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T Barrett

Publications and source records attributed to T Barrett.

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Effects of respirator dead space, inspiratory resistance, and expiratory resistance ventilatory loads.

The effects of respiratorlike inspiratory resistance (IR), expiratory resistance (ER), and dead space (DS) were assessed in a group of 11 normal volunteers during moderate steady-state (SS) and rapidly incremented (RI) exercise. The physiologic effects of IR were predominant, increasing inspiratory time, duty cycle, and several measures of ventilatory work. Effects of DS appear related to increased minute ventilation and include increasing flow rates and duty cycle and requiring greater ventilatory work; during RI exercise, the DS effect became relatively smaller at higher exercise levels. ER compressed expiratory time. These results characterize the response to IR, ER, and DS loads and suggest that DS may be relatively less physiologically significant than IR.

Airway Resistance

Immunization with a vaccinia recombinant expressing the F protein protects rabbits from challenge with a lethal dose of rinderpest virus.

A cDNA clone containing the complete coding sequence of the rinderpest fusion protein (F) gene was inserted into the thymidine kinase gene of vaccinia virus (WR strain) under the control of the 7.5K early/late vaccinia virus promoter. All forms of the F protein, i.e., the glycosylated F0 precursor, the unglycosylated F1 protein, and the glycosylated F2 protein, were detected in cells infected with the recombinant virus. Vaccination of rabbits with the recombinant virus induced antibodies which reacted in an ELISA system specific for rinderpest. The rabbit sera contained neutralizing antibodies against rinderpest virus and precipitated the F protein from lysates of rinderpest infected cells. Rabbits vaccinated with the recombinant rinderpest F gene vaccinia virus were protected from a lethal challenge with the lapinized Nakamura 3 strain of rinderpest virus. Variations in the severity of clinical symptoms correlated with the level of anti-F protein antibodies produced.

Animals

Differentiation of rinderpest and peste des petits ruminants viruses using specific cDNA clones.

The morbilliviruses which infect ruminants, rinderpest (RPV) and peste des petits ruminants (PPRV), are difficult to distinguish serologically. They can be distinguished by differential neutralisation tests and by the migration of the major virus structural protein, the nucleocapsid protein, on polyacrylamide gels. Both these methods are time consuming and require the isolation of live virus for identification; they are not suitable for analysis of material directly from post-mortem specimens. We describe a rapid method for differential diagnosis of infections caused by RPV or PPRV, which uses specific cDNA probes, derived from the mRNAs for the nucleocapsid protein of each virus, which can be used to distinguish unequivocally the two virus types rapidly.

Animals

Relationship of subjective tolerance of respirator loads to physiologic effects and psychophysical load sensitivity.

The degree to which subjective tolerance of respirator loads is related to physiologic effects and to psychophysical load sensitivity was investigated in this study. Fifty-two normal volunteers walked on a treadmill while breathing through a variety of respirator-type resistance and dead-space loads. Visual analog scales measuring perceived time limit of exercise and discomfort were both related to the ventilatory work imposed by the loads. Respiratory timing was related to discomfort but not to time limit. Psychophysical sensitivity to added resistive loads (LSS) was measured by the magnitude estimation method. Persons with higher objectively measured LSS had greater subjective intolerance induced by respirator use than persons of lower LSS. These findings suggest that subjective respirator tolerance is related to a person's psychophysical characteristics and to the actual physiologic effects. Furthermore, discomfort may be dissociated from actual exercise limitation.

Efficiency

Sch 38519, a novel platelet aggregation inhibitor produced by a Thermomonospora sp. Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation, physico-chemical properties, structure and biological properties.

The complex containing a new platelet aggregation inhibitor, Sch 38519, was recovered from the fermentation filtrate of Thermomonospora sp. SCC 1793. A chemically defined medium was developed which favored the production of Sch 38519. The antibiotic was isolated from the fermentation filtrate by absorption on macroreticular resin and further purified by ion exchange chromatography and reverse phase HPLC. Sch 38519 is an isochromanequinone structurally related to medermycin, lactoquinomycin and granaticin. It inhibits thrombin-induced aggregation of human platelets with an IC50 of 68 micrograms/ml. Sch 38519 is also active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Actinomycetales

Determinants of pattern of breathing during respirator use.

