Dulcie V. Coleman

Trophoblast sampling in early pregnancy. Culture of rapidly dividing cells from immature placental villi.

Trophoblast was obtained by ordinary suction curettage and by transcervical aspiration with a medicut cannula from women having a therapeutic abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. The decidual tissue which is invariably attached to early placental villi was separated and pure cultures obtained from the trophoblast layers and from the mesenchymal core of placental villi. Cytotrophoblast had a very limited life span in tissue culture, whereas mesenchymal cells grew rapidly and could be used for antenatal diagnosis.

Cross-hybridisation of human papillomavirus DNA on filters

Accurate type assignment of the different HPV types which infect the female genital tract, is essential in view of the differing pathological potential of the common virus types present in the cervix. We have developed hybridisation, washing and autoradiography conditions that minimise cross-hybridisation on filters and so allow clear-cut type assignment. We describe the conditions in this paper and have used this method to screen for HPV infection in clinical populations.

Steroid sulphatase activity in trophoblast samples

SummaryTrophoblast samples were collected transcervically from 16 pregnant women who were undergoing termination of pregnancy at 8 to 13 weeks. Steroid sulphatase and arylsulphatase C activities were assayed on cultured and uncultured chorionic villi, whole fetal membrane homogenate and cultured cells from fetal membrane. High enzyme activities were detected in uncultured chorionic villi, suggesting that it is possible to make the antenatal diagnosis of X-linked ichthyosis by trophoblast sampling.

Video monitoring of smear‐taking at colposcopy: relationship to cytology

Objective  To investigate the reasons why cervical smears occasionally fail to reflect the underlying pathology in the cervix even when the smear is taken at colposcopy.

Dna Hybridization of Cervical Tissues

The increasing frequency of cervical neoplasia among younger women and the increased invasiveness of these tumors has led to a considerable growth in research into this disease. Conventional methods (epidemiology, cytology, and immunology), while being extremely useful, also have significant limitations. Recent advances in techniques for the manipulation of DNA now make it possible to analyze tissues for the presence of viral genomes. This review introduces these techniques and describes their application to the search for herpes simplex virus and human papillomavirus sequences in cervical tissue. The significance of the findings both for the mechanism of transmission of the disease, and also the consequences for early detection and hence more successful treatment, are also discussed.

Women with cervical cytological atypia and genital tract infection: Implications and management

SummaryNinety-three women with atypical cervical smears attending the sexually transmitted diseases clinic were further investigated using various microbiological methods, cytology and colposcopy. The smear was defined as atypical when it was reported to show nuclear atypia of the epithelial cells not sufficiently pronounced to be termed dyskaryotic or cellular changes suggestive of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In addition, many of the smears contained numerous polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Microbiological studies revealed that 37 per cent of the patients were infected with microorganisms other than HPV. Chlamydia trachomatis was the pathogen most commonly detected, being present in 16 per cent of them. The repeat smear remained atypical in 45 per cent of the women and was more likely to remain so if there were cellular changes consistent with HPV infection. In contrast, persistent atypia were not influenced by the occurrence of the infections other than with HPV. Cervical intra-epithelial neopla...

A Prospective Study of Human Polyomavirus Infection in Pregnancy

Urine samples from 1,235 pregnant women were examined by light microscopy for cytologic evidence of virus infection. Smears of urine sediment from 40 women (3.2%) were observed to contain inclusion-bearing cells; polyomavirus infection was confirmed by virologic methods in 24 (60%). A polyomavirus was isolated from 12 women. Five isolates were identified as JC virus and one as BK virus. Another isolate designated AS virus appeared to be unique. Serologic studies on the 40 women were consistent with a high frequency of reactivation of JC virus, and virus excretion was related to gestation. The evidence suggests that selective excretion of JC virus may occur in pregnancy. Among 390 pregnant women without inclusion-bearing cells in their urine, 78 (20%) had a high or rising titer of serum antibody to JC or BK virus or both, a result suggesting virus reactivation, but virus excretion was not detected. In contrast to other reports, no evidence was found for transmission of BK virus to the fetus.