is now observed to be expanding to other urban areas in the country. The clinical diagnosis of DHF was confused by concurrent outbreaks of influenza A in 1971 and influenza A and B in 1972. A laboratory study of 3,447 clinically diagnosed haemorrhagic fever cases showed that 1643 cases (47.8%) were due to dengue and chikungunya, 296 (8.6%) to influenza A, 85(2.5%) to influenza B, 12(0.3%) to measles and 1411(40.8%) were of unknown aetiology during the 5 year period 1970-1974. Ae. aegypti mosquitoes are widely distributed in the country up to and including 900 meters above sea level but breeding is not found above that altitude. The absolute larval population which is highest in July as well as landing rate correlated with the peak incidence of DHF cases.

Aedes↗