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R E Price

Publications and source records attributed to R E Price.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Comparison of kidney weight and volume to selected anatomical parameters in the adult female rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

In this study, the normal distribution of renal weight and volume was determined and the correlation between the weight and volume and various skeletal measurements taken from radiographs and at necropsy was assessed. Values from 136 female monkeys with complete data (including all bone, radiographic, and kidney measurements) were analyzed. The mean kidney weight was 13 g with a standard deviation (SD) of 2 g. The mean kidney volume was 12 ml, SD 2 ml. The estimation of kidney weight and volume from bone length, age, or body weight was not reliable according to statistical analysis of our data. We did find that all apparently normal adult female rhesus monkeys typically have similar sized kidneys. This information is useful in that it reduces concerns about consistency in experimental subjects.

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Elastographic imaging of the normal canine prostate in vitro.

Elastography has been shown to be successful in mapping the relative mechanical attributes of normal as well as abnormal tissues. In this study, the histological characteristics of freshly excised normal canine prostates were used to explain consistently depicted elastographic features. The elastograms of the transverse cross-sections across the urethra demonstrated a consistent symmetry of the gland as well as clear anatomic structures. These include a central portion of the gland surrounding the urethra and a peripheral gland. The central gland was consistently softer than the peripheral gland. At the level of the verumontanum, depicted as a small stiff ridge, the lumen of the urethra was consistently demonstrated as an inverted soft 'u' or 'v' shaped area. The network of branching-fibrous connective tissue septa was depicted by the elastogram as linear features, which converged on the urethra. In the anterior side of the gland, the fibromuscular stroma was seen as a circumscribed hard tissue. In the sagittal view, the elastogram suggested a stiff peripheral zone surrounding a softer central zone, which is traversed by the urethra depicted as soft tissue.

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Bacterial conjunctivitis in Muc1 null mice.

PURPOSE: In contrast to wild-type mice, genetically engineered Mucin1 (Muc1) null animals display a marked propensity for development of blepharitis and conjunctivitis. Molecular approaches confirmed the presence of Muc1 mRNA and protein in the conjunctival tissue of wild-type mice and identified the bacterial species in Muc1 null symptomatic mice. METHODS: Muc1 null animals housed in a conventional facility were examined for visually apparent inflammation of the eye and surrounding tissue. Blood taken from overtly affected animals was assayed for antibodies to common murine viral agents. Swabs of infected eyes and whole eye preparations were used to detect and speciate bacterial pathogens. Frozen sections of whole eye, lid margin, and Harderian gland were immunostained with antibodies to Muc1 and cytokeratin 14, both epithelial cell markers. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed on RNA isolated from conjunctiva and Harderian gland of wild-type mice to compare relative levels of transcript. RESULTS: Student's unpaired t-test performed on the eye inflammation frequency of Muc1 null mice confirmed a statistical significance (P < 0.01) when compared to wild-type background animals housed in the same room. Analysis of blood samples from affected Muc1 null animals detected no common murine viral pathogens. Bacterial analysis of conjunctival swabs and whole eye preparations demonstrated the presence of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Streptococcus type alpha, and Corynebacterium group G2. Muc1 antibody staining of wild-type sections revealed the presence of Muc1 on conjunctival goblet and non-goblet cells and on the epithelium of the Harderian gland. Serial sections stained with cytokeratin 14 antibody confirmed the epithelial nature of cells expressing the Muc1 protein. RNA from conjunctiva and Harderian gland subjected to RT-PCR and northern blot analysis showed an abundance of Muc1 transcript in these tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Muc1 mRNA and protein are present in murine conjunctival and Harderian gland epithelia. Animals lacking Muc1 mRNA and protein are predisposed to developing eye inflammation when compared to wild-type animals with an intact Muc1 gene. Muc1 appears to play a critical protective role at the ocular surface, presumably by acting as a barrier to infection by certain bacterial strains.

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Elastographic imaging of thermal lesions in soft tissue: a preliminary study in vitro.

The use of elastography for the visualization of thermal lesions in biological soft tissue in vitro was investigated. Thermal lesions were created in samples of postmortem ovine kidney using a surgical neodymium: YAG (Nd:YAG) laser. The kidney samples were cast in gel, and elastographic images of the lesions were constructed using sonographic information and external markers to locate the region of interest. Gross pathology of the kidney samples confirmed the dimensions of the lesions. Good correlation between the lesion length along the laser fiber axis and maximum diameter measured off of the fiber axis determined from elastographic images and gross pathology photographs was found.

