Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

U Gafter

Publications and source records attributed to U Gafter.

140 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Ultrastructural observations on Kupffer cells in intrahepatic cholestatic jaundice.

A liver biopsy specimen from a patient with intrahepatic cholestatic jaundice had marked dilation of the bile capillaries, disappearance of the microvilli, and thickened ectoplasm. The unusual finding was a great increase in the number of Kupffer cells that contained masses of electron-dense material, most probably bile. A second examination of the liver, performed one month later when the liver test results had returned to normal, showed only remnants of the Kupffer cells. We report the possible role of the Kupffer cells in the clearance of the blood from the bile pigments.

Biliary Tract↗

Multiple myeloma associated with Kaposi sarcoma.

A patient with multiple myeloma (MM) who developed Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is described. The KS appeared 18 months after the diagnosis of MM and 1 month after the treatment was changed from cyclophosphamide to melphalan. The treatment with melphalan was discontinued and the spread of the KS was arrested by irradiation and bleomycin. One month after the melphalan was restarted, the KS advanced. The patient died 28 months after the diagnosis of MM and 10 months after KS had developed. The association of KS and MM is discussed and the previously reported cases are reviewed. A possible connection between the treatment with melphalan and the development of KS is proposed.

Bleomycin↗

Ph1-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia with chromosome 7 abnormalities.

A 56-yr-old woman with acute lymphocytic leukemia showed the presence of a Philadelphia chromosome in 90% of the bone marrow metaphases and in 10% of the peripheral blood metaphases. Part of the long arm of a G22 chromsome was translocated to the long arm of a C9 chromosome. A second cytogenetic abnormality was found in chromosome 7. Monosomy 7 was found in 60% of the marrow and in 20% of the peripheral blood metaphases. Chromosome 7q- was also found in a small percentage of the metaphases examined. Three months later, when the patient was in partial remission, only 10% of the marrow cells showed chromosome 7 monosomy and a Ph1 chromosome. During complete remission, no chromosomal abnormalities were found, except for a high breakage rate. The finding of a Ph1 chromosome in acute lymphocytic leukemia indicates that different precursors, both granulocytic and lymphocytic, may be involved in the Ph1 process.

Cell Transformation, Neoplastic↗

Ultrastructural features of the blood cells in a patient with Pelger-Huët anomaly.

A case of congenital Pelger-Hüet anomaly of the peripheral blood cells is described. Electronmicroscopic examination of the blood cells revealed nuclear bridges and appendices in the polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The number of cytoplasmic granules was diminished, but the size of the secondary granules was markedly increased. The eosinophils showed pronounced polymorphism of the granules, and the platelets showed a decrease in the alpha-granulomere number.

Adult↗

Aplastic anemia followed by leukemia in congenital trisomy 8 mosaicism. Ultrastructural studies of polymorphonuclear cells in peripheral blood.

The case of a 40-year-old patient with congenital trisomy 8 and sex chromosome mosaicism is discussed. The main clinical features were: mental retardation, thick and darkly pigmented skin, prominent forehead, convergent strabismus, high arched palate, flexion contractures of the extremities, and numerous skeletal abnormalities. The patient developed severe aplastic anemia followed by an interim period of preleukemia which developed into acute leukemia. Electron microscope examination of the white blood cells at the stage of the aplastic anemia showed ultrastructural abnormalities similar to those observed in other genetic disorders with a predisposition to leukemia, as well as in leukemia.

Acute Disease↗

Primary fibrinolysis and spontaneous rupture of the spleen in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A 51-year-old male with acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose course was complicated by primary fibrinolysis and spontaneous rupture of the spleen is described. The patient was treated with various drug combinations: vincristine and prednisone, later by cytosine arabinoside and finally by prednisone, methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine. Four months after the diagnosis he developed epistaxis and petechiae. The coagulation tests were compatible with primary fibrinolysis and he responded to treatment with epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA). One month and a half later he developed again epistaxis, ecchymoses, splenomegaly and an acute abdomen. The coagulation tests revealed primary fibrinolysis. The operation revealed a ruptured spleen. After splenectomy the treatment with EACA was continued and, despite an improvement in the coagulation tests, the patient died.

Fibrinolysis↗

Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia with peculiar nuclear abnormality.

A patient with clinical and haematological findings compatible with congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia (CDA) most porbably type II is described. In contradistinction to previous observations, electron microscope examination of the erythroid cells in the bone marrow showed the concomitant appearance of nuclei at different maturation stages in a single cell. In addition, a marked tendency toward multinuclearity of the megakaryocytes was found. The mature erythroblasts showed an increased uptake of 3H-thymidine less than is normally found in these cells. Thes findings suggest an impairment in RNA and DNA synthesis.

Adult↗

The presence of hepatic intramitochondrial crystalline inclusions in routine liver biopsies.

Electron microscope examination of the liver biopsies of 33 patients revealed the presence of intramitochondrial crystalline inclusions (IMCI) in ten of them. Three patients suffered from iron deficiency anemia, porphyria, and malignant melanoma, conditions not reported to be associated with IMCI. Comparison of the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with and without IMCI did not show significant difference, or a clue for clarifying the nature of this phenomenon. Although these inclusions were reported in normal individuals, the possibility that they are the result of liver damage is not excluded.

Adult↗

Ultrastructural observations in myopathy complicating Cushing's disease.

The ultrastructural findings in a muscle biopsy of a patient with Cushing's disease associated with severe myopathy are described. They included pronounced mitochondrial damage, thickening and deep invaginations of the sarcolemmal basement membrane, and thickening of the basement membrane of the capillaries. In addition, the muscle fibers showed a marked degree of disarray and wide interfibrillar spaces, containing large numbers of vacuoles, which presented degenerated mitochondria. The similarity between these findings and the ultrastructural features of corticosteroid-induced myopathy is discussed.

Cushing Syndrome↗