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Biomedical subjects

R Bhalla

Publications and source records attributed to R Bhalla.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Seroprevalence of Chalmydia trachomatis infection amongst patients with pelvic inflammatory diseases and infertility.

Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is a common cause of pelvic inflammatory disease in female population. This infection can be diagnosed both by culture and serology. The present study evaluated the seroprevalence of chlamydial infection in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease (ND) and infertility and in control population of healthy normal females. The seroprevalence was found to be 82.7% in patients and 32% in controls by Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) for any one or more class of antichlamydial antibodies (IgG/IgM/ IgA). The study demonstrates the importance of serology to monitor trends of chlamydial infections in women with PID and infertility.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Need for staging laparoscopy in patients with gastric cancer

AIMS: The aim of preoperative staging in gastric cancer is to correctly identify patients with advanced disease who should not be subjected to surgery and to allow the treatment of those who are admitted for operation to be planned accurately. This study assessed the impact of a policy of selective staging laparoscopy in patients deemed suitable for curative or palliative surgery, to ascertain whether the selective approach increased the frequency of abandoned or unplanned surgical procedures. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients with gastric or type III gastro-oesophageal junction cancer staged by computed tomography (CT) alone, in whom surgery was felt to be appropriate for 'cure' or palliative symptom control, were studied. Specific CT, endoscopic and biochemical criteria were applied prospectively to select out a subgroup of 18 patients who also underwent preoperative staging laparoscopy. The overall accuracy of staging and operative outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Using this selective approach the resection rate was 98 per cent, although three patients in each group had their planned procedure altered to a less radical (two in each group) or more radical (one in each group) resection (P = 0.23). Overall, 41 of 50 patients were staged correctly (accuracy 82 (95 per cent confidence interval 69-90) per cent) and 86 per cent of patients underwent the planned surgical procedure. The only abandoned operation occurred in the staging laparoscopy group. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to plan a patient's operation accurately without the need for a staging laparoscopy in all cases.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Evidence for a conserved relationship between an acceptor stem and a tRNA for aminoacylation.

The anticodon-independent aminoacylation of RNA hairpin helices that reconstruct tRNA acceptor stems has been demonstrated for at least 10 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. For Escherichia coli cysteine tRNA synthetase, the specificity of aminoacylation of the acceptor stem is determined by the U73 nucleotide adjacent to the amino acid attachment site. Because U73 is present in all known cysteine tRNAs, we investigated the ability of the E. coli cystein enzyme to aminoacylate a heterologous acceptor stem. We show here that a minihelixCys based on the acceptor-T psi C stem of yeast tRNACys is a substrate for the E. coli enzyme, and that aminoacylation of this minihelix is dependent on U73. Additionally, we identify two base pairs in the acceptor stem that quantitatively convert the E. coli acceptor stem to the yeast acceptor stem. The influence of U73 and these two base pairs is completely retained in the full-length tRNA. This suggests a conserved relationship between the acceptor stem alone and the acceptor stem in the context of a tRNA for aminoacylation with cysteine. However, the primary determinant in the species-specific aminoacylation of the E. coli and yeast cysteine tRNAs is a tertiary base pair at position 15:48 outside of the acceptor stem. Although E. coli tRNACys has an unusual G15:G48 tertiary base pair, yeast tRNACys has a more common G15:C48 that prevents efficient aminoacylation of yeast tRNACys by the E. coli enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acylation↗
PubMed1994

Arthritis associated with hidradenitis suppurativa.

OBJECTIVE: To review the presentation and clinical findings of arthritis associated with hidradenitis suppurativa. METHOD: Medical records from the rheumatology clinics of two major teaching hospitals were reviewed for arthritis and hidradenitis suppurativa. The nine patient records fulfilling these criteria were reviewed and compared with 20 previous reports. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The arthritis associated with hidradenitis suppurativa is rare and most commonly affects the peripheral joints. The axial skeleton is less frequently involved and is often asymptomatic.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1993