The relationship between the pattern of breathing in response to respirator-type loads and an individual's psychophysiologic sensitivity to loads (load scaling sensitivity, LSS) was investigated in the study of 11 normal volunteers. LSS was measured by having the subjects numerically rate a series of resistors; Steven's Psychophysical Law was used to evaluate sensitivity as the slope relating log (sensation) to log (stimulus). Peak pressure and actual added resistance were the stimuli. Inspiratory time, peak pressure, duty cycle, and tidal volume were inversely related to independently measured LSS during exercise and with a respiratory-type dead space and inspiratory resistance load. Because the need for changes in respiratory timing is a major adaptation in respirator use, it suggests that workers who are very sensitive to loads may have limited ability to adapt to respirator use.

Adult

Pneumovirus-like characteristics of the mRNA and proteins of turkey rhinotracheitis virus.

Electronmicroscopy has indicated that turkey rhinotracheitis virus (TRTV), the causative agent of an acute respiratory disease in turkeys, is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family. To determine if TRTV belongs to one of the three defined genera of this family (Paramyxovirus, Morbillivirus and Pneumovirus) we have analysed the RNA and proteins induced during replication of TRTV in Vero cells. Following replication in the presence of actinomycin D 10 polyadenylated RNA bands, ranging in Mr from 0.22 to 2.0 X 10(6), were detected in infected cells; some bands probably contained 2 or more RNA species. Viral proteins were studied after radiolabelling in the presence of [35S]methionine and [3H]glucosamine. Comparison of the polypeptides in mock-infected and infected cells, virions and nucleocapsids and after lentil-lectin chromatography and immunoprecipitation revealed seven virus-specific polypeptides (p), some of which were glycosylated (gp): gp82 (Mr 82K), gp68, gp53, gp15, p43, p40 and p35. These are considered to be analogous to the large glycopolypeptide (HN, H and G), fusion protein precursor F0, the F protein cleavage products F1 and F2, nucleocapsid (N), phosphorylated (P) and matrix (M) polypeptides, respectively, of the Paramyxoviridae. Two other polypeptides (Mr 200K and 22K) were also detected, as was a glycopolypeptide of Mr 97K, probably related to gp82. Tunicamycin inhibited glycosylation of gp53 and gp15 but gp82 was little affected, most glycans still being present on a glycopolypeptide of approximately 79K. This finding, indicating that gp82 has mostly O-linked glycans, considered with the mRNA profile and the molecular weight of the N protein shows that of the three genera in this family, TRTV most closely resembles the Pneumovirus genus.

Animals

Subjective tolerance of respirator loads and its relationship to physiological effects.

Subjective and physiological responses to a variety of respiratory loads were measured in a group of 52 normal volunteers during steady, moderate treadmill exercise. Subjective response (SR) was determined with two visual analogue scales developed for this study: EXERT (perceived limitation of exercise duration) and DISC (perceived discomfort). There was a linear relationship between inspiratory resistance and SR. Expiratory and inspiratory resistance loading produced similar subjective effects. Dead space loading, however, produced very little subjective effect on either scale. The study suggests that subjective response can be measured quantitatively and should be considered in respirator design.

Adult

Malassezia furfur: a cause of occlusion of percutaneous central venous catheters in infants in the intensive care nursery.

Growth of Malassezia furfur in the intravascular catheter used for administration of lipid emulsion resulted in occlusion of deep intravascular Silastic catheters in 12 infants in 2 intensive care nurseries. At the time of occlusion visible growth was noted in the clear catheter which was connected to the Silastic intravascular line. Five infants showed clinical signs suggestive of sepsis. The yield of M. furfur from blood cultures and catheter tips was low even when oil enrichment was used. The highest yield of M. furfur was found in the connecting catheter (11 of 11). The source from and the route by which M. furfur entered the catheter remain unclear. The potential portals of entry include the proximal and distal ends of the connecting catheter as well as the colonized skin of the infants and caretakers.

