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Biomedical subjects

R Lunt

Publications and source records attributed to R Lunt.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene deletion polymorphism. A new risk factor for lacunar stroke but not carotid atheroma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A deletion (D)/insertion (I) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene has been associated with myocardial infarction. Its relations to both stroke and atheroma remain uncertain. We examined its role as a risk factor in patients with cerebrovascular disease and its relation to carotid atheroma. METHODS: One hundred one patients with symptomatic carotid artery territory cerebral ischemia were compared with 137 age-matched control subjects. In the patient group, carotid atheroma was assessed by measurement of degree of carotid stenosis and intima-media thickness with high-resolution duplex ultrasound. The D/I polymorphism was examined using the polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: D:I allele frequency was 0.59:0.41 in case subjects and 0.48:0.52 in control subjects (P = .01). The DD genotype was more common in patients with cerebrovascular disease compared with control subjects (36/101 versus 30/137, P = .02). The DD genotype conferred a relative risk of any type of cerebrovascular disease of 1.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 3.51; P = .02). However, this was largely due to a strong association in the 18 patients with lacunar stroke, in whom the D:I ratio was 0.75:0.25 (P = .0097 versus control subjects). The odds ratio for lacunar stroke associated with the DD genotype was 5.6 (95% CI, 2.0 to 15.7) and was still significant at 4.40 (95% CI, 1.45 to 12.6; P < .009) after controlling for other risk factors. There was no significant association between angiotensin-converting enzyme genotype and cerebrovascular disease due to large-vessel stenosis. There was no association between genotype and age, sex, smoking history, diabetes, or cholesterol level. CONCLUSIONS: The deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene is a new independent risk factor for lacunar stroke but is not a risk factor for stroke associated with carotid stenosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Isolation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against the adenovirus core proteins.

Monoclonal antibodies have been prepared that recognize adenovirus core proteins V, VII, and mu in ELISA and Western blot assays. Antibodies produced by all of 87 positive hybridoma colonies obtained from a mouse injected with the precursor to protein VII, pVII, produced antibodies that also reacted with purified protein VII in an ELISA assay and all tested recognized denatured protein VII immobilized on nitrocellulose. Such failure to recover antibodies that specifically recognized only protein pVII suggests that epitopes common to the 174 amino acid protein VII and its 197 amino acid precursor were more effective antigenic determinants than the N-terminal 23 amino acid segment unique to pVII. All antibodies raised against protein mu cross-reacted with protein VII in both assays, but only a small fraction of the anti-protein VII or pVII antibodies recognized protein mu. Such cross-reactivity is discussed in relation to an unusual, arginine-rich sequence present in both protein VII and protein mu.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1987

The grid-cell-culture technique: the direct examination of virus-infected cells and progeny viruses.

We describe a method for the structural analysis and identification of viruses, without purification or concentration steps which could alter virus morphology. Virus-infected cells grown on carbon-Parlodion-coated electron microscope grids release large numbers of progeny viruses which adsorb to the surface of the grid and are revealed by negative staining. The technique is rapid, sensitive and can be used at three levels. Negative staining of whole cell preparations revealed both extracellular and intracellular viruses or nucleocapsids beneath the plasma membrane; non-ionic detergent extraction of cells infected with certain viruses reveals cytoskeleton-associated, virus-specific structures normally only observed after thin sectioning; cultures prepared by either procedure are suitable for colloidal gold immunological studies. Extracellular and cytoskeletal-associated viruses were heavily and specifically labelled with gold. The results indicate that the technique may be used to rapidly identify unknown viruses on the basis of size, topography, morphology and mode of maturation from the infected cell, as well as the presence of characteristic intracellular cytoskeletal-associated structures. The technique also has potential use in the sero-grouping and sero-typing of viruses with specific monoclonal antibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Worldwide early detection of cervical cancer.

Data available to the World Health Organization on frequency of cancers of the cervix in developing countries are incomplete and fragmentary. There are many indications that cancers of the cervix represent problems of a public health dimension in these countries. With a few exceptions, screening efforts are low-volume institution-based cytology services reaching limited segments of the female population. On the other hand, the recognized risk factors for cancer of the cervix are widely prevalent in developing countries. Cultural and educational constraints often bar women from seeking medical attention. Diagnostic and treatment facilities, particularly radiotherapy, and all levels of trained staff have been insufficient to permit screening programs for cancers of the cervix. Development of future programs must ensure their integration into existing health infrastructures.

Africa↗
PubMed1976

A new method for estimation of fetal weight in late pregnancy by ultrasonic scanning.

The biparietal diameter and are of the fetal skull, and the area of the fetal thorax, were measured by ultrasonic scanning in 68 patients in the seven days prior to delivery. These parameters and various expressions based on the skull and thoracic areas were related to birth weight. It was concluded that the skull and thoracic areas multiple (STAM) index was a more efficient predictor of birth weight than the biparietal diameter.

Anthropometry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rubella arthritis in adults. Isolation of virus, cytology and other aspects of the synovial reaction.

Rubella virus was isolated from three consecutive samples of synovial fluid after 1 to 4 days of arthritis in adults with typical naturally acquired rubella. In the two samples suitably prepared, cells in the synovial fluid were mononuclear, with numerous monocytes and macrophages. Detailed studies in one case revealed a close similarity in all respects to the illness caused by Ross River virus, another member of the Togaviridae. Cells in the synovial exudate of this patient showed intense phagocytosis. A fine nodular cytoplasmic distribution of virus antigen was detected by immunofluorescence in 45% of the cells. There was no depletion of the complement components C'3 and C'4 in serum or synovial fluid, and no evidence of excessive immune complexes in the circulation or of immune-complex uptake by cells in the synovial exudate or intima. Synovial intima from the suprapatellar region merely showed slight hyperplasia without cellular infiltration, indicating that the lodgement of virus and the inflammatory cellular reaction to it can be confined to limited regions of the synovial lining, at least in the early stages.

Adult↗