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Biomedical subjects

H R Brown

Publications and source records attributed to H R Brown.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Neoplastic and potentially prenoeplastic changes in the upper respiratory tract of rats and mice.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) database was examined for tumor incidences and chemicals producing tumors in the nasal cavity, larynx, or trachea. Slides from appropriate studies were then examined in an attempt to unify terminology and make comparisons between induced and spontaneous tumors and hyperplastic or preneoplastic lesions produced in the upper respiratory system. An attempt was also made to compare the species affected, route of administration, and tumor types produced by different chemicals. The results are not meant to be all inclusive of the NTP database but to be representative of observed trends. General conclusions that emerged from this review were that rats are much more susceptible to epithelial tumors of the nasal cavity than mice; that only mice have been reported to have chemically induced hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas of the nasal cavity; that tumors of the olfactory epithelium and squamous cell tumors of the respiratory epithelium are almost uniformly malignant and invasive, while other tumors of the respiratory epithelium are typically less invasive; that most chemically induced tumors of the olfactory region, either mesenchymal or epithelial, do not require an inhalation route of exposure but appear to occur by systemic targeting of this region; and that a uniform nomenclature for tumors of the nasal cavity is needed.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Thirteen-week toxicity study of n-hexane in B6C3F1 mice after inhalation exposure.

B6C3F1 mice were exposed to n-hexane 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 13 weeks at concentrations of 0, 500, 1000, 4000, and 10,000 ppm and at 1000 ppm 22 h/day, 5 days/week for 13 weeks (1000C group). Toxicological endpoints assessed included clinical signs, body and organ weight changes, gross and histopathology, neuropathology, and a battery of neurobehavioral tests. All mice survived the treatment. Exposure-related effects of n-hexane included sneezing at 10,000 ppm and body weight gain depression at 1000C and 10,000 ppm. Histopathologic changes included mild inflammatory, erosive and regenerative lesions in the olfactory and respiratory epithelium of the nasal cavity at 1000C, 4000, and 10,000 ppm. The only neurobehavioral parameter affected was a decrease in locomotor activity in female mice at 1000C and 10,000 ppm. In teased fiber preparations of tibial nerve, paranodal axonal swellings were observed at 1000C or at 10,000 ppm, but not in the control groups. The severity of the peripheral nerve lesion was mild. These studies show that n-hexane has minimal toxicity to the nervous system and respiratory system of mice.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1989

Postmortem detection of measles virus in non-neural tissues in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a rare, progressive, fatal central nervous system disease of children, is caused by measles virus. Clinical signs occur months to several years after recovery from acute measles infection. It is not known where the virus persists while the disease is inapparent. Involvement of organs outside the central nervous system has rarely been documented. To search for possible peripheral reservoirs of measles virus we used in situ hybridization to probe for measles virus RNA and immunocytochemical studies to localize measles virus antigens ina variety of organs taken at autopsy from confirmed cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Seven of 9 cadavers were found to contain measles virus RNA or antigens, or both, in at least one location outside the central nervous system. These sites included lymphoid organs such as thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, and tonsil, suggesting a role for lymphocytes in disease pathogenesis. Virus was also detected in kidney, lung, and glandular tissues such as pancreas, adrenal, and pituitary. These reservoirs may provide the antigenic stimulus leading to the elevated response characteristic for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Kidney and urinary bladder lesions in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice after 13 weeks of 2,2-bis(bromomethyl)-1,3-propanediol administration.

Thirteen-week toxicity studies of the flame retardant 2,2-bis(bromomethyl)-1,3-propanediol (BMP; dibromoneopentyl glycol; FR-1138; CAS No. 329690-0) were conducted in male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice. The chemical was administered by oral gavage in corn oil 5 days per week for 13 weeks to rats at doses of 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg and to mice at doses of 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, or in the feed for 13 weeks at concentrations of 0, 1250, 2500, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 ppm for rats and at 0, 625, 1250, 2500, 5000, and 10,000 ppm for mice. There was a dose-related decrease in body weight gain in rats and mice after chemical administration. Mortality attributed to toxicity of BMP was seen in the gavage study in 2/10 high-dose (800 mg/kg) male rats and 3/10 high-dose (400 mg/kg) male mice no dose-related mortality occurred in the feed study. Minimal degeneration in the renal papilla was seen in male rats at 800 mg/kg in the gavage study and at doses of 5000 ppm or more in the feed study. This was also present in one female rat at the 20,000 ppm dose. In male mice renal papillary necrosis occurred at 400 mg/kg after dosing by the gavage route and at 2500, 5000, and 10,000 ppm in the dosed-feed study. In female mice papillary necrosis occurred only at the 10,000 ppm dose in the feed study. Tubular cell regeneration of the renal cortex was also present in mice at the same dose levels at which the papillary necrosis was observed. Transitional cell hypeplasia of the urinary bladder was seen in male rats at 400 and 800 mg/kg and in both sexes of mice at 200 and 400 mg/kg. Hyperplasia of the urinary bladder was also seen when BMP was administered in the feed at doses of 20,000 ppm to male rats; at doses of 2500, 5000, and 10,000 ppm to male mice; and at doses of 5000 and 10,000 ppm to female mice. The kidney and urinary bladder are target organs when BMP is administered by gavage or the dosed-feed route; mice were more sensitive than rats for the development of kidney and bladder lesions. Male rats and mice were more sensitive than females for the development of renal papillary degeneration or necrosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Work site blood pressure control: the evolution of a program.