Catheterization, Central Venous

The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the F protein of canine distemper virus: a comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with other paramyxoviruses.

The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the fusion protein of canine distemper virus was determined from cDNA clones derived from virus genome RNA and poly(A)+ RNA extracted from infected cells. The mRNA encoding the F protein is about 2300 nucleotides in length including the 3' poly(A) tail. There is a large open reading frame from nucleotides 86 to 2071 which begins at the first AUG codon in the F mRNA. This reading frame encodes a protein of 662 amino acid residues with a calculated mol. wt. of 73001. The first major hydrophobic domain in the amino acid sequence of the deduced protein (residues 104 to 130) may represent all or part of a signal sequence for cleavage of the N terminal part of the F2 protein. There are four potential N glycosylation sites in the F protein located within the F2 part of the molecule or the putative signal sequence, and one in the F1 portion. A second hydrophobic region corresponds to the proteolytic cleavage site which generates the F2 and F1 subunits. This stretches from residue 225 to 262 and the N terminal part of the F1 protein shows sequence conservation with the other paramyxoviruses. A third major hydrophobic domain near the C terminus of the F protein probably represents the membrane anchor for the F protein (residues 602 to 630). The F1 proteins of six paramyxoviruses are compared and shown to have substantial conservation of those residues important in the maintenance of tertiary structure of this protein.

Amino Acid Sequence

The molecular biology of the morbillivirus (measles) group.

The morbilliviruses are a closely related group of important human and animal pathogens. The best known members of the group are measles virus in man and canine distemper virus in dogs. The group also includes two other serious animal diseases, rinderpest or cattle plague and peste des petits ruminants in sheep and goats. The latter viruses are of great economic importance in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Persistence of these viruses in some form is a possible mechanism whereby life-long immunity is conferred on an infected individual. In addition to the severe, often fatal, acute disease these viruses can, in rare cases, lead to a fatal chronic disease of the CNS. Molecular biological studies will be described which are beginning to elucidate their evolutionary relationships and to provide a basis for understanding the role of individual virus genes in pathogenesis.

Animals

Nucleotide sequence of the entire protein coding region of canine distemper virus polymerase-associated (P) protein mRNA.

The entire coding region of the polymerase-associated (P) protein gene of canine distemper virus has been sequenced. A single cDNA clone which represents 98% of the mRNA encoding this protein was used to determine the nucleotide sequence. The sequence predicts a major protein of 507 amino acids and a molecular weight of 54 936. There is also a second, overlapping, open reading frame with a start signal 21 bases downstream of the first AUG which could code for a protein of 174 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 20 292. This arrangement of the genome for the P protein of canine distemper virus is exactly analogous to that published recently for the P gene of measles virus (Bellini, W.J. et al., 1985, J. Virol. 53, 908-919). When the sequences are aligned at the first AUG, considerable homology is seen at both the nucleotide and protein sequence level.

Amino Acid Sequence

Splicing in vitro?

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Base Sequence

The smallest genome RNA segment of influenza virus contains two genes that may overlap.

The genome of influenza virus consists of eight segments of single-stranded RNA, each of which encodes a different polypeptide. In addition to the eight recognized gene products, the virus specifies a distinct smaller nonstructural polypeptide (NS2), which is translated from a separate species of virus-specific mRNA. The location on the virus genome of the gene encoding this polypeptide was investigated by hybridization of the NS2 mRNA with isolated subgenomic RNA species, and by correlation of the inheritance of a strain-specific NS2 with inheritance of particular genome RNA segments during recombination between two different virus strains. The genetic information for NS2 was found to reside in the smallest genome RNA segment of the virion, which also encodes the NS1 polypeptide. Considering the sizes of the molecules involved, it is likely that the coding sequences for the two polypeptides overlap.

Genes, Viral