PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

B J Blake

Publications and source records attributed to B J Blake.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparative biology of natural and experimental SIVmac infection in macaque monkeys: a review.

Epidemiologic and clinicopathologic data from 11 macaques with naturally acquired SIV infection--10 of which have died--were compared with those from 34 rhesus monkeys that have died of experimental SIVmac infection. Several differences, including gender affected, age at time of death, and the occurrence of certain opportunistic infections, could be explained by the experimental design; others remained unexplained. The most striking difference was the 41% incidence of meningoencephalomyelitis in the experimental group and its absence in naturally SIV-infected animals.

Age Factors↗

Experimental transmission of macaque AIDS by means of inoculation of macaque lymphoma tissue.

Acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) of macaques, an animal model for human AIDS, was transmitted to previously healthy macaque monkeys by means of inoculation of either tissue or a cell-free filtrate of a macaque lymphoma. The recipients showed evidence of profound lymphocyte dysfunction or died with infections from such opportunistic agents as Candida albicans, Cryptosporidium, and cytomegalovirus.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Transmission of naturally occurring lymphoma in macaque monkeys.

Spontaneously occurring rhesus monkey lymphomas were transmitted into healthy rhesus monkeys by using tumor cell suspensions. The naturally arising tumors included an immunoblastic sarcoma and an undifferentiated lymphoma. Recipient animals developed undifferentiated lymphomas, poorly differentiated lymphomas, or parenchymal lymphoproliferative abnormalities suggestive of early lesions of lymphoma. Some of these animals developed such opportunistic infections as cytomegalovirus hepatitis and cryptosporidiosis. They also showed evidence of an abnormal circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cell. These findings, all characteristic of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) of macaques, suggest a link between these transmissible lymphomas and AIDS in macaque monkeys.

Animals↗

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a colony of macaque monkeys.

A naturally occurring immunodeficiency syndrome has been seen in a captive colony of macaque monkeys. This syndrome is seen primarily in the species Macaca cyclopis. Affected animals died with lymphomas (a rare disease in macaques) or such opportunistic infections as Pneumocystis carinii and noma (necrotizing gingivitis). These M. cyclopis exhibited anemia, neutropenia, and a circulating bizarre immature monocyte. In addition, liver function tests suggested hepatitis. Pokeweed mitogen-, concanavalin A-, and xenogeneic cell-stimulated proliferative responses by lymphocytes of animals with the syndrome were dramatically diminished. The T4 (helper, inducer)/T8 (suppressor, cytotoxic) ratio in the peripheral blood mononuclear T-cell populations of M. cyclopis in this colony are decreased when compared with those from either Macaca mulatta in the same colony or normal humans. Epidemiologic evidence implicates a common source agent in this syndrome. The similarity of this syndrome in macaques to human acquired immunodeficiency syndrome suggests that it may provide an important model for studying the human syndrome.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Nephritis and hemolytic anemia in owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus).

The two most common diseases of captive owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus) are hemolytic anemia and glomerulonephritis. The anemia is characterized by total red blood cell counts between 0.45 and 3.44 x 10(6) microliters, hemoglobin values as low as 1.0 g/dl, and many circulating nucleated red blood cells. Centrilobular necrosis in the liver, extramedullary hematopoiesis in liver and spleen, and hemoglobin casts in kidney tubules are prominent histologic features. Hemosiderin and lipofuscin often are found in liver, spleen, kidney and lymph nodes. Microthrombi and microinfarcts sometimes are scattered throughout the brain. Glomerular lesions in Aotus have been described previously and are characterized by increased numbers of mesangial cells and matrix, glomerulosclerosis and electron dense deposits in basement membranes. Lymphocytes, plasma cells and eosinophils frequently are present in the interstitium. In the early stages the cellular infiltrate is periglomerular. The foci then grow to encompass adjacent glomeruli and tubules. Finally, large portions of the kidney are affected and connective tissue proliferates. The incidence of extramedullary hematopoiesis in the liver correlated significantly with that of interstitial nephritis (0.001 less than p less than 0.01) but not with glomerular lesions. The two kidney lesions, glomerulonephritis and interstitial nephritis correlated strongly in incidence. They also found with equal frequency in 87 monkeys with clinical evidence of anemia. This analysis indicates that there may be no common pathogenesis of the hematologic and renal abnormalities as seen in certain autoimmune diseases. However, there could be complex interactions between two or more disease mechanisms that account for the various manifestations of disease.

