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Biomedical subjects

N Phillips

Publications and source records attributed to N Phillips.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Noninvasive assessment of cardiomyopathy in normotensive diabetic patients between 20 and 50 years old.

PURPOSE: To further the understanding of diabetic heart disease, we tested the hypothesis that an asymptomatic group of normotensive diabetic patients between 20 and 50 years old had a restrictive cardiomyopathy independent of clinically significant coronary artery disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography and stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy were performed to detect and characterize the cardiac abnormalities in this study group comprising 88 patients with rigorously classified diabetes and 65 volunteer control subjects. RESULTS: Diabetic patients were shown to have a mildly reduced left ventricular end-diastolic volume index: 50.1 +/- 8.2 and 52.1 +/- 14.7 mL/m2 for patients with type I and type II diabetes, respectively, versus 58.9 +/- 11.7 mL/m2 for control subjects. The left ventricular diastolic filling was also impaired in diabetic patients as reflected by a lower atrial emptying index: 0.73 +/- 0.24 and 0.76 +/- 0.3 for type I and type II diabetics, respectively, compared with 1.14 +/- 0.24 for control subjects. Exercise tolerance was normal in subjects with type I diabetes and slightly reduced in subjects with type II diabetes. Only one patient developed regional ischemia on thallium exercise testing. CONCLUSION: Using a comprehensive, noninvasive approach, we have shown that asymptomatic normotensive patients with type I or type II diabetes who were between 20 and 50 years old had a restrictive cardiomyopathy characterized by mildly reduced left ventricular end-diastolic volume and altered left ventricular compliance independent of critical coronary artery disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Effect of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor on myelopoiesis in patients with refractory metastatic carcinoma.

The effect of human recombinant GM-colony-stimulating factor (CSF) was evaluated in ten patients with refractory metastatic carcinoma. Initially they received an intravenous (IV) bolus injection of 5 or 25 micrograms/m2 for assessment of acute responses. Six days later, continuous IV infusions of 100 or 500 micrograms/m2 were initiated for a 14-day treatment course. All patients developed profound leukopenia within five to 30 minutes of the bolus injection. This appeared to result from increased expression of an adhesion-promoting glycoprotein (GP) on neutrophils and monocytes as judged by increased reactivity to the Mo1 monoclonal antibody (MoAb). Leukocyte counts returned to normal levels within two hours as cells were released from marrow stores. With the continuous infusion, leukocyte counts increased by 24 hours; peak values of 22,960 and 75.900/microL were achieved after ten to 14 days of treatment with the two dose levels of GM-CSF. This leukocytosis was due to an increase in virtually all cell types. At the high dose level, there was a striking increase in neutrophils (49,400/microL) and eosinophils (20,905/microL) with a sixfold increase in monocytes and two- to threefold increase in lymphocytes. Leukocyte counts declined promptly after cessation of the infusion but remained above baseline for as long as 2 weeks in some patients. These results suggest that GM-CSF may be useful as an adjuvant therapy by stimulating myelopoiesis in cancer patients.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1987

An urban nutrition education and rehabilitation centre: a description of the programme and change in nutritional status of children who were enrolled.

We report on a community-based day care nutrition rehabilitation and education centre which was established by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Between March-December, 1985 approximately 10 children aged 1 to 5 years with a percent weight for height (% wt/ht) of 60 to 85 were enrolled in each of 9 sessions which were 3 to 5 weeks long. The children were fed 3 meals and 2 snacks daily made from locally available inexpensive foods. A nutrition education programme, developed with input from several feeding centres in Dhaka, included daily lessons, participatory cooking and personal hygiene sessions. Of the 85 children entering the programme, 82 (95%) completed 3 or more weeks. Relative to baseline, a median increase of 8.7% wt/ht was observed at 5 weeks (p less than 0.001), with the greatest improvement occurring in those children presenting with the lowest weights. Median increases of 7.2 and 7.4% wt/ht were noted 6 and 10 months after admission, respectively. Gender and minor illness did not have a significant impact on change in nutritional status. Poor performance of mothers in assigned chores was associated with inferior improvement in nutritional status 5 weeks but not 6 months post-admission. These results suggest that the intervention implemented by the centre may have been effective in improving nutritional status and that more rigorous evaluation of participants in relation to suitably matched concurrent controls should be performed.

Bangladesh↗
PubMed1985

Site-specific phosphorylation of avian retrovirus nucleocapsid protein pp12 regulates binding to viral RNA. Evidence for different protein conformations.

Phosphorylation of serine 40 of the major nucleocapsid protein of avian retroviruses, pp12, regulates binding to viral RNA (Leis, J., Johnson, S., Collins, L. S., and Traugh, J. A. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 7726-7732). The phosphorylation state of the protein can be altered in vitro, resulting in the interconversion of the protein between a state of high affinity for single-stranded RNA and low affinity for single- or double-stranded RNA. The reversible phosphorylation of serine 40 is accompanied by a change in the conformation of the protein as demonstrated by quenching of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and chemical modification studies. Quenching of fluorescence of the sole tryptophan residue, Trp 80, by poly(U), KI, and CsCl indicates that the microenvironment of this residue is more positive in pp12 than in p12. Chemical modification studies indicate that the 3 lysine residues at positions 36, 37, and 39 of pp12 react with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid, while only 1 of these residues reacts in p12. The addition of single-stranded, but not double-stranded RNA, to pp12 protects 2 of the 3 lysine residues from chemical modification, suggesting that the two protected lysyl groups are required for binding to single-stranded viral RNA. In contrast to the phosphorylation of serine 40, phosphorylation of serine 43, catalyzed by protease-activated kinase II in vitro, does not induce changes in the protein conformation nor does it alter the RNA binding properties of the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Differential cytostatic effect of interferon on murine BALB/c B- and T-cell tumors.

