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Biomedical subjects

S Beaton

Publications and source records attributed to S Beaton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Improvement in screening performance and diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism in Scotland 1979-2003.

AIM: To assess the Scottish newborn screening programme for congenital hypothyroidism from 1994 to 2003 (period 2) for performance and compare with an initial audit covering 1979 to 1993 (period 1). DESIGN: Performance data-age at blood spot sampling, notification by screening laboratory, start of treatment, and the prevalence of late testing, notification or treatment-were compared, together with the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism. RESULTS: Comparing data for period 2 with period 1, the mean annual incidence of true congenital hypothyroidism was 1:3655 live births v 1:4363. Median age for Guthrie sampling (all referrals) was 6 v 7 days (p<0.0001). Late sampling (>10 days) had fallen from 10.7% to 7%. For infants requiring repeat sampling before notification, the median (range) interval between initial and final repeat samples was 11 (1 to 52) compared with 14 (3 to 73) days. Median age at notification for true congenital hypothyroidism was 10 v 12 days (p <0.0001). Late notification (>15 days) was justifiable (mild TSH elevation) in 10 of 13 patients in period 2. Median age at start of treatment for true congenital hypothyroidism had improved to 11 days from 13.5 days. For true congenital hypothyroidism, late treatment (>16 days) occurred in 7% of patients compared with 19% (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There has been an improvement in performance measures for the congenital hypothyroidism screening programme in Scotland. However, late sampling, occurring primarily in inpatients and which is never justified, remains a problem, while the interval between initial and recall sampling is a further source of delay.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Adrenal responses to low dose synthetic ACTH (Synacthen) in children receiving high dose inhaled fluticasone.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Clinical adrenal insufficiency has been reported with doses of inhaled fluticasone proprionate (FP) > 400 microg/day, the maximum dose licensed for use in children with asthma. Following two cases of serious adrenal insufficiency (one fatal) attributed to FP, adrenal function was evaluated in children receiving FP outwith the licensed dose. METHODS: Children recorded as prescribed FP > or = 500 microg/day were invited to attend for assessment. Adrenal function was measured using the low dose Synacthen test (500 ng/1.73 m2 intravenously) and was categorised as: biochemically normal (peak cortisol response > 500 nmol/l); impaired (peak cortisol < or = 500 nmol/l); or flat (peak cortisol < or = 500 nmol/l with increment of < 200 nmol/l and basal morning cortisol < 200 nmol/l). RESULTS: A total of 422 children had been receiving FP alone or in combination with salmeterol; 202 were not investigated (137 FP within license; 24 FP discontinued); 220 attended and 217 (age 2.6-19.3 years) were successfully tested. Of 194 receiving FP > or = 500 microg/day, six had flat responses, 82 impaired responses, 104 were normal, and in 2 the LDST was unsuccessful. Apart from the index child, the other five with flat responses were asymptomatic; a further child with impairment (peak cortisol 296 nmol/l) had encephalopathic symptoms with borderline hypoglycaemia during an intercurrent illness. The six with flat responses and the symptomatic child were all receiving FP doses of > or = 1000 microg/day. CONCLUSION: Overall, flat adrenal responses in association with FP occurred in 2.8% of children tested, all receiving > or = 1000 microg/day, while impaired responses were seen in 39.6%. Children on above licence FP doses should have adrenal function monitoring as well as a written plan for emergency steroid replacement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Contraceptive responses of mice immunized with purified recombinant mouse zona pellucida subunit 3 (mZP3) proteins.

