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Biomedical subjects

S Roe

Publications and source records attributed to S Roe.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

The application of enhanced chemiluminescence to membrane-based nucleic acid detection.

The ECL gene detection system is a novel, sensitive, non-radioactive system for the detection of nucleic acid hybridized on both nylon and nitrocellulose membranes. It is characterized by direct labeling of probe sequences with horseradish peroxidase combined with an enhanced chemiluminescent (ECL) detection reaction; the light output is captured on blue-light sensitive film. The application of the system to a range of standard molecular biology hybridization techniques is described.

Blotting, Northern

Smooth muscle cells transiently express NCAM.

NCAM (neural cell adhesion molecule) polypeptides were first detected on neuronal cells and were subsequently found to be expressed at least transiently by a number of other cell types including skeletal and cardiac but not smooth muscle. We report here that rat smooth muscle expresses NCAM in vitro and transiently in vivo. Using a monoclonal antibody 3F4 which reacts with most rat NCAM polypeptides, NCAM was found on the surface of cultured rat aortic smooth muscle lines A10 and A7r5 and mouse smooth muscle like line BC3H1 in abundances equal to or greater than those of cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, and neuronal cell lines. The major NCAM polypeptide of muscle cells was Mr = 140 kDa with lesser amounts of the 120 kDa form. Consistent with these results, a major NCAM mRNA of 6.7 kb was detected in Northern analyses with lesser amounts of the 4.3 and 2.9 kb mRNA size classes. The relative abundance of NCAM mRNA was similar in RNA prepared from smooth muscle A7r5 cells, L6 skeletal muscle cells, and 9-day-old rat brain. NCAM was distributed across the entire surface of cultured smooth muscle cells in a highly punctate manner. Cryostat sections of rat aorta, intestine and bladder were examined by immunofluorescence to determine if NCAM is also expressed on smooth muscle in vivo. In each case NCAM was found to be transiently expressed by the smooth muscle cells of these tissues. Highest NCAM levels were observed at embryonic day 17 which then declined to undetectable levels in tissues from adults. These results extend previous observations to indicate all muscle types transiently express NCAM in development.

Animals

Carotid bifurcation disease: prediction of ulceration with B-mode US.

The presence of carotid ulceration was assessed by two readers for 55 B-mode ultrasound (US) studies. Intact surgical specimens were available for comparison. Ulceration was considered present if the following criteria were obtained: a continuous contour showing focal depression, a well-defined break in the surface 1 mm or more across, a well-defined back wall at the base of the depression, and an anechoic area within the plaque which extended to the surface and was 1 mm or more deep. Using these criteria, the two readers agreed on the diagnosis for 47 studies. When the surgical specimen was used as a reference standard, the accuracy of B-mode US was 60%, its sensitivity was 39%, and its specificity was 72%. Since the impact of scan quality was ruled out by using only scans on which the two readers agreed, the poor results must be attributed to the lack of definitive US criteria. A second review of the scans, with the readers looking only for a heterogeneous echo pattern, revealed that appearance had no higher correlation with ulceration at surgery than any of the original criteria had.

Carotid Arteries

Recent subsegmental splenic infarction: hypervascular appearance on angiography.

The authors describe a case of a focal splenic infarction with a hypervascular appearance on selective splenic arteriography. This appearance of splenic infarction has never before been reported. Angiographers should be aware of this unusual presentation of splenic infarction when they encounter an unexplained focal hypervascular area.

Angiography