Biomedical subjects
W A Gardner
Publications and source records attributed to W A Gardner.
The prostate--overview: recent insights and speculations.
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Fetal prostate growth and development.
Normal fetal and newborn prostates were studied to evaluate growth patterns, histogenesis, and secretory activity. Whole cross-sectioned prostates harvested from 107 necropsies of fetuses and newborns ages 20 weeks gestation to 1 month of age were used. Development of the prostate occurred in three stages: bud stage (20-30 weeks gestation), bud-tubule stage (31-36 weeks gestation), and acinotubular stage (37-42 weeks gestation). Squamous metaplasia often appeared in the urethra, utricle, and primary lobular ducts, and occasional microcysts were noted. PAS and alcian blue-PAS positive secretion were present in 65% of the specimens by 20-30 weeks gestation and in over 87% of the specimens by 37 or more weeks gestation. Secretory activity was most prominent in the lateral regions of the peripheral zone. Prostate-specific antigen was only weakly detected throughout the prenatal period and was not related to secretory activity as evidenced by the PAS technique.
Adherence and surface properties of Tritrichomonas mobilensis, an intestinal parasite of the squirrel monkey.
Adherence properties of the potentially enteropathogenic Tritrichomonas mobilensis were studied in vitro. Axenically cultivated trichomonads readily attached to isolated intestinal epithelial cells and mucus of the squirrel monkey. The kinetics and nature of T. mobilensis cytadherence were microscopically evaluated in cell-suspension assay using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and in microplate hemagglutination assay with human erythrocytes. Adherence of the parasites to target cells was concentration- and time-dependent; it was inhibited by sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic or N-glycolylneuraminic acid) and sialyllactose. Neither trypsinization of the flagellates nor their exposure to low temperature (4 degrees C) affected their cytadherence capacities. The data indicate the presence of adhesin(s) with lectin properties on T. mobilensis. Agglutination of live protozoa by animal and plant lectins with various carbohydrate-binding specificities as well as the occurrence of an electron-dense cell coat on plasma membrane suggest marked glycosylation of the parasite surface.
Faculty development in the pathology department: a 1988 symposium of the Association of Pathology Chairmen.
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Forensic autopsy in the elderly.
We analyzed deaths in a geriatric population investigated by the Mobile County (Alabama) Coroner's Office during the three years of 1983 through 1985 inclusively. These subjects died both within and outside hospitals and thus provide broad representation of all types of deaths in the elderly. Of the total number of deaths investigated by the Coroner's Office, 924 of the deceased (39%) were 65 years old or older; they represent 15% of the deaths occurring in Mobile County in this age group. Of these 924 deaths, 209 (23%) were studied by autopsy; this number is 36% of the total autopsies done on subjects aged 65 or more in Mobile County during this three-year period and 89% of autopsies done after death from trauma (ie, homicide, suicide, accident, or undetermined). The potential value of medicolegal investigative data with regard to mortality statistics and the elderly is emphasized.
Acquisition and retention of viruses by Trichomonas vaginalis.
Recently described occurrence of virus-like particles (VLP) in some strains of Trichomonas vaginalis suggests the possibility that the pathogenic significance of this organism may be broadened by its potential for viral transmission. Inasmuch as neither the source nor the host range of the VLP are known, any hazard which they may present for man cannot be estimated. A model has been established for the study of acquisition of known human viruses by T vaginalis. Tissue cultures were infected with two reoviruses and a fresh isolate of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV). A squirrel monkey reovirus was also included in the study. T vaginalis was inoculated into the virus cultures three days later. The progress of virus acquisition by the trichomonads was monitored by transmission electron microscopy and by culture. Virus-containing cell fragments were engulfed by trichomonads and internalised in vacuoles. After digestion of cellular debris only virus particle aggregates were retained. Viable reoviruses were recovered from the trichomonads for nine days, and HSV for six days. The results suggest the possibility of transmission of at least some viruses by T vaginalis.
Intestinal trichomonads (Tritrichomonas mobilensis) in the natural host Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri boliviensis.
A retrospective study of cecal and colonic tissues from 28 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri boliviensis) demonstrated enteric trichomonads within luminal crypts. Twenty-one of 28 (75%) had trichomonads in the mucosal epithelium either in cup-like depressions or intraepithelial vacuoles. Organisms were also beneath the superficial luminal mucosal epithelium and between the basement membrane and crypt epithelial cells. Immunoperoxidase staining also identified organisms within the lamina propria and submucosa. Additional histologic changes included mucosal ulceration, multifocal cryptitis, and focal epithelial necrosis. Most areas containing trichomonads did not have an associated inflammatory response.
Prostatic crystalloids.
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Flagella-bearing bare Trichomonas vaginalis nuclei in Papanicolaou smears.