Systemic lupus erythematosus and Hodgkin's lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with lymphoproliferative diseases such as Hodgkin's lymphoma. Since there is considerable overlap between the features of SLE and Hodgkin's lymphoma (SLE/HL) there can be a great difficulty in diagnosing Hodgkin's lymphoma in the presence of SLE. Our objective was to determine the features that can suggest coexistent SLE/HL: METHODS: We describe 3 cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma that occurred in the setting of SLE and review the features of 11 reported cases in which the diseases occurred simultaneously. We compare the features of these cases with those of Hodgkin's lymphoma and SLE occurring alone. RESULTS: Mediastinal adenopathy was seen in 58% and retroperitoneal adenopathy in 17% of patients with SLE/HL, while it was seen only rarely in these sites in cases with SLE. Severe generalized pruritus, which occurs in only 2.8% of cases of SLE, was seen in 63% of cases with SLE/HL: Features such as fever, weight loss, peripheral lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly are common to both Hodgkin's lymphoma and SLE. Renal disease is seen in half of the cases of SLE. It is rare in Hodgkin's lymphoma where, unlike SLE, it is only of minimal change or membranous type. Arthritis and positive antinuclear antibodies are rare in Hodgkin's lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent lymphadenopathy, especially mediastinal and/or retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia and generalized pruritus in a patient with SLE not responding to treatment may be indicative of coexistent Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Myasthenia gravis and scleroderma.

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that is associated with antibodies to acetylcholine receptors. It is associated with other autoimmune diseases such as thyroiditis (10%), systemic lupus erythematosus (2-8%), rheumatoid arthritis (4-7%), Sjögren's syndrome and polymyositis. It is not commonly found with scleroderma. We describe a case of scleroderma developing in a patient 6 years after the onset of myasthenia gravis. HLA-B8/DR3 may play a role in the association of the 2 conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

In vitro synthesis of human immunodeficiency virus-specific antibodies in peripheral blood lymphocytes of infants.

An assay system was developed for the analysis of antibodies secreted in vitro against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes of HIV-infected individuals. Cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes were established with medium alone or with medium containing Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or pokeweed mitogen. HIV antibodies were determined by an ELISA performed with commercial kits in which a whole virus extract served as antigen. Optimal antibody secretion was detected in 7-day peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures to which EBV had been added to provide polyclonal B-cell activation. Pokeweed mitogen-induced antibody secretion and spontaneous antibody secretion were less consistent. With EBV as a stimulus, the sensitivity and specificity of this assay for determining HIV infection status were each 100% in adults. When the assay was applied to infants and children, 23 of 24 symptomatic HIV-seropositive children (class P-2) and 11 of 33 asymptomatic seropositive infants aged less than or equal to 15 months (class P-0) tested positive for EBV-induced antibody secretion. Six of the 11 P-0 patients who tested positive have progressed to develop symptomatic disease, while the remainder are still seropositive at ages 2-15 months. Of the infants who were negative in this assay, all have remained asymptomatic. Treatment with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine in infected adults and children has resulted in transient suppression of the in vitro antibody response in some instances. Thus EBV-induced synthesis of HIV-specific antibodies in vitro is a sensitive and specific indicator of HIV infection and is of help in determining infection status of asymptomatic seropositive infants who are classified as having "indeterminate" infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Neuron-specific enolase and retinoblastoma. Clinicopathologic correlations.

Neuron-specific enolase (a glycolytic, ubiquitous, intracellular enzyme) has recently been reported to be detectable in the aqueous humor of eyes containing retinoblastoma. Aqueous humor from 17 patients with histologically proven retinoblastoma was assayed for the presence of neuron-specific enolase (NSE). NSE was detectable in 17 out of 17 patients with levels between 619 and 60,000 ng/ml. A multitude of clinocopathological parameters were examined for statistically significant correlations with levels of aqueous humor NSE. This investigation demonstrated that only two parameters, the presence of tumor invasion into the anterior chamber, and inflammation significantly correlated with aqueous NSE levels. Histological parameters which did not correlate with aqueous NSE levels included tumor necrosis, calcification, Flexner-Wintersteiner rosettes, exophytic/endophytic tumor type, tumor extent relative to the equator, and optic nerve/choroidal invasion. Clinical parameters which showed no correlation included patient sex (M/F), enucleation age, presentation age, family history, laterality, prior treatment, and presence of metastatic disease. Neuron-specific enolase is present in the anterior chamber of eyes enucleated for retinoblastoma, but additional testing is necessary to determine the normal levels of neuron-specific enolase in children's eyes and the levels in eyes with lesions simulating retinoblastoma.

