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Biomedical subjects

L Morrison

Publications and source records attributed to L Morrison.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Behavior, ectopias and immunity in BD/DB reciprocal crosses.

In a previous study, in which fertilized DBA ova were transferred into an autoimmune female, and NZB ova were transferred into a non-autoimmune female, we found that (1) the maternal environment affected the degree of autoimmunity, (2) the incidence of cortical ectopias was not affected by the maternal environment (3) DBA and NZB females had greater paw asymmetry if reared in an autoimmune uterus, and (4) avoidance learning scores were inversely related to degree of autoimmunity. In the present experiment, reciprocal crosses of DBA and BXSB mice were studied to confirm and extend the original findings. DB mice (DBA female x BXSB male) had greater immune activity than the BD animals, had poorer avoidance learning, but were better on black-white discrimination learning and the Lashley III maze. The BD mice had greater paw asymmetry. Only one of 38 animals had a cortical ectopia. The results lead to the following conclusions: (1) there is an inverse relationship between amount of immune activity and active avoidance learning; (2) some uterine factor in autoimmune mice causes females to have greater paw asymmetry; (3) cortical ectopias are under genetic control; and (4) the lesser immune activity of the BD mice suggests that they developed a suppressor system following early exposure to autoimmunity in the uterine/maternal environment.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Isolation of maternal mononuclear cells from placentas for use in in vitro functional assays.

Interest in immunoregulatory mechanisms within uteroplacental tissues, particularly in malarial infection during pregnancy, prompted us to develop a technique to extract maternal mononuclear cells from human term placentas. This method is described. The phenotypes of isolated cells were characterised for expression of CD45, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD15, CD68, CD22, CAM 5.2 and class II MHC antigens and compared with those in situ in frozen sections of the same placentas. Isolated mononuclear cell preparations were examined for contamination by fetal trophoblasts. Fetal leukocyte contamination appeared unlikely since histological sections of placental tissue, after the extraction of maternal leukocytes, showed intact chorionic villi with no disruption of fetal stem vessels. This technique produces preparations of maternal placental mononuclear cells which are representative of cells in situ, show minimal fetal cell contamination and are suitable for functional studies.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1992

Quantitative assessment of psychomotor activity in patients with neuroleptic-induced akathisia.

1. An ambulatory activity monitor with solid-state memory was employed to obtain 24-hour activity data in 29 neuroleptic-treated hospitalized patients and 9 normal controls. 2. The activity monitor is a piezoelectric device which was strapped to the non-dominant ankle. Activity was recorded in 5-minute epochs throughout the 24-hour period. 3. In contrast to patients with mania (N = 15) and schizophrenia (N = 4), depressed patients (N = 9) had higher clinical ratings of akathisia and lower levels of daytime activity. 4. Manic and depressed patients showed a delay of peak activity (= acrophase). 5. Quantifiable alterations in rest-activity rhythms may occur in neuroleptic-induced akathisia but measurement of activity may be complicated by the patient's psychiatric disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A behavior profile of the MRL/Mp lpr/lpr mouse and its association with hydrocephalus.

Since the NZB and BXSB autoimmune mouse strains have cortical ectopias and associated behavioral changes, mice from the MRL/l (MRL/Mp lpr/lpr) autoimmune strain were given a series of behavioral tests followed by anatomical analyses of their brains and immune assays of plasma. No cortical ectopias were found, but this strain was discovered to have a high incidence of hydrocephalus: 46% had severe dilatation of the lateral and third ventricles, 30% had moderate dilatation, and 24% had minimal or no enlargement of the ventricles (total N = 57). Those mice in the severe hydrocephalus group were poorer in a nonspatial discrimination learning task, had less paw asymmetry, and were less active in a swimming task. No association was found between degree of hydrocephalus and any immune parameter.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Endometrial lymphoid tissue in the timed endometrial biopsy: morphometric and immunohistochemical aspects.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to provide a morphometric profile of endometrial granulated lymphocytes and to investigate qualitative and quantitative differences in leukocyte subsets in precisely timed luteal phase endometrial biopsies. STUDY DESIGN: Endometrial biopsies were obtained from 24 normal fertile women at 4, 7, 10, and 13 days after the luteinizing hormone surge. Endometrial granulated lymphocytes were assessed morphometrically in 2 microns resin sections. Eleven monoclonal antibodies were used to characterize leukocytes in frozen sections. Semiquantitation was performed with a Quantimet 970 image analyzer. Data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: CD8+ (T suppressor-cytotoxic) cells increased significantly from 4 to 7 days after the luteinizing hormone surge, whereas CD68+ macrophages increased from days 10 to 13. Lymphocytes with an unusual phenotype (CD56+, CD38+, CD2+) increased dramatically after 7 days. The volume fraction of endometrium occupied by the nuclei of endometrial granulated lymphocytes did not alter, but their mean nuclear diameter and axial ratio decreased from days 7 to 13. CONCLUSION: The morphometric findings indicate in situ proliferation of endometrial granulated lymphocytes rather than migration from the peripheral circulation. T lymphocytes, macrophages, and endometrial granulated lymphocytes increase significantly between certain stages of the luteal phase.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Oculocutaneous manifestations of the erythema multiforme/Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis spectrum.

