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Biomedical subjects

T A Platts-Mills

Publications and source records attributed to T A Platts-Mills.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Epidemiology of dust-mite-related disease.

For many years it has been suggested that allergens derived from the house dust mite played a major role in the pathogenesis of asthma, eczema and some cases of allergic rhinitis. Recently, house dust mite allergens have been purified and specific immunoassays developed with which exposure to house dust mites and their allergens can be more easily determined. Using these tools, epidemiological studies have provided confirmatory evidence that not only is house dust mite exposure associated with the majority of cases of asthma in children and young adults, but that it is causally related to the development of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Risk factors for asthma in inner city children.

Inner city children have the highest prevalence and the highest mortality rates for asthma in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate sensitization and exposure to common indoor allergens among children aged 3 years to 15 years seen for treatment of asthma at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Ga. Eighty children in this study were enrolled in the emergency department and 64 in hospital clinics. Dust from 57 homes, assayed for three indoor allergens (dust mite, cat, and cockroach), revealed similar exposure for asthma and control groups. Sixty-nine percent of the children with asthma had IgE antibodies to dust mite, cockroach, or cat; only 27% of the control subjects were similarly sensitized (p < 0.001). Of 35 children with asthma 21 had both sensitization and significant exposure to the relevant allergen; this was true for only 3 of 22 control subjects (odds ratio, 9.5; p < 0.001). Neither sensitization nor exposure to cat allergen was common in this population. The results show that black children in inner city Atlanta are exposed to high levels of mite and cockroach allergens and that a high proportion of the children with asthma are sensitized to these allergens; the combination of sensitization and exposure is a major risk factor for asthma in this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Allergens and asthma.

This article presents the studies that show that asthma in children is strongly associated with sensitization to dust mite and other indoor allergens. In addition, the recent evidence that this association reflects a causal relationship between allergen exposure and asthma is reviewed. The relevance of quantitative measurements of the major indoor allergens (dust mite, cockroach, and cat) in the houses of children with asthma is discussed. Finally, the increasing evidence that avoidance measures can be an effective treatment for asthma is considered together with the details about avoidance protocol for dust mite and cat allergen.

Allergens↗
PubMed1992

Cat allergy.

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Allergens↗
PubMed1979

Partial characterization of a malaria mitogen.

Supernatants from 24-hour cultures of Plasmodium falciparum-infected human red blood cells stimulated lymphocytes from both malaria immune and malaria non-immune donors. Both T and B lymphocytes responded. Amalaria parasite-derived mitogen may play some part in the pathogenesis of the hypergammaglobulinaemia characteristic of malaria.

Child↗
PubMed1979

Immunological and purine enzyme studies on hyperuricaemic and normouricaemic patients with Down's syndrome.

Hyperuricaemia in Down's syndrome is unreleated to the activity of phosphoribosylamidotransfrease, which catalyses the activity of the first specific step on the purine biosynthetic pathway, and to the activity of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase and phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase, abnormalities of which are known to be associated with hyperuricaemia. Immunological studies involving serum immunoglobulins, natural E. coli antibodies, test immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide type III (PnPS), in vitro lymphocyte transformation to mitogens, and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) induced immunoglobulin production showed no difference between hyperuricaemic or normouricaemic Down's patients and institutionalized controls. The Down's patients had higher serum IgA, IgG and IgE, and some also produced more immunoglobulin in PWM-stimulated lymphocyte cultures when compared to normal healthy controls. However, both patients with Down's syndrome and the institutionalized controls had significantly lower responses to PnPs than normal healthy controls. The only deficiency confined to the Down's patients was a signficant depression in delayed hypersensitivity to dinitrochlorobenzene. These findings indicate that the in vivo abnormality of depressed cellular and humoral immunity in Down's patients is not paralleled by in vitro function as measured by PHA lymphocyte transformation and immunoglobulin production by PWM-stimulated lymphocytes. There is also no apparent link between a putative defect in purine metabolism in Down's patients and any immunological abnormalities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Functional studies on T cells in adult human bone marrow.

Bone marrow (BM) lymphocytes were obtained by sucrose density gradient centrifugation of the nucleated cells from adult human BM. BM was obtained from rib sections removed routinely during thoracotomy from thirteen patients with a localized lung tumour and from two other patients without tumour (mean age 47 years). The percentage of T cells in BM was high (mean +/- s.d. 27% +/- 17) and increased with age. In eight cases, the function of isolated BM T cells was studied and compared to that of peripheral blood (PB) T cells. BM t cells showed poor helper activity for pokeweed mitogen (PWM) induced Ig production by PB non-T cells, which did not appear to be due to excessive suppressor cell activity. Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) induced thymidine incorporation was only slightly decreased but peak values were only reached after 6 years, in contrast to 4 days for PB T cells. This delay did not seem to be due to a lack of monocytes. PHA, however, failed to induce cytotoxic activity in BM T cells. PWM-induced thymidine incorporation and responder capacity in the mixed lymphocyte reaction were also very poor. These results are interpreted as suggesting that many of the T cells in adult human marrow are immature.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

5'-nucleotidase of B and T lymphocytes isolated from human peripheral blood.

The ecto-5'-nucleotidase activities of highly purified T and B lymphocytes from human peripheral blood have been investigated using biochemical and histochemical techniques. The enzyme activity of the purified B cells was about 3.5 times that of the T cells. Using a histochemical assay, 21--55% of the B cells stained positively for 5'-nucleotidase, but only 2--22% of the T cells were positive. These results are discussed in relation to the low 5'-nucleotidase activities found on peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphatic leukaemia and some patients with primary hypogammaglobulinaemia.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1979

A quantitative method for measuring in vitro synthesis of IgA and IgG by human rectal mucosa: studies on normal controls and patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia.

A quantitative technique has been developed for measurement of immunoglobulin production by human rectal mucosa in vitro. The technique overcomes the problem of serum proteins trapped in the tissue by parallel measurements of Ig and human serum albumin (HSA) over a 6 day period. IgG, IgA, IgM and HSA were measured in supernatant fluids using sensitive radioimmunoassays. The technique has demonstrated IgG and IgA synthesis by rectal mucosa in vitro. The conclusion that the observed IgA and IgG was synthesized in vitro was supported by the demonstration that the production could be increased by pokeweed mitogen and blocked by emetine. This culture system has been applied to measure Ig synthesis by the rectal mucosa of immunodeficient patients.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1978

Specific lethality of silica for human peripheral blood mononuclear phagocytes, in vitro.

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, cultured in the presence of 100 microgram/ml protein-coated silica particles, were studied to determine changes in number and function of monocytes, immunoglobulin bearing (B), sheep red blood cell rosetting (T) lymphocytes and the effector cells of antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). After 24-48 h, phagocytic cells were effectively eliminated from culture but there was no significant reduction in number or function of T or B lymphocytes or in ADCC to cell line targets. ADCC to erythrocyte targets was inhibited but not completely blocked. It is concluded that silica is a specific toxin for human peripheral blood mononuclear phagocytes and may be useful in in vitro immunological studies as a means of eliminating or determining the role of these cells without resort to separation methods which result in losses of cells other than monocytes.

Animals↗