Biomedical subjects

J Wiessner

Publications and source records attributed to J Wiessner.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

[Intestinal contrasting in abdominal computed tomography].

In 56 patients undergoing abdominal CT the gastrointestinal tract was defined by negative contrast instead of the conventional positive contrast from an iodine containing contrast medium. The contrast material was a 2 1/2% mannitol solution and was used for filling the rectum. Filling of the gastrointestinal tract was of similar quality to that obtained with positive contrast media. The number of artifacts due to high contrast boundaries was slightly greater with the negative contrast than it would have been with positive contrast. Differentiation of the gastrointestinal tract from other abdominal organs was equally good for both methods. The negative contrast method was poor in diagnosing cystic tumours but proved much better than positive contrast for evaluating the wall of the gastrointestinal tract.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

The effect of hydroxyapatite crystallinity on hemolysis.

Crystalline hydroxyapatite is a component of bone, teeth, and numerous pathological calcifications. The apatite crystal structure can accommodate a wide variety of atomic substitutions which gives apatite crystals an unusually high degree of variability in biochemical and physical properties. Apatite crystallites interact with numerous cellular systems in vivo, and some of these interactions may lead to altered cellular function. One measure of crystal-membrane interactions is crystal-induced membranolysis of human red blood cells. Hemolytic potentials at constant crystal surface areas were measured at 1, 2, and 4 hours for 29 different preparations of apatite. Each apatite sample was characterized by its morphology, particle size, % CO3, zeta potential, and broadening of the (211), (112), (300), (202), and (002) diffraction maxima. Only the surface area/g and the X-ray powder diffraction line broadening showed a significant inverse correlation with hemolytic potential. These parameters were related to each other, and are indications of the degree of crystallinity.

Crystallization↗

PubMed1985

Kinetics of inflammatory and fibrotic pulmonary changes in a murine model of silicosis.

A murine model of experimental silicosis has been developed after the intratracheal injection of alpha-quartz crystals. Pulmonary inflammation was monitored by increases in wet lung weight and cell number and protein content of the lung lavage fluid; fibrosis was assessed by measuring increases in hydroxyproline content of the lungs. Acute pulmonary cellular inflammation occurred between weeks 1 and 2, followed by a chronic inflammatory response at week 12. Lung hydroxyproline content, an indication of collagen deposition, was initiated as early as 1 week after silica injection and continued to increase steadily over time. The inflammatory and fibrotic changes induced by silica appeared to be a specific effect of the injection of this toxic particulate and not the result of the introduction of a foreign body, because mice injected with silica crystals were found to have significantly greater increases in acute cellular inflammation and chronic collagen deposition than did mice injected with latex beads. A possible role for the immune system in modulating silica-induced damage was suggested by the variability in response of six different strains of mice (C3H/He, CBA/J, Balb/c, DBA/2, C57BL/6, C57BL/10), which differed at specific genetic loci. Both strains with high (DBA/2) and low (C3H/He) response demonstrated similar patterns of inflammation and fibrosis over a period of 12 weeks. This model demonstrates great potential in future studies for elucidating the role of the immune system in the development of pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis induced by toxic inorganic particulates.

Animals↗