bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fine structural evidence for hormone secretion by a human thymic tumour
Authors: Macadam R. F. , Vetters J. M. 
Published: June 2007

An epidermoid type of thymoma from an asymptomatic 39-year-old male subject is described. Electron microscopy demonstrated endocrine type secretory granules within the tumour cells, and a minority of these granules resembled normal human pancreatic alpha cell granules. Fine structural evidence for endocrine secretory activity in a primary thymic tumour has not been previously described.There are few fine structural reports of primary thymic tumours in man and to our knowledge these do not include certain features of the case described here.
Histopathological findings in the combined immunity-deficiency syndrome
Authors: Berry Colin L. 
Published: June 2007

The histopathological appearances of the thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (tonsil, Peyer's patches, and appendix) in cases of the combined immunity-deficiency syndrome are presented. The appearance of tissues remaining after foetal thymic transplants and the effects of such transplants on the morphology of lymph nodes are also discussed.Although thymic appearances are remarkably constant the picture in the lymph nodes and spleen may vary considerably. The tonsils, Peyer's patches, and appendix appear to constitute one lymphoid organ in man, at least with regard to the developmental arrest that may occur in this syndrome.
Postmortem detection of inapparent myocardial infarction
Authors: McVie J. G. 
Published: June 2007

Two methods of detecting early inapparent myocardial infarcts have been studied and their value in diagnostic practice compared.The better method proved to be the determination of the potassium to sodium ratio (ionic ratio) which falls in infarcted tissue within minutes of the onset of anoxia. The second method was nitro blue tetrazolium staining of gross sections of myocardium which revealed any infarct older than three and a half hours. As staining is dependent upon enzyme activity, the latter method is disturbed by autolysis. It was shown, on the other hand, that the ionic ratio (K+/Na+) was not affected by autolysis and was therefore well suited to forensic practice.Sixteen non-infarcted control hearts, plus the nine from cases of sudden death due to causes other than myocardial infarction, all yielded high ionic ratios (K+/Na+), average 1·4, and stained normally with tetrazolium (the normal controls). Positive control was provided by 20 histologically proven infarcts of which the ionic ratios (K+/Na+) were all low (average 0·7). Histochemical staining with tetrazolium delineated infarcted areas in each case.In a series of 29 sudden deaths, a cause of death other than myocardial infarction was found at necropsy in nine, mentioned above as normal controls. The remaining 20 hearts were not infarcted histologically, but were shown to be infarcted by examination of the ionic ratios (K+/Na+). These ratios were low (average 0·8) including three borderline ratios. Confirmatory evidence of infarction included nitro blue tetrazolium staining which revealed infarcts in 10 of the 20 cases, and clinical and necropsy observations.The ionic ratio (K+/Na+) decreases as the age of the infarct increases for at least 24 hours. Thereafter as healing proceeds, the ratio gradually reverts to normal. Thus, previous infarction and replacement fibrosis do not significantly alter the ionic ratio (K+/Na+). Nor is it changed by left ventricular hypertrophy, the presence of congestive cardiac failure, or digitalis therapy.It is suggested that macroscopic tetrazolium staining is a useful screening test for early inapparent myocardial infarcts. In cases where no infarct is delineated with that method estimation of the ionic ratio (K+/Na+) should be carried out on myocardium removed from standard areas on the anterior and posterior left ventricular walls.
Tetracycline levels in bronchial secretions
Authors: Campbell M. J. 
Published: June 2007

