Biomedical subjects
C R Lovell
Publications and source records attributed to C R Lovell.
Characterization of dermal collagen in systemic sclerosis.
The amount of dermal collagen is increased in systemic sclerosis. However, unlike certain inflammatory conditions, the relative proportions of Type I and Type III collagens are closely similar to those found in normal adult dermis. Similarly, no change in the distribution of the collagen types could be detected by immunofluorescent staining, although a considerable thickening of the epidermis was clearly evident in all the sclerotic lesions examined.
Joint involvement in systemic sclerosis.
Eleven out of 24 patients with systemic sclerosis had radiological features of inflammatory polyarthritis. Juxta-articular osteoporosis was present in 9 patients, erosions in 5 and loss of joint space in 6 patients. Only one patient had a positive rheumatoid factor. Titres of rheumatoid factor, anti-nuclear factor, and plasma viscosity were comparable in patients with and without radiological abnormalities. Measurements of grip strength and finger-palm flexion also were similar in the two groups. However, in individual cases joint or tendon sheath disease was associated with loss of function.
Changes in the collagen of synovial membrane in rheumatoid arthritis and effect of D-penicillamine.
1. Normal synovial membrane contains approximately equal proportions of two genetically distinct forms of collagen, types I and III. The proportion of these two collagens is unchanged in rheumatoid synovium but in addition a small amount of basement membrane collagen is present. Tissue culture of rheumatoid synovium confirms the synthesis of both type I and III collagens. 2. In young normal synovium both type I and type III collagens are stabilized by a reducible keto cross-link, which is replaced in adult tissue by an as yet unknown non-reducible cross-link. During the proliferation of the collagen in adult rheumatoid synovium a high proportion of the keto cross-link is present. This cross-link is not susceptible to cleavage by D-penicillamine, nor does the drug have any effect on the rate of synthesis in vitro. The mode of action of D-penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis does not appear to involve a direct effect on the synovial membrane collagen.
Scoring of erosions in rheumatoid arthritis.
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Xeroradiography in assessment of the rheumatoid hand.
Comparable conventional x-rays had xeroradiographs were obtained of the hands of 22 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Each metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joint was scored for juxta-articular osteoporosis, erosions, loss of joint space, soft tissue thickening, joint deformity, and osteophytes on a 0-3 scale. For 10 hands the films were reported again after 3 months, and each technique was reproducible. Comparison between the 2 radiographic techniques showed that overall they gave similar results, although osteoporosis was reported more frequently on conventional x-rays, and loss of joint space and synovial thickening on xeroradiographs.
The Guillain-Barré Syndrome and swine influenza vaccination.
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D-Penicillamine does not have a lathyritic effect on the rheumatoid synovium.
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Prostaglandins and pruritus.
We have found that pretreatment of human skin with prostaglandin E1 significantly lowers the threshold of human skin to itching evoked by both histamine and papain. Prostaglandins may thus potentiate pruritus in inflammatory skin disease, presumably by a non-specific effect on nerve-endings.