Biomedical subjects
M Griffiths
Publications and source records attributed to M Griffiths.
Familial mesothelioma. Details of 17 cases with histopathologic findings and mineral analysis.
Nine new cases of mesothelioma clustering in four families are described, and additional information is provided on four previously reported families. All of the members of these families had some exposure to asbestos. Diagnoses were confirmed histologically, and the relevance of the histologic pattern is discussed after the literature review. The lung mineral fiber burden was quantified in patients by transmission electron microscopic examination and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis, and this confirmed significant exposure to amphibole asbestos in all patients. Evidence supporting an increased incidence of mesothelioma in family members is discussed.
Potential endocervical pathogens before termination.
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Screening for cervical cancer in developing countries.
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Antenatal teaching of the use of seat belts in pregnancy.
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Immunohistochemical and functional studies of glycoprotein 60 (gp60) in platelets.
We showed by immunofluorescence, immunoelectron microscopy and Western blot analysis that the plasma glycoprotein (gp60), an Fc gamma binding protein which inhibits complement-mediated prevention of immune precipitation, is present in platelets. The gp60 content of platelets in normal individuals and patients with rheumatoid arthritis was similar (mean 0.028 and 0.024 fg/platelet respectively). Immunoelectron microscopic studies showed that gp60 was present in the cytoplasm and the surface connecting structures but not in the alpha granules, dense granules or lysosomes. Using this technique gp60 was also found on platelet membranes, an observation which was confirmed by immunofluorescence. Activation of platelets with thrombin, calcium ionophore, and immune complexes (IC) resulted in the release of the contents of the alpha granules (beta-thromboglobulin), dense granules (5-hydroxytryptamine) and lysosomes (beta-glucuronidase) but did not induce gp60 secretion. The inability of Fab anti-gp60 to inhibit IC-mediated platelet aggregation and of F(ab')2 anti-gp60 to produce platelet aggregation suggested that IC-mediated platelet aggregation did not occur as a result of the interaction of IC with platelet gp60. However, as the preincubation of IC with purified gp60 produced dose-dependent inhibition of the ability of IC to aggregate platelets it is possible that fluid-phase plasma gp60 modulates the interaction of IC with platelets.
Exocrine pancreatic function in mediastinal teratomata: an aid to preoperative diagnosis?
The diagnosis of teratoma may be made by demonstration of high amylase content in fluid aspirated from anterior mediastinal lesions. In 2 cases of mediastinal teratoma proteolytic enzyme activity was evident at the time of operation. A diagnosis of mediastinal teratoma was aided in 2 subsequent cases by demonstration of elevated amylase activity in the aspirated fluid before definitive operation.
Assessing the outcomes of nursing care.
There are many dimensions to outcome measurement for patient care and this study focuses on one aspect of outcome, namely that which is most concerned with the immediate effects of nursing care. Traditionally, outcome studies have been almost exclusively concerned with measuring the clinical outcomes of care with very little attempt being made to assess the effect of the nurses' contributions to that care. One of this study's purposes has been to redress this imbalance. As part of a research project on skill mix and the effectiveness of nursing care, a number of patient-focused standards related to the outcome of nursing care were designed. These were tested, in a case study situation, on 15 wards at seven acute hospitals. Initial testing indicates that these outcome measures show promise as a valid and reliable evaluation instrument with the utility for easy application in the clinical setting. They are being presented as a possible way forward to assessing the outcomes of nursing care.
Evidence for B-lymphocyte mitogen activity in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected mice.