Although they were once believed to be distinct diseases, many observers currently consider erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis to represent a mild-to-severe continuum of the same process. Each shares certain clinical, histologic, and etiologic characteristics; among the latter two are frequent ocular involvement. Because long-term ophthalmic sequelae may be catastrophic, early recognition and therapy of this acute oculocutaneous disease spectrum are critically important.

Conjunctivitis↗
PubMed1991

Effects of the autoimmune uterine/maternal environment upon cortical ectopias, behavior and autoimmunity.

NZB and BXSB mice develop autoimmune disease and learn poorly on avoidance tasks. In addition, many of these mice have ectopic collections of neurons, which occur prenatally, in layer I of the cerebral neocortex. The purpose of these experiments was to evaluate the contribution of the uterine/maternal environment upon these variables by transferring fertilized ova to an autoimmune or a non-autoimmune maternal host. In Experiment 1 fertilized DBA ova were transferred into the uteri of BXSB maternal recipients. Later, these animals and conventionally reared DBAs were tested for paw preference, swimming rotation, water escape learning, and shuttlebox avoidance learning. Blood was taken for measurement of immune parameters, and their brains were examined for cortical ectopias. As compared to conventional DBAs, the ova transfer mice had greater amounts of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies, poorer avoidance learning, and poorer water escape learning; in addition, the females had greater paw asymmetry. There was only 1 ectopia in the 81 ova transfer animals, and none in the 78 control mice. In Experiment 2 fertilized NZB ova were transferred into the uteri of non-autoimmune hybrid females and the same procedures were followed as in Experiment 1. Ova transfer mice had lesser amounts of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies, better avoidance learning scores, and females had less paw asymmetry; in addition, within the ova transfer group males were clockwise swimmers whereas females swam counterclockwise. There were 4 ectopics out of 17 ova transfer mice (23.5%), which did not differ from the 40.5% of the control group. In both experiments the uterine environment did not affect the occurrence of ectopias.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Granulated lymphocytes in human endometrium: histochemical and immunohistochemical studies.

Granulated lymphocytes with an unusual antigenic phenotype (CD56+ CD38+ CD2 +/- CD3- CD16-) form a substantial proportion of leukocytes in human endometrial stroma. The purpose of this study was to examine morphological and antigenic heterogeneity in endometrial granulated lymphocytes (eGL) in imprint preparations, paraffin-embedded sections and frozen sections. eGL in decidual imprints showed variations in cell size, nuclear size, shape and chromatin content and the number and size of cytoplasmic granules. eGL were detected in paraffin-embedded sections using phloxine tartrazine, alcian blue and toluidine blue stains. There was no difference in the number of eGL among the three stains but the granules appeared smaller and more regular when stained with toluidine blue. The proportion of stromal cells which were leukocytes increased from 8.2% in proliferative endometrium to 31.7% in early pregnancy decidua. The number of CD56+ and CD38+ cells increased in late secretory endometrium; CD56+ cells formed greater than 75% of the leukocytes in first trimester decidua. The increased number of CD2+ cells in decidua was not comparable with CD56+ and CD38+ cells suggesting that a lower proportion of CD56+ cells in first trimester decidua coexpress CD2, an observation which was supported by double labelling studies. eGL therefore show morphological and antigenic heterogeneity and the study of granulated lymphocytes in pathological endometrium and decidua will require careful phenotypic and morphological analysis of accurately dated samples.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1991

