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Biomedical subjects

J M Benson

Publications and source records attributed to J M Benson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Multiple atresias in a low-birth-weight twin.

This report describes a case of 16 small bowel atresias in a twin who was born at 31 weeks' gestation, weighing 1,690 g. All atresias and intestinal segments of 5 cm or less in length were resected, resulting in nine primary anastomoses, preserving 75% (107 cm) of his initial small bowel length. The baby went home on full oral feedings after 10 weeks. Multiple anastomoses in the low-birth-weight neonate can be tolerated with the functional benefit of maximal bowel length. The time taken to tolerate feedings appears to be independent of the number of anastomoses. Vascular anastomoses associated with monochorionic twinning may place both fetuses at risk of intestinal atresia in the event of an ischemic insult, either concurrently or with the demise of one affecting the other. Prenatal ultrasound scan appears to be useful for monitoring the evolution of intestinal atresia. However, the risks of extreme prematurity preclude the delivery of the affected baby at the time of initial diagnosis, and as yet it is unknown whether early delivery will alter the number, type, or prognosis of multiple atresias.

Diseases in Twins↗

Dosimetry and acute toxicity of inhaled butadiene diepoxide in rats and mice.

Butadiene diepoxide (BDO2), a metabolite of 1,3-butadiene (BD) and potent mutagen, is suspected to be a proximate carcinogen in the multisite tumorigenesis in B6C3F1 mice exposed to BD. Rats, in contrast to mice, do not form much BDO2 when exposed to BD, and they do not form cancers after exposure to the low levels of BD at which mice develop lung and heart tumors. Tests were planned to determine the direct carcinogenic potential of BDO2 in similarly exposed rats and mice, to see if they would develop tumors of the lung (the most sensitive target organ in BD-exposed mice) or other target tissues. The objective of the current series of studies was to assess the acute toxicity and dosimetry to blood and lung of BDO2 administered by various routes to B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats. The studies were needed to aid in the design of the carcinogenesis study. Initial studies using intraperitoneal injection of BDO2 were designed to determine the rate at which each of the species cleared the compound from the body; the clearance was equally fast in both species. A second study was designed to determine if the highly reactive BDO2, when deposited in the lung, would enter the bloodstream from the lung; intratracheally instilled BDO2 did enter the bloodstream, indicating that exposure via the lungs would result in BDO2 reaching other organs of the body. In a third study, rats and mice were exposed by inhalation for 6 h to 12 ppm BDO2 to determine blood and lung levels of the compound. Concentrations of BDO2 in the lung immediately after the exposure were 2 to 3 times higher than in the blood in both species (approximately 500 and 1000 pmol/g blood in the rat and mouse, respectively). As expected, mice received a higher dose/g tissue than did rats, consistent with the higher minute volume/kg body weight of the mice. The inhalation dosimetry study was followed by a histopathology study to determine the acute toxicity to rodents following a single, 6-h exposure to 18 ppm BDO2. No clinical signs of toxicity were observed; lesions were confined to the olfactory epithelium where areas of necrosis were observed. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid did not indicate pulmonary inflammation. Based on these findings, an attempt was made to expose rats and mice repeatedly (for 7 days) to 10 and 20 ppm BDO2, but these exposure concentrations proved too toxic, due to inflammation of the nasal mucosa and occlusion of the nasal airway, a lesion that cannot be tolerated by obligate nose breathers. Finally, the toxicity of rats and mice exposed 6 h/day for 5 days to 0, 2.5, or 5.0 ppm BDO2 was determined. The repeated exposures caused no clinical signs of toxicity, nor were any lesions observed in the respiratory tract or other major organs. Therefore, the final design selected for the carcinogenesis study comprised exposing the rats and mice for 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 6 weeks to 0, 2.5, or 5.0 ppm BDO2.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Carcinogenicity of inhaled butadiene diepoxide in female B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats.