The excretion of tetracycline HCl in sputum was studied in 42 hospital patients suffering from various respiratory disorders who were receiving oral tetracycline therapy of 1·0 gram daily in divided doses.The tetracycline levels were estimated biologically by a cup-plate agar diffusion method usingB. cereus.Two separate methods of sputum homogenization are described: enzymic liquefaction with pronase, a powerful proteolytic enzyme, and ultracentrifugation at 103,000gfor three hours which sediments the viscous mucoids leaving 80-90% as a clear, non-viscous supernatant. The two methods allowed duplicate assays on sputum samples and generally showed close agreement. The ultracentrifugation technique is favoured for normal purposes because of its simplicity and the avoidance of any biochemical interference.A close correlation was shown between the tetracycline levels in sputum samples and the average serum level for each patient. Over the serum tetracycline range 1·0-5·0 μg/ml, the mean sputum tetracycline levels after centrifugation were 23-18%, and the average level was 0·50 μg/ml.The levels found in sputum were compared with the minimum inhibitory concentration of tetracycline for strains ofH. influenzaeandStrep. pneumoniae.Eighty-six percent of 29H. influenzaestrains tested and allStrep. pneumoniaestrains tested were sensitive to 0·5 μg/ml tetracycline. The remainingH. influenzaestrains had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1·0 μg/ml or higher, a tetracycline level in sputum which appeared to be outside the mean range at the oral dosage of 1·0 gram daily.Hence it is suggested that a small proportion of patients with lower respiratory tract infections due toH. influenzaewould be unresponsive, or only partially responsive, to this usual therapeutic range of tetracycline.
Chronic biological false-positive reactions to serological tests for syphilis in blood donors
Authors: Garner M. F. , Backhouse J. L. 
Published: June 2007

Problem sera from 375 blood donors were investigated for biological false-positive reactions to serological tests for syphilis. Problem sera are those sera in which submitting laboratories have found a reactive result to a screening test for syphilis. On each serum a cardiolipin Wassermann reaction, a Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test, a Reiter protein-complement fixation test, aTreponema pallidumimmobilization test, and a fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test were performed.Of the sera 49·9% were found to be non-reactive in all five tests, 28·8% gave results indicating a diagnosis of syphilis, and 21·3% showed biological false-positive reactions.There were 80 sera from blood donors which gave biological false-positive reactions. A further specimen of serum from 67 of these donors was tested after an interval of a minimum of six months. Sixty-six of the sera showed chronic biological false-positive reactions. Some donors were only found reactive for the first time after they had given very many donations of blood.It is concluded that sudden blood loss, as in blood donation, appears to stimulate the production of excess reagin in certain individuals, causing a chronic biological false positive reaction to serological tests for syphilis. This may only appear after several blood donations have been made.
The connective tissue in livers of children
Authors: Ghosh M. L. , Emery J. L. 
Published: June 2007

The amount of connective tissue present, relative to the amount of parenchymal tissue, has been assessed in a random series of 200 livers from children dying from non-hepatic disease. The amount of connective tissue in the left liver is approximately twice that in the right liver. The connective tissue in both lobes progressively diminishes during childhood but at all times remains higher than that in adults.Increased amounts of connective tissue in the liver in children is probably non-specific and related to the degree and duration of shock and hypoxia in the immediate postnatal period.
Infected infarcts of the testis: A study of 18 cases preceded by pyogenic epididymoorchitis
Authors: Hourihane D. O'B. 
Published: June 2007

Eighteen cases of infected infarcts of the testis are presented, and evidence is put forward that these result from venous occlusions in the epididymis and cord. The venous lesions probably result from thrombosis during the course of an attack of epididymoorchitis.Granulomatous orchitis was present in some part of half of the orchidectomy specimens, and the clinical histories, bacteriological findings, and histological data all suggest that this form of inflammation results from pyogenic infection of the testicle. What the factor is which determines whether the inflammation is granulomatous or not is unknown.
The temperature activity relationships of serum cholinesterases
Authors: King J. , Morgan H. G. 
Published: June 2007

A study has been made of the temperature activity relationships of the serum cholinesterase variants differentiated by means of dibucaine and fluoride inhibition. Using benzoylcholine as substrate, there is a characteristic temperature activity curve for each phenotype, and, for those most sensitive to succinyldicholine, this differs radically from that of the normal enzyme.A true index of serum cholinesterase activity is obtained only at 37°C, as at other temperatures various assumptions and correction factors have to be made, and the results could be misleading.
Bacteraemia in patients receiving human cadaveric renal transplants
Authors: Leigh D. A. 
Published: June 2007

