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Biomedical subjects

R L Carter

Publications and source records attributed to R L Carter.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1970

Migration of asbestos fibres from subcutaneous injection sites in mice.

Crocidolite asbestos fibres, suspended in physiological saline, were injected subcutaneously into one or both flanks of 95 CBA/Lac female mice; 75 control mice received injections of saline only. Most animals were killed at chosen intervals of between 2 and 42 days after injection but some were left for longer periods of up to 623 days. At autopsy, many lymphoid and non-lymphoid structures were removed and examined for the presence of asbestos by the following techniques: haematoxylin and eosin staining followed by conventional and polarized light microscopy; Perl's stain; microincineration followed by phase-contrast microscopy; maceration with KOH followed by phase-contrast microscopy; and electron microscopy.A combination of haematoxylin and eosin staining and microincineration was found to be the most convenient and reliable method for demonstrating asbestos fibres in the tissues. Electron microscopy was essential for detecting very small fibres and for locating them to specific intracellular structures.The morphological findings indicate that some migration of asbestos fibres away from the initial site of injection takes place. Dissemination is usually along lymphatic pathways and fibres tend to accumulate in the lymphoid tissues, particularly in the regional (axillary) lymph nodes; smaller amounts were found in inguinal, mediastinal and lumbar nodes. The fibres were usually intracellular, lying inside the phagosomes of macrophages, but larger fibres weresometimes encountered lying free. Small numbers of fibres were seen in the spleen and also in non-lymphoid organs such as the liver, kidneys and brain-suggesting that some asbestos may enter the blood stream. There was no evidence of massive or selective spread to subserosal tissues in the thorax or abdomen, though trapping of asbestos fibres was observed in pleural "milky spots" in long-term survivors. The possible role of milky spots in the development of pleural plaques and mesotheliomata is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1970

Development of injection-site sarcomata in rats: a study of the early reactive changes evoked by a carcinogenic nitrosoquinoline compound.

The early changes induced by a carcinogenic nitrosoquinoline compound (NTDQ) have been studied in the subcutaneous tissues of 88 rats. An initial acute infiammatory response is quickly replaced by a distinctive granuloma which is established by 10 days and persists indefinitely-a sequence which takes place both in adult and in newborn animals. Its main components-histiocytes, multinucleate giant cells and granulation tissue-are described in detail and the formation of giant cells by fusion from adjacent histiocytes has been traced. Autoradiographic studies with tritiated thymidine show heavy nuclear labelling in the histiocytes and fibroblasts during the first 10 days; this later declines but raised levels of nuclear labelling persist up to the end of the experiment. No proliferative activity is seen in the giant cells and these cells show only feeble phagocytic activity, tested by their ability to take up carbon particles. The experiments in which colloidal carbon was injected locally also provided some information on the lymphatic vessels in the vicinity of NTDQ-induced granulomata. It appears that, initially, the lesions contain large dilated lymphatic vessels. Later, a dense connective tissue barrier develops and lymphatic connections with the surrounding dermis are progressively reduced.The properties of granulomata induced by NTDQ are discussed and some possible relationships between the formation of granulomata and eventual tumour developed are considered. Particular emphasis is given to two related features: the sustained proliferative activity of the fibroblasts and the resulting semi-isolation of the injection site lesion by the formation of a dense connective tissue barrier.

Animals↗