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R L Austin

Publications and source records attributed to R L Austin.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Sex-role change, anomie and female suicide: a test of alternative Durkheimian explanations.

Durkheim's influential book, Suicide, provides general (economic) anomie, conjugal anomie, and sex-role convergence explanations of changes in suicide rates under conditions of social change. We used trend analyses of American suicide rates and female/male suicide ratios from 1950 to 1984 and the regression of the ratios on female educational attainment, white female labor force participation, white fertility rates, and divorce rates to examine these explanations. The general anomie explanation of female suicide trends is supported for the middle-aged (30 to 54 years) but not for the young (10 to 30 years) or the elderly (55 to 74 years). The conjugal anomie proposition is at best supported for age groups between 15 and 44 when general anomie is not pronounced. The role convergence explanation is rejected for all 13 5-year-age-groups. General anomie may not be a viable explanation of suicide trends for groups actively supporting relevant social changes or not yet tradition-bound or for groups whose retirement status reduces the importance of some social changes.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Respiratory problems in emergence from anesthesia.

In conclusion, anesthesia and mechanical ventilation have major effects on respiratory function, both intraoperatively and postoperatively. Recognition that mechanical ventilation represents a major departure from spontaneous ventilation should enable anesthesiologists to compensate for the increases in dead space ventilation and the propensity for alveolar collapse that accompany low volume mechanical ventilation. The use of postoperative regional analgesic techniques to alleviate respiratory compromise constitutes both current clinical practice and an area of active, ongoing investigation. Gone are the days when the anesthesiologist's responsibility stopped at the recovery room door. Today, anesthesiologists with expertise in postoperative pain management, cardiovascular physiology, and intensive ventilatory care are able to provide patients an improved likelihood of avoiding postoperative respiratory complications.

Anesthesia Recovery Period↗
PubMed1988

Ultrastructural cytochemistry of complex carbohydrates in developing feline neutrophils.

The feline species provides animal models for at least six congenital lysosomal disorders. Since knowledge of normal feline neutrophils is a prerequisite for studies of their abnormalities, the present report describes the morphology and cytochemistry of normal feline neutrophils and compares the subcellular distribution of sulfate- and vicinal-glycol-containing complex carbohydrates to that of peroxidase and acid phosphatase. Immature feline primary granules, formed in promyelocytes, were stained for peroxidase, acid phosphatase, sulfate, and vicinal glycols. During maturation, primary granules retained strong staining for peroxidase, but staining for vicinal glycols decreased, and acid phosphatase and sulfate reactivity was lost. Secondary granules formed in myelocytes lacked peroxidase, acid phosphatase, and sulfate staining, but stained intensely for vicinal-glycol-containing complex carbohydrates. No analogues of tertiary granules previously described in rabbits and humans were demonstrated in feline neutrophils. However, a new sequential staining technique for peroxidase and vicinal glycols has suggested the formation in myelocytes and late neutrophils of a third granule type that contained peroxidase, acid phosphatase, and vicinal glycols but lacked sulfate staining. Thus, the staining characteristics of primary and secondary granules in cats closely resembled those in humans and rabbits. The third (late-forming) type of granule has not previously been described in other species.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1988

44-kDal bone phosphoprotein (osteopontin) antigenicity at ectopic sites in newborn rats: kidney and nervous tissues.

Previous immunohistochemical data have shown that the 44-kDal bone phosphoprotein (44K BPP, also called sialoprotein I or oestopontin) recently isolated in our laboratory was synthesized by osteoblasts and osteocytes and was expressed early during differentiation of bone-forming cells. We report here the presence of 44K BPP antigenicity at certain ectopic sites, namely, the proximal-convoluted tubule of the kidney, neurons, sensory and secretory cells in the internal ear. To insure specificity and reproducibility, different immunohistochemical methods were used and affinity-purified antibodies against two separate preparations of pure 44K BPP were tested. In the cells of the proximal-convoluted tubule, 44K BPP immunoreactivity was observed within apical endocytotic vacuoles and within lysosomes. This staining thus correlates with the degradation of the 44K BPP epitope which we previously demonstrated to occur in serum. On the other hand, in the neurons of the acoustic ganglion and the sensory cells of the macula, 44K BPP immunoreactivity was associated with the Golgi apparatus indicating synthesis and secretion by these cells. The finding that the 44K BPP (or a structurally related molecule) is synthesized by neurons and neuroepithelial cells deserves further investigation with respect to a possible embryologic relationship between neuroectodermal cells and the precursors of some bone forming-cells of the skull.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

A comparative immunocytochemical study on the subcellular distributions of 44 kDa bone phosphoprotein and bone gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing protein in osteoblasts.

Bone gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing protein (BGP or osteocalcin) and 44 kDa bone phosphoprotein (44K BPP, also called Sialoprotein I or osteopontin) have been localized at the ultrastructural level in osteoblasts from woven bones of newborn rats. Frozen, undecalcified sections of periodate-lysine-paraformaldehyde fixed specimens were incubated with affinity purified, monospecific antibodies against BGP or 44K BPP. The sites of the antigen-antibody reaction were demonstrated by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method using the Hanker-Yates reagent as a peroxidase substrate. In some cases immunostaining could only be achieved after detergent treatment. The immunostained sections were then flat-embedded in Epon 812 and processed for electron microscopy. Strong specific intracellular labeling was obtained with both antibodies, but the patterns of staining differed significantly: BGP antigenicity was mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas 44K BPP behaved as a Golgi-specific antigen. In both cases, however, we found no evidence for immunostained secretory vesicles. There was no correlation between the expression of BGP by osteoblasts and the morphological aspect of these cells, their apparent degree of polarization with respect to the bone matrix, or their relation with the mineralized phase.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Employee assistance programs.

