Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T J Cunningham

Publications and source records attributed to T J Cunningham.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Platelet releasing activity in sera of patients with rheumatoid vasculitis.

Platelet releasing activity was found in sera fractionated by 30% ammonium sulphate in seven of 11 patients with systemic rheumatoid vasculitis, two of 16 patients with cutaneous rheumatoid vasculitis, and three of 18 patients with clinically uncomplicated rheumatoid arthritis. Serial studies in three patients suggest a key role of platelet activation by serum factors in the pathogenesis of systemic rheumatoid vasculitis. IgG rheumatoid factor or IgG containing immune complexes, or both, may be responsible for this platelet releasing activity.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1986

Unusual radiographic features in a female patient with ankylosing spondylitis.

A 71 year old woman suffering from ankylosing spondylitis with aggressive peripheral joint disease for 46 years developed unusual radiographic features in the hips and knees. The pathogenic processes responsible are uncertain, and no histology is yet available. Although she had been treated with radiotherapy to the knees, there was no similar history to explain the hitherto unreported appearance of the hips.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Defective reticuloendothelial system C3b mediated clearance in rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis.

C3b receptor mediated clearance by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) was tested in vivo using autologous C3b coated, technetium labelled erythrocytes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and rheumatoid vasculitis. Diminished C3b mediated erythrocyte clearance was found in all patients with rheumatoid vasculitis and some patients with active RA. Normal C3b mediated clearance was found in some patients with previous vasculitis, in remission when tested. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that acquired dysfunction of RES C3b receptors is implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid vasculitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Further look at dextropropoxyphene with or without paracetamol in the treatment of arthritis.

The analgesic effects of dextropropoxyphene and paracetamol and that of a combination of the two drugs were assessed in 24 patients who suffered from either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. Dextropropoxyphene, which had a marginal effect on pain score, led to a more significant effect on patient well-being, particularly when it was the first drug given in the sequence. The addition of paracetamol had more of a negative than a positive effect on pain score and well-being.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1984

Cortical transplants reveal CNS trophic interactions in situ.

Five days after transplanting fetal rat posterior cortex into newborn host rats with posterior cortex lesions, the host's dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) contains 2-5 times as many neurons as the dLGN of lesion-only controls. This effect is temporary and restricted to neurons created later in dLGN neurogenesis. Similar transplants of cerebellar plate are ineffective. These findings suggest that intracranial transplants of CNS tissue can be a source of specific trophic support to particular host neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Randomized trial of chlorozotocin, neocarzinostatin, or methyl-CCNU in patients with malignant melanoma.

One hundred twenty-two patients with disseminated malignant melanoma were randomized using an unbalanced randomization to receive chlorozotocin, neocarzinostatin, or MeCCNU. Of the 114 evaluable patients, 46 received chlorozotocin, 47 received neocarzinostatin, and 21 received MeCCNU. The response rates to these three drugs were 9%, 4%, and 14% respectively. Median survival times were 4.2, 3.4, and 5.8 months respectively. Toxicity was acceptable with all three agents. Chlorozotocin and neocarzinostatin do not appear to offer any improved response rates over MeCCNU for patients with disseminated malignant melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Developmental neuron death in the rat superior cervical sympathetic ganglion: cell counts and ultrastructure.

Counts of neurons of the rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) were made at two days before birth and at several postnatal ages. There is a significant decline in the number of apparently normal neurons over the first postnatal week, with the number falling from 39 500 at 3 days to 26 500 at 7 days. Cell numbers then remained constant up to day 60 when the number of neurons was 27 500. The incidence of degenerating neurons, identified by light and electron microscopy, was correlated temporally with the loss of normal neurons. The early manifestations of the neuron degeneration were chromatin clumping and the presence of free monoribosomes. Later stages were characterized by increased chromatin clumping, dense aggregations of monoribosomes, numerous intracytoplasmic vacuoles, and only short segments of rough endoplasmic reticulum. The ultrastructure of the majority of these dying neurons is similar to the 'nuclear' types of degeneration described by Pilar & Landmesser (1976) and Chu-Wang & Oppenheim (1978). Based on the presence of degenerating neurons coincident with the reduction in neuron numbers, we conclude that neuron death is an important aspect of early postnatal development in the rat SCG.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Neuron numbers in the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion of the rat: a critical comparison of methods for cell counting.

Published values for the number of neurons in the superior cervical ganglion of the adult rat range from 13 000 to 45 000. These studies have employed different methods for determining what unit to count (cell body, nucleus, nucleolus), how many sections to count, and how to correct the raw counts for split particles and for profiles that are too small to resolve. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which these parameters may influence the calculated value for the total number of neurons, using computer simulations of neuron populations. These simulations permitted us to determine the effects on neuron number of varying the diameter of the neuronal nucleus, the size of the smallest resolvable profile, and the thickness of the section. The data from the simulations were used to test the validity of several methods that are in common use for correction of neuron counts. Our results indicate that most of the methods that are in routine use are unsatisfactory. We propose the use of either one of two methods that consistently result in highly accurate estimates of neuron numbers. These are: (1) a modification of the method proposed by Hendry (1976), using computer analysis; or (2) a modification of the method proposed by Abercrombie (1946), which does not require the use of a computer.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Clinical rheumatoid vasculitis associated with the B8 DR3 phenotype.

