Biomedical subjects
B Kumar
Publications and source records attributed to B Kumar.
Clinical and occupational aspects of cervical spondylosis.
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Progressive diaphyseal dysplasia (Engelmann disease(: scintigraphic-radiographic-clinical correlations.
Four patients (2 males, 2 females; ages 15-47 yrs.) with variable clinical, radiographic, and scintigraphic manifestations of progressive diaphyseal dysplasia (PDD) or Engelmann disease were studied with 99mTc methylene diphosphonate bone imaging and radiographic skeletal surveys. Comparison of the results of the two imaging procedures showed that some affected bones were scintigraphically normal but radiographically abnormal and vice versa. These findings suggest that the lesions of PDD may mature, causing a significant decrease in disease activity, and that abnormally increased radiopharmaceutical accumulation during bone scintigraphy appears to be a sensitive indicator of disease activity.
Positron tomographic imaging of the liver: 68 Ga iron hydroxide colloid.
A new radiopharmaceutical, 68Ga ion hydroxide colloid, for hepatic imaging by positron emission tomography was prepared from the eluate of a 68Ge-68Ga solvent extraction generator. In rats, 84% of the administered dose of colloid localized in the liver and 4.6% accumulated in the spleen. Initial imaging studies in normal dogs showed close correspondence of the findings by positron tomography and transmission computed tomography. Emission tomography with 68Ga-colloid was performed in 10 patients with hepatic metastases demonstrated by conventional 99mTc sulfur colloid scintigraphy. All focal defects noted on the conventional scintigrams were easily identified and generally were seen more clearly by positron tomography. In one patient, additional lesions not identified on the initial 99mTc sulfur colloid images were demonstrated. The positron tomographic images were compared with those obtained by transmission computed tomography in seven patients; the two studies showed comparable findings in five patients, whereas positron tomography more clearly showed multiple lesions in two. Our results suggest that positron emission tomography is a suitable technique for obtaining high contrast, cross-sectional images of large abdominal organs.
Choice of sites for study of slit skin smears.
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Kveim test in leprosy: a clinical and histopathological evaluation.
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Circulating and tissue immune complexes in leprosy.
Various immunological studies were conducted in lepromatous leprosy patients. There was a polyclonal rise of all the three major immunoglobulins. Serum IgD levels remained unaltered. Positive latex agglutination reactions (RA) and parietal cell antibodies were distinctly more frequent in patients. Eighty-five percent of patients showed a strongly positive complement deviation test, and the mean platelet aggregation titer was 1 in 81 in the patients compared to 1 in 3 in the controls, thus indicating the presence of circulating immune complexes in a large percentage of cases. Immunoglobulins and complement were observed in the dermal capillaries and small arterioles, but not in larger vessels, in 6 of 17 cases. Only one case showed staining of the dermoepidermal junction. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were detected in a single patient, and this patient also showed ANA in vivo.
Pathologic changes in striated muscles in leprosy.
Eighteen muscle biopsies from male adult patients of lepromatous and borderline lepromatous leprosy were studied. BI in the biopsies ranged from 1 + to 3+. There was conspicuous absence of granuloma except for a collection of foamy histiocytes in intermysial region and on two occasions in the intermysial nerve endings in LL patients. At places solid staining bacilli were seen in normal looking muscles. None of the biopsies showed loss of muscle striations, fatty change, sarcolemmal changes, fibrosis and necrosis. Hyaline change was seen in two specimens only. Details of these are discussed in this paper.
BCG induced immunity to Mycobacterium leprae in mice.
One to three BCG vaccinations were given to various groups of mice--25 to 2 days preceding challenge with Myco. leprae. Harvesting of Myco. leprae was done every month upto a period of 7 months. Lymph node enlargement was taken as an indicator of successful vaccination. An increasing degree of protection was noted in BCG immunised mice as observed by a reduced number of bacilli harvested. Protection afforded was proportional to the number of doses of BCG given.
Prevalence and sexual transmission of group B streptococci in male genital tract.
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Aspiration cytology of lymph nodes in leprosy.
Lymph node aspiration cytology smear patterns were analyzed in 60 cases of leprosy. A Type I smear pattern was found in 51.7%, Type II in 25%, Type III in 16.6%, and Type IV in 6.7% of the cases. Comparing with the histopathological diagnosis, Type I and Type II smears corresponded to LL lesions. Type III smears corresponded to BB lesions toward the lepromatous end of the spectrum, and Type IV smears corresponded to BB lesions toward the tuberculoid end of the spectrum. An increasing degree of lymphocytic cell admixture was noticed from Type I to Type IV smears with a changing appearance from classical foamy histiocytes in Type I and Type II smears to atypical histiocytes in Type III smears and epithelioid histiocytes in Type IV cases. These findings correlated with the better cell-mediated immune reactivity observed in these patients as the disease spectrum crosses from Type I and Type II smears to Type III and Type IV smears. A larger number of cases needs to be studied for definite assessment of these criteria.
Respiratory reflexes (breath holding time) in leprosy.
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Leprosy and female reproductive organs.
Thirty-five adult female patients with bacillary positive leprosy were studied to determine its effect on menarche, menstrual cycle, fertility, and menopause. Endometrial biopsies studied in 26 patients showed no evidence of leprosy bacilli granuloma or tubercle bacilli on culture. Menstrual blood examined in six patients with bacillemia did not reveal leprosy bacilli. Products of conception examined from two patients were negative for granulomata or leprosy bacilli. Leprosy was found to have no direct effect on menarche, menstruation, fertility, and menopause.
Mycoplasmas in male genital tract infections.
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Myco. leprae infection in normal, thymectomised irradiated and thymus transplanted mice.
Normal mice and thymectomised, X-irradiated and thymic transplanted groups of mice were challenged with 10(3) Myco. leprae in the foot pad. Course of infection was studied for a period of seven months by sacrificing animals every month and counting the bacilli from the pooled tissues. In the thymectomised irradiated group the counts showed a plateau from 5th month onwards, whereas in control and thymus implant group the counts rose in 6th and 7th months.
Vascular changes in leprosy and its role in the pathogenesis of leprous neuritis.
The arteriographic pattern of left hand vessels was studied in 20 patients in leprosy by percutaneous brachial arteriography. Arteriographic abnormalities noted consisted of occlusion, narrowing, tortuosity, dilatation, irregularity and incomplete filling of the lumen by contrast medium. Such abnormal findings were seen in all the arteriograms studied and more than one vessel involvement was noted in over 50 percent cases. This study clearly demonstrated that arterial involvement in leprosy was frequent. No correlation was found between motor weakness and vascular abnormalities. There was no difference in arterial lesions between the patients with and without trophic changes. There was also no correlation between the severity of vascular changes and decline in motor nerve conduction. Degree of histopathological abnormalities in the sural nerve biopsy from these patients showed no features of micro angiopathic neuropathy. It is concluded that the observed vascular abnormalities do not contribute significantly in the genesis of neurological deficit in leprosy.
Tuberculoid leprosy vs. tuberculosis of skin. A histopathologic study.
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Acro-osteolysis (report of two cases and brief review of literature.
Two siblings suffering from acro-osteolysis, a rare disorder, are discussed. Although three distinct types of acro-osteolysis, namely familial, idiopathic, and due to vinyl-chloride, are clearly defined, these patients did not fit into any category. They had intact nails, preserved tactile and sensory system, plantar ulceration and so sensory deficit. Nerve conduction studies showed prolongation of motor distal latencies in median, ulnar, posterior tibial and lateral popliteal nerves. Nerve biopsies from both patients showed severe loss of myelinated fibres of all sizes, but more so of small ones.