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Biomedical subjects

R Overton

Publications and source records attributed to R Overton.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Caring for the elderly: a crisis on the horizon.

As baby boomers age, the proportion of elderly people will increase. Growing numbers of senior citizens coupled with shrinking budgets may force society to find alternatives to nursing homes, predicts a Des Moines geriatrician.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

A role for cytokines in antigen presentation: IL-1 and IL-4 induce accessory functions of antigen-presenting cells.

Fixation of APC with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino-propyl)carbodiimide (ECDI) eliminates their ability to stimulate proliferation of alloreactive T cells or the D10 T cell clone, although a partial response, IL-4 production, was measured. However, if APC were activated before fixation, they could be ECDI-fixed and retain the ability to induce T cell proliferation. IL-1, IL-4 or LPS were capable of activating APC in this way, whereas IFN-gamma was not. This activation step occurred in 6 h, required protein synthesis, and was distinct from increases in Ia or IL-1. This suggests resting APC lack structures that are essential for inducing T cell proliferation.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Voice restoration after total laryngopharyngectomy and cervical esophagectomy using the duckbill prosthesis.

We have presented a series of 10 patients who were successfully rehabilitated using the tracheoesophageal puncture technique for voice restoration. These patients underwent total laryngopharyngectomy or laryngopharyngoesophagectomy and reconstruction with visceral transposition (five patients), myocutaneous flaps (four patients), and skin graft and cervical flaps (one patient). All patients were able to produce adequate voice and carry on a conversation. Clinical evaluation of voice quality and acoustic analysis of voice samples indicate that the voice obtained in these patients was intelligible, and had adequate intensity, low pitch, and limited pitch variation. There were no complications related to the voice restoration procedure. It appears from our data and the limited experience reported in the literature that the tracheoesophageal prosthesis can be used successfully and safely for the speech rehabilitation of patients who undergo total laryngopharyngectomy, cervical esophagectomy, or both, regardless of the reconstructive method used.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Lymphokine-activated killer cells. Analysis of progenitors and effectors.

IL-2 has been examined for its ability to regulate lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activity. IL-2 is a potent activator of cytolytic activity against a wide array of tumor cells, including those from fresh autologous and allogeneic tumors. Using subpopulations of lymphoid cells that were separated on Percoll density gradients, and subsequently purified by immunoadsorbance, studies were performed to examine the phenotypes of progenitor and effector cells of human LAK cells and to compare them with the phenotype of activated NK cells. From these studies, it was evident that several lymphoid subsets, including CD3+, CDw16- and CD3-, CDw16+ cells could mediate LAK lysis of fresh tumor cells. Our examination of the kinetics of activation revealed that CDw16+, NKH1+ (NK-active) cells were maximally activated by 1-2 d. In contrast, CD3+ cells appeared not to achieve maximal cytolytic activity against fresh and cultured tumor cells until days 2-3. Using limiting-dilution frequency analysis, we showed that a large percentage of cytolytically active progenitors was present among the CDw16+, NKH1+ cells. The progenitor and effector cell frequencies appear to be 10-50 times higher in these populations compared to CD3+ cells. In addition, the selective blockage by mAb to the CD3 determinant of the T cell receptor complex indicated that these two effector cell phenotypes relied on different receptors to mediate their cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. Therefore, the accumulated data suggest that there is not a single unique progenitor of LAK activity, but rather that multiple subsets of lymphocytes become cytotoxic in response to IL-2. However, the NK cell population forms the largest single component of LAK cell activity in human peripheral blood.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1986

Analysis of effector mechanisms against HTLV-I- and HTLV-III/LAV-infected lymphoid cells.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is associated with a viral (HTLV-III/LAV)-mediated progressive depletion of a helper/inducer T4+ T cell subset, whereas acute T cell leukemia is associated with a viral (HTLV-I)-mediated growth of the same T cell subset. Because large granular lymphocytes (LGL) with natural killer (NK) activity have been shown to spontaneously lyse several virus-infected target cells, the ability of NK cells to lyse both HTLV-I- and HTLV-III/LAV-infected lymphoid cell lines and fresh lymphocytes was explored. Normal lymphocytes (T cells and LGL), with and without pretreatment with recombinant interleukin 2 (IL 2), as well as monocytes, with and without pretreatment with interferon-gamma were employed as effectors. Both IL 2-activated T cells and NK cells were cytolytic for HTLV-I-infected targets. However, only LGL demonstrated significant spontaneous activity against HTLV-I-infected targets. Similarly, LGL showed spontaneous cytolytic activity against HTLV-III/LAV-infected targets, and this cytotoxicity was considerably augmented by IL 2. In contrast, T cells and monocytes were unable to lyse HTLV-III/LAV targets, and only minimal activity was induced by activation. LGL cells, B cells, and monocytes were infectible in vitro by high titers of HTLV-III/LAV. However, levels of reverse transcriptase found in these cultures were significantly lower than the levels in T cell cultures. In contrast, only T cells were susceptible to infection by HTLV-I. Experiments with the use of cell cocultures showed that LGL afforded T cells protection from infection by HTLV-I (as indicated by lack of transformation and viral protein expression) but not from infection by HTLV-III/LAV. Collectively, these results indicate that NK cells may play a role in protecting cells against HTLV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1985

Increase in H-2 antigen expression and immunogenicity of BL6 melanoma cells treated with N-methyl-N'-nitronitrosoguanidine.

