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Biomedical subjects

R Higgins

Publications and source records attributed to R Higgins.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The contribution of donor management and modified cold blood lung perfusate to post-transplant lung function.

BACKGROUND: Donor organ availability remains the major limiting factor in the treatment of patients with end-stage lung disease by lung transplantation. Maximising the use of available organs is therefore crucial. Details available at the time of organ referral may give a misleading impression of their quality. Intensive donor management may improve the quality of the organs thereby improving the quality of the outcome. METHODS: We performed 56 heart-lung and 5 double lung transplants between November 1990 and September 1993; 49 had adequate documentation for analysis. All organs were preserved with modified cold blood solution with an ischemic time of 197 (117-297) minutes. Assessment of lung function post-implantation was performed using an acute lung injury score as this gives a more accurate indication of overall lung function. Donors were treated intensively by bronchoscopy, optimal fluid management and appropriate lung expansion. RESULTS: Careful management improved donor quality so that the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient fell significantly from 185 (+/-20) mmHg at arrival to 80 (+/-11) mmHg (p < .0001) immediately prior to harvesting 190 minutes later. This improvement was maintained following harvesting using the modified cold blood preservation solution so that lung injury was assessed as "mild" according to the acute lung injury criteria post-transplantation. There was one instance of primary lung failure following transplantation which was neither related to the quality of the organ at harvesting nor to the method of lung preservation. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive donor management significantly improves the quality of donor organs, providing an improvement in immediate post-transplantation lung function. This improvement is maintained using modified cold blood lung preservation solution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Nursing acute psychiatric patients: a quantitative and qualitative study.

Political and managerial attention has focused on the consequences of the failure of community services to provide effective care to a small number of people with severe mental illness. However, the nature and value of care in hospitals have received less scrutiny. This paper addresses deficiencies in our knowledge about nursing care in acute psychiatric wards. It reports the findings from a recently completed study for the United Kingdom Department of Health. Four key developments are identified which, together, pose significant problems for nursing in acute wards: the increasingly diverse patient mix in wards; the volume of administrative duties performed by nurses; the weakness of multidisciplinary team working; and inappropriate education. In conclusion, the challenges for managers and clinicians responsible for local policy and practice and, by extension, those at the centre responsible for such services, are examined.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

Relatedness of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 isolates from different geographic origins as evaluated by molecular fingerprinting and phenotyping.

The genetic diversity of 88 Streptococcus suis serotype 2 isolates which were recovered from various countries was examined by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with three primers. This bacterial collection included 80 isolates of porcine origin and 8 of human origin. This investigation allowed the identification of 23 RAPD types containing 1 to 30 isolates originating from one to six countries. Common RAPD patterns were found between human and pig isolates. The isolates were also tested for the production of virulent factors such as hemolysin, muramidase-released protein (MRP), and extracellular factor (EF). All isolates exhibiting the virulent phenotype hemolysin+ MRP+ EF+ clearly clustered on the basis of fingerprinting by RAPD analysis. In a similar way, most of isolates with the hemolysin- MRP- EF- phenotype were assigned to one RAPD cluster. Therefore, RAPD clusters are more related to the phenotype defined with hemolysin, MRP, and EF than to the geographic origin of the isolates. These data indicate that RAPD analysis used in conjunction with phenotypic methods provides a reliable method for the assessment of the clonal relationship between S. suis isolates responsible for infections in pigs or humans, especially for those exhibiting the classic "virulent" phenotype hemolysin+ MRP+ EF+.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Three cases of canine leptospirosis in Quebec.

Three dogs from different locations with acute renal failure were hospitalized in autumn 1996 and 1997. Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona was detected by the microscopic agglutination test. All dogs recovered after antibiotic treatment. The importance of the development of vaccines adapted to emerging serovars in dogs should be addressed.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1999

Isolation of Actinobacillus suis from a cat's lung.

Actinobacillus suis has been isolated from the lungs of 9-month-old cat. The bacterium was characterized biochemically as well as genetically, and its sensitivity profile to different antimicrobial agents was established. The role of this isolate in the cat's condition is discussed.

Actinobacillus↗
PubMed1998

Simultaneous flow cytometric measurement of Streptococcus suis phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear and mononuclear blood leukocytes.

