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Biomedical subjects

R M Bannerman

Publications and source records attributed to R M Bannerman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Tissue iron deposition in untransfused beta-thalassemic mice.

Homozygous beta-thalassemic mice show many of the features seen in human beta-thalassemia, such as decreased hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cell count as well as increased reticulocyte count. They also exhibit splenomegaly and a decrease in osmotic fragility of red cells. beta-thalassemic mice were examined for spontaneous iron overload at ages ranging from 20 to 595 days. Accumulation of iron was shown to occur in the spleen, liver, and kidneys but not in the heart. Sections of spleen, liver, kidney, and heart were stained for iron and subjectively scored. Image analysis microscopy was used to examine sections of spleen and liver. Nonheme iron in the four tissues was quantitated using the bathophenanthroline sulfonate colorimetric assay. An increase in tissue iron occurred primarily in the spleen, even before weaning, despite the low iron content of milk. Iron accumulation in the absence of blood transfusion is of interest because iron overload is the major cause of death in human beta-thalassemia.

Aging

Malignant schwannoma in siblings with neurofibromatosis.

Three brothers with neurofibromatosis (NF) died of sarcoma. The proband tumor had malignant schwannoma. The histologic nature of the sarcoma in the other two brothers was not known, but it seemed likely to be similar to that of the proband. However, the sarcomatous lesions in these two siblings developed in the patients' right lower limbs which showed clinical and radiological evidence of anterior bowing of the tibia. Their mother and two other siblings have neurofibromatosis, but have not developed malignant tumors. The unaffected father died at age 61 of carcinoma of the common bile duct. An unaffected sister developed adenocarcinoma of both colon and lung. Although it is known that patients with NF are at a high risk of developing malignant sarcoma and second primary malignancies, it is not clear whether this association is genetically determined. The family we report has some of the features of a "cancer family" and suggests that sarcomatous transformation in patients with NF may be genetically influenced. This report raises the possibility that the presence of congenital malformation and exposure to irradiation may predispose patients with neurofibromatosis to develop malignant schwannoma.

Adult

Studies on the vasoocclusive crisis of sickle cell disease. III. In vitro and in vivo effect of the pyrimido-pyrimidine derivative, RA-233: studies on its mechanism of action.

Red cell deformability was found to be impaired in SS- and SC-genotype and to a lesser extent SA-genotype red blood cells as compared with those of AA-genotype. RA-233 in vitro improved deformability according to a bell-shaped dose-response curve. RA-233 also prevented experimental vasoocclusive crisis in Macaca arctoides. Deoxygenation of SS-genotype red cells resulted in sickle shape transformation, ATP depletion, potassium efflux, and attachment of hemoglobin molecules to the membrane. These changes were prevented by RA-233. Suspending SS-genotype red blood cells in potassium rich tris-buffer also prevented potassium efflux during deoxygenation and also decreased cellular deformability. RA-233 had no effect on osmotic fragility of SS-genotype red blood cells.

Adult

Diminished acquisition of iron by reticulocytes from mice with hemoglobin deficit.

Reticulocyte iron and transferrin uptake was studied in hemoglobin deficit (gene symbol, hbd), an autosomal recessive trait in the mouse characterized by hypochromic microcytic anemia, reticulocytosis, hyperferremia, and increased red-cell-free protoporphyrin. Reticulocyte-rich red cells were incubated in vitro in a mixture of 125I-labeled diferric mouse transferrin and 59Fe-labeled iron-saturated mouse plasma. At 37 degrees C, the uptake of transferrin by reticulocytes from affected animals (15 ng/micrograms RNA) was the same as that of reticulocytes from control animals. However, the uptake of iron by affected reticulocytes (0.11 ng/micrograms RNA) was significantly lower than that by control reticulocytes (0.24). At 4 degrees C, transferrin binding by affected and control reticulocytes was again indistinguishable. The deficiency in the uptake of iron by affected reticulocytes was not observed on incubation at 4 degrees C. Scatchard analysis of transferrin receptors on hbd/hbd and control reticulocytes showed no difference in pKD and a slight elevation in number of receptors per reticulocyte for hbd/hbd animals. These findings suggest that hbd/hbd reticulocytes have a defect in iron acquisition that is distal to the binding of transferrin to the cell membrane receptor. This defect is similar to one already described in the anemia of the Belgrade laboratory rat.

Anemia, Hypochromic

Hemoglobin deficit: an inherited hypochromic anemia in the mouse.

The character and pathogenesis of hemoglobin deficit (gene symbol, hbd), an autosomal recessive trait in the mouse, were studied. The main hematological features of hemoglobin deficit are anemia, red cell hypochromia and microcytosis, and reticulocytosis. The absence of raised fecal urobilinogen excretion and frank hyperbilirubinemia and bilirubinuria suggests that excess hemolysis is not the primary cause of the anemia. The raised plasma iron concentration and the failure of the anemia to respond to parenteral iron treatment indicate that the anemia is not due to iron deficiency. The absence of siderocytes and sideroblasts suggests that anemia is probably not due to ferrochelatase deficiency. Thalassemia is excluded by the finding of balanced reticulocyte globin chain synthesis. The markedly elevated levels of free red cell protoporphyrin taken together with the other findings already noted suggest that the anemia of hemoglobin deficit is due to a defect in the erythroid cell iron procurement mechanisms leading in turn to diminished heme and hemoglobin synthesis.

Alleles

Recurrent pregnancy losses and parental chromosome abnormalities: a review.

