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Biomedical subjects

D Jackson

Publications and source records attributed to D Jackson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Dipylidiasis in a 57-year-old woman.

An interesting case of tapeworm infection in a human caused by Dipylidium caninum was recently diagnosed in the Illawarra area of N.S.W. Since it involved and adult (a 57-year-old woman) and recorded human infections are rare in the Australian literature, it was decided to describe this case of dipylidiasis.

Cestoda

Studies of membrane fusion. I. Paramyxovirus-induced cell fusion, a scanning electron-microscope study.

Fusion of erythrocytes and HeLa cells with Sendai and Newcastle disease viruses has been studied by scanning electron microscopy. Most virus particles are spherical but vary in diameter from approximately 200 to approximately 600 nm. At 4 degrees C virus particles bind randomly to the cell surface and at high cell densities cross-linking of adjacent cells by virus particles results in cell agglutination. Cell-cell fusion takes place when the agglutinated cell suspension is warmed to 37 degrees C. Fusion is initiated at sites of cell-cell contact and is accompanied in all cases by cell swelling. In the case of suspension HeLa cells, virally mediated cell swelling involves an 'unfolding' of cell surface microvilli and results in the formation of smooth-surfaced single or fused cells. With erythrocytes, swelling results in haemolysis. There is a dramatic reduction in the numbers of virus particles bound to cells following fusion.

Cell Aggregation

Antileukocyte antibody in postpartum and renal transplant subjects. A comparison of capillary agglutination and lymphocytotoxicity reactions.

Sera were obtained from 48 gravida II prenatal and 211 multiparous nonpregnant females and examined for leukocyte antibodies comparing a standard lymphocytotoxicity (CY) test with capillary agglutination (CA). Antibody was detected in 41% of the samples in both groups but only CA tests were positive with approximately one-half of the prenatal and three-fourths of the multiparous specimens. Although, CA reactions, when accompanied by positive CY responses, usually correlated with HLA, no correlation with HLA, 5b, or the neutrophil antigens was determined for 35 of the 48 sera reacting only by CA. As a model to test the specificity of CA positive-CY negative antisera, four extensively studied sera were further analyzed in 16 families. Independent segregation from the HLA complex and ABO and Rh antigens was confirmed and two of the sera appeared to detect separate clusters of reactions in conjunction with some of the other reagents. Pre- and postgraft samples obtained from 23 living related and 75 cadaveric renal transplanted patients were investigated and compared for graft function and prospective tissue typing. Although direct crossmatches were negative prior to surgery, 17.9% of the pretransplant samples from living related and 28.0% from cadaveric recipients contained detectable antibody when tested against a cell panel. Similar to the prenatal and multiparous groups, the majority of these responses were detected by CA. Following engraftment, antibody first became evident in 11 of 19 (58%) living related and in 23 of 53 (48.2%) cadaveric hosts. There was a striking association between the development of CA and CY antibody and failure, as contrasted to 100% 9-month or greater survival in 10 of 10 living related and 15 of 15 cadaveric transplants in whom only CA antibodies arose postoperatively. In total, these studies indicate that CA reacts with HLA antigens in common with CY tests. In addition, CA may detect HLA when CY is negative but many other reactions appear to be directed at non-HLA specificities. The relevance of CA-only responses to clinical transplantation remains uncertain, but we may speculate that they have an enhancing effect on the course of renal transplantation and are associated with important histocompatibility determinants.

Agglutination Tests

Hormonal changes in thalassaemia major.

Patients with severe thalassaemia major suffer endocrine and other abnormalities before their eventual death from iron overload due to repeated blood transfusions. The endocrine status of 31 thalassaemic patients aged 2-5 to 23 years was investigated. Exact data were available on the rate and duration of blood transfusion in all of them and in many the liver iron concentration was also known. Although the patients were euthyroid, the mean serum thyroxine level was significantly lower, and the mean thyrotrophic hormone level significantly higher, compared with the values found in normal children. Forty oral glucose tolerance tests with simultaneous insulin levels were performed in 19 children, of whom 5 developed symptomatic diabetes and one had impaired tolerance. Previous tests on all 6 patients were available and some showed raised insulin levels possibly due to insulin resistance. 2 patients had clinical hypoparathyroidism and are described. The parathyroid hormone levels determined by radioimmunoassay in 25 patients were below the mean for the age group in all and outside the reference range in 16. Nonfasting plasma calcium levels were not reduced. Puberty was delayed in some patients. Concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) measured in urine from 7 girls and 5 boys showed considerable variation. In the boys there was an overall tendency for FSH and LH excretion to be low with regard to age, but with respect to puberty rating FSH exretions were normal or low and LH normal or raised. The girls showed a tendency for LH but not FSH excretion to be raised in relation to puberty rating. The severity of the endocrine changes was related to the degree of iron loading and is discussed in relation to previous work in which the iron loading has rarely been accurately indicated nor parathyroid status assessed.

Adolescent

Molecular mechanisms of ageing. A critique.

Two kinds of evidence, taken in conjunction, indicate that Orgel's theory is inapplicable to a wide range of disorders of senescence in man. The age dependence and the anatomical distribution of the lesions of such disorders imply a Burnet type 'forbidden clone' theory of ageing. We describe the difficulty of establishing Orgel's theory for any disorder of ageing in man.

Aging

Malignant pleural mesothelioma. Report of 19 cases.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma may be composed of sarcomatous, epitheliomatous or mixed cell types. They can be differentiated from localized, benign mesothelioma. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rapidly fatal tumor that poses serious diagnostic and therapeutic problems. A series of 19 cases was compiled at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital, and data from these cases were compared to those of other series. The average survival time was 10 months. The most common symptoms were dyspnea, chest pain, pleural effusion, and weight loss. Three patients had a definite history of exposure to asbestos; in 6 more there was a questionable exposure. The most helpful investigative screening tool was the chest roentgenogram, in that it demonstrated an intrathoracic abnormality; however, mesothelioma could not be differentiated from inflammatory reaction or bronchogenic carcinoma with pleural effusion. Sputum cytology as well as pleural effusion cytology was only suggestive of malignancy. Bronchoscopy was not helpful. Needle biopsy yielded malignant cells in 3 of 8 patients. Exploratory thoracotomy was the most accurate means of diagnosis but was frequently followed by seeding into the incision and severe, intractable incisional pain. Therapy proved to be palliative at best. Thoracotomy did not alter the course of the disease; in fact, the production of severe incisional pain was deleterious to the patient's well-being. Cordotomy done in 3 patients brought no relief. Neither radiation therapy nor chemotherapy had a significant effect on survival time or palliation.

Adult