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W D Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to W D Thompson.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Mitogenic activity in human atherosclerotic lesions.

Focal smooth muscle cell proliferation is a key event in atherogenesis, but the stimulating factors are unknown, and there is little information on the occurrence of growth promoting factors in the arterial wall. We have tested extracts of human aortic intima for stimulation of DNA synthesis, using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay in an attempt to avoid artifacts arising with cultured cells. Consistently high levels of stimulation were obtained with early proliferative (gelatinous) lesions (mean DNA synthesis 188% of control, n = 6) and slightly more advanced transitional lesions (mean 160%, n = 4); results with mature fibrous plaques were variable (range 120-182%, n = 3). Significant stimulation was also given by four of eleven samples of apparently lesion-free intima. Intima contains fibrinogen and a range of fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products (FRA) and preliminary fractionation experiments suggest that activity may reside in the FRA fraction. Serum does not stimulate DNA synthesis in the CAM; extract activity was retained in FRA-containing fractions after removal of most serum proteins by affinity chromatography, but was mainly lost from serum protein-containing fractions after removal of FRA.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Factors associated with the risk of second primary breast cancer: an analysis of data from the Connecticut Tumor Registry.

To examine further the epidemiology of contralateral primary breast cancer, a case-control analysis, utilizing information available from the Connecticut Tumor Registry, was conducted. Recent cases of second primary breast cancer were compared to control women who had survived a first breast cancer but had not developed a second. Three hundred and thirty eight incident cases of contralateral breast cancer diagnosed between 1979 and 1982 were identified and compared with an equal number of randomly selected controls and 336 controls frequency matched to the cases on the basis of age at initial cancer diagnosis and the calendar time elapsing since that diagnosis. Risk of second primary breast cancer was found to be significantly elevated among women whose initial cancer was lobular carcinoma and during the first year following diagnosis of the initial primary. Additionally, for women initially treated with radiotherapy, risk of a contralateral primary increased for 10-14 years following treatment, after which it declined. Among young women, having never married was protective whereas the opposite was found among older women. These findings and the methods used are discussed in the context of the epidemiology of both contralateral and initial breast primaries.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The effect of diffusion on the immunolocalization of antigen.

Diffusion prior to tissue fixation may result in immunohistochemical localization of antigen at sites in which it does not occur in vivo. The extent and speed with which this may occur have been investigated with several antigens of different molecular weights in tissues which were left unfixed for various lengths of time. There was clear evidence of diffusion when fixation was delayed for as little as 1 h, resulting in focal labelling of cells which did not contain antigen in rapidly fixed tissues. Falsely localized antigen was particularly evident adjacent to sites containing high antigen concentrations and might be expected in areas permeated by antigen-containing tissue fluid. These findings substantiate the view that diffusion of antigen should be considered as a cause of false positivity in any immunolocalization study.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

DSM-III personality disorder clusters in three populations.

DSM-III personality disorder clusters had not previously been tested for their ability to distinguish between different population groups. A major obstacle - different demographic characteristics of different populations - was overcome by using logistic regression. Three out-patient psychiatric referral groups (chronic pain, disability applicants and competency to stand trial) provided subjects; adjustments were made for age, race, sex and education. The groups were significantly different in the adjusted prevalence of DSM-III personality disorder clusters. Clinical association between personality disorder and drug or alcohol abuse was again confirmed.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1987

Quantitation of histamine-induced angiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane: mode of action of histamine is indirect.

Histamine was chosen as a standard chemical suitable for the development of new methods of assessing vascularity in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). When applied in liquid form to the entire 'dropped' area of CAM at day 10 of growth, a sublethal dose was required before a convincing appearance of increased vascularity was produced by day 15. Computer-assisted morphometry, using osmium-stained CAMs viewed en face, demonstrated a progressive increase in both length (21%) and number (59%) of arterial branches over 5 days relative to buffer only controls. A 56% increase in number of mesenchymal vessels seen in cross-section was also detected and this method is the quickest and easiest. No increase in the number of capillaries in the surface plexus of the ectoderm was found but this may be attributable to inadequate technique due to the already high density of capillaries present even in control CAMs using thin resin sections. However a 21% increase in the haemoglobin content of the CAM 4 days after histamine is consistent with an overall increase in the vascular bed. A rapid fall in DNA synthesis by 6 h (-48%) was produced by histamine, followed by a slow rebound to a peak at 36 h (74%). This contrasts with the growth factor type of pattern seen previously with fibrin degradation products giving a progressive rise to a major peak of DNA synthesis at 18 h. These effects indicate two mechanisms of induction of angiogenesis, and that the action of histamine is indirect.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Comparison of psychiatric diagnoses in three populations.

