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Biomedical subjects

F O Bastian

Publications and source records attributed to F O Bastian.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Spiroplasma sp. 16S rDNA in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie as shown by PCR and DNA sequence analysis.

The pathogenesis of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), which include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and scrapie in sheep, remains an enigma. In this paper we present evidence for the association of Spiroplasma sp., a wall-less prokaryote, with TSE. We have shown PCR amplification of Spiroplasma 16S rDNA in TSE-infected brain tissues (13 of 13 CJD cases and 5 of 9 scrapie cases) and not in control brains (0 of 50). Direct sequencing of the amplified PCR products has confirmed the presence of Spiroplasma-like DNA in all 5 of the TSE brains tested. Our evidence is not necessarily in conflict with involvement of a PrPres--a protease-resistant host-derived protein referred to as the prion--in the pathogenesis of TSE, since there is evidence that another factor is involved. We propose a bacterium, namely Spiroplasma, as this associated factor although the role of Spiroplasma in TSE cannot be determined from these experiments. The presence of the nucleic acid sequence of this microbe in all cases of TSE in our laboratory and not in controls provides direct evidence of the association of Spiroplasma sp. with TSE.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Gliosarcoma developing from an irradiated ependymoma.

A 17-year-old girl was operated for a cystic mass located deep within the left parieto-occipital white matter. Histologically the tumor was an ependymoma with a vascular stroma. In spite of irradiation the tumor recurred locally twice, 1 and 2 years respectively after the original operation. The ependymoma portion of the tumor remained unchanged, but the stroma showed increased vascular hyperplasia at the time of the second operation and transformation into a fibrosarcoma in the third operative specimen. Proliferating cell markers (MIB-1) were positive only in the ependymoma cell nuclei in the first two specimens, but were also extensively present in the nuclei of the fibrosarcoma in the third specimen. In the latter, the fibrosarcoma portion greatly overwhelmed the residual ependymoma islands, but remained sharply delineated from them. This is the first observed case of a gliosarcoma originating from an ependymoma. The histological pattern of this mixed tumor clearly indicates that the source of the sarcomatous portions was the neoplastically transformed fibrovascular stroma of the original tumor, rather than "desmoplastic" alterations of the neoplastic ependymal cells themselves.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Primary angiosarcoma of the brain.

We have described a 32-year-old black woman who had a primary angiosarcoma of the right occipital lobe. All three previously reported cases have been fatal within 1 year. Our patient is doing well more than 3 1/2 years after surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Nonfulminant herpes simplex encephalitis as a cause for mesial temporal sclerosis.

Although mesial temporal sclerosis has been recognized for more than 100 years, its etiology remains unknown. It is proposed that a common infectious agent, herpes simplex virus type-1, may cause this disorder by means of a nonfulminant infection of mesial temporal lobe structures, which is resolved by the immune system and becomes gliotic in the course of healing by the central nervous system. Brain sections from a long-term experiment in a model of herpes simplex encephalitis reveal such a scar, which shows a high concentration of glial fibrillary acidic protein, without any evidence of residual herpes antigen, by immunocytochemistry.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effect of trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole and hyperbaric oxygen on experimental Spiroplasma mirum encephalitis.

This study was undertaken to determine the susceptibility of experimentally induced Spiroplasma mirum infection in the rat to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) in combination with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). One-day-old Fisher 344 rats were intracerebrally inoculated with the GT-48 strain of S. mirum and were exposed to regimens employed combined antibiotic and HBO treatments. The exclusive use of TMP/SMX produced a significant reduction in mortality (P less than 0.0001) and an absence of clinical signs of infection. HBO in combination with TMP/SMX showed similar effect on mortality and no evident clinical disease. The addition of HBO did result in a significant decrease in spiroplasma brain titres but was no more effective in preventing the spiroplasma-induced fatal microcystic encephalopathy than when the antibiotics were used alone. The exclusive use of HBO produced a catastrophic mortality rate in the spiroplasma-infected rats, which is contrary to the effect of HBO on conventional bacterial infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The small midline occipital encephalomeningocele: definition of a syndrome.

An unusual group of encephalomeningoceles is described. Two children were noted at birth to have a raised area of abnormal skin at the occipital midline. Both of these lesions were found to perforate the superior sagittal sinus and to end between the leaves of the falx cerebri, and to contain a small amount of abnormal cerebral tissue with no connection to either occipital lobe. Previous case reports are reviewed; these lesions are true encephalomeningoceles, rather than glial heterotopias. The embryology of such lesions is considered, and likely differs from the much more common occipital encephalocele arising from one or both occipital lobes.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1988

Neurovirulence in an experimental focal herpes encephalitis: relationship to observed seizures.