Mouse zona pellucida subunit 3 (mZP3) was tested for efficacy as an immunocontraceptive antigen by comparing the fertility of mice immunized with recombinant mZP3 proteins. Recombinant protein was expressed using either the vaccinia virus T7 mammalian (vmZP3 protein) or baculovirus insect cell (bmZP3 protein)-expression systems. Female BALB/c or wild mice were immunized by i.p. injection using Freund's complete adjuvant and boosted three times with affinity purified recombinant proteins in Freund's incomplete adjuvant. Most mice developed antibodies that crossreacted to the respective mZP3 antigens by ELISA or western blot. In BALB/c mice immunized with vmZP3, fertility and mean litter size were reduced transiently to 25% and 10%, respectively, of those of control mice. However, immunization with bmZP3 did not affect either the fertility or mean litter sizes in BALB/c or wild mice immunized with bmZP3. The results demonstrate that reduction in fertility can be achieved in female BALB/c mice immunized using Freund's adjuvants and recombinant mZP3 protein produced in a mammalian, but not an insect, cell-expression system. Arguments are presented for the likely role of glycosylation of the mZP3 antigen in inducing contraceptive immune responses.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Expression of mouse interleukin-4 by a recombinant ectromelia virus suppresses cytolytic lymphocyte responses and overcomes genetic resistance to mousepox.

Genetic resistance to clinical mousepox (ectromelia virus) varies among inbred laboratory mice and is characterized by an effective natural killer (NK) response and the early onset of a strong CD8(+) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response in resistant mice. We have investigated the influence of virus-expressed mouse interleukin-4 (IL-4) on the cell-mediated response during infection. It was observed that expression of IL-4 by a thymidine kinase-positive ectromelia virus suppressed cytolytic responses of NK and CTL and the expression of gamma interferon by the latter. Genetically resistant mice infected with the IL-4-expressing virus developed symptoms of acute mousepox accompanied by high mortality, similar to the disease seen when genetically sensitive mice are infected with the virulent Moscow strain. Strikingly, infection of recently immunized genetically resistant mice with the virus expressing IL-4 also resulted in significant mortality due to fulminant mousepox. These data therefore suggest that virus-encoded IL-4 not only suppresses primary antiviral cell-mediated immune responses but also can inhibit the expression of immune memory responses.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Sporadic acute hepatitis E in the united kingdom: an underdiagnosed phenomenon?

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E (HEV) is the primary cause of enterically transmitted non-A non-B hepatitis worldwide. Case reports of HEV in individuals in the United Kingdom relate to travel to endemic areas or contact with individuals who have visited these areas. CASE REPORTS: Four individuals presented with acute hepatitis to a hepatology clinic in a teaching hospital. Serology confirmed acute hepatitis E in all four. Investigation by the Communicable Disease Control Department established no links between the cases, no travel to an endemic area, and no contacts. CONCLUSION: Contrary to current belief, community acquired hepatitis E virus infection occurs sporadically in the United Kingdom and should be considered as a cause of seronegative hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Community outbreak of psittacosis in a rural Australian town.

BACKGROUND: Health authorities in Victoria, Australia were notified of three men from a rural town with atypical pneumonia, admitted to hospital over 8 days. Initial serological testing suggested Chlamydia psittaci as the cause. We did a case-control study to find risk factors for psittacosis. METHODS: We searched for cases of pneumonia or severe flu-like illness through family physicians and the regional hospital. We selected three controls per case from the region's electoral roll. We collected blood for serological tests and administered questionnaires to all cases and controls. FINDINGS: We found 16 cases of psittacosis and one died. Most cases were clustered within a small geographical area, with a median age of 58 years (range 23-76), 15 (94%) of whom were male. Keeping, handling, or feeding domestic or wild birds was not associated with illness. Cases spent a median of 17.5 h per week in their garden, compared with a median of 5.2 h for controls (p=0.04) and were more likely to have mowed lawns during the 3 weeks before onset of illness than controls (odds ratio 4.81 [95% CI 1.08-33.37]). INTERPRETATION: We showed that psittacosis outbreaks are not limited to direct contact with birds and pose new challenges for disease control. Modifications may be needed to work outdoors to decrease the risk of psittacosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Cloning and characterization of the cDNA encoding the PH20 protein in the European red fox Vulpes vulpes.

