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Biomedical subjects

Mark Kaplan

Publications and source records attributed to Mark Kaplan.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Cryptococcal fungemia in a neutropenic patient with AIDS while receiving caspofungin.

Empiric choice of anti-fungal therapy in febrile neutropenia should be based upon a host's susceptibility to specific fungal pathogens. We present a case of a patient with multiple risk factors for fungemia including HIV infection, Hodgkin's disease, corticosteroid use and chemotherapy-induced neutropenia who developed disseminated cryptococcal infection while receiving caspofungin.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2005

Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of interleukin-10 by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography.

Interleukin-10 (IL10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in a variety of immune- and inflammatory-related diseases. We investigated the following SNPs: -1082, -819, -592 in the promoter region of IL10 in a normal (control) population and selected diseases: breast cancer (BrCa), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and found distinct genotype and haplotype patterns. DHPLC was performed using the Transgenomic WAVE instrument, a mutational discovery tool that allows for high throughout analysis of SNPs. The principle of DHPLC is based on separation of homo- and heteroduplex formation of individual polymerase chain reaction products at specific melting temperatures and set gradients. The melting temperature selected for each SNP was based on size and sequence of the polymerase chain reaction product (for -1082, 57 degrees C; for -819, 58 degrees C; and for -592, 59.2 degrees C). Before fragment mutational analysis, all samples were denatured at 95 degrees C and slowly reannealed to allow for reassociation of different strands. Heteroduplex samples were easily distinguished from homoduplex samples. In order to identify wild type from homozygous mutant, two homoduplex polymerase chain reaction samples had to be mixed together, denatured at 95 degrees C and reannealed. The homozygous mutant, when combined with wild type, displayed a double peak on chromatogram. Once distinct chromatograms were established for each of the SNPs and the nucleotide changes confirmed by sequencing, genotype and haplotype frequencies were tabulated for the groups studied.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Managing the open abdomen.

Control of intra-abdominal fluid secretion, facilitation of abdominal exploration, and preservation of the fascia for abdominal wall closure is a major challenge in the management of patients with an open abdomen. Studies comparing different protocols of care have not been conducted and frequency of exploration, surgical procedures, and indications for definitive closure are generally based on clinical judgment. Morbidity and mortality rates are high. Vacuum-assisted therapy has been reported to help meet the challenges of managing the open abdomen and is particularly useful in patients with abdominal compartment syndromes, traumatic injuries, and severe intra-abdominal sepsis. Over the years, clinicians have developed various approaches to achieve vacuum-assisted closure using wall suction. Some disadvantages of the wall-suction methods are eliminated when using more recently developed vacuum therapy devices. These devices apply subatmospheric pressure, reducing bowel edema, bacterial counts, and inflammatory substances found in open abdominal wounds while eliminating the need for frequent dressing changes, maintaining intact skin, and improving fluid management. The results of six case studies presented are encouraging, suggesting that this treatment approach is safe and effective. Controlled clinical studies to establish the safety and effectiveness of this treatment approach and to facilitate the development of treatment guidelines are needed to help manage an increasingly common group of patients who might benefit from this treatment approach.

Abdominal Injuries↗