Prevalence, morbidity and service need among South Asian and white adults with intellectual disability in Leicestershire, UK

Background Previous reports have suggested that South Asian and white UK populations have different prevalences of intellectual disability (ID), related psychological morbidity and service use. The aim of the present study was to compare these rates among South Asian and white adults in Leicestershire, UK. Method This cross‐sectional study is comprised of two parts. The analysis of prevalence is based on data from all South Asian and white adults known to the Leicestershire Learning Disabilities Register in 1991, with population denominators being drawn from the 1991 census. The other analyses use data collected from the most recent semi‐structured home interviews, carried out between 1987 and 1998, with 206 South Asian and 2334 white adults. Results The prevalence of ID in adults in Leicestershire is 3.20 per 1000 in South Asians and 3.62 per 1000 in whites. Among adults with ID, South Asians have similar prevalences of disabilities to whites and significantly lower skill levels. South Asians show similar levels of psychological morbidity, but make significantly lower use than whites of psychiatric services, residential care and respite care. South Asians use community services as extensively as whites, but feel that they have a substantially greater unmet need, especially with regard to social services. Conclusion South Asian and white populations have similar prevalences of ID and related psychological morbidity. Culturally appropriate services for South Asian adults may need to focus on skill development and community care.     

Homogeneously staining region in anthracycline-resistant HL-60/AR cells not associated with MDR1 amplification.

Anthracycline-resistant HL-60/AR cells and their drug-sensitive HL-60/S counterparts were characterized by karyotypic analysis and examined for the overexpression of DNA and mRNA sequences coding for P-glycoprotein (Pgp). The HL-60/S cells were karyotypically stable over a 5-year period of study (1986-1991), except for an additional small Giemsa-positive band noted at 7q22 in cultures harvested in 1987, but not in 1986. This change did not affect drug sensitivity. The drug-resistant HL-60/AR cells examined in 1986, 1987, and 1991 demonstrated a very stable karyotype. The most striking feature was a large homogeneously staining region in the long arm of chromosome 7 (7q11.2), and translocation of the remainder of the long arm to another centromere. Other changes in the HL-60/AR cells included inversion in 9q, partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 10p, addition of material to the p arm of der(16), loss of chromosome 22, and the appearance of a new marker chromosome. Both HL-60/S and the HL-60/AR cells were found not to amplify DNA or mRNA sequences coding for the Pgp. Thus, although the HL-60/AR cells possess the classical multidrug resistance phenotype and demonstrate a homogeneously staining region near the region of the MDR1 gene, their resistance is due to mechanisms other than those coded for by MDR1.     

Platelet-induced tolerance in the production of heteroantisera to human leukemia-associated antigens.

A method is described for raising antisera to human leukemia cells of an individual patient in mice rendered tolerant with cyclophosphamide to platelets obtained from the same patient. The resulting antisera are able to distinguish serologically between leukemic blast cells and remission cells of patients with acute leukemia and may be recognizing leukemia-associated antigens. The antisera are similar in activity to antisera raised following tolerance-induction with remission leukocytes, but larger volumes of anti-leukemia antiserum can be raised using the more easily obtainable platelets. This technique provides further evidence that human platelets share many of the antigens present on human leukocytes.     

Culture confirmation of cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus by direct enzyme-labeled DNA probes and in situ hybridization.

Using probes consisting of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) directly attached to DNA, scrapings or trypsinized cells from 217 adequate clinical samples were cultured and analyzed in 3 blind studies by in situ hybridization for the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Sixty samples were judged inadequate due to insufficient cell numbers; however, this problem was significantly decreased during the course of the study. One hundred and eighteen samples were found positive and 70 samples were found negative for CMV. Scrapings of cultured cells from 29 clinical samples revealed 9 samples which were positive and 20 samples which were negative for HSV. Forty-two additional samples, containing either uninfected cells or cells infected with various strains of CMV, were analyzed for the ability of the HRP-DNA CMV probe to detect such isolates. Twenty samples were positive and 22 negative for CMV. No false-negatives or false-positives were observed for either CMV or HSV. In addition to the specificity noted above neither the CMV nor the HSV DNA probe hybridized to potential contaminants found in clinical specimens.     

Rapid detection of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in clinical samples of oral hairy leukoplakia with HRP-labeled DNA probes and in situ hybridization.

An in situ hybridization technique, using horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled DNA probes containing a portion of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome, was used to detect EBV DNA in tongue sections and smears from patients with oral lesions resembling the clinical features of oral hairy leukoplakia (HL). Eleven biopsy specimens (six consistent with HL, four normal tongue controls, and one leukoplakia) and 11 tongue smears were evaluated for the presence of EBV, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16. Following hybridization, six biopsy specimens and 10 tongue smears were found positive for EBV. All biopsy cases were negative for CMV, HSV, HPV-16 and the negative control probe. The specificity of the in situ hybridization assay was 100%. These results suggest that in situ hybridization using HRP-labeled DNA probes may be useful as a rapid diagnostic method for the detection of EBV in tongue sections or smears from patients diagnosed with HL.