Previous studies suggest that the greater sensitivity of mice, compared to rats, to the carcinogenicity of 1,3-butadiene (BD) is linked to higher rates of BD metabolism to butadiene diepoxide (BDO2) by mice than rats. The purpose of this study was to determine the tumorigenicity of BDO2 in mice and rats exposed by inhalation to the same concentrations of the agent. Female B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, 10-11 weeks old, 56/group, were exposed to 0, 2.5, or 5.0 ppm BDO2, 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 6 weeks. At the end of the BDO2 exposure, 8 animals/group were evaluated for toxicity. The remainder of the exposed rats and mice were held for up to 18 months for observation of tumor development. At the end of the exposure, rats had no biologically significant alteration in standard hematological parameters, but mice had a dose-dependent increase in neutrophils and decrease in lymphocytes. Most of the significant lesions in both species were in the nose, concentrated around the main airflow pathway. Necrosis, inflammation, and squamous metaplasia of the nasal mucosa, as well as atrophy of the turbinates, were all present in animals exposed to 5.0 ppm. In mice, necrosis and inflammation subsided within 6 months, but squamous metaplasia remained. In rats that died after exposure, squamous metaplasia was seen in areas of earlier inflammation and extended beyond those areas with time. The metaplasia was severe enough to restrict and occlude the nasopharyngeal duct. Later, keratinizing squamous-cell carcinomas developed from metaplastic foci in rats, but these were not seen in mice. At the end of 18 months, the only significant increase in neoplasia in the exposed rats was a dose-dependent increase in neoplasms of the nasal mucosa (0/47, 12/48, and 21/48 for the control, 2.5 ppm, and 5.0 ppm exposures, respectively). Neoplasia of the nasal mucosa did not increase significantly in the mice. Neoplastic lesions in the mice were observed in reproductive organs, lymph nodes, bone, liver, Harderian gland, pancreas, and lung, but the only significant increase in neoplasms in a single organ in the mice was in the Harderian gland (0/40, 2/42, and 5/36 for the control, 2.5 ppm, and 5.0 ppm exposures, respectively). This tumor accounts for the apparent trend toward an increase in total neoplastic lesions in mice as a function of dose (10/40, 7/42, and 16/36 for control, 2.5 ppm, and 5.0 ppm, respectively). These findings indicate that the metabolite of BD, BDO2, is carcinogenic in the upper respiratory tract of rats. An increase in upper respiratory tract tumors was not observed in similarly exposed mice, despite the fact that preliminary studies indicated mice should have received twice the dose to tissue than did the rats. Higher cytosolic activity of detoxication enzymes has been reported in the liver and lung cells of the mouse compared to the rat, and this may account, in part, for the differences in response. The transport of externally administered BDO2, into the cell and through the cytoplasm, might allow detoxication of the molecule before it reaches critical sites on the DNA. The results indicate that the site of formation of the BDO2 is important for tumor induction.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Tirofiban and intracoronary stenting: evaluation of a new pharmacologic regimen.

Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists are effective in decreasing cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Abciximab reduces cardiac morbidity in patients receiving coronary stents. We sought to evaluate the use of tirofiban infusion in patients receiving intracoronary stents. We created a prospective registry of 50 consecutive patients in a single catheterization lab receiving a single vial of tirofiban (12.5 mg) and stenting. Successful stent deployment with a 30-day follow-up occurred in all patients. Clinical endpoints included death (0%), procedural infarct (4%), urgent revascularization (0%), stroke (0%), bleeding complication (4%), and vascular injury (0%). Tirofiban appeared to be a safe adjunctive therapy to coronary stenting.

Adult↗

Overview and initial results of the very long baseline interferometry space observatory programme

High angular resolution images of extragalactic radio sources are being made with the Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communications and Astronomy (HALCA) satellite and ground-based radio telescopes as part of the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Space Observatory Programme (VSOP). VSOP observations at 1.6 and 5 gigahertz of the milli-arc-second-scale structure of radio quasars enable the quasar core size and the corresponding brightness temperature to be determined, and they enable the motions of jet components that are close to the core to be studied. Here, VSOP images of the gamma-ray source 1156+295, the quasar 1548+056, the ultraluminous quasar 0014+813, and the superluminal quasar 0212+735 are presented and discussed.

