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Biomedical subjects

N J Sharp

Publications and source records attributed to N J Sharp.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The Key-Gaskell syndrome: the current situation.

During the past 12 months an apparently new disease of cats has occurred with increasing frequency throughout the United Kingdom causing high morbidity and mortality and arousing considerable interest both within and outside the profession. The purpose of this paper is to report what is known about the disease and to indicate lines of current research. As there is an urgent need to communicate information it will be appreciated that this paper is incomplete in certain areas such as pathology and epidemiology where studies are still in progress.

Animals↗

Nasopharyngeal polyps in the cat.

The occurrence of inflammatory nasopharyngeal polyps is described in a series of four cats. Two of the cats presented with classical features of chronic upper respiratory tract infection, in a third gradual onset of coughing and retching were the only clinical signs, while in the fourth only noisy respiration accompanied the growth. In each cat the polyp was attached to the pharyngeal opening of the eustachian tube and it is suggested that such masses arise from either the lining of the tube itself or that they may even find origin within the tympanic bulla. However, anamnesis and the subsequent clinical and radiographic examinations did not indicate that the polyps were associated with external or middle ear disease. Removal by simple dissection was effected without the necessity of splitting the soft palate in any of the patients and, though expected, recurrence has not yet been seen.

Animals↗

Feline dysautonomia (the Key-Gaskell syndrome): an ultra structural study of autonomic ganglia and nerves.

Recently a feline dysautonomia of unknown aetiology, the Key-Gaskell syndrome, has caused widespread morbidity in the UK. This report describes the ultrastructural appearances of the autonomic ganglia and axons of the sympathetic chain in this condition. Nuclei of affected neurones were eccentric and abnormally crenated. Nucleolar abnormalities such as increased electron density (due to loss of the intranucleolar vacuoles), nucleolar segregation and ring nucleoli were observed in a proportion of neurones. There was marked loss of ribosomes, both bound and unbound, and cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum were distended with a floccular electron dense material. Numerous smooth-walled cisternae were also present and complex stacks of smooth semi-parallel membranes were observed, probably derived from the smooth endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi apparatus. No normal Golgi formations were seen. Frequent autophagic vacuoles and membranous dense bodies were present in some cells. Many unmyelinated fibres in the sympathetic chain were swollen and contained vesiculo-tubular profiles, disordered neurotubules and filaments and various degenerating membranous organelles. Myelinated fibres within the sympathetic chain were also degenerating. These studies indicate that the organelles involved with protein biosynthesis are severely affected by the disease.

Animals↗