Lectin binding of endometrium in women with unexplained infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether peri-implantation phase endometrium in women with unexplained infertility differs from the endometrium of normal fertile women. DESIGN: Assessment of the function of the endometrium by using endometrial biopsy specimens and lectin histochemistry. SETTING: Infertility Clinic, Jessop Hospital for Women, Sheffield, United Kingdom. PATIENTS: Eighteen normal fertile women (group I) and 18 women with unexplained infertility (group II). INTERVENTIONS: Endometrial biopsies were obtained from both groups at 5, 7, and 9 days after the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five biotinylated lectins, concanavalin A (ConA), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), soybean agglutinin, Peanut, and Ulex europaeus I were used as analytical probes to study endometrial glycoconjugates. Histochemical staining was performed using the avidin-biotin peroxidase method. The lectin binding by endometrial glands, surface epithelium, stromal cells, and vessels was assessed. RESULTS: In group I, ConA stained the subnuclear glandular cytoplasm, glandular lumen, stroma cells, and surface epithelium. In group II, ConA binding to glandular or surface epithelium was none or equivocal. In group I, WGA bound to glandular cytoplasm and stroma cells on days LH + 5 and LH + 7. In group II, WGA binding was absent in glands but present in stroma. CONCLUSIONS: Reproductive failure of women with unexplained infertility may be associated with defective biosynthesis and distribution of glycoconjugates that subsequently results in an unfavorable endometrial environment during the peri-implantation phase.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Brain abnormalities in immune defective mice.

Mouse strains with or without immune disorders were examined in order to further assess the incidence of brain anomalies in immune-disordered strains. The brain was examined in Nissl-stained serial sections under a light microscope for the presence of abnormalities, with specific attention to ectopic collections of neurons in layer I of the neocortex, as reported in the autoimmune New Zealand Black (NZB) and BXSB strains. The present study was designed to survey additional strains with immune disorders (Snell dwarf, C57BL/6J-nu/nu, BALB/cByJ-nu/nu, and SJL) and 7 control strains without immune disorders. In addition, we attempted to replicate past findings in the highly affected BXSB strain and the MRL/1 strain, which develops autoimmune disease, but has a low incidence of brain abnormalities. The largest number of brain abnormalities (20-40%) were seen in the C57BL/6J-nu/nu, Snell dwarf and BXSB strains. The anomalies in the C57BL/6J-nu/nu and BXSB mice consisted of ectopic neurons in layer I of the neocortex, whereas the Snell dwarf mice had either neuron-free areas in the cortex, or rippling of cortical layers II-IV, and one case had agenesis of the corpus callosum. Between 4% and 8% of the mice from the SJL, MRL/1, and MRL +/+ strains had either neuron-free areas in the cortex or ectopic neurons in layer I. The BALB/cByJ-nu/nu and control strains did not have any cortical abnormalities. Future studies will be designed to determine whether immune-based alterations to the developing brain are responsible for the brain anomalies present in immune-disordered strains.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of medical and surgical therapy for uncomplicated descending aortic dissection.

To guide the choice of medical versus surgical therapy for patients with descending (type B) aortic dissection (tear in the descending aorta without involvement of the ascending aorta), multivariate survival analysis was applied to 136 patients admitted to two medical centers between 1975 and 1988 with acute (n = 89) or chronic (n = 47) descending dissection: group 1, all 136 patients; group 2, 106 patients without rupture, pulse loss, or visceral organ compromise; and group 3, 56 patients from group 2 without major cardiac or renal disease (23 surgical and 33 medical). Group 3 medical and surgical subgroups were well matched for baseline characteristics and were potential candidates for either mode of therapy. By Cox model analysis, significant predictors of mortality were pleural rupture, other dissection complications, increasing age, and cardiac disease (all p less than 0.01). Surgical versus medical therapy was not an independent determinant of survival in any of the three groups for acute or chronic dissection. Survival probabilities for all group 3 patients at 1, 5, and 10 years were 0.94, 0.87, and 0.32 (medical) and 0.90, 0.80, and 0.50 (surgical). Despite the limitations of this retrospective study (including the possibility of undefined treatment selection biases), these data suggest that medical or early surgical therapy is associated with equivalent outcome in selected patients with uncomplicated acute or chronic descending aortic dissection.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1989

Proteinase and proteinase inhibitor localization in the human placenta.

Standard immunoperoxidase techniques were used to investigate the distribution of the intracellular proteinase cathepsin D, two serine proteinase inhibitors--alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT) and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1-AChy)--and plasma fibrin stabilizing factor XIII (FXIII) in paraffin-embedded tissues from early and late intrauterine pregnancy and ectopic pregnancy. Localization of cathepsin D, alpha 1-AT, and alpha 1-AChy was identical in ectopic and intrauterine gestation: there was labeling of villous syncytiotrophoblast and a proportion of Hofbauer cells but no labeling of villous cytotrophoblast. The majority of interstitial extravillous trophoblast yielded negative results, but alpha 1-AT and alpha 1-AChy were consistently demonstrated in endovascular trophoblast. FXIII was not found in any trophoblast population but was demonstrated in Hofbauer cells, stromal fibroblasts, and interstitial dendritic cells. Granular, extracellular FXIII reactivity was present among sheets of infiltrating extravillous trophoblast in ectopic pregnancy but only occasionally in early intrauterine pregnancy. The results document further the heterogeneity of trophoblast, with the endovascular trophoblast forming an immunophenotypically distinct population. Furthermore, the pattern of extravillous trophoblastic invasion of maternal tissues in ectopic pregnancy appears to differ from intrauterine pregnancy; the poor decidualization of tubal mucosa in ectopic pregnancy may play a role in this variation.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1989

Subinvolution of the uteroplacental arteries in the human placental bed.