In 1976, in an employee population of approximately 8700, there was little information about the prevalence of hypertension or the level of control in the known hypertensive workers. The problem was approached initially by screening and then by aggressive follow-up. Ultimately, 21.4% of the employees were identified as hypertensive or in a borderline range. In the population treated at the work site and those treated by outside sources, the level of control was brought to a point consistently over 80% by 1987. It is apparent that continued efforts to identify hypertension, combined with aggressive follow-up, can achieve a significant level of control in a work site population.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1988

Lack of delayed neurotoxic effect after tri-o-cresyl phosphate treatment in male Fischer 344 rats: biochemical, neurobehavioral, and neuropathological studies.

Tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), which produces a delayed neurotoxic syndrome in humans and some animal species, was given to Fischer 344 (F344) male (18 week old) rats to determine if it causes biochemical, sensorimotor, and neuropathological effects. Animals were given TOCP by gavage in doses ranging from 10 to 100 mg of TOCP/kg daily for a period of 63 days. The rats were subjected to a series of neurobehavioral tests including fore- and hindlimb grip strength, motor activity, tremor, and latency to respond to a thermal stimulus. Central and peripheral nervous tissues were examined for damage characteristic of organophosphorous compound-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN). Brain neurotoxic esterase and acetylcholinesterase activities were inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion. A group of three chickens treated with 100 mg of TOCP/kg/day for 18 days was included as the positive control for enzymatic and histopathological alterations associated with OPIDN. Rats showed no consistent neurobehavioral changes or evidence of neuropathological damage in nervous tissues associated with treatment. In contrast, chickens treated with TOCP developed delayed neurotoxicity characterized by ataxia, which progressed to paralysis. These neurological changes included swelling, fragmentation, and degeneration of the axon and myelin in both central and peripheral nervous tissues. This study concludes that the F344 rat is not sensitive to the delayed neurotoxic effects of TOCP. When studying OPIDN in rats, care must be exercised in choosing the experimental animal since some strains, e.g., F344, are not sensitive.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Transmission of measles virus encephalitis to ferrets by intracardiac inoculation of a cell-associated SSPE virus strain.

Ferret fibroblasts infected with a cell-associated strain of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus were inoculated into the hearts of ferrets in order to study whether the virus can spread from the blood to the brain in this animal model. Five of 21 inoculated ferrets developed encephalitis 5-7 days later and were sacrificed. Sick animals showed inflammatory lesions in the brain, both perivascular cuffings and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the choroid plexus and meninges. Virus was isolated in cell cultures from various parts of the brain and virus antigen was found by immunostaining, particularly in the cortex. Virus was not detected in inflammatory cells by immunostaining but in situ hybridization with a cDNA probe demonstrated measles virus RNA in neurons and glia cells surrounding perivascular inflammatory cuffings and in a lymph node of one ferret. Ferrets inoculated into the heart with cell-associated SSPE virus seem to be a suitable animal model to study how the virus spreads from the blood to the brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Histopathological assessment of triphenyl phosphite neurotoxicity in the hen.