Journal Article↗

The up-regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 in human endothelial cells by activated protein C.

The protein C/protein S anticoagulant pathway has been proposed to be a common link between coagulation and inflammation. Studies have suggested that a component of the anticoagulant pathway, activated protein C (APC), may play a role in the inflammatory response by modulating the effects of cytokines such as TNF and by blocking neutrophil activation. Cytokines are known to be intimately involved in the inflammatory response and to function in part to restore hemostatic balance. To begin to delineate what role APC may have in the inflammatory response, we have investigated the effect of APC on the production of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 in primary HUVEC, human microvascular endothelial cells, and human coronary artery endothelial cells. Our results have demonstrated that physiologic concentrations of APC significantly up-regulated the production of both IL-6 and IL-8. This increase, which was seen at both the RNA and protein level, was not due to either thrombin or LPS contamination of the APC preparation. Additional studies also showed that the APC-mediated up-regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 was IL-1 independent. Although neither purified protein C nor protein S alone had an effect on cytokine production, protein S, the cofactor for APC, significantly enhanced the ability of APC to up-regulate IL-6/IL-8 production. These results provide further evidence for a role for APC in the inflammatory response.

Aprotinin↗

Transitions in cell organization and in expression of contractile and extracellular matrix proteins during development of chicken aortic smooth muscle: evidence for a complex spatial and temporal differentiation program.

Whereas the understanding of the mechanisms underlying skeletal and cardiac muscle development has been increased dramatically in recent years, the understanding of smooth muscle development is still in its infancy. This paper summarizes studies on the ontogeny of chicken smooth muscle cells in the wall of the aorta and aortic arch-derived arteries. Employing immunocytochemistry with antibodies against smooth muscle contractile and extracellular matrix proteins we trace smooth muscle cell patterning from early development throughout adulthood. Comparing late stage embryos to young and adult chickens we demonstrate, for all the stages analyzed, that the cells in the media of aortic arch-derived arteries and of the thoracic aorta are organized in alternating lamellae. The lamellar cells, but not the interlamellar cells, express smooth muscle specific contractile proteins and are surrounded by basement membrane proteins. This smooth muscle cell organization of lamellar and interlamellar cells is fully acquired by embryonic day 11 (ED 11). We further show that, during earlier stages of embryogenesis (ED3 through ED7), cells expressing smooth muscle proteins appear only in the peri-endothelial region of the aortic and aortic arch wall and are organized as a narrow band of cells that does not demonstrate the lamellar-interlamellar pattern. On ED9, infrequent cells organized in lamellar-interlamellar organization can be detected and their frequency increases by ED10. In addition to changes in cell organization, we show that there is a characteristic sequence of contractile and extracellular matrix protein expression during development of the aortic wall. At ED3 the peri-endothelial band of differentiated smooth muscle cells is already positive for smooth muscle alpha actin (alphaSM-actin) and fibronectin. By the next embryonic day the peri-endothelial cell layer is also positive for smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (SM-MLCK). Subsequently, by ED5 this peri-endothelial band of differentiated smooth muscle cells is positive for alphaSM-actin, SM-MLCK, SM-calponin, fibronectin, and collagen type IV. However, laminin and desmin (characteristic basement membrane and contractile proteins of smooth muscle) are first seen only at the onset of the lamellar-interlamellar cell organization (ED9 to ED10). We conclude that the development of chicken aortic smooth muscle involves transitions in cell organization and in expression of smooth muscle proteins until the adult-like phenotype is achieved by mid-embryogenesis. This detailed analysis of the ontogeny of chick aortic smooth muscle should provide a sound basis for future studies on the regulatory mechanisms underlying vascular smooth muscle development.

Age Factors↗

Suppression of murine chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by the oral administration of myelin basic protein.

Chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced in mice by the injection of myelin basic protein (MBP), is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease characterized by periods of paralysis and remission. We have shown previously that the oral administration of MBP or MBP peptides renders Lewis rats refractory to EAE. This study was undertaken to examine the conditions necessary to produce oral tolerance in a chronic relapsing model of EAE in B10.PL mice. The optimal tolerizing regimen for the mouse was found to be a single feeding of 20 mg of MBP suspended in PBS. To determine the ability to suppress chronic disease, a range of doses (0.4-100 mg) was administered orally in a single dose before challenge. Larger oral doses (20 or 100 mg) of MBP provided the best protection from EAE, while 0.4 mg exacerbated the clinical course of disease. Secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-2 and IFN-gamma, were lowest in the group fed 20 mg. A single feeding of MBP before challenge or as late as the first day of clinical signs showed significant protection over the relapsing disease course. Once relapsing EAE was established, multiple oral doses of MBP were required to achieve suppression of clinical signs of disease. These findings suggest that vehicle, dosage, and timing are important considerations in the successful application of oral tolerance strategies for suppression of chronic disease processes.

Administration, Oral↗

Oligonucleotide ligation assay for detection of the factor V mutation (Arg506-->Gln) causing protein C resistance.

A point mutation in the Factor V (FV) gene at the activated protein C cleavage site, FV Arg (R)506-->FV Gln (Q)506, is the reported molecular basis for resistance to activated protein C (APC-R). This mutation has been reported in approximately 20-50% of individuals with previously unexplained thrombophilia and 3-5% of the general population. We have adapted an oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) for nonisotopic detection of the FV:Q506 mutation which permits rapid screening for this mutation. First, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for target DNA amplification, thus permitting nonisotopic reporters in the DNA analysis. Then thermostable ligase was used for ligation or covalent coupling of adjacent wild-type and mutant oligonucleotide probes which occurs only when the probes are annealed to a matched amplicon. A colorimetric ELISA-based detection assay was then used to capture 5' biotinylated probes in 96-well streptavidin-coated plates and by virtue of ligation, detection of a 3' digoxigenin reporter probe. Following the addition of anti-digoxigenin conjugate and enhanced alkaline phosphatase signal amplification, colorimetric substrate change was measured in an ELISA plate reader. This assay correctly identified FV genotypes of 290 samples.

Base Sequence↗

Tonsillar tissue penetration of dirithromycin after multiple doses.

Dirithromycin is a new macrolide antibiotic that is effective against group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis. This prospective, multicenter, randomized study compared the serum and tonsil tissue concentrations of erythromycylamine (to which dirithromycin is rapidly converted by nonenzymatic hydrolysis during absorption) and erythromycin after 5- and 10-day regimens of dirithromycin and erythromycin, respectively. Thirty-nine patients undergoing elective tonsillectomy but without active tonsillitis were assigned in randomized fashion to receive dirithromycin 500 mg orally once daily (n = 22) or erythromycin base 250 mg orally four times daily (n = 17). Data from 12 patients receiving dirithromycin and 10 receiving erythromycin were eligible for analysis. Mean serum concentrations (+/-standard deviation) of erythromycylamine and erythromycin were 0.20 +/- 0.07 microgram/mL and 0.12 +/- 0.25 microgram/mL, respectively, after the 5-day regimen and 0.17 +/- 0.10 microgram/mL and 1.57 +/- 3.16 micrograms/mL, respectively, after the 10-day regimen. The mean serum concentration of erythromycin after 10 days was skewed by the data for one of the six patients in the group (concentration of > 8 micrograms/mL). Mean concentrations of erythromycylamine in tonsil tissue were 4.62 +/- 0.97 micrograms/ g after 5 days and 3.47 +/- 2.84 micrograms/g after 10 days. Concentrations in tonsillar tissue were undetectable in all patients given erythromycin for 5 days and in 4 of the 6 patients given erythromycin for 10 days. The high concentrations of erythromycylamine in tonsillar tissue agree with the clinical efficacy seen in the treatment of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis with dirithromycin.