Subinvolution of the uteroplacental arteries of the placental bed is a recognized cause of post partum haemorrhage causing significant morbidity. Whilst the physiological changes in these arteries during pregnancy and the part played by endovascular trophoblast migration are well documented, the sequence of events during involution and the pathophysiology of subinvolution are unknown. Using immunohistochemical techniques we have studied uteroplacental arteries in the placental bed in 25 cases of post partum haemorrhage and compared the subinvoluted vessels with normally involuted vessels. Non-involuted vessels were present in 22 test cases; these abnormal vessels were filled with thrombus and no endothelial lining was detected. Extravillous perivascular trophoblast was usually present in the walls of these abnormal vessels and in some cases was seen in an endovascular position. Subinvolution of placental site vessels may represent an abnormal interaction between maternal uterine cells and fetal trophoblast.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Comparative evaluation of cefazolin and clindamycin in the treatment of experimental Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis in rabbits.

A rabbit model for Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis was used to compare treatment with clindamycin and cefazolin. Cefazolin (5 mg/kg), cefazolin (15 mg/kg), and clindamycin (70 mg/kg) were injected subcutaneously every 6 h for 28 days. After treatment, S. aureus was found in bone cultures from 22 of 23 control rabbits, 12 of 22 rabbits treated with cefazolin (5 mg/kg), 12 of 23 rabbits treated with cefazolin (15 mg/kg), and 2 of 20 rabbits treated with clindamycin. Drug concentrations in serum, uninfected bone, and infected bone were measured 30 min after cefazolin or clindamycin was injected into a group of rabbits which had been infected for 3 to 4 weeks. Clindamycin gave the highest concentration in infected and uninfected bone. The results of the study showed that clindamycin was superior to cefazolin in the eradication of S. aureus from infected bone in an experimental model.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Proliferative activity in endometrial stromal granulocytes throughout menstrual cycle and early pregnancy.

The proliferative activity in endometrial stromal granulocytes was studied using two approaches. Firstly, mitotic activity was studied in paraffin wax embedded sections of normal non-pregnant endometrium and early pregnancy decidua stained with phloxine-tartrazine. Secondly, the monoclonal antibody Ki67 was applied to cryostat sections of similar tissues. Endometrial stromal granulocytes were identified by their labelling with NKH1, Dako T11, UCHL1 or Dako-LC. The percentage of cases in which endometrial stromal granulocytes showed mitosis was 25%, 75%, 86%, and 93%, respectively in proliferative, early secretory, mid secretory, and late secretory phases, and 14% in early decidua. There were at most one or two endometrial stromal granulocytes in mitosis per 10 high power fields. Double labelled cells were present in small numbers in proliferative endometrium and in moderate numbers in secretory endometrium. Only a few cells in early decidua double labelled with Ki67/T11; moderate numbers of cells double labelled with Ki67/Dako-LC. It is concluded that proliferative activity does occur in endometrial stromal granulocytes and is particularly prominent in the late secretory phase.

Decidua↗
PubMed1988

Expression of the proliferation markers Ki67 and transferrin receptor by human trophoblast populations.

Immunohistochemical techniques were used to investigate the expression of proliferation markers (Ki67 and transferrin receptor) by fetal trophoblast in normal human pregnancy. In placental villous tissue, transferrin receptor was detected not only on the apical syncytiotrophoblastic membrane but also on the proximal portion of cytotrophoblast columns, an area of high cellular proliferative activity. The majority of cells in cytotrophoblast columns and shell showed nuclear reactivity with Ki67. Villous syncytiotrophoblast was uniformly unreactive with Ki67 but a proportion of the underlying cytotrophoblast was Ki67-positive throughout pregnancy. Occasional Ki67-positive trophoblast cells were identified within chorion laeve at term. In contrast, interstitial and endovascular extravillous trophoblast in maternal uterine decidual tissue failed to label with either proliferation marker. Thus, chorionic villous cytotrophoblast and extravillous trophoblast in the chorion laeve appear to retain their proliferative capacity into late pregnancy. Cytotrophoblast columns represent a zone of cellular proliferation which may be dependent on transferrin.

Biomarkers↗