This report examines the differing types of psychiatric diagnoses served by different institutions as a result of differing social or institutional forces. Four-hundred-eighty-eight emotionally disturbed subjects from three different groups (competency to stand trial, chronic pain, and social security disability (SSI) applicants) were compared across psychiatric diagnostic categories. After adjusting for age, race, sex, education and marital status significant differences were found in the categories of affective disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders and drug abuse. Interaction between institution and diagnosis is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The control of fibrogenesis: stimulation and suppression of collagen synthesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane with fibrin degradation products, wound extracts and proteases.

The chick chorioallantoic membrane model (CAM) has previously been used to demonstrate cell proliferation, characteristic of both angiogenesis and fibrogenesis, after exposure to fibrin degradation products. This model has now been adapted for quantitative in vivo assay of collagen polypeptide synthesis and prolyl hydroxylase activity. The CAM exhibits oscillations in the level of labelled collagen, a pattern attributable to rapid intracellular degradation and proline recycling following a brief labelling period. Both collagen synthesis and prolyl hydroxylase activity are stimulated by fibrin degradation products (less than 50 000 MW). Such stimulation occurs by 3 h and precedes the rise in general protein synthesis. Extracts of healing mouse skin wounds, rich in proteases, inhibited collagen synthesis, as did pure plasmin. Conversely, stimulation was achieved when proteolytic activity was neutralized by soybean trypsin inhibitor. These findings help to explain the observation that fibroblasts and endothelial cells proliferate and migrate centrally in an inflammatory lesion without depositing collagen, whilst in a milieu of high proteolytic activity. More peripherally, where proteases are inactivated by antiproteases in inflammatory exudate, such cell movement ceases and collagen deposition is observed.

Allantois↗
PubMed1986

Congenital leukaemia: an unusual cause of stillbirth.

Three cases of congenital leukaemia associated with hydrops and intrauterine death are described. The leukaemic infiltrates, which involved both the infants and the placentas, were of monocytic, lymphoblastic, and myeloblastic types, respectively. The general lack of recognition of the condition is probably due to inadequate histological examination of the stillborn infant and the placenta.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Fibrin degradation and angiogenesis: quantitative analysis of the angiogenic response in the chick chorioallantoic membrane.

Fibrin deposition and removal is a feature common to major pathological processes such as wound healing, chronic inflammation and tumour invasion: processes involving the ingrowth of new blood vessels. Low molecular weight fibrin degradation products (MW less than 50,000) are now shown to induce angiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). This effect has also been shown by new quantitative assays to be associated with stimulation of both DNA and protein synthesis. Autoradiography indicates that all cell types in the CAM are stimulated to divide, and it is proposed that fibrin degradation products are a pathological growth factor.

Allantois↗
PubMed1985

Marital status of schizophrenic and alcoholic patients.

Previous reports from treated psychiatric populations have reported a higher risk of mental illness among married females; however, community surveys often do not show this prevalence. Three referral groups, consisting of 488 subjects who were mentally ill but not seeking psychiatric treatment, provided a third type of population. For both sexes, combined drug and alcohol abusers were more likely to be divorced than to be married when compared to the rest of the study population (p less than .05). Both schizophrenia and drug and alcohol abuse showed differential findings by marital status and by sex, with the likelihood of more mentally ill females than males being married in these treatment populations.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Psychiatric disorders in the relatives of probands with affective disorders. The Yale University--National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Study.

A family study of psychiatric disorders in 2,003 first-degree relatives of 335 probands found increased rates of bipolar I disorder and major depression (MD) in the relatives of probands with bipolar disorder and increased rates of MD in the relatives of probands with MD. There was a similarity in rates of affective disorders in the relatives of ambulatory and of hospitalized depressed probands (suggesting that ambulatory depressed patients may be as suitable as hospitalized ones for biological studies) and a comparability of rates of illness in relatives between centers for most disorders when comparable diagnostic criteria and procedures were used.

Adult↗