The PH20 protein is thought to play a crucial role in mammalian fertilization. The fox PH20 homologue has been cloned from a testis cDNA library and the deduced protein sequence shows high levels of homology to PH20 proteins isolated from other species. Unlike other PH20 proteins the fox protein does not appear to be membrane associated through a GPI-linkage nor does it show the presence of a transmembrane domain at the C-terminus of the protein. It is in this region that the proteins appear to be least conserved. Immunolocalization studies on fox sperm show that the PH20 protein is located on the inner acrosomal membrane. Transcription of PH20 in the fox is seasonally regulated, with the mRNA expressed during those months when spermatogenesis is at its peak. The PH20 sequence described in this paper has been submitted to the Genbank database and has the accession number U41412.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

A case of human anthrax in Victoria.

A human case of anthrax was identified through surveillance of knackery workers who had been exposed to infected cattle. The outbreak in cattle has affected 38 herds in the Stanhope/Tatura area of central northern Victoria. The human case, a 39 year old male, was treated in hospital and is recovering. Surveillance of other knackery workers has now been completed, and no other cases were found. Public health measures are in place to prevent further human cases.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1997

Generic nursing outcome objectives for use in long-term care facilities.

Twenty-two registered nurses employed in four long-term care facilities generated data for a study about nursing diagnoses in long-term care (N = 360). Generic outcome objectives were developed as an integral part of the project. The research team also specified exceptions to the outcomes: instances where meeting outcome objectives might not be possible. The outcome objectives and exceptions for the sample's 20 most frequently occurring nursing diagnoses are presented as working statements. The authors expect that these outcome objectives and exceptions will be revised by nurses who use them in practice, basic and continuing education, and research.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

Cloning and partial characterization of the cDNA encoding the fox sperm protein FSA-Acr.1 with similarities to the SP-10 antigen.

We have isolated and characterized a cDNA, cFSA-Acr.1, encoding a testis-specific fox sperm antigen. The antigen is located on the inner acrosomal compartment, and is expressed during spermatogenesis on the developing acrosome of round and elongating spermatids. Database searches with the deduced amino acid sequence of cFSA-Acr.1 revealed that the clone has high homology to both human and baboon sperm protein SP-10, and the mouse sperm protein, MSA-63. The region of highest homology is within the carboxyl terminus. In the middle of the open reading frame, the fox sequence shows unique sequences absent from both the human, baboon SP-10, and mouse MSA-63 sequences. In addition to cFSA-Acr.1, two other clones were also isolated from the same fox testis cDNA library, and sequence analysis shows that they may represent alternatively spliced mRNAs coding for other FSA-Acr proteins.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1995

The MicroScan WalkAway diagnostic microbiology system--an evaluation.

The MicroScan WalkAway is an automated bacterial identification and susceptibility testing system that has only recently been marketed in Australasia. We evaluated the performance of the instrument using MicroScan Rapid fluorescent panels to determine the identity and antibiotic susceptibilities of 100 Gram negative and 100 Gram positive organisms representing both common clinical isolates and selected organisms of interest. MicroScan results were compared with those obtained by conventional biochemical identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing using agar dilution following the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards guidelines. MicroScan and reference identifications were in agreement for 93% of Gram negative organisms. MicroScan results were available within 2 hrs. Additional tests were required to confirm the identity of 9 isolates but on only 2 occasions would a definitive identification been delayed beyond 24 hrs. Very major or major discrepancies were seen in 2% and minor discrepancies in 8% of Gram negative susceptibility tests. Susceptibility results were available within 7 hrs but could not be obtained for 13 slow growing organisms. With Gram positive organisms MicroScan agreed with the reference identification of 87% of isolates cultured on horse and 90% of those cultured on sheep blood agar. Discrepancies that occurred in the identification of some streptococci made us question the suitability of MicroScan as the sole means of identifying these organisms. All identifications were available within 24 hrs and the requirement for additional tests was minimal. Susceptibility results closely matched those obtained by agar dilution with < 1% major and 7% and 9% minor discrepancies occurring with sheep and horse blood respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1995

Alterations in erythrocyte band 3 organization induced by the photosensitizer, hematoporphyrin derivative.

Photosensitization of erythrocytes in the presence of hematoporphyrin derivative causes cross-linking of membrane proteins. This cross-linking is associated with partial lysis of the cells and an increased susceptibility to heat-induced membrane fragmentation. The effect of photosensitization on the organization of erythrocyte band 3 was monitored using the technique of time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy. Band 3 rotational diffusion was somewhat restricted upon photooxidation, indicating aggregation of this major integral membrane protein.

Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte↗
PubMed1994

Cloning and characterization of a fox sperm protein FSA-1.

A monoclonal antibody was raised to a fox sperm protein (FSA-1) which was found to be localized to the inner acrosomal compartment of sperm fixed in methanol. Western blots of testicular germ cell membrane extracts probed with this antibody identified a major protein band with a molecular weight of 36,000. Immunofluorescent studies on fox testis sections showed that the antigen is expressed on round and elongating spermatids on a crescent-shaped structure, which probably represents the developing acrosome. An antibody specific for FSA-1 was used to screen a fox testis cDNA library for its cognate gene. An 875-bp cDNA clone was isolated and sequenced revealing an open reading frame. Searches of the GenBank and EMBL databases with the nucleic acid sequence revealed significant homology (86%) of FSA-1 with 406 bases of an unidentified RNA transcript from human fetal brain (EST02625). Northern blot analysis of fox testis RNA samples identified an RNA transcript of approximately 0.9 kb during the months when spermatogenesis is active. Zoo Northern blots (at high stringency) reveal an RNA transcript of a similar size present in testis RNA from dogs and mice. Zoo Southern analysis (high stringency) reveal genomic sequences present in dogs, mice, cattle and sheep. At present, the function of the FSA-1 gene product remains unknown, but it may play a role as a structural protein component of the acrosome.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1993

Attitudes towards practice nurses--survey of a sample of general practitioners in England and Wales.

Practice nursing has expanded rapidly since the 1990 contract for general practitioners. In 1990, a national survey was undertaken of the attitudes of a random sample of general practitioners towards practice nurses. Responses to the postal questionnaire were received from 41.9% of the 4800 general practitioners sampled. Of the responding general practitioners, 90.0% were satisfied with the role of the practice nurse within their practice. To fulfil the requirements of the 1990 contract for general practitioners 50.7% had created a new nursing post, and 83.1% had expanded the role of nurses already employed; 89.7% wished to see further expansion of the practice nurse's role. However, lack of space was the factor most frequently reported as limiting the expansion of the practice nurse's role, mentioned by 76.0% of general practitioners. Only 43.7% of general practitioners recognized lack of opportunities for practice nurse training as a hindrance to role expansion. The key to managing the expansion of the role of the practice nurse lies in the provision of resources and in training. A pressing need exists for a national training scheme based in general practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1991

Association of exogenous DNA with cattle and insect spermatozoa in vitro.

Spermatozoa isolated from domestic cattle (Bos taurus), the Australian sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina), and the honeybee (Apis mellifera) are capable of binding exogenous radiolabeled linear DNA. Both motile and nonmotile bovine sperm exhibit four distinct patterns of DNA association. Following treatment with DNase I, the relative proportion of one of these patterns increases specifically in living sperm, suggesting that a small proportion of DNA that associates with bovine sperm may be sequestered within the sperm head.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Exploratory project for development of nursing outcome criteria in long term care.

This exploratory project in developing outcome criteria for long term care was conducted with the view that the individual professional nursing practitioner has a unique, valuable contribution to make to the overall nursing quality assurance effort. Twenty-seven nurses volunteered to design and conduct individual systematic nursing diagnosis/intervention/outcome measurement projects. They were employees of five long term care facilities in New York state. Their contribution to this project was an embodiment of their professional judgement and practice with 107 selected clients under their care. They were prepared for participation through instruction repeated in all five facilities. The North American Nursing Diagnosis Association's Taxonomy of Nursing Diagnoses was used in the instruction, by the practitioners in their practice and data collection, and in the data analysis. Data analysis also included use of Campbell's nursing intervention category scheme. This work demonstrated that professional nurses are able to specify appropriate outcome criteria and to measure these outcomes of their planned nursing interventions. Eighty-seven percent of the expected outcomes were achieved as anticipated or in the anticipated direction. Results provided many leads for future study of nursing diagnosis/intervention/outcome measurement among residents of long term care institutions.

Humans↗