Large trans-shunt metastatic abdominal mass from cerebellar medulloblastoma.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B S Sharma.
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A case of colonic perforation by a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, its subsequent migration and protrusion from the anal orifice is reported. The shunt reservoir and ventricular catheter were removed percutaneously, and the disconnected peritoneal catheter was pulled out through the anus. Blood culture grew Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus fecalis. CT scan showed multiple subdural abscesses with evidence of ventriculitis. Removal of the shunt (as described), evacuation of subdural pus and systemic antibiotics resulted in complete recovery.
A case of brain abscess developing 2 weeks after insertion of skull tongs is reported. The abscess was treated with aspiration and appropriate antibiotic therapy and its complete resolution was confirmed by CT scan. The pathogenesis, through retrograde spread of superficial infection to durocortical veins, is discussed in the light of serial CT scans at different stages of formation and treatment of the abscess.
A rare occurrence of spontaneous extrusion of a Denver peritoneal catheter through the right flank in a 14-year-old boy is reported. The firm texture and short length of the catheter coupled with its movements with respiration produced a hammer effect and eroded the abdominal wall. Disconnection of the peritoneal catheter from the chamber and pulling out the extruded catheter is suggested as a simple and effective method of removal of the shunt.
Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were incubated in the presence of various concentrations of bovine parathyroid hormone extract (PTH) or with PTH plus different concentrations of plant mitogens (PHA, Con-A and PWM) to determine whether PTH can modulate lymphocyte proliferation. Lymphocyte proliferation was assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation into the lymphocytes after a 72-96 h incubation period. After initial inhibition, PTH stimulated lymphocyte proliferation at concentrations of 0.25-0.5 micrograms/0.2 ml and inhibited 3H-thymidine uptake at concentrations of greater than 1 microgram/0.2 ml. Similar responses were seen when the lymphocytes were incubated with PTH plus PHA. In contrast, PTH inhibited 3H-thymidine uptake by the lymphocytes when the cells were stimulated with Con-A (0.25-2 micrograms/0.2 ml) and PWM (0.25-2 micrograms/0.2 ml). The suppressive effects of PTH were not due to loss of lymphocyte viability as determined by trypan blue exclusion. It is speculated that the PTH mediated immunomodulatory effect on peripheral blood lymphocytes may be due to PTH itself or to some other factor(s) in the extract. In view of the common embryonic origin of the parathyroid glands and the thymus, the possibility that thymic-like hormones may be involved in the immunomodulatory process cannot be excluded.
A rare case of congenital intramedullary ependymal cyst of the dorsal cord in a 7-year-old boy associated with kyphoscoliosis and rachidian malformations of the dorsal spine is reported. Myelography suggested an intramedullary lesion. The posterior location and presence of a clear plane of cleavage from the medullary tissue enabled total enucleation of the cyst. Histological differentiation from other similar intradural cysts is discussed and the relevant literature is reviewed. This is the fifth such case reported in the literature.
Intramedullary spinal cysticercosis is extremely uncommon; only 29 cases have been reported previously. A case of solitary intramedullary spinal cysticercosis is described. Factors accounting for the rarity of intramedullary cysticerci are reviewed and the probability of reaching a preoperative diagnosis is discussed. This is the fifth such case reported from India.
Methimazole (MM), an antithyroid drug, was examined for its ability to modulate immune functions. The increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation in plant mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes and augmentation of NK cell activity by MM were used as a measure of the immunomodulatory activity of MM. The results demonstrated that lymphocytes from 5 different donors had a mean increase of 632% of [3H]thymidine incorporation in the presence of MM at a concentration of 114.2 micrograms/ml (P less than 0.005). Lymphocyte response to PHA, Con A or PWM was potentiated by 27 to 482% in the presence of MM. The MM mediated increase in lymphocyte proliferation was more obvious in cases where the mitogenic stimulation was low. Lymphocyte cytotoxicity to both K562 cells and malignant B cells was also augmented when lymphocytes were cultured in the presence of MM. A maximal effect was observed when lymphocytes were treated with a concentration of 20 micrograms/ml of MM for 12-16 hr. Maximum augmentation was usually exerted when the NK cell activity of cultured lymphocytes was low. This was particularly seen with lymphocyte from cultured B cell leukemia (3163).
A rare case of Ewing's sarcoma, originating primarily in the spinal epidural space is reported. Only five similar case reports are available in the English literature. Full recovery from a state of complete paraplegia, due to malignant compression, local recurrence without distant metastases and the longest survival of more than three years and six months, makes a unique combination. Pathology and therapy are briefly discussed and the pertinent literature reviewed.