Adolescent↗

Structure and evolution of the compact radio source in NGC 1275.

Investigations of the fine-scale structure in the compact nucleus of the radio source 3C 84 in NGC 1275 (New General Catalogue number) are reported. Structural monitoring observations beginning as early as 1976, and continuing to the present, revealed subluminal motions in a jet-like relatively diffuse region extending away from a flat-spectrum core. A counterjet feature was discovered in 1993, and very recent nearly simultaneous studies have detected the same feature at five frequencies ranging from 5 to 43 GHz. The counterjet exhibits a strong low-frequency cutoff, giving this region of the source an inverted spectrum. The observations are consistent with a physical model in which the cutoff arises from free-free absorption in a volume that surrounds the core but obscures only the counterjet feature. If such a model is confirmed, very-long-baseline radio interferometry observations can then be used to probe the accretion region, outside the radio jet, on parsec scales.

Journal Article↗

Pulmonary toxicity of nickel subsulfide in F344/N rats exposed for 1-22 days.

Repeated inhalation of nickel subsulfide (Ni3S2) by F344/N rats for 3 months results in chronic active inflammation in the lung and atrophy of the olfactory epithelium. The primary purpose of this study was to determine early responses of the respiratory tract to inhaled Ni3S2 in rats and to track the course of development of such lesions in rats exposed for up to 22 days. A secondary purpose was to obtain an improved estimate of the half-time for clearance of Ni from Ni3S2-exposed lungs. Groups of F344/N rats were exposed to 0, 0.6 or 2.5 mg Ni3S2/m3, 6 h/day for 1-22 days. Histopathological changes in nose and lung, as well as biochemical and cytological changes in lung, as measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue, alveolar macrophage (AM) viability and Ni concentration in lung were evaluated. Inflammatory lung lesions in rats exposed to 2.5 mg Ni3S2/m3 peaked in intensity after 4 days of exposure. Minimal degeneration of the olfactory epithelium was noted in the 2.5 mg Ni3S2/m3-exposed rats after day 4 of exposure, with atrophy of the olfactory epithelium occurring in rats killed at 22 days. Lactate dehydrogenase, beta-glucuronidase and total protein in BALF were significantly elevated within 7 days of exposure while alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly depressed. AM viability was significantly reduced after 2 days of exposure. Concentrations of Ni in lung increased rapidly during the first 7 days of exposure, but more slowly thereafter. Lung burden data from this and a previous study suggest a clearance half-time for Ni of 3.5-8 days. Results indicate that Ni3S2 is relatively soluble in lung and inhalation of concentrations near the current Threshold Limit Value of 1 mg Ni/m3 can produce detrimental changes in the respiratory tract of rats after only a few days of exposure.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Comparative carcinogenic effects of nickel subsulfide, nickel oxide, or nickel sulfate hexahydrate chronic exposures in the lung.

The relative toxicity and carcinogenicity of nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NiSO4.6H2O), nickel subsulfide (Ni3S2), and nickel oxide (NiO) were studied in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice after inhalation exposure for 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 2 years. Nickel subsulfide (0.15 and 1 mg/m3) and nickel oxide (1.25 and 2.5 mg/m3) caused an exposure-related increased incidence of alveolar/bronchiolar neoplasms and adrenal medulla neoplasms in male and female rats. Nickel oxide caused an equivocal exposure-related increase in alveolar/bronchiolar neoplasms in female mice. No exposure-related neoplastic responses occurred in rats or mice exposed to nickel sulfate or in mice exposed to nickel subsulfide. These findings are consistent with results from other studies, which show that nickel subsulfide and nickel oxide reach the nucleus in greater amounts than the do water-soluble nickel compounds such as nickel sulfate. It has been proposed that the more water-insoluble particles are phagocytized, whereas the vacuoles containing nickel migrate to the nuclear membrane, where they release nickel ions that effect DNA damage. The findings from these experimental studies show that chronic exposure to nickel can cause lung neoplasms in rats, and that this response is related to exposure to specific types of nickel compounds.