A statistically significant association of clinical rheumatoid vasculitis (excluding nodules or nail-fold infarcts only) with the HLA B8 DR3 phenotype was found when comparing 30 patients with vasculitis with 84 classic or definite rheumatoid patients without clinical vasculitis. The previously reported association on HLA DR4 with rheumatoid disease was also confirmed.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1982

Optic afferents, neuron maturation, and neuron survival in the rat superior colliculus.

Removal of the eyes from newborn rats causes the neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) to degenerate in a morphologically less mature form than that which is found when the cells die naturally. The results indicate that afferents are important for the maturation of SC neurons and may explain several apparently conflicting results reported for the morphology of natural and induced cell death in other areas of the nervous system.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1981

Organization of corticothalamic projections from parietal cortex in cat.

Corticothalamic projections from areas 5a, 5b, and 7 of cat parietal cortex were studied with autoradiographic techniques. Each cortical area was identified by its cytoarchitectural characteristics and the patterns of termination were related to the thalamic nuclear groups. Injections of 3H-leucine in cortical area 5a were associated with terminal labeling primarily in the spinal recipient zone of the ventral lateral nucleus (VLsp) and the medial division of the posterior group (POm). The corticothalamic projections of area 5a are loosely topographically organized; medial parts of 5a project heavily to rostral and lateral parts of VLsp and sparsely to POm, while lateral parts of 5a project to more medial and caudal parts of VLsp and heavily to POm. Cortical area 5b projects primarily to the rostral portions of the lateral posterior nucleus (LP). These projections also appear to be topographically organized. The part of area 5b on the marginal gyrus projects to more ventral parts of rostral LP, while area 5b on the middle suprasylvian gyrus projects to more dorsal and lateral parts of rostral LP. Cortical area 7 projects to LP and the pulvinar (Pul). Rostral parts of area 7 project heavily to dorsal and lateral parts of LP and lightly to Pul; more caudal portions of area 7 projects relatively more heavily to Pul. The reticular, central lateral, and paracentral nuclei also receive projections, especially from the suprasylvian gyrus. The results are discussed with regard to putative sensory response characteristics of these cortical areas and to general thalamocortical organization.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Naturally occurring neuron death in the optic layers of superior colliculus of the postnatal rat.

Application of light and electron microscopic techniques to the superior colliculus of the normal rat shows that a number of neurons die within the first week after birth. Cells in the earliest recognizable stages of degeneration are characterized by an overall increase in electron density and dilation of the intracellular cisternae, although there are only minimal changes in the chromatin pattern of the nucleus. Synapses are found on these cells. A second type of degenerating cell, with more striking changes in the nucleus, also appears in the tissue but very infrequently. In later stages of degeneration, cells are reduced to a condensed chromatin mass surrounded by disrupted fragments of the rest of the cell. This 'cellular debris' is found within glial cytoplasm. The majority of these debris profiles appear in the first postnatal week and are usually most abundant in the caudal third compared to either the rostral or middle thirds of the colliculus. The results suggest that the mechanisms controlling neuron number in the superior colliculus are operative in the postnatal rat but argue against a simple relationship between the survival of a particular neuron and the total number of optic connections that neuron has received.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Modification of neuron numbers in the visual system of the rat.

After unilateral lesions of the posterior cerebral cortex at birth, the ipsilateral dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus disappears within 96 hours. Several of the remaining visual centers may be distorted, atrophic or hypertrophic. Examples of the last are the ipsilateral nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) and superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SC), which usually show a volume increase. In order to determine changes in neuron numbers in these two regions, we exposed rats to 3H-thymidine on specific embryonic days. Some of these rats received poterior cortical lesions on the day of birth and others served as controls. Counts from adult rats exposed to 3H-thymidine on embryonic days 13 and 14 reveal a significant increase in the number of labeled neurons in both the NOT and SC on the side of the lesion. The retinal projections in rats with posterior lesions at birth were determined by the application of silver degeneration methods after eye removal. Atypical optic projections are found to the lateral posterior nucleus and the NOT on the side of the lesion. We conclude that the redistribution of optic collaterals after early destruction of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus serves to increase neuron numbers in the NOT and SC. Therefore, the present findings are comparable to the results in nonmammals after transplantation of additional peripheral organs.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Vascular access for cancer chemotherapy.

Eleven bovine heterografts were utilized in the repetitive administration of chemotherapy in 10 patients with insufficient vascular access. Six grafts remained patent until the time of death and five grafts clotted from 71 to 1110 days postoperatively. Three patients are alive and well. All grafts were initially patent and no wound infections resulted. The bovine heterograft appears to be a useful adjunct for securing vascular access for patients requiring cancer chemotherapy.

Animals↗