Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R B Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to R B Wilson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Unusual lipid composition of erythrocytes from the insectivorous bat Molossus molossus.

The lipid composition of washed erythrocytes from Molossus molossus and Molossus ater were studied. In comparison with other mammalian species, bat erythrocytes were characterized by very high cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratios, as well as by low sphingomyelin content. The lipid composition of bat erythrocytes was similar to that of patients suffering from lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency, but the physiological significance of this in bats is unknown.

Animals↗

Central nervous system involvement in congenital visceral fibromatosis.

Congenital visceral myofibromatosis is an uncommon disorder characterized by multiple tumors of myofibroblastic origin in the neonatal period. The natural history of the disorder has been well delineated. The myofibroblast is the cell of origin of the tumor. This is a report of a patient in whom multiple mesenchymal tumors occurred in the CNS as well as in other organs. Light and electron microscopic findings of the CNS lesions are similar to those of the somites and viscera.

Adult↗

Double outlet right ventricle in a calf.

Double outlet right ventricle, a rare congenital heart anomaly of either animals or man, was diagnosed in a three day old Brangus heifer. The clinical course was brief, consisting of terminal recumbency, dyspnea and cyanosis. Upon necropsy, the heart was enlarged as a result of marked dilatation of the right atrium and the right ventricle. The aorta arose from the right ventricle while the left ventricle ended blindly near the ventral cusp of the left atrioventricular valve. The wall of the left ventricle was thickened, reducing the ventricular lumen.

Animals↗

Quantitation of scanning electron microscopic urinary cytology.

Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differences in cell surface morphology are identifiable between normal urothelium and malignant urothelia including the presence of pleomorphic microvilli (PMV). PMV have been reported in carcinomas of the urinary bladder, and they appear early in the pathogenesis of these tumors in animal models. Preliminary studies in our laboratory and others' demonstrated similar changes in tissue and cytologic specimens from patients with bladder cancer. We observed and evaluated normal and neoplastic cells of the human bladder by SEM in a preliminary assessment of surface topography with regard to tumor growth, grade, and stage. However, while these SEM observations indicated that differences between normal and abnormal urothelia could be readily recognized, the distinction between the various types of atypical cells was not as clearly defined. Data collected so far indicates that changes in the surface topography of the exfoliated cells may possibly vary both in relation to tumor grade and stage. Based on these qualitative observations, we expanded our approach by using a computerized image analysis system directly interfaced with the SEM. The measurements which can be made include cell surface area, diameter, length, width, perimeter, orientation and number of PMV per unit area. Statistical analysis is also performed. The boundaries between cells are not recognizable by the system, making the single cells present in cytologic specimens ideal for evaluation. Uniform short microvilli are readily distinguished from PMV. Preliminary evaluation of 23 patients has distinguished specimens from malignant cases compared to patients with benign lesions.

Autoanalysis↗

Chemical induction of ovarian epithelial carcinoma in mice.

Murine ovaries were treated with silk sutures saturated with a solution of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in beeswax. One of 35 animals developed an epithelial carcinoma. This tumor was not successfully transplanted into young animals.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗

Cloning and expression of a gene segment encoding the enzymatic moiety of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A.

Using the broad-host-range plasmid vector pRO1614, we cloned a segment of the gene from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA103 encoding the enzymatically active part of the exotoxin A protein. Expression of the cloned gene segment has been achieved both in Escherichia coli and in a nontoxigenic P. aeruginosa host, as assayed by the production of exotoxin A-related antigen and by the ability of the gene product to ADP-ribosylate elongation factor 2. Western blot hybridization analysis revealed a series of polypeptides antigenically related to exotoxin A, the largest of which had a molecular weight of ca. 50,000.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗

Cryptosporidiosis in a pup.

Cryptosporidiosis is a coccidian parasitism which has been implicated as a cause of diarrhea in man and a variety of animals. Cryptosporidiosis was diagnosed in a one-week-old pup which had a history of acute diarrhea. Organisms, 2 to 3 mm in diameter, covered the microvillous border of intestinal epithelium. Ultrastructurally, the cryptosporidia had one or more nuclei with prominent nucleoli and abundant cytoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum. Cryptosporidia may have played a role in the enteritis seen in this pup but further studies are needed to establish its pathogenicity.

Animals↗

Fatal pulmonary hypertension and resolving immune-complex glomerulonephritis in mixed connective tissue disease. A case report and review of the literature.

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) has been characterized as a benign rheumatic syndrome with a favorable response to immunosuppressive therapy. Serious renal and pulmonary involvement are reported to be rare in MCTD. We are describing a female adolescent with MCTD in whom fatal cor pulmonale developed due to recurrent thromboembolic primary pulmonary hypertension. Death occurred after two years of therapy with prednisone and azathioprine for an immune-complex glomerulonephritis. Paramesangial and intramembranous electron-dense deposits had been identified in several glomeruli at the start of treatment. Improved renal function and apparent histologic improvement were demonstrated four months after the institution of prednisone and azathioprine therapy, and stable renal function was maintained until death. The pulmonary hypertension was progressive and apparently not altered by either the prednisone or azathioprine. At necropsy, there was no evidence of a pulmonary arteritis or vascular immune-complex deposition to account for the recurrent thromboembolic lesions in the small pulmonary arteries and arterioles. This is a clinical course not previously described in patients with MCTD and may represent an extreme of the clinical spectrum of this syndrome.

Adolescent↗