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Cyclophosphamide (CY) has been reported to be inactive in vitro under certain conditions. In the present study, CY was tested for its ability to inhibit human lymphocyte proliferation and to modulate lymphocyte response to mitogens in vitro. The inhibition of or the increase in 3H-thymidine incorporation in mitogen-stimulated and unstimulated lymphocytes by CY was used as a measure of CY activity in vitro. The results demonstrate that lymphocytes from 10 different persons had a mean decrease of 74% in 3H-thymidine incorporation in the presence of CY (P less than 0.005). The effect was maximal at a concentration of 160 micrograms/ml. A mean inhibition of 35 and 55% was caused by 10 and 40 micrograms/ml concentrations of CY, respectively. CY also was able to reduce the number of viable cells during 5 days in culture and had a profound effect on mitogen stimulation of lymphocytes. In all cases, CY modulated the stimulation of lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) either by augmenting or suppressing the responses. At low concentrations (10 micrograms/ml) it augmented mitogenic stimulation by 46 to 281%. At higher concentrations (20 to 160 micrograms/ml), CY had a suppressive effect with a maximum suppression of 99%. The CY-induced immunomodulation is perhaps caused by its action on the regulatory T cells. When tested in vitro, CY had inhibitory activity on T cells.
Rats fed a low iodine diet (LID) for 5 weeks were given 125I as NaI to prelabel their thyroids; 24 h later, they were injected ip with 1 mg KI. They were then killed at different time intervals of up to 4 h. Thyroids of control animals not injected with KI were hyperplastic, the tissue showed microfollicles devoid of colloid, thyroglobulin was poorly iodinated, and thyroid peroxidase activity was increased. Within 4 h after KI injections, there was 1) a decrease in thyroid weight, 2) expansion of the follicular lumens of the hyperplastic in thyroid tissue and accumulation of colloid, 3) an increase in the thyroglobulin iodine concentration, and 4) a decrease in the thyroid peroxidase activity. Some of these changes started to occur as early as 60 min after KI administration. By that time, using the microprobe, most of the organically bound iodine was detectable inside the follicular cells. Radioiodine (125I) used to prelabel the thyroids was accumulated inside the follicles during the entire observation period. The serum TSH level was elevated and did not decrease after KI administration. It is concluded that excess iodine in LID rats may produce acute morphological and biochemical changes which seem to be a direct effect of iodine not mediated by modifications of TSH. The distribution of organically bound iodine, as determined by the microprobe, and the biochemical studies were interpreted as suggesting intracellular thyroglobulin iodination in these stimulated rat thyroids.
Altered immunological reactivity in primary hyperparathyroidism is suggested by the strong association between this disorder and malignancy. The present study was carried out to determine whether altered lymphocyte proliferation in response to common mitogens (PHA, Con-A, PWM) exists in primary hyperparathyroidism, and, if so, whether the abnormality resides in the lymphocytes or in humoral factors present in the plasma of patients with hyperparathyroidism. Ficoll-Hypaque purified lymphocytes from 6 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and 4 normal volunteers were stimulated with PHA, Con-A and PWM in the presence of plasma from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and normal AB+ plasma. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine in unstimulated (control) and stimulated cultures was determined. The results demonstrate that lymphocyte proliferation was significantly higher when both patients' and normal lymphocytes were stimulated with mitogens in the presence of patients' plasma. These findings suggest that plasma from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism contains a potentiator of lymphocyte mitogenesis, or, alternatively lacks an inhibitor of lymphocyte activation that is present in normal plasma.
Conditions for optimal immunization of allogeneic lymphocytes against human tumor cells were studied. Maximal cell-mediated cytotoxic responses were generated usually with 2-4 X 10(4) tumor cells and 1 X 10(6) lymphocytes after a 5-day incubation. A further increase in the number of stimulating cells usually suppressed the immunization of lymphocytes. Viable untreated tumor cells were generally more immunogenic than were the mitomycin C-treated tumor cells. Lymphocytes (1 X )0(6)) sensitized in small volumes (0.5-1 ml) of medium were invariably transformed into cytotoxic effector cells, whereas the same number of lymphocytes sensitized in relatively larger volumes (4 ml) of medium had little or no cytotoxic activity. Occasional shaking of mixed culture during the sensitization provided better immunization than that in similar stationary culture. The replacement of culture fluids with fresh medium during incubation decreased the cytotoxicity level of sensitized cells.
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