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Biomedical subjects

A C Jöbsis

Publications and source records attributed to A C Jöbsis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Thyroid morphology in lethal non-thyroidal illness: a post-mortem study.

OBJECTIVE: Non-thyroidal illness (NTI) is associated with alterations in thyroid hormone metabolism. Whether morphological changes of the thyroid gland accompany NTI is unknown. The aim of the present study was to describe thyroid morphology in patients with lethal non-thyroidal disease. DESIGN: In an autopsy study 267 cases have been examined. METHODS: Clinical data were obtained from medical records. Subjects were patients with chronic disease (group A), intensive care patients (group B) or persons who had died suddenly without pre-existing illnesses (group C). Patients (n = 93) who did not fit into one of these categories and subjects with pre-existing thyroid disorders were excluded. Thyroid histology was assessed semi-quantitatively: grade I <25%, grade II 25--50% or grade III >75% occupation of the thyroid gland by follicles with a diameter <200 microm. RESULTS: Mean thyroid weight was 19.9 g in group A (n=75, age 19--96 (median 75) years, 48 males); 25.7 g in group B (n=64, age 24--93 (median 69) years, 43 males); and 26.0 g in group C (n=35, age 31--89 (median 69) years, 22 males) (P<0.0005, A vs B/C). Grade I thyroid histology was present in 6 out of 75 patients with chronic illness, in 3 out of 64 intensive care patients and in 33 out of 35 sudden-death subjects. Grade III thyroid histology occurred in 30 out of 75 chronically ill patients, in 17 out of 64 intensive care patients and in 0 out of 35 sudden-death subjects (P<0.0005, C vs A/B). CONCLUSIONS: NTI is associated with reduced thyroid follicular size that is accompanied by lower thyroid weight in chronically ill patients but not significantly in intensive care patients.

Acute Disease↗

A fluorimetric assay of steroid sulphatase in leukocytes: evidence for two genetically different enzymes with arylsulphatase C activity.

Arylsulphatase C (ASC) activity in leukocytes and fibroblasts measured with 4-methylumbelliferylsulphate, is caused by at least two genetically different sulphatases. One of these is steroid sulphatase (STS). Depending on the substrate concentration, about 10-50% of the ASC activity in leukocytes can be attributed to sulphatases other than STS. Steroid sulphatase can be measured specifically with 4-methylumbelliferylsulphate as the fraction of total ASC activity which is inhibitable by dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. Using this assay, the adjusted ASC activity in leukocytes from patients with X-linked ichthyosis was 2% of normal. Obligate heterozygotes showed reduced activity.

Arylsulfatases↗

Segmental auxiliary liver transplantation in dogs: a search for an ideal graft--illusion or reality?

Segmental auxiliary liver transplantation (SALT) has been carried out in 13 mongrel dogs to assess the possibility of a certain size of liver segment to accept without sequelae the total splanchnic and arterial blood normally diverted to the liver of the host. Prednisone (1 mg/daily) and azathioprine (2 mg/kg daily) were used as immunosuppression. Five dogs died during the first hours after the operation. Three because of technical failure and two of acute portal hypertension secondary to total portal and arterial blood diversion in dogs with liver segments of 195 +/- 49 g as a result of overloading of the graft. The remaining 8 dogs were divided into: 4 dogs into which a liver segment (195 +/- 49 g) was transplanted (group A) and 4 dogs in which a liver segment (385 +/- 85 g) was used (group B). Partial portal and total arterial blood diversion in group A dogs was not associated with portal hypertension but resulted in poor function of the graft and in poor survival. In contrast, the graft in group B dogs was able to cope with both total or partial portal blood and with a normal arterial blood diversion. Infection and graft rejection prohibited long-term survival (8-28 days). Data from this study support the view that the present technique of SALT with a graft corresponding to 300-400 g in mongrel dogs of about 30 kg is a potential alternative as temporary liver support in the diseased animal.

Animals↗

The inverted urothelial papilloma.

3 additional cases of inverted urothelial papilloma are presented. A pathological, clinical and epidemiological review of this rare urothelial lesion is given.

Aged↗

Thyroid-associated antigens in routinely embedded carcinomas. Possibilities and limitations studied in 116 cases.

Routinely embedded tumors (116 cases) were screened immunohistochemically for the thyroid-associated antigens, thyroglobulin and calcitonin, and for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Also the influence of different fixatives, decalcification, and embedding procedures were studied. All follicular and papillary carcinomas stained positive for thyroglobulin; 14 of the 23 undifferentiated carcinomas showed only a focal and weak reaction for thyroglobulin. The metastases showed the same reaction pattern as the primary lesion. Calcitonin was present only in the medullary carcinomas and in 2 of the 23 undifferentiated carcinomas. Carcinoembryonic antigen was not present frequently in the investigated carcinomas. The reliability of the method, its clinical importance, and the possibilities it offers for a more precise classification are discussed. The diagnostic value of the method is illustrated by two case reports.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Human placental steroid sulphatase--purification and monospecific antibody production in rabbits.

Human steroid sulphatase was purified 43-fold from placental microsomes using a four step procedure: solubilization with Miranol H2M, Bio-Gel A 1.5 m chromatography, column chromatofocusing and Sephadex G-75 chromatography. The purified enzyme that appeared electrophoretically homogeneous was used to immunize rabbits. Protein blotting demonstrated that the resulting antiserum mainly reacted with a polypeptide of 63 000 dalton, which is about the size of placental steroid sulphatase. The antiserum was freed from minor impurities by absorbing it to Sepharose 4B with immobilized antigens prepared from a steroid sulphatase deficient placenta.

Animals↗

The nature of placental steroid sulphatase deficiency in man.