Treatment of the BL6 melanoma cells in vitro with N-methyl-N'-nitronitrosoguanidine dramatically increased their expression of H-2Kb and H-2Db antigens as well as beta 2-microglobulin but not Class 2 major histocompatibility complex antigens. The treated tumor cells also became immunogenic and were rejected in 70% of syngeneic C57BL/6 recipients, whereas these tumor cells produced progressively growing tumors in 100% of irradiated (550 R) or nude mice. In contrast to the effects of N-methyl-N'-nitronitrosoguanidine treatment, no influence of H-2 antigen expression or tumorigenicity was found when BL6 melanoma cells were treated with 5-azacytidine, phorbol myristate acetate, 5-bromodeoxyuridine, theophylline, or 6-thioguanine. H-2 antigen expression and the tumorigenic properties of 48 individual clones derived from BL6T2 melanoma line and 15 clones from the original BL6 melanoma were investigated. No H-2 antigens were found on the cell surface of the parental BL6 clones, whereas all tum- clones from the BL6T2 line expressed high levels of H-2 antigens. Although four of six tested tum+ clones had high levels of H-2b antigen expression similar to that of tum- clones, they were nonimmunogenic. These data indicate that an increase in major histocompatibility complex antigen expression is essential but not sufficient for the immunogenicity of tumor cells. This conclusion was also supported by the results of interferon treatment of BL6 melanoma cells: this induced an increase in the expression of beta 2-microglobulin and Class 1 H-2b antigens but not an increase in their immunogenicity. Detection of tumor-associated transplantation antigens on the melanoma cells also appeared to be dependent on the level of expression of H-2 antigens. Although tum+ clones grew in normal mice, immune mice were able to prevent the growth of tum+ clones with high levels of H-2 antigens. However, immune mice only partially inhibited the growth of the parental BL6 melanoma or tum+ clones which have low expression of H-2 antigens.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Interocular transfer of visual aftereffects.

A number of the well-known visual after-effects of adaptation exhibit interocular transfer, so that presentation of an adaptation figure to one eye produces a temporary change in the performance of the nonadapted eye. This outcome is usually attributed to the involvement of binocular visual neurons that respond to stimulation of either eye. The fact that interocular transfer is incomplete (i.e., the transferred aftereffect is smaller in magnitude than that induced and measured in the same eye) is routinely cited as evidence for the involvement of monocular neurons. This article critically examines these two interpretations, which are developed in terms of a neural model of interocular transfer. No evidence, logical or empirical, was obtained for rejecting the model. Our analysis further shows that the model must assume some type of pooling process that operates over all tested neurons, both adapted and unadapted. Finally, general implications of the interocular transfer model are discussed, the aim being to delimit the conclusions that may be drawn from interocular transfer experiments.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1980

What is suppressed during binocular rivalry?

To answer the question 'what is suppressed during binocular rivalry?" a series of three experiments was performed. In the first experiment observers viewed binocular rivalry between orthogonally oriented patterns. When the dominant and suppressed patterns were interchanged between the eyes observers continued seeing with the dominant eye, indicating that an eye, not a pattern, is suppressed during rivalry. In a second experiment it was found that a suppressed eye was able to contribute to stereopsis. A third experiment demonstrated that the predominance of an eye could be influenced by prior adaptation of the other eye, indicating that binocular mechanisms participate in the rivalry process.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1979

The site of binocular rivalry suppression.

Two experiments were performed to localize the site of binocular rivalry suppression in relation to the locus of grating adaptation. In one experiment it was found that phenomenal suppression of a high-contrast adaptation grating presented to one eye had no influence on the strength of the threshold-elevation aftereffect measured interocularly. Evidently information about the adaptation grating arrives at the site of the aftereffect (presumably binocular neurons) even during suppression. In a second experiment 60 s of grating adaptation was found to produce a short-term reduction in the predominance of the adapted eye during binocular rivalry. These findings provide converging lines of evidence that suppression occurs at a site in the human visual system after the locus of grating adaptation and, hence, after the striate cortex.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1975

Reginald C. Augustine. Apostle of optometry.

This paper concerns itself with the personal life and professional contributions of one of the great men in optometry, R. C. Augustine. This short biography includes discussions on his childhood, his introduction to the field of optometry, his early contributions in his community, his book, his achievements during the presidency of the American Optometric Association and also his extension work the following two years. In summation, a discussion of his professional philosophy will follow.

History, 19th Century↗