Borrelia burgdorferi produces a mitogen for murine B lymphocytes which can be measured in vitro by polyclonal stimulation of proliferation and immunoglobulin production (R. Schoenfeld, B. Araneo, Y. Ma, L. Yang, and J. J. Weis, Infect. Immun. 60:455-464, 1992). Sonicated B. burgdorferi cells also stimulated IL-6 production by splenocyte cultures. We have used the murine model for Lyme disease described by Barthold et al. (S. W. Barthold, D. S. Beck, G. M. Hansen, G. A. Terwilliger, and K. D. Moody, J. Infect. Dis. 162:133-138, 1990) to determine whether the B. burgdorferi B-cell mitogen is expressed during active infection. To correlate arthritic changes with immune events, we have studied two strains of mice injected with B. burgdorferi; one of them, C3H/HeJ, developed severe disease, and the other, BALB/c, developed only mild disease. C3H/HeJ mice displayed a persistent 10-fold increase in circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels, a 2-fold increase in IgM levels, and a 15-fold increase in peripheral lymph node B-cell numbers, providing evidence of mitogenic activity. Infected BALB/c mice also had evidence for mitogen activity, since the IgG level in serum increased three- to fourfold. The bulk of the increase in circulating IgG levels was not directed against B. burgdorferi antigens, supporting the occurrence of polyclonal B-cell activation. Analysis of IgG isotypes pointed out a contrast between C3H/HeJ and BALB/c mice in that levels of all isotypes were elevated somewhat in both strains of infected mice but IgG2a levels were much more dramatically increased in the C3H/HeJ mice (28-fold) than in the BALB/c mice (4-fold). In this study, interleukin-6 levels were found to be persistently elevated in the serum of infected C3H/HeJ mice. Interestingly, interleukin-6 levels in serum were much lower in the infected BALB/c mice. These findings indicate that the B. burgdorferi mitogen is active in infected animals and may contribute to the inflammatory and immune response to infection.
Increased incidence of cervical cytological abnormalities in women with genital warts.
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Prevention of collagen induced arthritis in mice by treatment with an antibody directed against the T cell receptor alpha beta framework.
Collagen induced arthritis (CIA) is an animal model of inflammatory polyarthritis. Type II collagen is the major matrix protein of hyaline cartilage. Susceptibility to CIA is linked to the Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II genes but the presence of T cells expressing specific variable beta (V beta) chain of their T cell receptor (TCR) is also required. Pretreatment with the monoclonal antibody H57-597 directed against the TCR alpha beta framework prevented the onset of arthritis in the majority of animals. The depletion of the T cell population did not lead to any apparent health problems. These experiments demonstrate the important role of the alpha/beta T cell and its receptors in the CIA model. Further, anti-TCR alpha beta antibodies may be of value in the therapy of autoreactive disorders.
Anatomy and physiology as a predictor of success in an upper division baccalaureate nursing program.
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Evidence that patients presenting with dyskaryotic cervical smears should be screened for genital-tract infections other than human papillomavirus infection.
One hundred and fifty-four women with dyskaryotic cervical smears were referred for colposcopy from two distinct population groups, namely those who initially had attended a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic, and those who came from general practitioners and family planning and gynaecology clinics (non-STD group). They were investigated to determine the prevalence and pattern of concomitant lower genital-tract infections. The mean age in each group was 25 years. Microbiological studies revealed that 79 (51%) of the women were infected, more than one infection occurring in 16 (10%) of them. Infection was present in 40% of the non-STD group and 66% of the STD group. The pattern of infection was remarkably similar in each group. Bacterial vaginosis was the most common disease in each group and accounted for more than one-third of all infections detected. Six patients had genital warts, 15 harboured Chlamydia trachomatis and 4 had gonorrhoea. Two-thirds of those with C. trachomatis and half of those with gonorrhoea were asymptomatic. We conclude that an abnormal cervical smear is frequently a marker of concomitant lower genital tract infection. Comprehensive microbiological investigations in order to effect appropriate treatment are easily achieved on women in the STD group, but the cost may be seen as prohibitive for those in the non-STD group. For these women we suggest a less comprehensive microbiological approach that provides a compromise strategy of management.
The differential diagnosis of epithelial-type mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma and reactive mesothelial proliferation.
Three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been applied to 14 adenocarcinomas, eight mesotheliomas, and nine reactive mesothelial proliferations. One of these, AUA1, is a novel antibody in this context. It was found in 13/14 of the adenocarcinomas but not in benign or malignant mesothelial tissue, making it a potential substitute for carcinoembyronic antigen (CEA) in the differential diagnosis of mesotheliomas from adenocarcinomas. In addition, the lesions were stained using an argyrophil technique to identify nucleolar organizer regions. The results of counting these showed a small but significant overlap in their numbers between malignant and benign mesothelial proliferations. Although there was a difference overall in the numbers of nucleolar organizer regions in adenocarcinomas and mesotheliomas, on the one hand, and benign hyperplasias, on the other, this overlap considerably reduces their value in assessing individual difficult cases.