During a two-year period (1966 to 1968) 70 patients were admitted to the Renal Transplantation Unit at St Mary's Hospital and 22 (31%) developed bacteraemia.Eighteen of the 25 episodes of bacteraemia occurred after transplantation and seven before. The typical clinical syndrome was uncommon and was only seen in 32% of cases. The presence of shock was not recognizable in the majority of patients probably because they were already receiving steroid therapy.The commonest infecting organism wasPs. aeruginosa(nine cases) and Gram-negative bacilli accounted for 72% of the bacteraemias.Staph. aureuswas isolated in five patients.A likely source of the infecting organism was found in 80% of cases and the commonest source was the urinary tract.Serious complications were present in 13 episodes of bacteraemia, and these were peritonitis before transplantation, necrosis of the donor ureter, and severe rejection or polar infarction in the donor kidney after transplantation.Bacteraemia due to Gram-negative bacilli was associated with complications in 61% of cases.Ps. aeruginosawas almost invariably isolated from complicated cases thoughEsch. coliwas only seen in simple cases.Antibiotic treatment was successful in 64% of cases but the cure rate was higher (86%) before transplantation than after transplantation (55%). Although the presence of complications did not affect the cure rate in Gram-positive bacteraemia, the cure rate in complicated Gram-negative bacteraemias was poor and associated with a mortality of over 70%.Patients receiving human cadaveric renal transplants are susceptible to all kinds of bacterial infection including bacteraemia, and the results of antibiotic treatment are dependent on both the nature of the infecting organism and the presence of serious underlying complications.
Use of unabsorbed radioactive marker substances in a re-assessment of the radioactive triolein test of fat absorption
Authors: Ditchburn R. K. , Smith A. H. , Hayter C. J. 
Published: June 2007

The radioactive triolein test has been compared with two chemical methods for the assessment of fat absorption in a group of inpatients from general medical wards. The special feature of the investigation is the use of a radioactive faecal marker to measure the completeness of faecal collections during the investigation period. Estimations of unabsorbed131I triolein and faecal fat measured by the chemical methods were made on the same specimens.The results showed that only 48% of the patients provided a complete collection of faeces (defined as a recovery of more than 90% of the faecal marker). From these patients good correlations were found between the triolein absorption test and the two chemical methods.It is suggested that previous criticism of the radioactive triolein test may have been due to incomplete faecal collections causing false results.
Pathology of Tangier disease
Authors: Bale Patricia M. , Clifton-Bligh P. , Benjamin B. N. P. , Whyte H. M. 
Published: June 2007

Two cases of Tangier disease are described in children from families unrelated to each other. Necropsy in one case, the first to be reported in this condition, showed large collections of cholesterol-laden macrophages in tonsils, thymus, lymph nodes, and colon, and moderate numbers in pyelonephritic scars and ureter. As the storage cells may be scanty in marrow, jejunum, and liver, the rectum is suggested as the site of choice for biopsy.The diagnosis was confirmed by demonstrating the absence of α-lipoproteins from the plasma of the living child, and by finding low plasma levels in both parents of both cases. The disease can be distinguished from other lipidoses by differences in the predominant sites of storage, staining reactions, and serum lipid studies.
Identification of a congenital defect of factor VII in a colony of beagle dogs: the clinical use of the plasma
Authors: Poller L. , Thomson Jean M. , Sear C. H. J. , Thomas Wendy 
Published: June 2007

A severe, pure deficiency of factor VII has been defined in haematological and biochemical terms in the Alderley Park colony of beagle dogs. By modification of the conventional factor VII assay to improve its specificity an apparent low activity of between 1 and 2·5% of the normal beagle has been found.When this plasma is used as a substrate for factor VII assays it compares well with human factor VII-deficient plasma in the measurement of both raised and depressed factor VII activity. It also appears to be a valuable reagent in the quality control of tissue thromboplastin extracts.
A study of antibiotic sensitivity testing with proposals for simple uniform methods
Authors: Garrod L. P. , Waterworth Pamela M. 
Published: June 2007

