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Biomedical subjects

R Brouwer

Publications and source records attributed to R Brouwer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

A study of the relationship between airborne contaminants and environmental factors in Dutch swine confinement buildings.

A total of 171 swine confinement buildings were studied to determine the concentrations of airborne total and D50 less than or equal to micron 8.5 dust fractions, total and gram-negative bacteria, bacterial endotoxin and NH3. The concentrations of these airborne contaminants then were correlated statistically to a number of environmental factors such as feeding practices, number of animals and ventilation parameters. The results showed that airborne dust, endotoxin, bacteria and NH3 are commonly in high concentrations within the swine confinement buildings and that these are at levels where health effects have been observed in other studies. Correlation of these airborne contaminants to a number of environmental factors showed that while ventilation is an important criteria for airborne contaminants, there are a number of farming practices that significantly contribute to the levels of airborne contaminants currently found. Pearson correlations indicate a number of important criteria that the industrial hygienist should measure when faced with problems in agricultural confinement buildings.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1987

Lung function and respiratory symptoms in pig farmers.

In a pilot study to investigate the health effects of swine confinement work on the respiratory tract pulmonary function tests and a questionnaire for respiratory symptoms were used. Complete data, including qualitative exposure information, were gathered for 132 owners of fattening, breeding, or closed pig farms. All measured pulmonary function values, except the FVC, were on average lower than the reference values of the European Committee for Coal and Steel. There were no significant associations between duration of exposure and pulmonary function. About 28% of the farmers had respiratory or flu-like symptoms during or shortly after confinement work; 14% reported symptoms four to eight hours after work. For the fattening farm the following elements of confinement management were negatively correlated with pulmonary function: fully slatted floor, an automatic feeding system, natural ventilation, and the use of dust masks. A significant association between lung disease of the pigs and pulmonary function of the pig farmers was observed.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1980

Detection and significance of anti-HBc in the blood bank; preliminary results of a controlled prospective study.

It has been suggested that post-transfusion hepatitis B (PTHB) may occur after transfusion with blood negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) but positive for antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). We are currently conducting a controlled prospective study of recipients of such blood to investigate this possibility. Blood donors were routinely screened for HBsAg by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and those found negative were tested for anti-HBc by RIA. The HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive donors were then tested by antibody directed against HBsAg by RIA, antibody directed against hepatitis B 'e' antigen by enzyme-immunoassay and for the liver enzymes SGOT and SGPT. To date,, follow-up has been completed in the recipients of 141 anti-HBc positive blood donors and in a control group of the recipients of 141 anti-HBc negative blood donors. All the recipients were bled repeatedly with intervals of 4--5 weeks up to 7 months post-transfusion. Currently, no clear-cut seroconversion was observed in recipients of either group for any of the antibody markers of HBV infection. While none of the 141 recipients of anti-HBc negative blood became positive for HBsAg, 3/141 recipients of anti-HBc positive blood acquired HBsAg and developed clinically manifest post-transfusion hepatitis B.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Hepatitis B core antibody in volunteer blood donors: comparison of radioimmunoassay and indirect immunofluorescence.

The results of a pilot study on the prevalence of anti-HBc in HBsAg negative volunteer blood donors are presented. Two techniques for anti-HBc determination were compared--radioimmunoassay (RIA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IF). In a panel of 56 sera with known HBV markers, RIA was found to be significantly more sensitive than IF, and both techniques were specific. Out of 2,000 HBsAg negative blood donor sera tested by RIA, 46 (2.3%) were found positive for anti-HBc. In 24/24 sera, the specificity of the anti-HBc was confirmed. Also 37/46 (80.4%) anti-HBc positives were found positive for anti-HBs, leaving 9/2,000 (0.4%) blood donors positive only for anti-HBc. It is concluded that it would be premature to advocate the introduction of anti-HBc as a routine screening test of blood donors.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1979

The occurrence of antibody markers of hepatitis B virus infection in an HBsAg-negative blood donor population.

Anti HBs, anti-HBc and anti-HBe were tested in blood donors negative for HBsAg by radio- and enzyme-immunoassay. In this population 6.4% of the donors were positive for at least one type of antibody to HBV: 4.0% for anti-HBs, 2.3% for anti-HBc and 4.3% for anti-HBe. Two sera (0.2%) were exclusively positive for anti-HBc, eight sera (2.2%) were weakly positive only for anti-HBe. Further studies of the infectivity of such samples might be of interest.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1978

Serological evidence of presence of HBsAg undetectable by conventional radioimmunoassay in anti-HBc positive blood donors.

Sera from two blood donors, one of whom was implicated in a case of post-transfusion hepatitis B, were found to be positive for anti-HBc and negative for HBsAg by conventional radioimmunoassay and were retested for HBsAg after concentration (pepsin digestion and polyethylene glycol precipitation). The presence of occult HBsAg was confirmed in both. These observations have implications for blood transfusion, and wider studies of anti-HBc in blood donors are recommended before the introduction of routine screening for anti-HBc and exclusion of the positive donors from blood donation.

Adult↗