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Biomedical subjects

T G Scott

Publications and source records attributed to T G Scott.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Acute hepatitis B in Edinburgh 1975-92: a retrospective study in a population where human immunodeficiency virus is highly prevalent.

A retrospective study of notified hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Edinburgh during 1975-92 identified 525 acute cases. For 343 where a probable transmission route could be determined, 215 were due to shared equipment by injection drug users (IDUs), 29 to homosexual intercourse, 25 to heterosexual or household contact with IDUs, 21 to heterosexual contact with infected non-IDU partners and 53 to various other or multiple routes. Cases were unevenly distributed geographically, particularly those among IDUs. The highest incidence within a post code district was approximately 2.5 times that for all Edinburgh. Annual cases peaked in 1984 then declined to low levels in the early 1990s. This reduction was most marked among IDUs, and may be ascribed both to changed injecting behaviour and decreased susceptibility within this group. The latter factor implies that HBV infections may be an unreliable guide to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in populations where HBV is highly prevalent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Electron microscopy of adhesive interactions between Gardnerella vaginalis and vaginal epithelial cells, McCoy cells and human red blood cells.

Exfoliated vaginal epithelial cells with attached bacteria, termed 'clue cells', which were procured from a patient with non-specific vaginitis, were stained with ruthenium red and examined by transmission electron microscopy. The attached bacteria appeared to adhere by means of an outer fibrillar coat. An epithelial tissue culture cell line (McCoy) and human red blood cells to which strains of Gardnerella vaginalis attached were similarly examined. The adherence of G. vaginalis to the epithelial cell line appeared to be mediated by an outer fibrillar coat while adherence to red cells appeared to be mediated by fimbriae. Transmission electron microscopy was performed on the Gardnerella strains used. Thin sections of tissue-culture-adherent strains revealed a dense outer fibrillar coat whereas the surface of the haemagglutinating strains showed fine fimbriae. Negative staining of haemagglutinating strains demonstrated fimbriae on a minority of organisms.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1987

Haemagglutination and tissue culture adhesion of Gardnerella vaginalis.

Six strains of Gardnerella vaginalis were studied to examine the adhesin-receptor mechanism involved in their attachment to human red blood cells and an epithelial tissue culture cell line (McCoy). The adhesins involved in the attachment of the bacteria to each of these cells were proteinaceous but showed marked differences after various chemical or physical treatments, indicating that separate adhesins were present. Haemagglutinating strains were more hydrophobic than tissue-culture-adherent strains. Haemagglutination of human red blood cells by strains of G. vaginalis was inhibited by galactose, lactose, N-acetylneuraminic acid and phosphatidylserine. In contrast, the tissue-culture adherence of strains was not inhibited by these substances.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1987

In vitro adhesiveness and biotype of Gardnerella vaginalis strains in relation to the occurrence of clue cells in vaginal discharges.

Haemagglutination and tissue culture adherence tests using a McCoy cell line were used to examine the adherence characteristics of 105 strains of Gardnerella vaginalis. Each strain represented one isolate per patient. For each patient, a direct smear of vaginal discharge was examined for clue cells. The relation between in vitro adherence and the presence of clue cells was examined. There seemed to be no appreciable relation between the presence of clue cells in smears and the haemagglutinating activity of strains. In contrast, adherence as judged by the McCoy tissue culture system showed a significant relation to the presence of clue cells (p less than 0.001). Though both adhesive characteristics were not inhibited by mannose, the mechanism of haemagglutination of human red cells appeared to differ from that of adherence of tissue culture cells. The findings imply that the clue cell phenomenon is due to attachment of adherent strains of G vaginalis to epithelial cells. Adherent strains of G vaginalis may play a part in the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1982

A pilot study of the reference values for the commoner haematological and biochemical parameters in Saudi nationals.

A study of 16 haematological and 24 biochemical parameters in healthy, adult, male, volunteer Saudi blood donors was made, and enabled a preliminary determination of the reference values for these parameters to be made for Saudi Arabia. Statistically significant low means were observed for all the haematological parameters except the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration which was raised above Western levels and the mean corpuscular haemoglobin which was normal. A low total leucocyte count was seen to be due largely to a low neutrophil count, but accompanied by a raised lymphocyte count. The main biochemical differences were raised concentrations of serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, conjugated bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, "liver" lactate dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase. Decreased concentrations of serum globulin, unconjugated bilirubin and calcium were also found. These changes are discussed in relation to putative endemic disease, ethnic origins and environmental factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Inclusions in the sural nerve in metachromatic leukodystrophy.

A 2 year old girl develops a fever, anorexia and a cough which last three weeks. Following this event, she presented with intention tremor and increasing difficulty with crawling. At the age of 3, a nerve biopsy was done which made the diagnosis of metachromatic leukodystrophy. EM examination of the nerve biopsy revealed large quantitites of abnormal structures in the cytoplasm of Schwann and phagocytic cells. Virus like spheroid bodies were present in a few axons and cytoplasm of Schwann cells.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1972

Water-borne typhoid fever caused by an unusual Vi-phage type in Edinburgh.

Investigation of a small series of cases of typhoid fever infected in a river between 1963 and 1970 revealed that all were caused by a single source, a carrier of a rare phage type of Salmonella typhi. The contamination of the river resulted from an incorrect sewage connexion with a surface water drain outfall into the river.

Adolescent↗