The findings in the preceding paper on pages 773-778 are reviewed and the possible causes of error revealed by them are analysed.The disc test has been studied with a view to defining suitable culture media, and disc contents such that six can usually be placed on a 9 cm plate. Emphasis is placed on controlling the weight of the inoculum and on ensuring its uniform distribution. It is suggested that such cultures should be interpreted by comparison of inhibition zone sizes with those of a suitable control organism on the same medium.Indications and methods for tests in primary culture are discussed.Proposals are made for eliminating superfluous or inappropriate tests, thus limiting the number of antibiotics or other drugs with which tests need initially be done.
A quantitative method for blood lipoproteins using cellulose acetate electrophoresis
Authors: Magnani H. N. , Howard A. N. 
Published: June 2007

A rapid, inexpensive, and quantitative method is described for obtaining the levels of plasma very low, low, and high density lipoproteins using cellulose acetate electrophoresis and lipid assays without prior separation by ultracentrifuge or other techniques. It involves separation of the lipoproteins by cellulose acetate electrophoresis, followed by their identification with the ozone-Schiff reaction. The total lipoprotein concentration is estimated from the total plasma phospholipid, and the percentage of each component obtained by densitometric analysis of the stained electrophoretograms, using reflected light. For samples with a raised level of very low density lipoprotein, plasma triglyceride analysis is also required.The results obtained by the cellulose acetate electrophoresis method are in good agreement with those by the analytical ultracentrifuge and the preparative ultracentrifuge with refractometry. The theoretical assumptions on which the method is based have been shown to be valid.
Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid with parathyroid adenoma and hypercalcaemia
Authors: MacGillivray J. B. , Anderson C. J. B. 
Published: June 2007

A patient with hyperparathyroidism due to a parathyroid adenoma was found to have metastatic medullary carcinoma in lymph nodes close to the thyroid gland. The finding of normal calcitonin and parathormone concentrations after removal of the adenoma suggested that the parathyroid lesion was not the result of the hypocalcaemic action of calcitonin produced by the tumour in the thyroid.Seventeen other examples of the association between medullary carcinoma and parathyroid enlargement are briefly reviewed.The pathogenesis of the parathyroid lesions is discussed, and it is suggested that some may be caused by the hypocalcaemic action of calcitonin, while others may be part of a syndrome of multiple endocrine adenomatosis.
The significance of variations in immunoreactive and clottable fibrinogen in health and following thrombosis
Authors: Wolf P. , Farrell G. W. , Walton K. W. 
Published: June 2007

In individuals in a steady state of fibrinogen metabolism, immunoreactive and clottable fibrinogen estimates of plasma fibrinogen show close agreement. These estimates also detect any increase of plasma fibrinogen (due to increased synthesis) following metabolic stresses but in certain circumstances discrepancies between immunoreactive and clottable fibrinogen values occur which are of diagnostic assistance.During extensive thrombosis, circulating `cryoprofibrin' (fibrin intermediates) may be formed. These fail to give full quantitative immunodiffusion reactions with antifibrinogen. Values for immunoreactive are therefore lower than for clottable fibrinogen.When intravascular catabolism (due to plasmin action) accompanies increased synthesis, since some of the molecular breakdown products of fibrin or fibrinogen react with antifibrinogen but are not clottable, immunoreactive values exceed those for clottable fibrinogen. This discrepancy is therefore an indicator of thrombolysis.Each discrepancy in turn may be encountered during the alternating predominance of thrombosis or thrombolysisin vivo:(a) physiologically, in association with the menstrual cycle; (b) pathologically, following surgical operations or extensive intravascular thrombosis.
DisseminatedHerpesvirus hominis (Herpes simplex)infection: retrospective diagnosis by light and electron microscopy of paraffin wax-embedded tissues
Authors: Rose A. G. , Becker W. B. 
Published: June 2007