Anterior Chamber↗
PubMed1987

Association of serum iron, serum transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin with survival in acute lymphocytic leukemia.

The present investigation was motivated from the consideration that a host environment rich in iron, represented by high serum transferrin saturation (TS) and high serum iron and serum ferritin levels might offer favorable growth conditions for leukemic cells in addition to infection, thus affecting survival. Serum measurements were obtained on 113 pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), seen at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between May 20, 1981 and August 8, 1983. A significant difference (p less than 0.001) was found between the survival of patients according to whether their first measured TS was greater than 36% or less than 36%, with fewer deaths in the group with TS less than 36. The relationship between TS and survival was still observed when patients were stratified according to length of time from diagnosis, risk group, French-American-British (FAB) classification, or presence of organomegaly at diagnosis (p less than 0.001). Similar differences were observed between survival of patients grouped according to their first measured serum ferritin. These results independently confirm and extend observations presented earlier and support the consideration that motivated this study. The value of serum iron-related measurements as prognostic variables cannot be established from this type of study; however, these findings suggest the need for a prospective study.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Phase I trial of recombinant interferon gamma in cancer patients.

Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) is a lymphokine with potent in vitro effects on cell growth and immune function. We have investigated the effects of rIFN-gamma (sp act approximately 2 X 10(7) U/mg, purity greater than 99%) in 16 evaluable patients with advanced malignancy in a phase 1 trial. Patients were treated with six-hour intravenous (IV) infusions daily, five days a week for 2 weeks. After a 2-week rest period, the IV treatment cycle was repeated. Responders were maintained on repeated IV treatment cycles or daily intramuscular (IM) injections. Patients were entered at fixed dose levels of 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0 mg/m2/d. The maximum safely tolerated dose was 0.5 mg/m2. The most common side effects were constitutional symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, and myalgias. Reversible and transient increases in hepatic transaminase and decrease in granulocyte counts were seen. Treatment was associated with a dose-dependent increase in serum levels of beta 2 microglobulin. Partial responses (PRs) were observed in one patient with Hodgkin's disease and one patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Fairly constant levels of serum IFN were found at four and six hours during infusion, followed by a rapid decline within one to two hours. We conclude that rIFN-gamma can be safely administered by a six-hour IV infusion and that it can induce in vivo some of the biologic effects reported in in vitro studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

A study of the distribution pattern of fat in male gymnasts.

Girth and skinfold measurements were taken on male gymnasts of international standing. The results were compared with other groups, the data for which were taken from the literature. The ratio of central to appendicular girth was studied to find the differences in the fat proportions on extremities and trunk region. This ratio was found to be similar in power lifters and Olympic lifters. The skinfold rankings show the gymnasts to be the leanest of all the groups.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1982

Temperature dependence of [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding in rat myocardium.

The beta-adrenergic antagonist, [3H]dihydroalprenolol, was used to label binding sites in crude rat myocardial plasma membranes. The specificity of binding was dependent on the temperature of the assay. Specific binding at 22 and 37 degree C and at concentrations of radioligand less than 5 nM was consistent with binding to the myocardial beta-receptor. Binding sites labeled at 4 degree C possessed quite different properties. Binding was non-stereoselective and of lower affinity. Agonist compounds were much less effective at competing for the labeled myocardial sites at 4 degree C than at 22 degree C. Those beta-antagonists which additionally possess pharmacological "quinidine-like' activity (e.g. propranolol, alprenolol) were potent competitors at 4 degree C, but competition was non-stereoselective. In contrast atenolol, a beta-antagonist devoid of "quinidine-like' activity was ineffective at 4 degree C. Furthermore, procaine, and quinidine itself were potent competitors of [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding at 4 degree C. Thus the specificity of [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding to rat heart membranes at 4 degree C appears to be directed non-stereoselectively at that portion of the competing molecule which recognized "quinidine-like' as opposed to adrenergic activity.

Alprenolol↗