Human placental steroid sulphatase was partially purified from microsome suspensions of control and steroid sulphatase deficient placentae. After polyacrylamidegel electrophoresis, staining for protein and enzymatic activity revealed that steroid sulphatase from control placenta migrates at Rf = 0.44. In steroid sulphatase deficient microsomes no protein band and only a very faint sulphatase activity band could be detected at Rf = 0.44. Immunoelectrophoresis employing antisera raised against both steroid sulphatase preparations, only gave a protein precipitation line with sulphatase activity when using control placenta microsomes and the antiserum against steroid sulphatase from control placenta. All other placental microsomes-antisera combinations appeared to be negative. Our results strongly suggest that the nature of X-linked steroid sulphatase deficiency is a decreased amount of steroid sulphatase protein.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

Some aspects of iron metabolism during acute viral hepatitis.

In the acute phase of acute viral hepatitis high serum iron and serum ferritin levels were found in all patients. The normalisation of the serum ferritin concentration parallelled that of the serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase activity. However serum iron levels remained elevated for a long period of time. Chemical analysis of liver tissue showed a low total liver depot iron concentration during the first two weeks of the disease, indicating that the high serum iron levels are caused by iron liberation from disintegrated hepatocytes. Patients studied after two weeks showed higher liver iron concentrations, in particular the non-ferritin iron fraction, reflecting iron accumulation in the reticulo-endothelial system. Indeed, histological examination in the patients studied after two weeks showed sinusoidal lining cell siderosis in addition to "diffuse iron" in clusters lining cells which in electron microscopical studies proved to be macrophages. These cells showed a positive immunohistological reaction for ferritin protein. It is suggested that during acute viral hepatitis two mechanisms act together, i.e. changes in iron metabolism caused by damage of the main iron depot organ (specific liver pathology) and changes in iron metabolism common to all infectious processes.

Acute Disease↗

Biochemical investigation to the reliability of the histochemical demonstration of microsomal arylsulphatase activity in cryostat sections.

Polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresis was performed with an extract from cultivated skin fibroblasts. Arylsulphatase activity is measured and visualised using the biochemical substrate dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and the histochemical substrate 6-bromo-2-naphthyl sulphate respectively. The histochemical substrate was hydrolysed at Rf = 0.49 and 0.58 while the biochemical substrate was hydrolysed only at 0.49. We conclude that two different microsomal arylsulphatases exist: a sulphatase able to hydrolyse steroid sulphatases (Rf = 0.49) and one unable to hydrolyse steroid sulphatases (RF = 0.58). In consequence if is recommended to carry out an electrophoresis experiment after the histochemical investigation, in order to discriminate between these two types of sulphatase.

Arylsulfatases↗

The immunohistochemical detection of prostatic acid phosphatase: its possibilities and limitations in tumour histochemistry.

The immunological specificity of the Amsterdam rabbit antiserum against human prostatic acid phosphatase was studied on paraffin sections of 200 prostatic carcinomas and 330 control tissues using an indirect peroxidase technique. Peripheral blood leucocyte smears were also investigated with a fluorescent technique. In a limited number of cases, the mixed aggregation immunocytochemical method was also applied as post-primary incubation procedure. The diaminobenzidine (DAB) final reaction product of the peroxidase technique, carried out under standard conditions, was quantified in some cases using the Leyden Television Analysis System (LEYTAS) with a built-in standard. A positive reaction was obtained in 96.5% of the prostatic carcinomas. Only 2.1% of the non-prostatic tumour cases (23 types) showed a positive reaction, namely six out of 10 insulomas and one out of 10 carcinoid tumours. The beta-cells of the normal islet of Langerhans and the leucocytes in the smears showed a positive reaction. The sensitivity of the peroxidase method, judged subjectively, is not only dependent on the circumstances of fixation, embedding and incubation but also on the degree of tumour differentiation. None of the three prostatic carcinomas studied reached the level of DAB staining intensity shown by the hyperplastic prostatic epithelium.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Follow-up of blood donors positive for hepatitis B surface antigen.

From 1973 to 1977 in Amsterdam the incidence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in blood donations from new donors was 0.224 and from known donors 0.034%. 65 donors, previously found positive for HBsAg, were re-examined. Persistence of HBsAg in new donors (28 of 31) occurred significantly (p less than 0.0005) more often than in known donors (15 of 34). All carriers were classified into HBeAg (21%) or anti-HBe (79%) by a sensitive Elisa technique. Abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) were observed in 30% of the carriers and were significantly (p less than 0.005) more often found in HBeAg than in anti-HBe-positive carriers. When the LFTs remained abnormal, in almost all (8 of 9) carriers moderate to severe histological liver disease was diagnosed.

Blood Donors↗

X-linked ichthyosis and X-linked placental sulfatase deficiency: a disease entity. Histochemical observations.

The combined occurrence of X-linked steroid sulfatase deficiency of the placenta and X-linked ichthyosis is reported in 6 unrelated boys. Placental steroid sulfatase deficiency was diagnosed on the basis of a very low total estrogen excretion (6 cases), verified prenatally by the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) loading test in 4 cases and postnatally by clinical investigations (6 cases) and by biochemical investigations (5 cases). In addition, microsomal arylsulfatase C (MAS) could not be detected in the placental homogenate of the five cases investigated. Lysosomal arylsulfatases were within the normal range. All boys developed well except for X-linked ichthyosis. In the 5 cases investigated the skin biopsy showed the same MAS deficiency histochemically in the granular layer of the epidermis as in the trophoblast cells. The same holds true for the skin of carriers. Steroid sulfatase activity of cultured skin fibroblasts from the boys was almost nil (3 cases). The histochemical technique offers a practical approach in the scientific investigation of keratotic conditions.

Child, Preschool↗