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Postirradiation sarcomas in Sprague-Dawley rats.

A series of radiation-induced neoplasms occurred in Sprague-Dawley rats 4-8 months after irradiation of a single hind leg with 60Co gamma rays. The rats were exposed to fractionated cumulative doses that ranged from 0 to 106 Gy. Osteosarcomas, malignant fibrous histiocytomas and fibrosarcomas developed in the radiation fields of a number of the rats in the higher-dose groups. Tumors did not develop throughout an 8-month observation period in rats that received doses of only 0 or 46 Gy. The most common postirradiation sarcomas in humans are osteosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma and fibrosarcoma. The Sprague-Dawley rat may serve as a good animal model in studying the development of sarcoma in humans after regional radiotherapy.

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Stenosing colonic adenocarcinoma in a female rhesus monkey.

Laparoscopic surgery was performed on a 16 year-old female rhesus monkey presenting with chronic lethargy and inappetence. The procedure revealed a "napkin-ring" stricture located in the ascending large colon. Histologic evaluation of the colonic lesion exhibited large numbers of irregular acini lined by a single layer of well-differentiated neoplastic epithelial cells. Based on the gross and histopathologic findings a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the proximal colon was made.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Magnetic resonance imaging of the central nervous system of the rhesus monkey.

The purpose of the study reported here was to document the ability of magnetic resonance imaging to depict the imaging characteristics of normal structures within the central nervous system of adult rhesus monkeys. The head and the cervical and thoracic parts of the spinal cord of two rhesus monkeys were imaged in a clinical 1.5-T whole-body imager. Specific images were selected, and some notable structures were identified. Results of this study document the usefulness of MRI as an expeditious, noninvasive research and diagnostic imaging technique and illustrates the normal magnetic resonance signal patterns of the brain and spinal cord in rhesus monkeys.

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Glioblastoma multiforme arising in the irradiated spinal cord of a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

An adult female rhesus monkey that had received 44.0 Gy of cobalt 60 radiation to 8 cm of the cervical and upper thoracic spinal cord approximately 2.8 years postirradiation developed a sudden onset of self-mutilation and loss of function of the right arm followed progressively by loss of function of the left arm and terminally bilateral paresis of the legs. Histopathologic examination of the cervical spinal cord revealed a glioblastoma multiforme that extended from the cervical medullary junction to the sixth cervical vertebrae. Because of the infrequent occurrence of spontaneous neoplasia in rhesus monkeys and the location in the radiation field, the glioblastoma is believed to be radiation induced.

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Radiation nephropathy in the rhesus monkey: morphometric analysis of glomerular and tubular alterations.

PURPOSE: The morphologic responses of the monkey kidney glomeruli and tubules to fractionated irradiation were assessed. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Both kidneys of adult female rhesus monkeys were irradiated with doses of gamma-rays ranging from 24 Gy in 12 fractions up to 36 Gy in 18 fractions. Serial renal biopsies were taken between 1 and 12 weeks after irradiation. The kidneys were removed at necropsy 16-23 weeks after irradiation. Glomeruli were assessed for the presence of pathologic features, including intercapillary eosinophilic material, ectatic capillaries, thrombi, hemorrhage, adhesions, and sclerosis. The relative proportion of renal cortex occupied by glomeruli, interstitium, or tubules was determined using a Chalkley point grid. Tubules were further scored as being either normal or abnormal in appearance. RESULTS: Examination of the renal biopsies revealed that progressive glomerular lesions were evident within 4-12 weeks after irradiation. Tubular changes were mild and focal. Morphometric analysis of whole kidneys removed at necropsy demonstrated that numbers of glomeruli with ectatic capillaries, thrombi, and hemorrhage were significantly different from controls at 16-23 weeks after irradiation by all of the doses in the range of 24 to 36 Gy. A significant (p < 0.05) increase in the relative proportion of renal cortex occupied by glomeruli and interstitium was indicative of tubule loss. Further analysis of these tubular changes revealed a highly significant (p < 0.001) dose-dependent increase in the proportion of abnormal to normal tubules. Thus following a dose of 24 Gy in 12 fractions, the ratio of abnormal: normal tubules was approximately 1:2; after 36 Gy in 18 fractions the ratio was 3:1. CONCLUSIONS: Glomeruli appeared to be very radiosensitive because after the clinically relevant dose of 24 Gy in 12 fractions essentially all glomeruli were altered in the irradiated kidneys as compared to controls. Thus, efforts aimed at increasing the threshold dose for development of radiation nephropathy should be directed primarily at preventing the glomerular lesions.