The cytostatic effect of murine interferon (IFN) on several BALB/c-derived B- and T-cell tumor cells was examined. After incubation for 1 h in vitro with 1000 U of IFN, followed by intraperitoneal inoculation, tumor formation was not decreased in the case of B cell tumors or Lyt-1+2- or Lyt-1+2+3+ T cells tumors. Under the same conditions, the onset of tumor formation for Lyt-2+3+ T-cell tumors was delayed and the final incidence decreased. When the effect of IFN on cell multiplication in vitro was examined, Lyt-2+3+ T-tumor cells were found to be more sensitive to the cytostatic effect of IFN than Lyt-1+2+3+ T-tumor cells. This shows that the sensitivity of lymphocyte-derived tumor cells to the cytostatic effect of IFN is influenced by the type of differentiation of the cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Presence of serotonin in the palate just prior to shelf elevation.

Since serotonin and its antagonists affect shelf rotation in mouse embryo culture, experiments were carried out to determine whether a serotonergic system is present in the palate. Employing [3H]5-HT, day-14.5 embryos incorporated the monoamine into palates. Active uptake of [3H]5-HT was shown since excised palates incorporated 9-fold more radioactivity at 37 degrees C than at 4 degrees C. Synthesis of palatal serotonin was measured. Embryos were cultured in the presence of the serotonin precursor, [3H]5-HTP, and radioactive 5-HT was monitored in the palate by thin-layer chromatography. Furthermore, excised palates were incubated with [3H]5-HTP and radioactive 5-HT was measured. Incorporation was linear for about 6 h. In addition, another radioactive compound was detected which had the same Rf as the methylated derivative, 5-methoxytryptamine. Synthesis of this compound was appreciable, about 30% of that of serotonin. Levels of serotonin in the palate were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography. Palates at day 14.5 of gestation contained 0.40 ng serotonin/mg protein, which was greater than that of tongue (0.33), body (0.14) but less than that of brain (3.09). Serotonin in palate and other embryonic tissues increased with time of development. Dopamine levels in the palate and other tissues were also determined. The distribution of serotonin in the palate was analyzed by culturing day-14.5 embryos in the presence of [3H]5-HTP, and after aldehyde fixation, paraffin embedment and sectioning, autoradiography was performed. Grains were observed throughout the palate in cells of regions 2 and 3, internal mesenchyme, tooth germ, and epithelium. Surprisingly, the pterygopalatine nerve, maxillary nerve and pterygopalatine ganglion contained an appreciable concentration of grains. Thus, the presence of serotonin in the palate is consistent with the neurotransmitter playing a role in shelf elevation.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Radioimmunoassay of human arginine-rich apolipoprotein, apoprotein E. Concentration in blood plasma and lipoproteins as affected by apoprotein E-3 deficiency.

A radioimmunoassay for apolipoprotein E in human blood serum has been developed that measures equally the major polymorphic species of the protein (apolipoproteins E-1, E-2, E-3, and E-4) and the apo E in the dimer of apolipoproteins E and A-II. The assay is specific and yields values for apolipoprotein E in very low density lipoproteins that agree closely with those obtained by a quantitative electrophoretic method. Apolipoprotein E is also present in at least one species of high density lipoprotein, but the content of apolipoprotein E in the lipoprotein fractions of plasma is uncertain owing to dissociation during ultracentrifugation. The concentration of apolipoprotein E is higher in serum of normolipidemic, premenopausal women than in men of comparable age and is a direct function of the serum triglyceride level. Apolipoprotein E levels are increased out of proportion to triglyceride levels in hyperlipidemic patients with familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (homozygotes for lack of apolipoprotein E-3). Heterozygous relatives of homozygotes have significantly higher apolipoprotein E levels in serum than unaffected relatives. The concentration of partially degraded (remnant) triglyceride-rich lipoproteins also appears to be increased in heterozygotes, who comprise about 15% of the population.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1976

Strangulation of umbilical cord by amniotic band.

Congenital malformation caused by amniotic bands is an extremely rare entity. A case report of a fetal death caused by constriction of the umbilical cord by an amniotic band which joined both hands is presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Immunological characterization of human liver alpha-D-mannosidase.

Antiserum was raised against purified human liver alpha-D-mannosidase B. It precipitated alpha-mannosidases A and B from solution, demonstrating the close structural resemblance of these 2 forms of acidic alpha-mannosidase activity. A continuous enzymically active precipitin line with no spurs was obtained when alpha-mannosidase A and B were placed in adjacent wells on Ouchterlony double-diffusion plates. The antiserum precipitated acidic but not neutral alpha-mannosidase from an extract of human liver, confirming that the acidic and neutral activities are not closely related. Acidic activity was also precipitated from extracts of human brain, kidney and leucocytes by the antiserum. However, it did not cross-react with bovine acidic alpha-mannosidase activity or with the activity in human plasma that has an optimum pH of 5.5. The two acidic forms of human liver alpha-mannosidase, A and B, are immunologically identical but distinct from neutral alpha-mannosidase and that activity with an optimum pH of 5.5.

Animals↗