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Biomedical subjects

R M Barkin

Publications and source records attributed to R M Barkin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

The immunologic response to infection with respiratory syncytial virus in infants.

Fifty infants younger than six months, hospitalized for infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), were studied by examination of serial samples of nasal secretion. Secretory neutralizing activity was measured by plaque reduction and secretory antibody by indirect fluorescence using conjugated antiserum to human IgA, IgG, or IgM. Secretory neutralizing activity during infection rose or fell fourfold with approximately equal frequency (20% and 26%, respectively). In contrast, levels of IgA antibody to RSV in secretions rose fourfold in 56%--65% of the infants and fell in none. The frequency of such rises in titer of antibody was directly related to age. In individual secretions the correlation between neutralizing activity and IgA antibody to RSV was poor: neutralizing activity was often found in the absence of detectable antibody, and IgA antibody to RSV was often nonneutralizing. Nevertheless, the development of IgA antibody to RSV correlated in time with the disappearance of virus from the respiratory tract. The timing of this secretory response is consistent with the hypothesis that antibody contributes significantly to cure of infection.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1977

Monocyte-macrophage function in the newborn.

Analysis of 20 human cord blood samples for monocyte-macrophage function demonstrates a selective defect in monocyte cellular chemotaxis. Monocyte bacterial phagocytosis, phagocytosis of paraffin oil particles, and bacterial killing of staphylococcus 502A were normal when compared with 30 healthy young adult controls. Impaired response of neonatal monocytes to chemotactants is an additional host defense defect that may help explain the undue susceptibility of neonates to certain infectious agents.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Rapid ampicillin susceptibility testing for Haemophilus influenzae.

Recent isolations of strains of Haemophilus influenzae resistant to ampicillin necessitate the development of a rapid, dependable, reproducible method of determining their antibiotic susceptibility. An agar-dilution method permitting susceptibility determinations on clinical specimens within 6-18 hours of specimen collection was designed. Chocolate agar biplates were made with one side having no additive and the other containing 2 mug/ml ampicillin. Seventy clinical specimens (cerebrospinal fluid, joint fluid, ear fluid, pleural fluid, blood culture broth) were streaked directly onto both sides of the plates when received in the laboratory and incubated at 35-37 C in 10% CO2. Reliable, readable results were usually available within 6-18 hours of receipt of the specimen and correlated completely with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) determined by the agar-dilution plate method, although standard disk susceptibilities occasionally indicated false resistance. Susceptible strains (MIC less than 2 mug/ml) grew on the antibiotic-free side of the biplate only. The rapid determination of ampicillin susceptibility allows optimal antibiotic selection for the treatment of Haemophilus influenzae infections with early discontinuation of potentially toxic supplementary drugs.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1976

Haemophilus influenzae meningitis: an evolving therapeutic regimen.

Ampicillin sodium has been the drug of choice in the treatment of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis. The development of ampicillin-resistant strains forces the clinician to focus on alternative therapies. We describe two patients in whom neutropenia was noted secondary to chloramphenicol administration, and streptomycin sulfate and sulfonamides were employed. An historical perspective summarizing the evolution of available therapeutic regimens is presented.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1975

Measles mortality. Analysis of the primary cause of death.

Four hundred fifty-four death certificates showing measles as the cause of death were analyzed. These represented 35.4% of the recorded deaths due to measles from 1964 through 1971. Respiratory or neurologic complications of measles or both were noted as the primary cause of death on nearly 90% of the certificates reviewed. In younger children, death was most frequently attributed to respiratory problems, while encephalitis and other neurologic sequelae of measles accounted for a larger percentage of deaths in the 10- to 14-year-olds. Nearly 17% of the persons who died had some underlying disease at the time of death, the percentage increasing with age. The majority of this group were physically or mentally retarded, or both.

Adolescent↗