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Biomedical subjects

F J Roe

Publications and source records attributed to F J Roe.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Carcinogenic activity of some benz(a)anthracene derivatives in newborn mice.

Equimolar doses of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene and 3 of its derivatives were given to newborn male and female Swiss mice. All 4 substances tested increased the risk of tumour development compared with that seen in control mice given the vehicle, arachis oil, only.7-Methylbenz(a)anthracene itself was the most actively tumorigenic of the compounds studied, giving rise to subcutaneous sarcomata at the site of injection, and multiple lung tumours and liver tumours. 7-Bromomethyl-12-methylbenz(a)-anthracene was similarly active in the lung and liver but evoked fewer subcutaneous sarcomata. 7-Bromomethylbenz(a)anthracene was seemingly slightly less active than either 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene or 7-bromomethyl-12-methylbenz(a)anthracene. 4-Chloro-7-bromomethylbenz(a)anthracene exhibited only marginal activity in that it slightly increased the risk of liver tumour development in male mice.

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Migration of asbestos fibres from subcutaneous injection sites in mice.

Crocidolite asbestos fibres, suspended in physiological saline, were injected subcutaneously into one or both flanks of 95 CBA/Lac female mice; 75 control mice received injections of saline only. Most animals were killed at chosen intervals of between 2 and 42 days after injection but some were left for longer periods of up to 623 days. At autopsy, many lymphoid and non-lymphoid structures were removed and examined for the presence of asbestos by the following techniques: haematoxylin and eosin staining followed by conventional and polarized light microscopy; Perl's stain; microincineration followed by phase-contrast microscopy; maceration with KOH followed by phase-contrast microscopy; and electron microscopy.A combination of haematoxylin and eosin staining and microincineration was found to be the most convenient and reliable method for demonstrating asbestos fibres in the tissues. Electron microscopy was essential for detecting very small fibres and for locating them to specific intracellular structures.The morphological findings indicate that some migration of asbestos fibres away from the initial site of injection takes place. Dissemination is usually along lymphatic pathways and fibres tend to accumulate in the lymphoid tissues, particularly in the regional (axillary) lymph nodes; smaller amounts were found in inguinal, mediastinal and lumbar nodes. The fibres were usually intracellular, lying inside the phagosomes of macrophages, but larger fibres weresometimes encountered lying free. Small numbers of fibres were seen in the spleen and also in non-lymphoid organs such as the liver, kidneys and brain-suggesting that some asbestos may enter the blood stream. There was no evidence of massive or selective spread to subserosal tissues in the thorax or abdomen, though trapping of asbestos fibres was observed in pleural "milky spots" in long-term survivors. The possible role of milky spots in the development of pleural plaques and mesotheliomata is discussed.

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Comparative carcinogenicity for mouse-skin of smoke condensates prepared from cigarettes made from the same tobacco cured by two processes.

Bright tobacco grown in Mexico was either flue-cured and redried (FC) or air-cured and bulk-fermented (AC). Both FC and AC were made into cigarettes standardized for draw resistance. FC and AC cigarettes were smoked under similar conditions in a smoking machine (one 2-second 25 ml. puff per minute down to a 20 mm. butt length). Condensates were kept at 0-4° C. until applied to the skin of mice.Three groups of 400 female Swiss mice were treated as follows: Group 1- thrice weekly application of 60 mg. FC in 0.25 ml. acetone to the clipped dorsal skin: Group 2- similar treatment with AC; Group 3-thrice weekly application of 0.25 ml. acetone only.Chemical analysis of the 2 tobaccos and 2 condensates revealed only small differences in composition and it is noteworthy that the concentration of reducing sugars was almost as high as in the AC tobacco as in the FC tobacco.The risk of development of skin tumours, particularly malignant skin tumours, was higher in FC-treated mice than in AC-treated mice (p < 0.01), but the difference may have been due to the use of equal weights of condensates rather than the use of extracts from equal numbers of cigarettes, since the AC cigarettes produced more condensate. The rates of detection of pulmonary tumours also varied between groups (p < 0.01) but this does not necessarily imply that the incidence rates of pulmonary tumours varied. There was no evidence that the detection or incidence rates of any other neoplasms, including malignant lymphoma, were affected by treatment with either of the condensates.

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