Some monotreme milk "whey" and blood proteins.
1. Electrophoretic studies are made of mature phase milk "whey" proteins and blood serum proteins of echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). The echidna milk bands are designated A-M, those of platypus A-G. Some of the proteins are isolated and characterized. 2. Echidna band A protein has some similarity to high cystine "whey" proteins. Band E protein (apparent Mr 21,000) may be a beta-lactoglobulin-like protein. Band M is lysozyme. Band C is serum albumin. Bands G-K are transferrins. 3. Platypus milk bands A, C, D, F and G are isolated. Bands F and G are transferrins. 4. Lactose synthase and lytic activities are examined.
The effects of a leukaemia-controlling dose of acivicin on murine splenic lymphocytes in vitro and in vivo.
The development of successful chemotherapy for cancers, including leukaemia, is based on the exploitation of significant toxic differentials of the agents, between the cancer cells and their normal counterparts. A concentration of 0.1 mumol/L of the amino acid analogue acivicin (L-(alpha S,5S)-alpha-amino-3-chloro-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxazoleacetic acid) was sufficient to inhibit [3H]-DNA synthesis in mitogen stimulated murine splenic lymphocytes and WEHI 7.1 murine leukaemic cells in vitro, at glutamine concentrations up to 0.5 mmol/L. However, at concentrations of glutamine of 1.0 mmol/L and above, more acivicin was required to inhibit WEHI 7.1 cells than to inhibit the splenic lymphocytes. At 1.0 mmol/L glutamine, 18 h of exposure to an optimal inhibitory concentration of acivicin (0.5 mumol/L) in vitro was sufficient to inhibit [3H]-DNA synthesis in the mitogen stimulated lymphocytes, whereas 24 h of exposure to an optimal inhibitory acivicin concentration of 2.0 mumol/L was required for inhibition of [3H]-DNA synthesis in the WEHI 7.1 leukaemic cells. When an acivicin inoculation regime that was sufficient to control the growth of intraperitoneally (i.p.) implanted WEHI 7.1 leukaemic cells was administered to Balb/c mice, the primary immune response was significantly inhibited to an antigen given either during or after the acivicin treatment. These results indicate that lymphocytes replicating in vivo in a specific primary immune response could be as sensitive to acivicin as leukaemic cells.
Psychobiology of the near-miss in fruit machine gambling.
Explanations involving the etiology of pathological gambling have tended to emphasize psychosocial factors. However, the possibility that psychobiological factors may be important in the development of pathological gambling behavior should not be ruled out. Psychobiological approaches are becoming ever more prominent with the three main lines of research being (a) a search for a physiological disposition and/or underlying biological substrate in pathological gamblers, (b) an examination of the role of arousal in gambling, and (c) speculation about endorphin-related explanations. The data from questionnaires and interviews with fruit machine gamblers suggest that both physiological and cognitive factors (e.g., the psychology of the near-miss) may be important in the explanation of excessive fruit machine gambling. Thus, if a gambler becomes physiologically aroused when he or she wins or nearly wins, it will stimulate further play, here termed the psychobiology of the near-miss.
Insidious loss of renal function in patients with anticardiolipin antibodies and absence of overt nephritis.
Circulating anticardiolipin antibodies are associated with recurrent thrombosis, fetal loss and thrombocytopenia. We have identified four patients with SLE or lupus-like disease who have high circulating levels of ACLA, repeated thrombosis and evidence of renal disease. Their clinical signs and symptoms of lupus activity were minimal, yet all had renal insufficiency with GFR 50 ml/min or less despite no history nor evidence of overt nephritis (proteinuria less than 0.5 g/day and no haematuria). Renal biopsy specimens showed focal ischaemic lesions with no evidence of active lupus nephritis. We describe a new lesion of renal ischaemia secondary to non-inflammatory vascular pathology associated with circulating ACLA.