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Biomedical subjects

R M Franklin

Publications and source records attributed to R M Franklin.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Autoantibodies in three populations of Burkitt's lymphoma patients.

Autoantibodies against actin, intermediate filaments, single stranded DNA and histones were found in the sera of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) patients and normal controls from tropical Africa, where there is a high incidence of BL. Both groups had significantly higher levels of these autoantibodies than Caucasian normal controls or patients with other malignant diseases, as well as Epstein-Barr (EB) virus positive and EB virus negative BL patients from regions of North Africa and France where the incidence is lower than in tropical Africa. No linear correlation could be seen between autoantibody levels and anti-EB virus/VCA or EBNA titres in patients and controls from tropical Africa. The results suggest that a factor independent of EB virus causes an immunological imbalance and autoantibody production in the population from tropical Africa. This factor may be one of several which results in a high incidence of BL in tropical Africa.

Actins↗
PubMed1983

Effects of cyclosporin A on mouse lymphoid tissues.

Cyclosporin A (CsA) was administered s.c. to BALB/c and C3H mice for periods up to 25 days and the effects were monitored by the immune response to SRBC, HGG, and B. abortus. Whereas the rate of growth of BALB/c mice was only depressed after the 20th day, C3H mice lost weight from the start of treatment. In both strains there was no change in the weight of the spleen and mesenteric lymph node but the thymus weight decreased markedly. This decrease in thymus weight was accompanied by thymic involution with little or no change in spleen or mesenteric lymph node. An increase in Mott cells, as so strikingly demonstrated in the CsA-treated chicken (Nowak et al., 1982), was dependent on the degree of thymic involution. When the thymus was normal in appearance there was a slight increase in the number of splenic Mott cells, when compared with untreated controls; in the more usual case of thymic involution (or necrosis), there was no increase in the number of Mott cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Cataract following radial keratotomy.

A 31-year-old man with myopia underwent bilateral radial keratotomy. Except for a microperforation of the cornea of the left eye, the operative procedures were uneventful. The postoperative uncorrected visual acuity was excellent in both eyes until a cataract suddenly developed in the left eye 3 1/2 months after the procedure. No preexisting ocular or systemic conditions existed to explain the sudden development of the cataract, and no evidence of iris or anterior capsular damage could be seen on examination. The sudden development of this cataract after radial keratotomy remains unexplained.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Display and analysis of cell size distributions with a Coulter Counter interfaced to an Apple II microcomputer.

A model ZBI Coulter Counter was interfaced to an Apple II microcomputer via analog and digital interfaces. It was possible to obtain a graphic display of cell size versus channel number (1000 channels), integration of selected channels, plots, listings, and storage of the data on floppy disk, using a convenient menu selection enabling operators unfamiliar with computer technology to master the system quickly. Examples are presented of calibration of the Coulter Counter and its use for rapid and precise analysis of E rosettes.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Epibulbar IgA plasmacytoma occurring in multiple myeloma.

The ophthalmic manifestations of a 51-year-old man with multiple myeloma included exudative retinal detachments and multiple epibulbar plasmacytomas. The retinal changes resolved with treatment for systemic effects, and the IgA-producing plasmacytomas rapidly resolved with local irradiation. The young age of onset (37 years), the prolonged course (14 years), and the IgA M protein and epibulbar involvement were, collectively, unusual findings in multiple myeloma. The presence of epibulbar, gastrointestinal tract, and prostate involvement suggested a homing mechanism of IgA-committed cells to mucosal surfaces.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Electron microscopy of avian osteopetrosis induced by retrovirus MAV.2-O.

Diaphyseal tibial bone of 12.5-13-day and 19-day-old embryos and 20-day-old hatched chicks infected with retrovirus MAV.2-O were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The viruses were associated with lining osteoblasts and osteocytes. Whereas the infection of the osteoblast layer seemed to be a transient stage, virus association with osteocytes was a constant and main ultrastructural feature. The viruses were found either in the osteoid or in the periosteocytic space of the bone lacunae. They arose from dense cytoplasmic areas located near the cell plasmalemma via a budding process. The newly budded virus particles often had a large tail or a fine stalk-like process lost in the extracellular space. The viruses underwent calcification by deposition of inorganic material and were incorporated in the bone trabeculae. No production of virus was observed in typical osteoclasts with well-differentiated ruffled borders. The viral-induced avian osteopetrosis seemed to result from increased bone deposition through stimulation of osteoblast and osteocyte activities, whereas osteoclastic bone resorption seemed to be undisturbed.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Leber's idiopathic stellate retinopathy.

Three patients with Leber's idiopathic stellate retinopathy-a 16-year-old girl, a 26-year-old man, and a 7-year-old girl-also had acute multifocal chorioretinitis. The second patient also had an associated idiopathic peripheral seventh nerve palsy. Extensive neurologic testing and viral cultures gave no explanation of the origin of the retinopathy. However, each of the patients had had an upper respiratory or gastrointestinal illness shortly before the onset of the condition, suggesting an infectious origin. In all three patients the optic disk swelling resolved spontaneously and the stellate exudate gradually faded.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Presumed blastomycosis endophthalmitis.