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Effects of continuous hyperfractionated accelerated and conventionally fractionated radiotherapy on the parotid and submandibular salivary glands of rhesus monkeys.

Radiotherapy is a major treatment modality for head and neck cancer. It is often not possible to exclude the salivary glands from the treatment fields. The unique susceptibility of the serous cells of the salivary glands to irradiation often results in xerostomia with ensuing secondary complications and discomfort to the patients. Recent reports have suggested that continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy (CHART) can lead to considerably less reduction in the parotid salivary gland than conventional radiotherapy. This study was undertaken to assess histologic changes of salivary glands induced by CHART and conventional radiation fractionation schedules. The parotid and submandibular salivary glands of adult rhesus monkeys were irradiated with cobalt-60 gamma radiation at 50 Gy/20 fractions/4 weeks, 55 Gy/25 fractions/5 weeks, or 54 Gy/36 fractions/12 days (CHART). Salivary tissues were harvested at 16 weeks following irradiation and evaluated histopathologically. Microscopically, the glands receiving 50 Gy, 55 Gy, or CHART were virtually indistinguishable. There was severe atrophy and fibrosis of all glands. Quantitative analysis revealed that 50 Gy, 55 Gy, and CHART induced a reduction of serous acini in parotid glands by 86.4%, 84.8%, and 88.8%, respectively. In submandibular glands, serous acini were reduced by 99.4%, 99.0%, and 100%, respectively. The corresponding reduction in mucous acini were 98.4%, 98.4%, and 99.2%, respectively. These histopathologic and quantitative morphologic studies show that the magnitude of serous gland atrophy in the parotid and submandibular salivary glands of rhesus monkeys was similar at 16 weeks after receiving 50 Gy in 20 fractions, 55 Gy in 25 fractions, or CHART.

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Effect of intra-peritoneal fludarabine on rat spinal cord tolerance to fractionated irradiation.

The effect of fludarabine (9-beta-D-arabinosyl-2-fluoroadenine-5'- monophosphate), an adenine nucleoside analogue, on the tolerance of the spinal cord to fractionated irradiation was studied in a rat model. Anesthetized female Fisher 344 rats received irradiation to 2 cm of the cervical spine with a telecobalt unit (dose rate 1.14 Gy/min). Radiation was administered in two, four or eight fractions spread over a 48-h period with or without fludarabine. Animals assigned to combined therapy received two daily intraperitoneal injections of fludarabine (150 mg/kg) given 3 h prior to the first daily radiation fraction. It was found that fludarabine reduced the iso-effect dose required to induce leg paresis at 9 months after irradiation for all fractionation schedules. Dose modification factors of 1.23, 1.29 and greater than 1.27 were obtained for two, four and eight fractions, respectively. Fitting the data with the direct analysis method of Thames et al. with an incomplete repair model [18] showed that the potentiating effect of fludarabine may be mediated through reduction in the number of 'tissue-rescuing units' (InK). Alpha and beta values were slightly but not significantly decreased, whereas the alpha/beta ratio was unchanged. These features suggest that fludarabine did not significantly inhibit cellular repair processes but rather reduced the spinal cord tolerance by a fixed additive toxic effect on the same target cells. In rodent models, the combination of fludarabine and fractionated radiation has previously been found to yield a therapeutic gain, i.e., the drug enhanced tumor response to a greater extent than it reduced normal tissue tolerance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Volume effects in rhesus monkey spinal cord.

PURPOSE: An experiment was conducted to test for the existence of a volume effect in radiation myelopathy using Rhesus monkeys treated with clinically relevant field sizes and fractionation schedules. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Five groups of Rhesus monkeys were irradiated using 2.2 Gy per fraction to their spinal cords. Three groups were irradiated with 8 cm fields to total doses of 70.4, 77, and 83.6 Gy. Two additional groups were irradiated to 70.4 Gy using 4 and 16 cm fields. The incidence of paresis expressed within 2 years following the completion of treatment was determined for each group. Maximum likelihood estimation was used to determine parameters of a logistic dose response function. The volume effect was modeled using the probability model in which the probability of producing a lesion in an irradiated volume is governed by the probability of the occurrence of independent events. This is a two parameter model requiring only the estimates of the parameters of the dose-response function for the reference volume, but not needing any additional parameters for describing the volume effect. RESULTS: The probability model using a logistic dose-response function fits the data well with the D50 = 75.8 Gy for the 8-cm field. No evidence was seen for a difference in sensitivities for different anatomical levels of the spinal cord. Most lesions were type 3, combined white matter parenchymal and vascular lesions. Latent periods did not differ significantly from those of type 3 lesions in humans. CONCLUSION: The spinal cord exhibits a volume effect that is well described by the probability model. Because the dose response function for radiation myelopathy is steep, the volume effect is modest. The Rhesus monkey remains the animal model most similar to humans in dose response, histopathology, and latency for radiation myelopathy.