A compilation of the cytogenetic results taken from 79 published surveys of couples with two or more pregnancy losses (comprising 8208 women and 7834 men) showed an overall prevalence of major chromosome abnormalities of 2.9%. This is five to six times higher than that of the general adult population. In every group of chromosome abnormalities in the parents a predominance of female to male affected was noted (2:1). Approximately 50% of all chromosome abnormalities detected were balanced reciprocal translocations, 24% were Robertsonian translocations, 12% were sex chromosomal mosaicisms in females, and the rest consisted of inversions and other sporadic abnormalities. Parents with two or more idiopathic pregnancy losses should be karyotyped to aid in management and counselling. When a translocation or other abnormality (e.g. X chromosomal mosaicism) predisposing to an abnormal zygote is found, prenatal diagnosis is indicated in future pregnancies. Even when parental karyotypes are normal, prenatal diagnosis should be considered in subsequent pregnancies of parents with two or more pregnancy losses because of the high incidence of chromosome abnormalities in spontaneous abortions. For the same reason, if a single previous pregnancy loss is known to have been chromosomally aneuploid, parental karyotypes may have to be examined (depending upon the finding in the pregnancy loss), and prenatal diagnosis should also be considered in subsequent pregnancies.

Abortion, Habitual

Benign prostatic hyperplasia in an XX man.

A sixty-nine-year-old white phenotypic male who was being investigated for a myeloproliferative disorder, was found to have an XX karyotype in all cells examined in bone marrow, lymphocytes, and skin fibroblast cultures. Despite essentially no testosterone in the plasma, he also suffered from severe prostatic hyperplasia, a finding not reported previously in patients with this genotype. While endocrine studies showed normal follicle-stimulating hormone, the luteinizing hormone level was twice the upper limit of normal and estrogens were in the normal female range. Except for complete absence of Leydig cells, testicular histology resembled that usually found in Klinefelter syndrome. The patient died of the combined effects of the myeloproliferative disease and urinary tract obstruction. The mechanism of occurrence of the sex chromosome anomaly as well as the cause and implication of the unusual finding of prostatic hyperplasia are discussed.

Aged

Determinants of haemoglobin level in sickle cell-haemoglobin C disease.

The determinants of steady state haemoglobin levels in sickle cell-haemoglobin C (SC) disease were investigated by measuring routine haematological and biochemical indices, red cell survival, oxygen affinity, pitted erythrocytes, and red cell and plasma volumes in 31 adult patients (15 male; 16 female). Red cell survival was shortened in all subjects, and was positively correlated with haemoglobin level. However, many haemoglobin values were within the normal range, especially in male subjects. Palpable splenomegaly, which occured in 53% of patients, did not appear to affect haemoglobin level, red cell survival, plasma volume, or red cell volume, but was associated with lower platelet counts and decreased pitted red cells. Sex related differences were found in total haemoglobin, packed cell volume, conductivity cell volume, red cell count, and in the blood volume measurements. Red cell, plasma and total blood volumes in patients varied with weight and cube of height in manner observed in normal subjects, although red cell volumes were lower and plasma volumes were greater than in normal subjects of given height and weight. Anaemia in SC disease is related to the haemolytic rate but the major determinant appears to be an inappropriate increase in plasma volume.

Adolescent

An infant with trisomy 9pter yields 9q22 resulting from 3:1 segregation in a 46,XX t(1;9) (p36;q22) mother.

A newborn infant with a 47,XY,+ der(.),t(1;9) (p36;q22)mat chromosome complement and the clinical features of the 9p trisomy is described. A review of the reproductive histories of five cases with trisomy 9pter yields 9q21 or 22 indicate that the balanced translocation mothers of these infants may have as high as a 23% chance of producing a chromosomally unbalanced offspring due to 3:1 disjunction.

Adult

Chromosome analysis in cases with repeated spontaneous abortions.

G-banded chromosome complements were analyzed from couples and individuals who had experienced 3 unexplained spontaneous abortions. One woman was found to be a carrier of a t(13q14q) chromosome; all other subjects had normal-appearing karyotypes. Banded chromosome studies are recommended for couples with repeated abortions in the absence of any apparent cause.

Abortion, Habitual

Duplication 2q33 leads to 2q37 due to paternal ins (12;2) translocation.

An 18 month-old boy with partial duplication of the long arm of chromosome 2, based on a paternal balanced translocation, 46,XY,ins (12,2)( q23;q33q37), is described and compared with five previously reported cases. These children have in common a short nose with broad flat bridge and small anteverted nostrils, long upper lip, low-set ears, and minor digital anomalies.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Iron deficiency anaemia in newborn sla mice: a genetic defect of placental iron transport.

Newborn mice with X-linked anaemia (gene symbol sla) have lower haemoglobin levels at birth than normal and carrier mice but there is considerable overlap. Serial observations showed that the haemoglobin values of segregating male mice separate into a bimodal distribution of 42 d of age, and 50 d values were used to assign genotypes retrospectively. The anaemia in newborn sla mice is attributable to iron deficiency, since their total body iron is lower than in normal newborn mice, while their birth weights are almost identical. Haemoglobin levels at birth in normal, anaemic and carrier mice are also influenced by the mother's genotype and phenotype, and the haemoglobin value was progressively lower according to the sla gene dose of the mother. Materno-fetal iron transfer was examined by labelling pregnant carrier females with radioiron in various ways. When given as single or intermittent doses by injection no clearcut differences emerged in apparent iron transfer to anaemic as compared to non-anaemic fetuses. However, when radioiron was administered continuously in food a significant reduction in iron transfer to anaemic fetuses was demonstrated. The sla gene is already known to have a major effect in reducing iron transport in the small intestine. The present studies provide evidence of an analogous defect in placental iron transport.

Anemia, Hypochromic