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F I Young

Publications and source records attributed to F I Young.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Microwave oven antigen retrieval applied to the immunostaining of cytopathology specimens.

Microwave oven antigen retrieval has been developed to extend the range of antibodies that can be used upon sections of fixed and processed tissue. It has the additional advantages of improving immunostain intensity and reducing background positivity. It can also be employed as an alternative to proteolytic digestion. In this study the effects of microwave oven heating upon immunochemical staining of cytopathological specimens with a range of selected antibodies have been investigated. Microwaving did not result in loss of cells, and there was no need to use adhesive-coated slides. The method improved the staining intensity and reduced background with antibodies against a variety of antigens that are difficult or impossible to detect in formaldehyde-fixed cytological material. Microwave heating was also used successfully as an alternative to trypsin digestion, and had the advantage of reduced morphological distortion. The technique was useful in demonstrating the soluble formalin-sensitive antigen p19 on cytospins fixed in formaldehyde vapour. Microwave oven heating thus shows promise of extending the scope of immunostaining in clinical cytopathology.

Antigens↗

Medical management of ocular malakoplakia.

A 14-year-old girl had a granulomatous conjunctival lesion, proven histologically to be malakoplakia. This is the first reported case of malakoplakia arising from conjunctiva, although three others have involved the ocular adnexa. Malakoplakia is a rare disease often associated with immunodeficiency and is characterized by the presence of intracellular inclusions and organisms due to deficient intracellular bacteriolysis. Medical management is difficult because an effective antibacterial agent requires three properties: activity against the organism involved, good intracellular penetration, and the capacity to maintain its effectiveness in the intracellular milieu. Escherichia coli was isolated from a biopsy specimen and from conjunctival swabs. Treatment with systemic ciprofloxacin, which has good intracellular penetration and activity, led to rapid resolution of the lesion. This is the first report concerning the successful use of this drug to treat malakoplakia of any organ.

Adolescent↗

Absence of human papilloma virus in cervical adenocarcinoma determined by in situ hybridisation.

A few studies using DNA technology have suggested that human papillomavirus (HPV) may be an aetiological factor for adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Twenty one cases of cervical adenocarcinoma were studied by in situ hybridisation using biotinylated DNA probes for HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 and a streptavidin, biotinylated alkaline phosphatase detection system. Intranuclear HPV DNA was detected in none of the adenocarcinomas, while positive controls gave a clear intranuclear signal. Adjacent areas of normal, koilocytic, and dysplastic squamous epithelium also gave positive results. It may be that squamous epithelium contaminates adenocarcinomas reported as positive by Southern blotting. Our results showing absence of detectable HPV DNA within adenocarcinomas suggest that HPV infection may not have a major role in the aetiology of adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Adenocarcinoma↗