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Biomedical subjects

M Treat

Publications and source records attributed to M Treat.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantitative assessment of cross-sectional muscle area, functional status, and muscle strength in men with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome wasting syndrome.

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome wasting syndrome (AWS) in men is characterized by the loss of lean body mass out of proportion to weight. Although the wasting syndrome has been thought to contribute to reduced functional capacity, the relationships among lean body mass, muscle size, functional status, and regional muscle strength have not previously been investigated in this population. In this study, 24 eugonadal men with the AWS (weight <90% of the ideal body weight or weight loss >10% from preillness maximum) underwent determination of body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), 40K isotope analysis, urinary creatinine excretion, and quantitative computed tomographic analysis of cross-sectional muscle areas of the midarm and thigh. Overall exercise functional capacity was evaluated using the 6-min walk test, and performance of upper and lower extremities was determined with the quantitative muscle function test. Subjects were 37 +/- 1 yr of age and weighed 95.5 +/- 3.0% of ideal body weight, with a body mass index of 21.9 +/- 0.7 kg/m2 and an average weight loss of 15 +/- 1%. The mean CD4 count among the subjects was 354 +/- 70 cells/mm3, and viral load was 58,561 +/- 32,205 copies. Sixty-two percent of subjects were receiving protease inhibitor therapy. The subjects demonstrated 90% of the expected muscle mass by the creatinine height index method. Overall performance status on the Karnofsky scale was highly correlated to weight (r = 0.51; P = 0.018; by body mass index), lean body mass (r = 0.46; P = 0.036; by DXA), and body cell mass (r = 0.47; P = 0.037; by 40K isotope analysis). Cross-sectional muscle area of the upper extremity was the best predictor (P < 0.001) of Karnofsky score, accounting for 52% of the variability in a stepwise regression analysis. Upper body muscle strength was most significantly predicted by lean body mass (by DXA; r2 = 0.78; P < 0.0001), whereas lower body strength and performance on the 6-min walk test were best predicted by lower extremity cross-sectional muscle area (r2 = 0.70; P < 0.0001 and r2 = 0.26; P = 0.030, respectively). These data demonstrate that cross-sectional muscle area is highly predictive of functional status and muscle strength in men with the AWS.

Adult

Levels of p53 antigen in the plasma of patients with adenomas and carcinomas of the colon.

Plasma levels of p53 protein were examined by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 184 patients enrolled in a colonoscopy study. The mean levels among 47 individuals with normal colonoscopic examinations and no prior history of colonic neoplasia (0.12 ng/ml) and among 61 individuals with normal colonoscopic examinations and a prior history of colonic neoplasia (0.09 ng/ml) were similar. However, the mean levels among 54 individuals with newly diagnosed colonic adenomas (0.44 ng/ml) and 22 individuals with newly diagnosed colonic carcinomas (0.55 ng/ml) were statistically significantly elevated compared to the normal controls (P < 0.02). Among these tumor patients, the plasma levels tended to increase with increasing adenoma size and with increasing carcinoma stage, although these trends were not statistically significant. Defining a significant positive plasma level as any value greater than ten times background, the percentage of positive samples increased from 4% in the controls to 20% in the adenoma cases to 32% in the carcinoma cases. These results demonstrate that plasma p53 protein levels are elevated in a subgroup of individuals with colonic neoplasia.

Adenoma

Potassium thiophosphate laser treatment of genitourinary hemangioma in the pediatric population.

Multiple hemangiomas of the urogenital system are uncommon lesions that usually recur and can cause significant morbidity. Three pediatric patients with urethral, bladder, penile, scrotal and vaginal hemangiomas underwent treatment of these lesions with the potassium thiophosphate laser. All patients had multiple lesions and suffered from recurrent bleeding before treatment. Potassium thiophosphate photocoagulation was delivered to the surface, urethral and vaginal lesions. Treatment-associated bleeding did not occur in any case. Followup urogenital and cystoscopic examinations revealed complete obliteration or marked diminution in the size of the treated hemangiomas. All patients had a decrease in the frequency and intensity of bleeding episodes and 2 were subsequently without further episodes of bleeding. Potassium thiophosphate laser photoablation provides excellent results in the pediatric population and is preferred to more extensive surgical intervention.

Child

Effect of polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution on intestinal microflora.

The bacterial flora of colonic aspirates taken after oral administration of a polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution to patients undergoing colonoscopy was analyzed by standard bacteriological methods and DNA hybridization techniques. The data were compared with those for normal feces collected from the same patients the day before treatment. The results indicate that the bacterial composition of feces differs from individual to individual but is not altered by the oral intake of a polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution. This pilot study demonstrates that routine colonoscopy aspirates taken after standard colonoscopy preparation accurately reflect the microflora of feces and therefore may be used in large-scale epidemiological studies.

Bacteria

Altered levels of protein kinase C and Ca2+-dependent protein kinases in human colon carcinomas.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase which is implicated in tumor promotion, since it has been demonstrated to be a high affinity receptor for tumor promoters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Colon carcinogenesis appears to proceed through distinct stages of initiation and promotion. The present studies show that PKC and calcium-dependent protein kinase specific activities are reduced in human colon carcinomas when compared to their normal adjacent colon mucosa. There were significantly higher Ca2+-dependent protein kinase and PKC specific activities observed in both the cytosolic and particulate fractions of the normal mucosa relative to the corresponding values obtained with the carcinoma fractions. The average specific activity ratios were 5.1 (normal cytosolic/carcinoma cytosolic) and 3.7 (normal particulate/carcinoma particulate) for PKC. PKC activity was reduced in the carcinoma tissues with respect to both protein and tissue weight. The percentage of Ca2+-dependent protein kinase and PKC activities that were present in the particulate fraction of each of the samples varied considerably among tissues, and in general there was no systematic difference between the carcinoma and normal mucosa samples. However, in the carcinoma samples that contained an extensive admixture of benign adenomatous tissue, the particulate fractions consistently contained greater than 60% of the total Ca2+-dependent protein kinase and PKC activities. The present studies indicate that colon carcinogenesis is associated with alterations in cellular levels of protein kinase activities.

Calcium