A simple flow cytometric method was used to study simultaneously the phagocytosis of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 by polymorphonuclear and mononuclear blood leukocytes from swine and humans. Using this method with a bacteria-to-leukocytes ratio of 10:1 and after 60 min of incubation, 80.2 +/- 2.8% of swine granulocytes and 77.0 +/- 2.8% of swine monocytes were shown to contain FITC-labelled S. suis serotype 2 strain 735. Using the same strain, FITC-labelled bacteria were found in 95.5 +/- 3.2% of human granulocytes and in 92.8 +/- 3.6% of human monocytes. The phagocytosis rates of avirulent and virulent strains of S. suis were not significantly different.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Aspergillus fungal mass detected by transesophageal echocardiography.

Cardiac fungal infections have become more prevalent and are being diagnosed with increasing frequency. The most common infective organism is Candida albicans, followed by Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus. Cardiac involvement is usually associated with endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis, or intracardiac fungal mass. Early diagnosis is imperative, as these patients have poor outcome once there is cardiac involvement. In this report we describe a patient in whom an intracardiac mass was detected with transesophageal echocardiography and confirmed to be aspergillus fungal ball at surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Phylogenetic diversity of Streptococcus suis strains of various serotypes as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison.

The 16S rRNA gene sequences of reference strains of Streptococcus suis serotypes 1-34 and 1/2 were determined. A comparative sequence analysis showed that the degree of sequence similarity between S. suis reference strains ranged from 93.94 to 100%. A dendrogram was constructed from the similarity matrix. Thirty-two strains representing 32 serotypes fell into a major group divided into three clusters. The other strains, S. suis serotypes 32, 33 and 34, were more distant. Biochemical characterization of the six more distant strains, including S. suis serotypes 20, 22, 26, 32, 33 and 34, revealed a profile similar to that of other S. suis serotypes. Comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of S. suis reference strains with sequences of other members of the genus Streptococcus indicated that, with the exception of S. suis serotypes 32, 33 and 34, reference strains did not cluster with any other species in the genus. In conclusion, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis defined a major group of S. suis reference strains which were very closely related and a higher divergence for S. suis serotypes 32, 33 and 34. However, to date, there is no strong evidence to reclassify strains of these serotypes in another species.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[Prevalence of infections caused by Salmonella spp. in cattle and horses at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montreal].

Bacteriologic detection of Salmonella spp. from feces of animals admitted to Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal, in Saint-Hyacinthe was carried out during a 1-year period to estimate the prevalence of bovine and equine salmonellosis. Prevalence at the time of hospitalization was quite low: 1.4% in cattle and 1.7% in horses. Incidence was 15.1 cases/100 animal/year in cattle and 38.7 cases/100 animal/year in horses. Serotype typhimurium was the most prevalent in both species. In cattle, cases were evenly distributed over the year. In horses, a recrudescence of cases and a obviousness of transmission were apparent in April 1996.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Expression of a mutant alpha-zein creates the floury2 phenotype in transgenic maize.

The maize floury2 mutation results in the formation of a soft, starchy endosperm with a reduced amount of prolamin (zein) proteins and twice the lysine content of the wild type. The mutation is semidominant and is associated with small, irregularly shaped protein bodies, elevated levels of a 70-kDa chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum, and a novel 24-kDa polypeptide in the zein fraction. The 24-kDa polypeptide is a precursor of a 22-kDa alpha-zein protein that is not properly processed. The defect is due to an alanine-to-valine substitution at the C-terminal position of the signal peptide, which causes the protein to be anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum. We postulated that the phenotype associated with the floury2 mutation is caused by the accumulation of the 24-kDa alpha-zein protein. To test this hypothesis, we created transgenic maize plants that produce the mutant protein. We found that endosperm in seeds of these plants manifests the floury2 phenotype, thereby confirming that the mutant alpha-zein is the molecular basis of this mutation.

Gene Expression↗
PubMed1997

Cloning and characterization of a dextranase gene (dexS) from Streptococcus suis.

A gene (dexS) coding for a Streptococcus suis capsular type 2 dextranase (DexS) was detected in a recombinant gene library constructed in phage lambda ZapII, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Sequence comparison showed that the dexS gene product had significant similarities with enzymes which hydrolyze glucose polymers. Moreover, conserved amino acids that are suggested to be part of the active site of the glucosidases are also found in DexS. The dexS gene, adjacent to the gene encoding a S. suis IgG-binding protein, encoded a protein of approximately 62 kDa which exhibited DexS activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