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Intraprostatic spermatozoa in the squirrel monkey.
The recent observation of spermatozoa within the human prostate prompted this study to determine if spermatozoa were present in prostates of nonhuman primates. Six of 32 squirrel monkey prostates contained intraglandular spermatozoa. No associated pathologic lesions were found. Spermiophages were seen in one case. Although intraprostatic spermatozoa have been postulated to play a role in various prostatic diseases, a normal physiologic phenomenon cannot be excluded.
Intraprostatic spermatozoa.
Spermatozoa have not previously been described within the prostate gland. Nine of one hundred prostates of nonhospitalized males obtained from autopsy during the course of medicolegal death investigation were found to contain spermatozoa. The potential role of spermatozoa in the pathogenesis of corpora amylacea/calculi formation, granulomatous inflammation, local antigenic stimulation, and carcinogenesis is considered.
A uniform histopathologic grading system for prostate cancer. Subcommittee on Diagnostic Nomenclature, Prostate Cancer Working Group, Organ Systems Program.
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Uses and limitations of prostate-specific antigen in the laboratory diagnosis of prostate cancer.
We have studied the clinical utility of a recently developed assay for a prostate specific protein (prostate-specific antigen). Histochemical demonstration of prostate-specific antigen has a higher sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of prostate carcinoma than does prostatic acid phosphatase. Similarly, measurement of prostate-specific antigen by immunoassay in serum is a more sensitive indicator of tumor stage and recurrence after therapy than prostatic acid phosphatase. More information is needed, however, regarding the variation in this protein with different therapeutic methods.
Basic properties of Tritrichomonas mobilensis hemagglutinin.
Tritrichomonas mobilensis is a recently described enteric protozoon of squirrel monkeys. An earlier report identified one of the metabolic products of this organism as a lectinlike hemagglutinin. Its further properties were determined in this study. Culture supernatants of T. mobilensis FP4190 were concentrated by ultrafiltration through a membrane with 100,000-molecular-weight cutoff. High titers of agglutinin against human erythrocytes were obtained. Incubation at 70 degrees C for 15 min resulted in complete inactivation. Exposure to 56 degrees C for 30 min was without effect, and only partial loss of activity was obtained during incubation for up to 18 h. Maintenance at pH 4 to 9 for 4 h at room temperature had no deleterious effect. Apparent degradation of the hemagglutinin was achieved by 18 h of contact with proteinase K, but trypsin and collagenase were essentially ineffective. Papain increased the sensitivity of the test. In the presence of this enzyme hemagglutinin was demonstrated also in cultures of Tritrichomonas foetus and Tritrichomonas augusta but not in those of Pentatrichomonas hominis or Trichomonas vaginalis.
Pathogenicity of Tritrichomonas mobilensis: subcutaneous inoculation in mice.
The standard "subcutaneous mouse assay" was used to investigate the inherent pathogenicity of Tritrichomonas mobilensis, an intestinal parasite of squirrel monkeys. C57B1/6 mice given subcutaneous bilateral inocula of T. mobilensis died by day 4 postinoculation with lesions too small to be measured. Control mice similarly inoculated with pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of Trichomonas vaginalis survived the challenge and produced lesions on day 6 with mean volumes in agreement with previous reports. CD1 mice similarly inoculated with standard and double doses of trichomonads (T. mobilensis) again produced small lesions. CD1 mice inoculated at double dosage were moribund or dead on days 5 and 6, respectively, postinoculation. Necropsies were performed on dead and sacrificed mice. Tissues were obtained from internal organs for histology and culture. Unexpectedly, trichomonads were cultured from liver and lung of C57B1/6 mice at the standard level of inoculation and liver, lung, and spleen of CD1 mice at the higher level of inoculation. Although trichomonads are normally considered surface-dwelling noninvasive organisms, the penetration of trichomonads to deep tissues is not without precedent. Tritrichomonas foetus and Trichomonas gallinae are known to invade tissues of their respective hosts. Trichomonas vaginalis has been demonstrated in subepithelial areas of both the prostate gland and cervix of humans. The ability of several species of trichomonads to invade tissues and/or migrate to other sites in their hosts suggests a need for revision of the concept of trichomonads as strictly lumen or surface-dwelling parasites.
Subepithelial organisms in trichomonal cervicitis.
Trichomonas vaginalis is usually described as a surface-dwelling, noninvasive organism. Most studies of the pathogenicity of this organism have been derived from cytologic studies of uterine cervical epithelium. We employed specific immunoperoxidase techniques that allow the identification of organisms in cytologic and histologic specimens. In a case of trichomonal cervicitis these organisms were demonstrated both on the epithelial surface and in subepithelial tissues. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed.