Browsing by Author "Parkin, D. P."
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- ItemCortical lens opacities in the young patient - an indication for a lipogram?(Health & Medical Publishing Group, 2001) Meyer, D.; Maritz, F. J.; Liebenberg, P. H.; Parkin, D. P.; Burgess, L. J.Aim. To determine the characteristics and prevalence of lenticular opacification in patients with underlying dyslipidaemia. Methods. Eighty patients of both genders and all ages (18 - 90 years) were enrolled in the trial if they met the inclusion criteria for dyslipidaemia. Patients were included if their fasting serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were > 5.2 mmol/1 and > 2.3 mmol/1, respectively, when measured on three separate occasions over a 1-month period. Patients were excluded if they suffered from any condition known to cause or predispose them to elevated lipid levels or lenticular opacification. Lenticular changes were assessed by means of a slit-lamp through the fully dilated pupil and other physical signs were documented subsequent to thorough physical evaluation. Results. In addition to the classic clinic signs of dyslipidaemia, 31% of patients had cortical lens opacities. Cortical opacities were twice as prevalent as Achilles tendon thickening (16.3%) in our study, the second most prevalent sign of elevated lipid levels. In the subgroup of patients aged under 50 years, 55% had lenticular opacities, predominantly cortical (80%). Conclusions. Cortical lens opacification was the most prevalent sign of dyslipidaemia and it occurred at a relatively young age in our trial population in those patients who were affected. Cortical lenticular opacification should be regarded as an indication for blood lipid profile evaluation.
- ItemEndogenous immunoreactive digitalis-like substance in neonatal serum and placental extracts(Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1984) Beyers, A. D.; Spruyt, L. L.; Seifart, H. I.; Kriegler, A.; Parkin, D. P.; Van Jaarsveld, P. P.Therapeutic levels of digoxin in the serum of untreated neonates delivered to mothers who had not received the drug prenatally were detected by radio-immunoassay. Digoxin levels in neonates should be interpreted with care because of the unknown contribution by the endogenous digitalis-like substance (DLS) to the level of the drug. Three commercially available radio-immunoassay kits were compared with regard to their sensitivity and reproducibility in detecting the endogenous DLS. The kit from Clinical Assays (Cambridge, Mass., USA) was selected for further investigations. In a series of 35 paired samples of maternal and cord blood the average DLS values in terms of digoxin were 0.52 ± 0.07 and 0.81 ± 0.27 ng/ml respectively. This difference is statistically highly significant. In the case of infants with DLS values of 1-1.5 ng/ml in terms of digoxin, approximately 1 week was required to reach non-therapeutic digoxin levels, i.e. below 0.5 ng/ml. Gel chromatography showed that the DLS in neonatal serum was more closely associated with protein than is authentic digoxin. In placental extracts it followed the elution profile of the protein completely, but it shifted to fractions with a lower molecular weight than haemoglobin after trypsinization. The level of DLS in neonatal serum was also increased by more than half its original value by trypsinization. Proteolysis therefore seems to have a releasing effect on DLS. The molecular size of this substance is probably in the same range as that of polypeptides, since it was not dialysable from trypsinized and untreated samples through a membrane with a 22,000 dalton molecular weight cut-off point.
- Item'n Oorsig van die bepaling van die vroeë bakterisidiese aktiwiteit van verskeie antituberkilosemiddels(AOSIS OpenJournals, 2003) Donald, P. R.; Sirgel, F. A.; Venter, A.; Fourie, P. B.; Parkin, D. P.; Seifart, H. I.; Van de Wal, B. W.; Maritz, J. S.Die vroeë bakterisidiese aktiwiteit (VBA) van ’n antituberkulosemiddel is die daaglikse afname van M tuberculosis in log10 kolonievormende eenhede per ml sputum, tydens die eerste twee dae van behandeling met die middel. Dit weerspieël die vermoë van ’n middel om aktief metaboliserende organismes in tuberkulose-longholtes te dood. Dit is ’n relatief goedkoop metode om in ’n klein groep pasiënte die antituberkulose-aktiwiteit van ’n middel, binne maande, in vivo te evalueer. Hierdie artikel som ons ondervinding op tydens sewe gepubliseerde VBA-studies, en die bronne van variasie in die prosedure word identifiseer. Die pasiënte in hierdie studies was gemiddeld 33 jaar oud, met ’n gemiddelde gewig van 50 kg en 55% het ekstensiewe of massiewe longaantasting gehad. Die hoogste VBA-waardes (0,50-0,66) is gevind in pasiënte wat isoniasied ontvang het, en die laagste waardes (0,05 en 0,09 respektiewelik) was gevind in pasiënte wat die aminoglikosiede amikasien en paromomisien, albei in doserings van 15 mg/kg liggaamsgewig, ontvang het. Die algehele variasie in die VBA van 248 pasiënte was 0,0312, en die variasie toegeskryf aan die proses van sputumproduksie en -versameling was 0,0223. Dit blyk dat die verskillende aspekte van sputumproduksie en -versameling, betrokke by die lewering van ’n verteenwoordigende sputummonster, ’n groter bydrae maak tot variasie tydens die prosedure as die laboratoriumaspekte van die tegniek. Die keuring van pasiënte vir insluiting in VBA-studies, en hulle vermoë om saam te werk om ’n verteenwoordigende sputummonster te produseer, is van deurslaggewende belang in die suksesvolle voltooiing van VBA-studies.