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Biomedical subjects

R Whitehouse

Publications and source records attributed to R Whitehouse.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Are postmortem studies of glossal candidal infection useful? An experimental study.

Autopsy studies have suggested that candidal pseudohyphae may be found in dorsal glossal epithelium in 38% to 42% of cases. Candidal yeast forms, and occasionally free pseudohyphae, are found as oral commensals in about 44% of the population. This study examined the possible distorting influence in autopsy studies that could be caused by postmortem hyphal transformation of candidal yeast forms followed by saprophytic infestation. Candida albicans yeast forms were topically applied to the middorsal glossal mucosa of five healthy pigs, immediately after killing. Biopsy specimens from this mucosa were subsequently maintained, in vitro, for periods of 12 and 24 hours in humid conditions at different temperature regression rates chosen to approximate those of the oral cavity after death. Biopsy specimens subjected to a temperature regression of 35 degrees C (oral temperature) to 23 degrees C (room temperature) over 11 hours showed infestation of epithelium by pseudohyphae in all cases. Biopsy specimens subjected to a similar temperature regression over 5 hours showed infestation in two of five cases. Control biopsy specimens showed that there was no candidal infection at the time of killing. The results indicate that in vitro saprophytic candidal infestation is possible in the time intervals and the declining oral temperatures preceding autopsy. It suggests that postmortem saprophytic candidal infestation may distort results from autopsy studies that do not anticipate this problem.

Animals

Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at school. Functional problems, participation in physical education. The implementation of Public Law 94-142.

Parents of 135 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) completed a mailed questionnaire about problems at school. Writing was the most frequently reported difficulty, with hand involvement causing more problems than decreased mobility. Compared to children with pauciarticular JRA, those with polyarticular or systemic JRA were significantly more likely to miss school, experience problems, participate less in physical education, have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) developed, and receive related services. Only 39 parents had heard of PL 94-142, and only 21 of those could define the federal law. Twenty children had an IEP within the previous two years. Possible deficiencies in the implementation of PL 94-142 were discovered. This study demonstrates that the treatment of children with JRA should include efforts to: 1) identify and remediate potential performance limitations before they become problematic at school; 2) communicate this information to parents and school personnel; 3) and improve parents' awareness and understanding of PL 94-142.

Activities of Daily Living

Uracil incorporation in the forespore and the mother cell during spore development in Bacillus subtilis. Autoradiographic electron microscopic study.

The transcriptional activity of the two genomes of the sporangium during spore formation was determined by pulse-labeling bacteria with 3H-uracil at different times of sporulation and preparing them for high resolution autoradiography. The quantitative analysis of autoradiographs shows that uracile incorporation in the whole sporangium decreases considerably between stages II and IV. However, the variations of the transcriptional activity are not identical in the mother cell and in the forespore. The one of the mother cell decreases rapidly between stages II and III and then remains stable until the end of stage IV, whereas that of the forespore which is low at stage II increases as the forespore grows ovoid and then quickly diminishes. It is very weak at the beginning of stage IV and negligible at the end of this stage. Pulse-chase experiments made in the presence of rifampine indicate that about 30% of the uracile incorporated is located in stable RNA. This value is found at any stage of sporulation in both cellular compartments whatever their rate of uracile incorporation. A relationship can be made between the nuclear shape and the activity of the genetic material. This confirms observations made by several authors in other bacterial species and other physiological conditions that the condensed shape corresponds to a state of low transcriptional activity whereas the more irregular and dispersed shape corresponds to a state of high activity.

Autoradiography