A 49-year-old outdoor laborer had an endophthalmitis in one eye and small posterior segment lesions in the other, as well as raised lesions on his skin. The diagnosis of disseminated North American blastomycosis was established by the performance of a biopsy on one of the skin lesions. The ocular inflammation slowly improved with intravenous amphotericin B therapy, and the ocular lesions, presumably caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, were followed clinically for six months. The patient died of a hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

Amphotericin B↗
PubMed1981

Pre-embedding immunohistochemistry as an approach to high resolution antigen localization at the light microscopic level.

Pre-embedding immunohistochemistry with subsequent embedding in hydroxypropyl methacrylate enables one to obtain high resolution staining of antigens in 1 mu tissue sections. A routine method using formaldehyde fixation, methanol permeation, and an indirect method with fluorescein-labeled second antibody is described. This method is compared with other pre-embedding staining procedures. To illustrate the method the mouse small intestine was chosen as a model and stained with antibodies to tubulin, actin, and fibronectin. Some anticipated and some unusual staining patterns were found.

Actins↗
PubMed1981

Vitreous biopsy in uveitis of unknown cause.

We employed vitreous biopsy (needle aspiration and pars plana vitrectomy) in eight cases of patients with uveitis of unknown etiology. The results of cytological and culture analysis provided the diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis in one patient and ocular reticulum cell sarcoma in another patient. In six patients, no specific, treatable causative agents or conditions were identified. In two of these patients, however, various etiologic agents were ruled out, which provided a basis for excluding certain therapeutic options. Where chronic inflammatory cells were seen in the vitreous, the patients responded satisfactorily to conventional therapy; patients with acute or mixed acute and chronic inflammatory cells did less well. No complications resulted from the biopsy procedure. In cases of uveitis of unknown etiology, vitreous biopsy may provide identification of specific causative agents, as well as information useful for more precise histopathologic grouping of entities in this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Structure and synthesis of a lipid-containing bacteriophage. Amphiphilic properties of protein IV of bacteriophage PM2.

Interactions between lipids and the DNA-binding protein (protein IV) purified from bacteriophage PM2 were studied in vitro. The efficiency of incorporation of protein IV into single-walled liposomes was more than 90%. Protein IV embedded in liposomes interacted more strongly with PM2 DNA than protein IV alone. The DNA--protein-IV--liposome complex was relatively stable as observed by sedimentation behavior on a sucrose gradient. The interaction between DNA and the protein-IV--liposome was abolished by tryptic digestion, even though 40% of the protein remained in the vesicle. More than 70% of the amino acids of this embedded peptide segment were hydrophobic. Carboxypeptidase digestion of the protein-IV--liposome caused a release of 20% of the radioactivity of the vesicle without changing the DNA-binding ability of the complexes. Modification of the protein-IV--liposome with the chemical probe, 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene, and analysis of the tryptic peptides released from the protein-IV--liposome demonstrated that the N-terminal basic amino acid cluster segment responsible for the DNA binding was located on the outer surface of the bilayer. These results support an earlier model in which protein IV anchors itself in the inner leaflet of the PM2 bilayer membrane, interacting with the DNA in the virion.

Bacteriophages↗
PubMed1981

A simple procedure for extracting methacrylic acid from water-miscible methacrylates.

A simple procedure for removing methacrylic acid from water-miscible methacrylates is described. One volume of monomer is diluted with 9 volumes of diethyl ether. Three consecutive extractions are carried out with 5% aqueous NaHCO3 at 4 C. Residual water is removed by shaking with anhydrous sodium sulfate. The ether is removed by flash evaporation on a Büchi Rotavapor. Weak alkali extraction produces good quality semithin sections which are free of background staining. This method may be a useful alternative to existing methods for removal of methacrylic acid.

Acrylates↗
PubMed1981

Secretory component of IgA: a marker for differentiation of ocular epithelium.

Secretory component (SC) was studied by indirect immunofluorescence of the ocular surface epithelium. We find that conjunctival epithelium produces this component, and that it is absent in the corneal epithelium. Conjunctival epithelium loses its SC staining within 1 to 2 days as it grows over a denuded corneal stroma. This implies a very rapid turn-off of the SC gene and rapid export of the gene product previously formed. However, conjunctival flap epithelium does not change its characteristic structure or functions. Vascularization of corneas resurfaced by conjunctival epithelium usually leads to a rapid reversal of both morphological and biochemical characteristics in the surface epithelium, as judged by the reappearance of goblet cells and positive staining for SC. Vascularization of normal corneas leaves the epithelium unchanged, so that neither goblet cells nor SC appear. Thus metaplasia of conjunctival to corneal epithelium is incomplete, permitting reversion to type under certain conditions.

Animals↗