DisseminatedHerpesvirus hominisinfection had previously been reported from other parts of the world, but the disease was initially recognized at necropsy in Cape Town in 1957 (McKenzie, Hansen, and Becker, 1959).The present retrospective study established that the disease had been occurring before 1957 but that its aetiology had not been recognized. An awareness of the disease, together with an adequate knowledge of the clinical history, the morbid anatomy, and histology of the lesions, usually allows a confident diagnosis to be made.
Bone marrow lipofuscin
Authors: Clark K. G. A. , Davidson W. M. 
Published: June 2007

Lipofuscins are commonly present in the macrophages of the marrow. In unstained preparations they may be confused with haemosiderin, but they are readily distinguished by fluorescence microscopy.In contrast to the belief that lipofuscins are a manifestation of senility, no age dependence has been demonstrated.Exceptionally large amounts have been found in illnesses accompanied by fever and leucocytosis, in keeping with the concept of their formation from insoluble remains of ingested cell fragments. It is probable that the `sea-blue histiocytes', described in the literature, are macrophages laden with strikingly uniform granules of lipofuscin.
Evaluation of an automatic platelet counting system utilizing whole blood
Authors: Rowan R. M. , Allan W. , Prescott R. J. 
Published: June 2007

Technicon's newly developed platelet AutoCounter utilizes an electro-optical system which detects and counts particles by sensing the scattering of light which occurs when blood cells flow through the illuminated sensing chamber of a micro-optical system. The system utilizes whole blood collected into EDTA. Blood samples, which can be handled at the rate of 40 per hour, are diluted with 2M urea which in addition causes lysis of the erythrocytes. The haemolysate thus obtained is delivered to the particle counter after a two-minute reaction time, the cell count finally being displayed on a continuous chart recorder.An evaluation of this machine has been carried out in the Department of Haematology, the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, on hospital specimens from patients suffering from a wide variety of diseases. The results of this evaluation are presented. Reproducibility studies indicate a coefficient of variation of 4% at any platelet level. The percentage drift per sample ranges from +0·4 to −0·4% of the total count. Carry-over and departures from linearity are statistically significant; however, the magnitude of these deviations is not sufficient to cause concern in routine use. Acceptable agreement is noted between machine counts and the counts obtained by technicians using phase-contrast microscopy with the exception of two anomalous individuals.Discrepant counts were noted in patients with elevation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and also in patients with disturbance of immunoglobulins. A modification to the sampling probe which eliminates the former problem is described.The AutoCounter described in this paper provides a fast, reliable, and accurate service laboratory platelet counting system.
Oral contraceptives and tryptophan metabolism: Effects of oestrogen in low dose combined with a progestagen and of a low-dose progestagen (megestrol acetate) given alone
Authors: Rose D. P. , Adams P. W. 
Published: June 2007

The effect upon tryptophan metabolism of the use of combined oestrogen-progestagen oral contraceptives containing a low (0·05 mg) dose of oestrogen, or of the continuous administration of megestrol acetate, has been studied by determining the excretion of tryptophan metabolites in urine collected after a 2 g oral dose of the amino acid.An investigation of 10 women before being given oral contraceptives and after 21 days and three months of their use showed that xanthurenic acid excretion is increased within 21 days and that by three months the urinary levels of xanthurenic acid, kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine, and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid may all be elevated.Ten other women studied after taking a combined type of oral contraceptive for six months or longer excreted significantly higher levels of all four metabolites than did those who had been treated with these steroids for only three months. The abnormal urinary excretion of tryptophan metabolites was completely reversed by treatment with pyridoxine hydrochloride, 20 mg daily for one month.Studies of four women when they were taking an oestrogen-containing oral contraceptive and at intervals after they had discontinued its use showed that abnormal tryptophan metabolism may persist for three months or longer.Megestrol acetate, a progestagen used as an oral contraceptive, was found to have no significant effect upon tryptophan metabolism.The possible clinical significance of the effects of oral contraceptives upon tryptophan metabolism is discussed.