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Interstitial laser prostatectomy.

Serial gross and histopathologic examinations of the prostate following interstitial laser prostatectomy in the canine model demonstrated distinct zonal thermal changes around the entire active area of the interstitial thermal therapy (ITT) fiber. A large, well-demarcated area of acute coagulative necrosis immediately surrounded each fiber tract; beyond that were a prominent narrow peripheral zone of marked tissue disruption and an outer zone of hemorrhage. Liquefaction within these coagulative areas was evident within 24 hours, and by 4 days, each lobe of the prostate contained an irregular cavity that became lined by normal-appearing transitional epithelium and that, by 5 weeks, communicated with the prostatic urethra. These postmortem pathologic observations, similar to findings previously reported following transurethral laser prostatectomy, suggest that interstitial laser thermal therapy may provide an additional means for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia in men.

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Pathologic changes following transurethral canine prostatectomy with a cylindrically diffusing fiber.

Transurethral laser prostatectomy was performed on eight mongrel dogs employing a cylindrically diffusing fiber delivery system and a 1.06 mu Nd:YAG laser. Each dog received 15,000 joules of laser energy delivered to the prostate in one continuous dose of 25 watts for 10 minutes. Gross and histopathologic examinations of serial sections of the prostate were performed postoperatively after intervals of 2 hours to 7 weeks. Grossly, a spherical zone of destruction averaging 2.8 cm in diameter was present in dogs except one. Histopathologic changes in the prostate consisted of acute coagulative necrosis with interstitial edema at 2 hours, becoming hemorrhagic by 24 hours. A prominent circular area of acute coagulative necrosis with progressively larger areas of liquefaction and hemorrhage was present in prostates harvested from 4 days to 1 week after lasing. Initial re-epithelization of the resulting cavity was observed at 3 weeks with nearly complete epithelialization 7 weeks after laser treatment. The simplified fiber placement and lack of postoperative complications in this small group of dogs suggest that the cylindrically diffusing fiber could offer significant advantages over laterally deflecting fibers for transurethral prostatectomies in the dog model.

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The tolerance of primate spinal cord to re-irradiation.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the tolerance of the cervical spinal cord of rhesus monkeys to re-irradiation. This information is essential for treatment recommendations in previously irradiated patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Control animals received a single course of treatment to total doses of 70.4 Gy, 77.0 Gy, or 83.6 Gy in daily fractions of 2.2 Gy. Twelve asymptomatic animals that received 70.4 Gy were re-irradiated two years later to cumulative doses of 83.6, 92.4, or 101.2 Gy. Another group of 15 animals received 44 Gy and two years later were re-irradiated to cumulative doses of 83.6, 92.4, 101.2, or 110 Gy. The clinical endpoint was myeloparesis. A complete necropsy was performed in all animals when myeloparesis manifested or at the end of observation period. RESULTS: Only two of the 12 asymptomatic animals of the 70.4 Gy dose-response study group and two of the 15 animals that had received 44 Gy initially developed myelopathy within two years of re-irradiation. The ED50 value of the single-course irradiation was 76.1 +/- 1.9 Gy, while the extrapolated ED50 for retreatment after 44 Gy was > or = 110 Gy. The lesions of the two symptomatic animals that received 70.4 Gy initially were mixtures of white matter and vascular lesions similar to those observed after single course irradiation. However, both symptomatic animals given 44 Gy initially had hemorrhagic infarcts in the white matter. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that substantial recovery of occult injuries induced by the initial 44 Gy had occurred within two years. The difference between the types of lesions observed after a single course and re-irradiation suggests that vascular injury may recover less efficiently or at slower rate than white matter damage. The dependence of the extent of recovery on the initial dose and the time course of such recovery in primates are being investigated.

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