Animals↗

Hemostatic properties of the SV-40 transfected human microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC-1). A representative in vitro model for microvascular endothelium.

HMEC-1 is a SV-40T transfected human microvascular endothelial cell line that constitutively expresses RNA transcripts for plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), protein S (PS), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and thrombomodulin. Tissue factor (TF) can be induced in response to stimulation with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Proteins corresponding to PAI-1, t-PA, protein S and vWF genes were constitutively released in the culture supernatant. This cell line is a model that will be useful to investigate coagulation/fibrinolytic properties of microvascular endothelium.

Basal Metabolism↗

Particle clearance and histopathology in lungs of F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice inhaling nickel oxide or nickel sulfate.

The goals of this study were to (1) determine the effects of repeated inhalation of relatively insoluble nickel oxide (NiO) and highly soluble nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NiSO4.6H2O) on lung particle clearance, (2) investigate the effects of repeated inhalation of NiO or NiSO4 on the pulmonary clearance of subsequently inhaled 85Sr-labeled microspheres, (3) correlate the observed effects on clearance with accumulated Ni lung burden and associated pathological changes in the lung, and (4) compare responses in F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice. Male F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed whole-body to either NiO or NiSO4.6H2O 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for up to 6 months. NiO exposure concentrations were 0, 0.62, and 2.5 mg NiO/m3 for rats and 0, 1.25, and 5.0 mg NiO/m3 for mice. NiSO4.6H2O exposure concentrations were 0, 0.12, and 0.5 mg NiSO4.6H2O/m3 for rats and 0, 0.25, and 1.0 mg NiSO4.6H2O/m3 for mice. After 2 and 6 months of whole-body exposure, groups of rats and mice were acutely exposed nose-only to 63NiO (NiO-exposed animals only), 63NiSO4.6H2O (NiSO4.6H2O-exposed animals only), or to 85Sr-labeled polystyrene latex (PSL) microspheres (both NiO- and NiSO4.6H2O-exposed animals) to evaluate lung clearance. In addition, groups of rats and mice were euthanized after 2 and 6 months of exposure and at 2 and 4 months after the whole-body exposures were completed to evaluate histopathological changes in the left lung and to quantitate Ni in the right lung. Repeated inhalation of NiO results in accumulation of Ni in lungs of both rats and mice, but to a greater extent in lungs of rats. During the 4 months after the end of the whole-body exposures, some clearance of the accumulated Ni burden occurred from the lungs of rats and mice exposed to the lower, but not the higher NiO exposure concentrations. Clearance of acutely inhaled 63NiO was also impaired in both rats and mice, with the extent of impairment related to both exposure concentration and duration. However, the clearance of acutely inhaled 85Sr PSL microspheres was not impaired. The repeated inhalation of NiO resulted in alveolar macrophage (AM) hyperplasia with accumulation of NiO particles in both rats and mice, chronic alveolitis in rats, and interstitial pneumonia in mice. These lesions persisted throughout the 4-month recovery period after the NiO whole-body exposures were terminated. In contrast, repeated inhalation of NiSO4.6H2O did not result in accumulation of Ni in lungs of either rats or mice and did not affect the clearance of 63NiSO4.6H2O inhaled after either 2 or 6 months of NiSO4.6H2O exposure. Clearance of the 85Sr-labeled microspheres was significantly impaired only in rats exposed to the microspheres after 2 months of exposure to NiSO4.6H2O. Histopathological changes in rats were qualitatively similar to those seen in NiO-exposed rats. Only minimal histopathological changes were observed in NiSO4.6H2O-exposed mice. These results suggest that repeated inhalation of NiO at levels resulting in AM hyperplasia and alveolitis may impair clearance of subsequently inhaled NiO. The potential effects of repeated inhalation of soluble NiSO4.6H2O on the clearance of subsequently inhaled poorly soluble particles are less clear.

Administration, Inhalation↗