Treatment with rabbit antithymocyte serum permits a cyclophosphamide-free approach to prevention of hDAF transgenic porcine kidney xenograft rejection in baboons.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
M J Phillips
Publications and source records attributed to M J Phillips.
The alpha-Gal analog GAS914 ameliorates delayed rejection of hDAF transgenic pig-to-baboon renal xenografts.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Animals↗
Rhabdomyosarcoma metastasizing as a malignant ectomesenchymoma.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a common childhood malignancy that may occasionally occur as a component of a mixed mesenchymal tumor, e.g., a triton tumor or malignant ectomesenchymoma. A case is reported of a 13-year-old boy who had resection of a paratesticular embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma with subsequent radiation and chemotherapy. Two years later, a retroperitoneal metastasis was resected. Histology showed a mixture of rhabdomyoblasts, ganglion cells, and a third population of cells with combined features of these two distinct cell types. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of rhabdomyoblasts with characteristic bundles of myofilaments and Z-band material, and ganglion cells with prominent nuclei and nucleoli, rough endoplasmic reticulum, dense core granules, filaments, and tubules. Notably, the third cell population showed features of both rhabdomyoblasts and ganglion cells. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the mixed population of rhabdomyoblasts (positive for vimentin, desmin, negative for S-100, NSE), ganglion cells (positive for S-100 and NSE, negative for vimentin and desmin), and the third population expressing all test antigens. The features of this metastatic lesion are those of a malignant ectomesenchymoma with combined rhabdomyosarcoma and ganglioneuroma components. It is postulated that this lesion results from biphenotypic expression of tumor cells that previously expressed only rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. The role of prior chemotherapy and radiotherapy in this particular case is unclear.
Adolescent↗
The changing pattern of venous thromboembolic disease.
A review of 14,667 necropsy reports for every year from 1965 to 1990 and 6,436 diagnostic venograms performed from 1976 to 1990 was undertaken at a single teaching hospital. A progressive reduction in the percentage of necropsies reporting fatal pulmonary embolism from 6.1 to 2.1%, occurred over the 25-year period (chi(2) tests for linear trend with time p < 0.00001). Over the last decade, there has been a significant reduction in the rate of venographically diagnosed postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from 49.9 to 24.7 per 100,000 population (p < 0.0001) which was in marked contrast to the constant rate of non-postoperative DVT. Our findings suggest that the introduction of thromboprophylactic measures, in addition to changes in hospital practice, may have had a highly significant effect on the pattern of this serious, but potentially avoidable disease.
Anticoagulants↗
A hitherto unrecognized bile ductular plexus in normal rat liver.
The three-dimensional arrangement of intrahepatic bile ducts was studied by scanning electron microscopy of biliary tract casts. Scanning electron microscopy of biliary casts revealed a complex of portal bile ductular channels. In the rabbit, it is focal and branching whereas in the rat, a plexus comprised of widespread and richly anastomosing network of tubules, 20 to 30 micron in diameter, is present. This plexus was prominent in the large portal tracts and was located at the border of the portal tracts and liver parenchyma. This biliary plexus may play a role in modifying original canalicular bile secreted by hepatocytes.
Animals↗
Ultrastructural evidence of intrahepatic cholestasis before and after chenodeoxycholic acid therapy in patients with cholelithiasis: the national cooperative gallstone study.
Electron microscopy was performed to assess potential hepatotoxicity before and after 9 and 24 months of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) therapy (375 or 750 mg, daily) in 103 patients with cholelithiasis. Prior to treatment, 64% of the biopsies demonstrated ultrastructural evidence of intrahepatic cholestasis, manifested by abnormal bile canaliculi, thickened pericanalicular ectoplasm, and retention of biliary material within liver cells or pericellular spaces. After 9 months of CDCA therapy, several changes (including increased free cytoplasmic "biliary pigment," decreased canalicular microvilli, and increased pericanalicular ectoplasm) consistent with intrahepatic cholestasis became more prevalent (63% prior to therapy, 89% at 9 months, p less than 0.01) regardless of CDCA dose. After 24 months of therapy, canalicular microvilli and pericanalicular ectoplasm continued to be abnormal (p less than 0.01). This study indicates that ultrastructural evidence of intrahepatic cholestasis is a common subclinical abnormality in patients with cholelithiasis which increases during CDCA therapy, changes which could represent either the natural history of cholelithiasis or CDCA toxicity. A drug effect is suggested by the lack of correlation of these abnormalities with the duration of cholelithiasis prior to CDCA treatment and their "increasing" prevalence after only 9 months of therapy. In addition, canalicular membrane lesions developed in two patients which were similar to lithocholate toxicity in animals. It is not known whether these abnormalities would result in clinically significant hepatoxicity if therapy is continued for longer than 24 months.
Bile Canaliculi↗
Prolactin and breast skin temperature rhythms in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer.
Plasma prolactin and cortisol were determined and breast skin temperatures measured in 8 postmenopausal diurnally active-nocturnally resting women, 7 with primary breast cancer and 1 with benign breast disease. In all subjects, prolactin peaked during the early morning hours. Cortisol and oral temperature served as internal physiological markers of anticipated rhythmicity in adrenocortical function and metabolism. In all patients studied, the tumour site had an increased mesor (midline-estimating statistic of rhythm) and reduced amplitude of the circadian breast skin temperature rhythm when compared to a similar site on the contralateral breast. Thermal asymmetry was also observed between left and right breasts. A cancer, if in the left breast, may reinforce lower amplitude and perhaps a higher mesor (associated with the healthy left breast in these particular patients), whereas if it is located in the right breast, it tends to nullify inter-mammary differences in mesor and amplitude. Screening for breast cancer appears to require subjects being monitored on at least two occasions before thermal abnormalities due to tumour or preneoplasia become discernible.
Aged↗