The signs of neurotoxicity observed in the cat and the rat following single or multiple doses of the phosphorous acid ester triphenyl phosphite (TPP) have been reported to differ from the syndrome known as organophosphorous compound induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN) caused by some phosphoric acid esters. Since the hen is the test animal traditionally used to test compounds for OPIDN, we chose to study the neurotoxicity of single, subcutaneous doses of TPP using the hen. TPP (1000 mg/kg) produced progressive ataxia and paralysis which developed 5-10 days after dosing. The clinical signs were accompanied by axonal damage in the lateral columns of the spinal cord and peripheral nerve. Similar signs were observed following neurotoxic doses of the OPIDN-causing agents tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) or diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP). In addition, TPP caused damage to axons in the brain and gray matter of the spinal cord, and chromatolysis and neuronal necrosis were frequently observed in the spinal cord. These latter areas were not affected by TOCP or DFP. The minimum neurotoxic dose of TPP was found to be 500 mg/kg. Prior administration of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) reduced the incidence of damage to the peripheral nerve of animals dosed with TPP, but did not prevent toxic effects on the cell bodies in the spinal cord or the clinical effects. The results of this study indicate that TPP causes neuronal damage in addition to the axonal damage observed with OPIDN. Therefore, we conclude that two distinct mechanisms underlie the neurotoxicity of TPP.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Measles virus matrix protein gene expression in a subacute sclerosing panencephalitis patient brain and virus isolate demonstrated by cDNA hybridization and immunocytochemistry.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare, fatal disease of children caused by a persistent measles virus infection of the central nervous system. A defect in synthesis of measles virus matrix (M) protein may be a factor in virus persistence in the brain. This study details attempts to detect expression of M protein in the brain of an SSPE patient, in the cell-associated virus isolated from this brain, and in brains of ferrets inoculated with the isolate. In situ hybridization with a tritiated cloned cDNA probe was used to search for RNA encoding M protein. Immunostaining with monospecific antiserum and the avidin-biotin-peroxidase technique was done to locate the polypeptide. The data obtained indicate that although nucleotide sequences coding for M protein were detected in the patient and ferret brains, expression of M protein in these tissues could not be detected. In the culture SSPE virus isolate, the results were the same until the infected cells were examined by electron microscopy and a very limited expression of M protein was revealed. This suggests either diminished synthesis and/or rapid degradation of M protein in this cell-associated virus strain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Inactivation of enveloped viruses and killing of cells by fatty acids and monoglycerides.

Lipids in fresh human milk do not inactivate viruses but become antiviral after storage of the milk for a few days at 4 or 23 degrees C. The appearance of antiviral activity depends on active milk lipases and correlates with the release of free fatty acids in the milk. A number of fatty acids which are normal components of milk lipids were tested against enveloped viruses, i.e., vesicular stomatitis virus, herpes simplex virus, and visna virus, and against a nonenveloped virus, poliovirus. Short-chain and long-chain saturated fatty acids had no or a very small antiviral effect at the highest concentrations tested. Medium-chain saturated and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, on the other hand, were all highly active against the enveloped viruses, although the fatty acid concentration required for maximum viral inactivation varied by as much as 20-fold. Monoglycerides of these fatty acids were also highly antiviral, in some instances at a concentration 10 times lower than that of the free fatty acids. None of the fatty acids inactivated poliovirus. Antiviral fatty acids were found to affect the viral envelope, causing leakage and at higher concentrations, a complete disintegration of the envelope and the viral particles. They also caused disintegration of the plasma membranes of tissue culture cells resulting in cell lysis and death. The same phenomenon occurred in cell cultures incubated with stored antiviral human milk. The antimicrobial effect of human milk lipids in vitro is therefore most likely caused by disintegration of cellular and viral membranes by fatty acids. Studies are needed to establish whether human milk lipids have an antimicrobial effect in the stomach and intestines of infants and to determine what role, if any, they play in protecting infants against gastrointestinal infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Demonstration of immunoglobulin in brains of ferrets inoculated with an SSPE strain of measles virus: use of protein A conjugated to horseradish peroxidase.

Measles virus-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) has been found in the brains of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a slowly progressing central nervous system (CNS) disease affecting children. IgG/albumin ratios indicate that the antibodies are probably synthesized in the CNS. In a ferret model system, protein A conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (PrAPx) was used to localize Ig's in brains of animals inoculated with a cell associated strain of SSPE. Ig's were found in plasma cells in various stages of antibody production both in perivascular inflammatory lesions and scattered throughout the cerebral cortex. These findings offer corroborative evidence that the Ig found in SSPE ferret brain and CSF is actively synthesized within the CNS. Antibody was also demonstrated in glial and neuronal cell bodies and processes and in postsynaptic profiles. These are the same sites where measles virus antigens are most frequently found and suggests the possibility of immune complex formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Renaturation of skeletal muscle tropomyosin: implications for in vivo assembly.

