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Biomedical subjects

J A Kirsch

Publications and source records attributed to J A Kirsch.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Phylogeny through brain traits: the mammalian family tree.

Wagner trees based on the analysis of 15 brain characters scored on 154 specimens of 134 mammalian species show consistent patterns of relationship among the taxa, i.e. (1) monotremes are the primitive complement of the group uniting marsupials and placentals; (2) among marsupials, diprotodont Australian forms are more derived; (3) placental mammals divide into two groups of orders, roughly the ferungulates (carnivores, ungulates, and subungulates) and the unguiculates-plus-gliroids (chiropterans, dermopterans, lagomorphs, rodents, primates, and insectivores including elephant shrews); (4) edentates sit at the base of or just before the placental dichotomy; (5) the tree shrew and tarsier show the same pattern of distribution of brain traits as some rodents, as do prosimians and New World monkeys.

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Phylogeny through brain traits: fifteen characters which adumbrate mammalian genealogy.

Fifteen characters of brain organization are identified for which primitive and derived states can be distinguished, and which are thus useful in reconstructing mammalian phylogeny. The states of the characters are numerically coded in sequence from most primitive to most derived, to facilitate reciprocal comparisons in comprehensive genealogical analyses. The characters include certain features of cerebral circulation, cytoarchitecture, fiber pathways, and sensory projections. Seven characters are shared with nonmammals, a fact which makes then particularly useful for establishing their primitive vs. derived states; the other eight characters are features peculiar to mammals. Ten characters provide impressive reinforcement for traditional major grouping of the species, while five provide bases for new ideas about mammalian relationships.

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Phylogeny through brain traits: the distribution of categorizing characters in contemporary mammals.

The varying states of 15 characters of the central neural organization are tabulated as they occur in each of 147 mammalian species. For each character and species, scores are entered designating the primitive or derived state of the character as it is observed in that species. This tabulation provides data in numerically ordered form for multiple analyses of possible phylogenetic relationships which take into account variations in several different characters simultaneously.

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Phylogeny through brain traits. Relation of lateral olfactory tract fibers to the accessory olfactory formation as a palimpsest of mammalian descent.

In mammals the fibers of the dorsal lateral olfactory tract either pass under the accessory olfactory formation, or they penetrate through it separating the internal granule cells from the output cells. The use of this trait as a phylogenetic indicator in 181 specimens representing 131 species of 16 orders yielded evidence for common ancestry of Insectivora, Chiroptera, Dermoptera, Rodentia, and Primates (including Tupaia), since all share the derived trait, their dorsal lateral olfactory tract fibers passing through the accessory olfactory formation. Carnivora (including Pinnipedia), Hyracoidea, Perissodactyla, and most Artiodactyla share the primitive condition (fibers passing under) with the one order of monotremes and three marsupial orders. The Edentata and Lagomorpha may be separate from the two major placental groups and from each other, or they may represent successive stages in the evolution of the derived state through progressive alterations in the relative chronology of development of olfactory system components, or one or both orders may occupy an ancestral position with respect to the dichotomy within placental mammals.

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Post-albumin, a foetal-specific rat plasma protein: Purification, physicochemical and immunological studies.

1. The foetal-specific post-albumin of rat plasma was purified by electrophoresis on a Pevicon block. 2. The sedimentation coefficient, diffusion coefficient and molecular weight were determined for this protein and found to be similar to those of adult rat plasma albumin. 3. Foetal post-albumin and adult albumin were compared immunologically and shown, with rabbit antisera, to share no antigenic determinants, suggesting different genetic control of the production of each. 4. It is suggested that the disappearance of post-albumin in the newborn animal may result from the disappearance of haemopoietic tissue from the rat liver with advancing age.

Journal Article↗

A urethropexy technique for surgical treatment of urethral prolapse in the male dog.

Urethral prolapse is an uncommon condition affecting young male dogs, most commonly English bulldogs. Current described techniques for surgical treatment of urethral prolapse involve manual reduction of prolapsed mucosa and placement of a temporary purse-string suture at the penile tip, or resection of the prolapsed tissue and apposition of urethral and penile mucosa. The incidence of recurrence of urethral prolapse following resection of the prolapse is not known. This report describes a technique for surgical treatment of urethral prolapse in the male dog that minimizes surgical and anesthetic time, is simple to perform, requires minimal equipment, is effective, and is not associated with significant complications or recurrence. Three cases are described.

Animals↗

Pericardial effusion associated with metastatic disease from an unknown primary tumor in a dog.

A 6.5-year-old, spayed female Siberian husky presented with signs of cardiac tamponade and weakness. Pleural, pericardial, and abdominal effusion were identified with radiographs and ultrasound. Pericardiocentesis relieved signs of tamponade, and the dog was clinically improved. Pericardial effusion recurred, and pericardiectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of excised tissues failed to reveal evidence of infectious or neoplastic disease. After pericardiectomy, clinically apparent thoracic effusion persisted. The dog was euthanized, and postmortem histopathological examination revealed emboli of metastatic carcinoma cells in the epicardium. The location of intrathoracic disease in this dog made antemortem diagnosis difficult, if not impossible.

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