Anemia, Hemolytic↗

Pseudotuberculosis (Yersinia enterocolitica) in the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus).

Pseudotuberculosis caused by Yersinia enterocolitica was observed as an enzootic disease of the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). A description is given of the natural disease and its successful reproduction in owl monkeys. The disease was characterized by purulent and necrotizing enteritis, hepatitis, and splenitis. Large colonies of the causative organism were consistently associated with the lesions. Although pseudotuberculosis has been reported in other monkeys, the disease in the authors' primate colonies has been restricted to the owl monkey.

Animals↗

Glomerulonephritis in the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus).

Glomerular disease was observed in 45 of 57 owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus). The disease was minimal in eight of the affected animals and moderate to extensive with respect to severity of the lesions and the number of glomeruli involved in the remainder. The lesions were characterized by proliferation and hypertrophy of mesangial and epithelial cells, increase in mesangial matrix, thickening of basement membranes, and sclerosis. Immunofluorescent staining suggested that the disease was an immune complex glomerulonephritis.

Animals↗

Clinicopathologic characterization of Herpesvirus saimiri malignant lymphoma in New Zealand white rabbits.

Twenty-two of 39 rabbits inoculated with Herpesvirus saimiri developed malignant lymphoma and either died or were killed between 17 and 165 days after inoculation. No clinical signs were present in animals developing the disease before 46 days, but all other rabbits had a severe conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, and dyspnea resulting from a lymphocytic invasion of the ocular and nasal tissues. Four rabbits developed terminal leukemia. Pathologically, the disease resembled H. saimiri malignant lymphoma in nonhuman primates; there was extensive diffuse infiltration of most organs and tissues with either a lymphocytic or lymphoblastic infiltrate. Tumor nodules or masses seen in some forms of malignant lymphoma were not present. In contrast to nonhuman primates, all affected rabbits showed invasion of the skin of the nose and eyelids, conjunctiva, iris, ciliary body, and choroid. In 3 rabbits there was slight infiltration into the brain, not noted in nonhuman primates. The susceptibility of rabbits extended the host range of H. saimiri beyond the order Primates.

Animals↗

Acute lymphocytic leukemia in owl monkeys inoculated with herpesvirus saimiri.

Our study demonstrates for the first time that Herpesvirus saimiri can induce acute lymphocytic leukemia in owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus) and that malignant lymphoma can be induced in this species of nonhuman primates by the inoculation of the virus by various routes (intravenous, sub-cutaneous, and intradermal).

Animals↗

Geographical mapping of unmarried teen births and selected sociodemographic variables.

Texas is one of five states in the United States in which teen pregnancies exceed 70 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 17 years. The purpose of this retrospective exploratory study was to analyze and map sociodemographic variables associated with unmarried teen childbirth. It was hypothesized that selected sociodemographic variables would be related to the unmarried teen birthrates. Correlational analysis was employed to ascertain the relationship between the sociodemographic variables and the unmarried teen birthrates for 81 zip codes in Dallas County, Texas. The births occurred between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 1996. Geographic Information System (GIS) software illustrated the spatial distribution of the unmarried teen birthrates in conjunction with sociodemographic variables extracted from the 1990 U.S. Census Bureau. The results indicate that unmarried teen births are positively related to low socioeconomic status, single-parent family households, and minority populations. Mapping supports the quantitative relationships between the variables. Maps can be used to identify communities where teens most vulnerable to unmarried pregnancy and childbirth reside and provide policy makers with explicit information about their constituents so that they can develop and implement population-specific interventions.

Adolescent↗

Recall Rummy: learning can be fun.

BACKGROUND: Nurse educators are continuously seeking creative methods to teach nursing skills. Continuing education programs have adapted and used television game show themes as effective teaching strategies. METHOD: The traditional card game of rummy has been modified into a creative learning technique for entertaining and reinforcing skill techniques for nurses practicing in a clinical setting. CONCLUSION: Imagination and creativity are important assets for planning and teaching skills that relate to the practice of nursing. Recall Rummy presents one such approach to teaching nursing skills.

Clinical Competence↗