The substance abuser brings his problems to the workplace. Ninety-five percent or more of all individuals experiencing alcohol-or drug-related problems are either employed or the spouse or dependent of someone who is working. It is clear we are facing a problem which transcends the boundaries of the workplace. The result in the workplace, of course, is increased costs, lower productivity, more accidents on the job, but most importantly additional suffering for the individuals involved. It is important to remember that neither GM, the UAW, nor the IUE can be expected to accept responsibility for those individuals who have the ability to control their own "wellness" and productivity. Any joint union-management substance abuse program can only be a catalyst to help individuals confront their problems. Along with the other groups and institutions concerned with these problems, GM, in cooperation with the UAW, IUE, and the other unions that represent our employees, is trying to help individuals with addictive diseases confront and obtain treatment for their problems. We believe our programs are moving in the right direction and will continue to make progress.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1979

Ultrastructure and cytokinetics of leukemic myeloblasts containing giant granules.

Leukemic myeloblasts containing abnormal granules were studied with ultrastructural, cytochemical, and thymidine labeling techniques to evaluate defects in granulogenesis and proliferation. Giant granules (1 to 3 micron in diameter) and Auer rods were observed in leukemic cells from two patients, and only rarely were both abnormal granule types observed in the same cell. The lysosomal origin of these abnormal granules was demonstrated by their content of peroxidase, esterase, and anionic glycoconjugates. Fusion of small dense granules (less than 0.2 micron in diameter) appeared to be increased in cells containing Auer rods and/or giant granules, but fusion of intact primary granules (0.2 to 0.4 micron in diameter) and sequestration of cytoplasmic contents were observed only in giant granules and not in Auer rods. Although the small granules that fused to form giant granules and Auer rods appeared similar, there was no evidence for transformation of giant granules into Auer rods. In one patient, cells with abnormal granules could easily be distinguished from the larger population of cells that lacked abnormal granules. The perturbation of these two distinct populations by chemotherapy was evaluated with thymidine labeling experiments. A high percentage (2- or 3-fold greater) of the abnormally granulated myeloblasts incorporated tritiated thymidine when compared to myeloblasts without abnormal granules in the same specimen. This difference could have resulted from an underlying metabolic defect which affected both granulogenesis and cell division. These results demonstrate that the formation of giant granules in leukemic cells is morphologically similar to that observed in the Chediak-Higashi syndrome and that leukemic cells with abnormal granules may differ cytokinetically from uninvolved leukemic cells.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1979

Ultrastructural radioautography and cytochemistry of lead absorption.

Lead is a universal environmental contaminant absorbed largely through the gastrointestinal tract by unknown mechanisms. Because lead absorption is influenced by iron content in the body and diet, we used ultrastructural radioautography and cytochemistry to study absorption of physiologic lead doses in the rat duodenal epithelial cell and compared these findings to those previously reported for iron absorption. Rat duodenal loops exposed in vivo to 210Pb for 1 minute demonstrated the majority of labels on the microvilli, terminal web, and apical cytoplasm. Specimens exposed to radiolead for 10 minutes demonstrated more abundant labeling with a relative increase in labeling of epithelial cell mitochondria, nuclei and basal cytoplasm, as well as phagocytic cells, endothelial cells, and circulating erythrocytes of the lamina propria. Timm's sulfide-silver method localized trace metals in epithelial cells. After administration of lead, a significant increase in staining was observed in microvilli, mitochondria, non-membrane-bound cytoplasm, and nuclear chromatin. The rapid appearance of absorbed lead in epithelial cell mitochondria and nuclei, as well as phagocytic cells in the lamina propria, was distinctly different from that reported for absorbed iron and suggests different mechanisms for the subcellular transport of these cations. The combination of radioautography and Timm's sulfide-silver staining provides the specificity and resolution needed for ultrastructural evaluation of lead absorption and should be useful in further studies of lead metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Ultrastructural cytochemistry of iron absorption.

Conventional ultrastructural autoradiographic and morphologic studies of the duodenal mucosal cell have generally corroborated physiologic observations of iron absorption, but such methods have limited resolution and fail to distinguish ferric and ferrous iron. This study describes the application of the Prussian blue reaction as an electron microscopic cytochemical stain to the investigation of inorganic iron absorption in iron-deficient, normal, and iron-loaded rats. Ferrous iron is converted to ferric iron at the microvillus membrane. Subsequently intraepithelial ferric iron appears bound to a non-heme acceptor substance in microvilli and later appears as small non-membrane-bound stain deposits which are concentrated in the apical cytoplasm. The appearance of larger stain deposits in the lateral intercellular spaces, in the basal extracellular spaces, and along the intraluminal and extraluminal outer plasmalemma of adjacent endothelial cells of the lamina propria suggests passage of iron from epithelial cells through the lamina propria to blood vessels. The extreme sensitivity of the method compared with simultaneous ultrastructural autoradiographic techniques is demonstrated and suggests usefulness of the method in further studies of iron metabolism.

Animals↗