PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N J Willson

Publications and source records attributed to N J Willson.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Late-onset Lafora's disease with typical intraneuronal inclusions.

We describe a patient with progressive myoclonus epilepsy (late-onset Lafora's disease). Onset was in early adult life, and death was at age fifty-four. The initial symptoms were epileptic seizures and progressive dementia, with later occurrence of myoclonus. Lafora bodies were ubiquitous and in neuronal perikarya in many areas. Dust-like granular bodies predominated in the neuropil of cerebral cortex, substantia nigra, and striatum. Abnormal deposits were also found in the myocardium.

Brain↗

Confirmation of Syva enzyme multiple immunoassay technique (EMIT) d.a.u. and Roche Abuscreen radioimmunoassay (RIA) (125I) urine cannabinoid immunoassays by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) and bonded-phase adsorption/thin-layer chromatographic (BPA-TLC) methods.

Thirty human urines screened positive by the Syva enzyme multiple immunoassay technique (EMIT) d.a.u. urine cannabinoid assay were also positive for the major marijuana urinary metabolite 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) when assayed by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) and a noninstrumental qualitative bonded-phase adsorption/thin-layer chromatographic (BPA-TLC) technique. The noninstrumental BPA-TLC procedure was the simpler of the two techniques to perform and interpret. Assay of these same samples by the Roche Abuscreen radioimmunoassay (RIA) for cannabinoids (125I) revealed that reliance on the 100-ng/mL equivalent positive calibrator yielded a high incidence of false negative results (10 out of 30). The performance of these same 4 assays on 30 true negatives also was evaluated. All samples were negative for cannabinoids by EMIT and RIA, and for THC-COOH by BPA-TLC. GC/MS assay, however, detected spurious low levels of approximately 5-ng/mL THC-COOH in two instances. Because of this, a reliability level of 10 ng/mL was set for the routine quantitative confirmation of THC-COOH by the GC/MS method.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗

Confirmation of EMIT cannabinoid assay results by bonded phase adsorption with thin layer chromatography.

Clinical urine specimens were screened for the presence of cannabinoids using the EMIT Cannabinoid Assay. Aliquots of these samples were also analyzed for 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCA), the major cannabis metabolite in urine, by a technique which combines bonded phase adsorption (BPA) and thin layer chromatography (TLC). A 100% agreement between EMIT and BPA-TLC results was observed when at least 20 mL of urine was assayed by BPA-TLC. Bonded phase adsorption coupled with thin layer chromatography appears to be a suitable technique for the confirmation of positive EMIT Cannabinoid Assay results.

Adsorption↗

Pexid-induced rat retinal pathology.

Three morphologically distinct kinds of cytoplasmic inclusion (lamellar, reticular and crystalloid) developed in the retinal cells of suckling rats treated with Pexid (300 mg/kg/day). Lamellar inclusions were most abundant and they were seen in all types of retinal cells. This variety of inclusion was especially numerous in the ganglion cells. Reticular inclusions were encountered less commonly than the lamellar type and their distribution did not show any particular cellular predilection. Crystalloid inclusions were observed only in the pigment epithelial cells. The mechanism of formation of the three types of inclusion is not known, nor is the reason why certain types of inclusion occur most commonly in a particular kind of cell. One can speculate, however, that the dissimilarity of form may reflect differences in the metabolism and physiochemical properties of the various retinal cells.

Animals↗

Bilateral trigeminal nerve sensory deficits and nasal deformity.

A nasal deformity developed in a woman with bilateral trigeminal sensory deficits. A comparison of the clinical and pathologic features of this case with those of several other cases that have been reported previously suggests a relationship between the bilateral fifth nerve lesions and the nasal damage. The aforementioned clinical combination does not appear to be pathognomonic of any specific nosologic entity. However, it probably should be accorded the status of a clinical syndrome since the nasal degeneration apparently occurs only if both fifth nerves are affected.

Adult↗

Effects of methadone hydrochloride on the growth of organotypic cerebellar cultures prepared from methadone-tolerant and control rats.

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given dl-methadone (5 mg/kg) for at least 3 months and then mated. The drug was continued throughout pregnancy and after delivery. The newly born pups were divided into two groups. One group was tested for in vivo methadone tolerance, while the animals in the othergroup were used to prepare organotypic cerebellar cultures. Various amounts of dl-methadone were added to the media of half of these cerebellum cultures. The effect of the drug in the medium was assessed by measuring explant outgrowth. Similar experiments were carried out with control animals. Statistical analysis of the data obtained in the in vivo portion of the experiment indicates that the pups of methadone-treated mothers tolerate methadone better than those of untreated mothers. The culture experiments revealed that the addition of methadone to the medium reduced explant outgrowth size and this was a dose-related effect. Also, there was significantly less outgrowth from explants prepared using pups of methadone-treated mothers as compared to the controls. There was no significant difference in the effect of methadone on the growth of cultures prepared from the methadone-tolerant and control animals.

Animals↗

Ultrastructural pathology of murine cytomegalovirus infection in cultured mouse nervous system tissue.

Mouse spinal cord-ganglia cultures were innoculated with murine cytomegalo-virus 14 days after explantation. Intranuclear virus was first observed 4 days after infection. The viruses, which occurred in four forms, were observed in increasing numbers during the ensuing 4 days. Differences were noted in the relative prevalence of certain of these forms in older as compared to younger cultures. This suggests that variations in virus form are related to virus maturation. Cytoplasmic viruses were occasionally observed, but their site of origin is not certain. A variety of cytoplasmic inclusions were seen, particularly in the older cultures. It seems likely that they represent specific cell responses to the presence of the virus. They were not observed in the control cultures, even though some of the latter did show severe degenerative changes.

Animals↗