Biomedical subjects

D B Singer

Publications and source records attributed to D B Singer.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1976

The lung in cystic fibrosis. A quantitative study including prevalence of pathologic findings among different age groups.

The autopsies of 82 patients with cystic fibrosis were reviewed with respect to pathologic changes in the lungs and their respective prevalence among different age groups. Although bronchitis, mucopurulent plugging, and bronchopneumonia were almost universally present among children of all ages, epithelial metaplasia and bronchiectasis were rarer among infants and progressively more prevalent in older age groups. Emphysema was absent in patients under two years of age and affected 11 per cent of the patients two to six years of age and 40 per cent of the patients older than six years, but was never of a severe degree by the point count method. Pulmonary hemorrhage, although uncommon, was usually associated with prominent arterial vessels in walls of bronchiectatic airways. Quantitative assessment of bronchial glands revealed Reid indices significantly higher in patients with cystic fibrosis when compared to noncystic fibrosis patients, but there was no increase in these indices with the age of the patients. Glandular hypertrophy, predominance of mucous acini within glands, and goblet cell hyperplasia of the bronchial mucosa all suggest an explanation for the copious mucous secretion of patients with cystic fibrosis. However, it was not possible to ascertain whether these findings reflect a general exocrine defect of such patients or whether they were merely a response to chronic airway infection, even though the latter is a more plausible assumption.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

Soluble immune complexes in sera of patients with nephritis.

Binding of radioactively labeled C1q was used to detect soluble antigen-antibody complexes in sera collected at the time of renal biopsy from 104 patients with immunofluorescent findings consistent with immune-complex disease. In comparison with data obtained with sera from 85 healthy donors, significantly elevated C1q binding activity was demonstrated in sera from 22 patients. C1q binding was elevated in all four patients whose dominant histologic finding on bright field microscopy was an intense interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrate. High C1q binding activity was found preferentially in sera from patients who had diffuse rather than focal histologic abnormalities by light microscopy, heavy glomerular deposits of C4 and C3 by immunofluorescence and elevated serum creatinine concentrations. However, there were many patients with similar immunofluorescent and bright field microscopic changes in whom circulating complexes were not detected and there was no correlation between the pattern of glomerular localization of immune complexes and the C1q binding activity of the sera. Serial measurements of C1q binding activity in the sera from three patients over a 90-day interval emphasized that immune complexes may be demonstrated by this technique only intermittently in the sera of some patients with renal biopsy evidence of immune-complex disease. Nevertheless, these observations suggest that the C1q binding test may be a useful tool to monitor disease activity in patients with immunologically mediated renal disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

The significance of focal glomerular sclerosis in children who have nephrotic syndrome.

This study was undertaken to learn the significance of focal glomerular sclerosis in children who have nephrotic syndrome. Tissue obtained by percutaneous renal biopsy 10-15 years previously was re-examined. Initially, two of the 29 biopsy specimens contained focal segmental hyalinosis or sclerosis and five of the 29 had focal glomerular obsolescence. The paraffin blocks were serially sectioned and examined. Following this procedure, seven of the 29 biopsies had focal segmented hyalinosis and 16 of the 29 had focal glomerular obsolescence. The percentages of focal segmental hyalinosis and focal glomerular obsolescence were recorded. Only those patients whose focal segmental hyalinosis exceeded 2% progressed to renal failure. Age-matched autopsy material from patients dying without renal dysfunction was used as a control. Focal glomerular sclerosis was seen in 75.8% of the control specimens, although few glomeruli within each specimen were involved. Focal glomerular sclerosis may be found normally; it may be found in nephrotic children who do not develop renal failure. The quantification of sclerotic lesions may be of prognostic significance in childhood nephrosis.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1976

The adrenal cortex in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas.

The morphologies of the adrenal cortical zones of 25 children with cystic fibrosis and 24 control patients are presented. A technic for objective measurement of these zones is described. Hyperplasia of the zona glomerulosa in the children with cystic fibrosis is significant and may be related to chronic loss of salt in the sweat or demands placed on renal salt-conserving mechanisms.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1976

The specificity of split renal membranes in hereditary nephritis.

This study was undertaken to assess the specificity of split renal basement membranes in hereditary nephritis (HN). Thirteen specimens from eight patients with HN were mixed in a random fashion with specimens from control patients with either idiopathic nephrotic syndrome or various forms of glomerulonephritis and with specimens from patients with benign recurrent hematuria (BRH). Each biopsy specimen was scored for splitting of glomerular basement membranes (GBMs). Control and BRH specimens contained focal splitting in the GBMs; the biopsy specimens from HN patients had widespread lesions. Evaluation of split GBMs is useful in differentiating patients with HN from those with BRH and other renal diseases that may be confused with HN.

Basement Membrane↗

PubMed1975

Eastern equine encephalomyelitis. Histopathologic and ultrastructural changes with isolation of the virus in a human case.

Enveloped Toga virus particles were demonstrated by means of an electron microscopy in the brain tissues of a 3-year-old girl with acute encephalitis. Areas of demyelinization and necrosis throughout the white matter and brainstem were revealed by light microscopy. These viral particles were identified as eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus in postmortem isolation of the virus utilizing young mice and complement-fixation studies. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus particles in human tissues by electron microscopy.

Animals↗

PubMed1974