The observation that the alpha beta heterodimer is the predominant species of tropomyosin in rabbit skeletal muscles has led to the suggestion that this species assembles preferentially. To understand the molecular basis of this assembly process, we have studied renaturation under conditions that favor heterodimer formation. When skeletal muscle tropomyosin composed of equal amounts of alpha and beta subunits is renatured either by cooling or by dialysis a distribution that favors homodimers is generated. In contrast, rapid renaturation by dilution from urea favors the heterodimer. Further analysis of this latter renaturation procedure with cysteine-cleavage fragments of tropomyosin using circular dichroic measurements shows that as few as 30 residues in the NH2-terminal third of each tropomyosin subunit are involved in the initial interaction that results in heterodimer formation. Based on the density of sequence substitutions between the alpha and beta subunits, that region probably includes residues 36-64.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Bacteriophage P22 tail protein gene expression.

We have found that mutations which block bacteriophage P22 head assembly at or before the DNA packaging stage (1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, and 8-) cause up to a 20-fold increase in the amount of tail (gene 9) protein made during infection. This correlation seems strong enough to warrant consideration of a control mechanism in which the failure to package DNA per se causes a large increase in the synthesis of tail protein. Our results indicate that one of the repressors required for maintenance of lysogeny, the mnt gene product, may be partially responsible for this phenomenon.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗
PubMed1985

Localization of measles virus antigens in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in ferrets.

Young adult male ferrets were inoculated intracerebrally (i.c.) with a cell-associated encephalitogenic subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) virus strain to study the pathogenesis of the disease at the ultrastructural level. Most became acutely ill in 8-13 days. Areas of the brain were examined with indirect immunoperoxidase labeling techniques to detect measles antigen. None of these animals showed the characteristic viral nucleocapsids or marked inflammatory response associated with SSPE. However, all had positive immunolabeling of unstructured virus antigen, especially in post-synaptic regions in all areas of the brain that were examined. One ferret, immunized with measles vaccine 40 days prior to challenge with SSPE, became ill 18 days post inoculation (p.i.). Perivascular cuffings of inflammatory cells and large cytoplasmic inclusions of fuzzy nucleocapsids were found in the brain and spinal cord. The study indicates that ferrets which become acutely ill after inoculation with cell-associated SSPE virus do so before there is a marked cellular immune response or formation of virus nucleocapsids.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Measles virus encephalitis in ferrets as a model for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Young adult ferrets were used as experimental animals to study subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). When cells infected with cell-associated measles virus strains isolated from SSPE patients were inoculated intracerebrally (i.c.) into ferrets, they developed an acute encephalitis and died within 1 to 3 weeks without detectable antibody formation. Immunization with live measles vaccine 5 weeks before i.c. inoculation changed the course of the infection in about 50% of the ferrets. These animals developed a subacute encephalitis within weeks or months after inoculation. Cell-associated measles virus was isolated from their brains and high measles antibody titers were found in their sera, comparable to those in sera of SSPE patients. Measles virus specific immunoglobulins (IgG) were present in their brains and determination of IgG/albumin ratios indicated that antibodies were synthesized in the brain in response to the persistent measles virus infection. Measles specific oligoclonal IgG bands were found in the sera and spinal fluids of these animals. Therefore, subacute ferret encephalitis has virological and immunological characteristics in common with SSPE, indicating that it may serve as a model for the human disease. Other animal models of SSPE are described briefly.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Morphology, organelles and susceptibility to viruses of cultured ferret cells.

Cells explanted from a normal 6-week-old ferret's brain have been subcultured over 100 times, have undergone over 400 population doublings, possess ferret-specific antigens and are referred to as Mpf cells. Low passage-level Mpf cells formed diffuse colonies with ill-defined borders which had a swirling 'finger-print' pattern whereas the colonies formed by high passage-level cells were more densely populated and had distinct borders. Mpf cells at their 100th passage level appeared as a loose monolayer with ill-defined cytoplasmic borders and contained microfilaments, ovoid nuclei, granular endoplasmic reticula with large dilated cisternae filled with an amorphous medium electron-dense product, abundant free ribosomes, irregular and hypertrophic Golgi bodies, mitochondria, and lipid inclusions associated with lipofuscin deposits. Chains of vesicles, 120-150 nm in diameter, some opening to the exterior, were aligned at the cytoplasmic border. The Mpf cells exhibited cytopathology and synthesized progeny virus when exposed to representatives of the Arboviruses, Arenoviruses, Paramyxoviruses, Poxviruses, Retroviruses and Rhabdoviruses.

Animals↗