An animal model of focal herpes simplex encephalitis was used to study several strains of type-1 herpes simplex virus. Rabbits were inoculated in the olfactory bulb by a standardized technique. Virus strains resulting in mortality of greater than 70% produced seizures of 3 types, and all animals that seized became moribund or died. In contrast, a virus strain resulting in a 20% mortality produced no seizures. Administration of 60 mg phenobarbital intramuscularly daily reduced mortality significantly in animals given the epileptogenic viruses. Cultures from temporal and frontal lobes showed viral growth more frequently than did cultures of other brain areas. Microscopic examination of routine and immunoperoxidase-stained brain sections confirmed the focal nature of the infection. Clinical syndromes such as seizures arising from viral brain disease may influence mortality in animal model systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of [3H]thymidine uptake method for studying growth of spiroplasmas under various conditions.

[3H]thymidine uptake and colony counts are quantitative and inexpensive methods for studying Spiroplasma growth. Using these techniques, we demonstrated subtle effects on the growth of suckling mouse cataract agent of medium alterations, inoculum size, and freezing of cultures. In addition, suckling mouse cataract agent multiplied more actively under aerobic than under anaerobic conditions. These techniques have wide application for the study of Spiroplasma growth and will be useful for the development of a defined medium.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1988

Malignant transformation in craniopharyngioma.

Malignant transformation in a craniopharyngioma has not been described previously. A 49-year-old woman presented with recurrence of a suprasellar craniopharyngioma diagnosed 35 years previously. The patient had been treated surgically for recurrence on five occasions. Radiation therapy had been administered 7 years before the final presentation. Tissue obtained from the fifth operation revealed malignant degeneration in a typical craniopharyngioma.

Craniopharyngioma↗
PubMed1984

Neuropathology of spiroplasma infection in the rat brain.

This study was designed to demonstrate the neuropathology of persistent spiroplasma infection in the rat brain. GT-48 spiroplasmas were inoculated intracranially into a series of suckling Sprague-Dawley rats. Their brains were evaluated at specific time intervals by microbiologic assay and by morphologic studies including histology, electron microscopy, and immunocytochemistry. The spiroplasmas were observed in the tissues by electron microscopy at peak infection 14 days after intracranial inoculation. At that time they were seen in vacuoles and neuronal processes within the neuropil as filamentous or bleb-like forms. A single tight spiral was identified that closely resembled the spiroplasma-like inclusions previously reported in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The spiroplasmas were shown to spread rapidly throughout the brain tissues presumably by intraneuronal transport. In specimens examined at 25 days after intracranial inoculation and beyond, organisms were localized to gray matter without inflammatory response. The spiroplasmas could not be identified by electron microscopy in the rat brain tissue at late stages of infection. This study has shown an unusual adaptation of spiroplasma infection to the mammalian host brain tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a 57-year-old man.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors are rare cerebral neoplasms previously described only in children and young adults. This report describes such a tumor arising in the left frontal lobe of a 57-year-old man. After surgical resection and radiation therapy to the primary site, the patient developed extensive central nervous system metastases that led to his death. The histopathologic, radiographic, and clinical features of this case suggest that future therapeutic protocols for primitive neuroectodermal tumor should be similar to those for childhood medulloblastoma or neuroblastoma.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1980

2,5-Di-t-amyl-p-benzoquinone: an antioxidant encountered during the analysis of human tissues.

The title compound was found in extracts of several human tissues, including neurological tumors, adult brain and fetal brain. It was also present in adhesive tapes used in the laboratory to label glassware, but not in sufficient quantities to be responsible for contamination of the tissues. No source of contamination was found in the hospital. One possible source is an antioxidant used in rubber manufacture. Analytical data are also given for related benzoquinones and hydroquinones.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1980

Actinomycins and intrauterine contraceptive devices: the clinicopathologic study.

Since their widespread introduction in the early 1960s, IUD have been considered effective and safe. Early studies revealed the ability of the cavum uteri to regain bacteriologic sterility within 4 weeks of insertion. However, experience with long-term use indicates an enhanced risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, often of proven bacterial origin. Of these pelvic infections the most pernicious are those caused by Actinomyces. We present nine cases of actinomycotic female genital tract infection encountered in the past 3 years. The features of a distinct clinicopathology entity of IUD-associated actinomycotic pelvic disease are described. This disease is one of subtle protean manifestations and is not often diagnosed preoperatively. The most significantly pathogenic factors appear to be the duration of IUD use and the demonstrated relationship between IUD usage and infestation of the vagina with Actinomyces organisms.

Actinomycosis↗
PubMed1979

A method for enumeration ot T and B lymphocytes in tissues.

A method for the identification of T and B lymphocytes in tissue specimens is described. A sonication technique results in viable relatively pure lymphocyte populations which are easily classified by their surface markers. This readily reproducible method can become a standard laboratory procedure in the evaluation of disease states which require such information related to the classification of lymphocyte cell origin.

Adult↗