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Biomedical subjects

A Campbell

Publications and source records attributed to A Campbell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Antagonism of limbic and extrapyramidal actions of intracerebrally injected dopamine by ergolines with partial D2 agonist activity in the rat.

Bromocriptine and a series of experimental ergoline D2 partial agonists (SDZ-208-911, SDZ-212-327, SDZ-208-912) were evaluated for their interactions with exogenous dopamine (DA, at ED50 = 16 micrograms) stereotaxically injected unilaterally into a limbic (superior-medial nucleus accumbens septi) or extrapyramidal (central corpus striatum) target site in rat brain. Behavioral measures to quantify responses were locomotor arousal induced by DA in accumbens and contralateral head turning with striatum. All agents, given systemically (i.p.), induced dose-dependent inhibition of behavioral responses to DA from both brain sites. In both accumbens and striatum, SDZ-212-327 was most potent and bromocriptine, least; however, bromocriptine was relatively much more potent in accumbens, and SDZ-208-912 somewhat more potent in striatum. These results add to the growing impression that agents with partial agonist actions at central DA receptors can show behaviorally inhibitory effects that may reflect paradoxical antidopaminergic actions against the full, natural agonist of DA receptors and that such effects can be regionally selective.

Animals

Lambdoid phages as elements of bacterial genomes (integrase/phage21/Escherichia coli K-12/icd gene).

The lambdoid phages are a group of related temperate bacteriophages that lysogenize by site-specific recombination with the bacterial chromosome. Various members of the group have different specific chromosomal insertion sites, despite the fact that the enzymes catalyzing the insertion (integrases) appear to be all descended from a common ancestor. Insertion sites are not located randomly on the E. coli chromosome but are restricted to one segment of the map; also, most prophages are oriented in the same direction along the chromosome. Lambdoid phage 21 inserts within the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene and introduces an alternative 165 bp 3' end for that gene. A defective element (e14) inserts at the same position. We suggest that this mode of insertion arose from insertion of an ancestral phage to the right of icd which then picked up part of the icd gene by abnormal excision and speculate that, at an earlier time, phages may have arrived at their present locations by a process of chromosomal walking.

Bacterial Proteins

Differences between antipsychotic drugs in persistence of brain levels and behavioral effects.

After a single dose of the butyrophenone neuroleptic haloperidol, behavioral effects and detectable drug levels in rat brain can last for several weeks. To determine if such persistence is a general property of neuroleptics, we compared drug levels and effects after IP administration of two butyrophenones (haloperidol and bromperidol), a high potency (fluphenazine) and a low potency (chlorpromazine) phenothiazine. Drug levels in brain tissue were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography and behavioral effects monitored as inhibition of apomorphine-induced stereotypy. Estimated near terminal elimination half-lives (t 1/2) from brain for acutely administered chlorpromazine (20 mg/kg) and fluphenazine (1 mg/kg) were 0.41 and 0.62 days, respectively, and neither drug was detectable after 4 days. Fluphenazine given daily for 5 days showed an only slightly slower elimination (t 1/2 = 1.1 days). In contrast, near-terminal elimination half-lives from brain for haloperidol and bromperidol (both at 1 mg/kg, IP) were much longer (6.6 and 5.8 days, respectively), and each was detectable for 21 days after dosing. Inhibition of apomorphine-induced stereotypy correlated highly (r = 0.95) with brain levels of haloperidol. For fluphenazine, given once or repeatedly, early inhibition was replaced within 1 week by supersensitivity to apomorphine which persisted for up to 3 weeks. These findings, indicating marked differences in clearance and recovery times after dosing with butyrophenones and phenothiazines, have clear implications for studies of the effects of neuroleptic drugs in rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Indirect evidence of nasal inflammation assessed by titration of inflammatory mediators and enumeration of cells in nasal secretions of patients with chronic rhinitis.

Pathophysiologic mechanisms of perennial rhinitis are poorly understood. The characterization of inflammation was studied in nasal lavage of patients with perennial rhinitis by the enumeration of cells involved in the allergic inflammation and the measurement of six mediators released in nasal secretions to determine whether some mediators were relevant for the etiologic diagnosis and the occurrence of symptoms. Ten healthy subjects and 57 patients with perennial rhinitis were placed into four groups according to the symptoms they presented at the time of the study and the origin of the allergy. Allergy was characterized by the history, skin prick tests to standardized allergens, and RAST. Eosinophil protein X (EPX), tryptase, histamine, myeloperoxidase, prostaglandin D2, and leukotriene C4/D4 (LTC4/D4) were measured in nasal lavage by enzyme assay or radioimmunoassay. Eosinophils and neutrophils were enumerated after cytocentrifugation of the lavage fluid and May Grunwald Giemsa staining. Tryptase, myeloperoxidase and EPX but not histamine levels were increased in all four patient groups. Eosinophils, LTC4/D4, and prostaglandin D2 were significantly (p < 0.001, p < 0.03, and p < 0.01) increased in allergic and symptomatic patients. EPX was significantly increased in symptomatic allergic and nonallergic patients. This study suggests the involvement of mast cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils, but the latter cells appear to have a more prominent role. The importance of EPX and LTC4/D4 in the characterization of chronic symptomatic rhinitis was also observed.

Adolescent

Controlled study of the effect of nicardipine and ceruletide on the sphincter of Oddi.

Although sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is a recognised cause of post cholecystectomy pain, the control mechanisms involved in sphincter of Oddi function are poorly understood. Pharmacological relaxation of the sphincter of Oddi may have a beneficial effect particularly in sphincter of Oddi dysfunction where basal sphincter pressure is high. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of calcium channel blockade (nicardipine) and synthetic cholecystokinin (ceruletide) on sphincter of Oddi pressures. Nineteen patients (median age 49 years; range 21-75) attending for routine endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographic (ERCP) examination were studied. No patients with evidence of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction were included in the study. Each patient was randomly allocated to receive a three minute intravenous infusion of nicardipine 3 mg (six) ceruletide 5 ng/kg (seven) or placebo (six). Endoscopic biliary manometry was done with recording of basal sphincter of Oddi pressures, sphincter of Oddi phasic wave amplitude and frequency before and after intravenous infusions. In the nicardipine group patients showed a decrease in both basal and phasic amplitude sphincter of Oddi pressure (mm Hg) from the preinfusion values (mean (SEM)) of 24.7 (3.6) and 112.3 (13.4) to 12.9 (2.9) (p less than 0.01) and 89.9 (12.4) (p less than 0.03) after infusion respectively. Ceruletide produced a decrease in sphincter of Oddi phasic wave frequency (c/min) from 3.4 (0.3) before infusion to 2.6 (0.5) after infusion (p less than 0.05). We conclude that nicardipine effectively decreases sphincter of Oddi pressure. This drug may therefore be of value in the treatment of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction where raised sphincter pressures are thought to be the primary pathogenic feature.

Adult

Do central antiadrenergic actions contribute to the atypical properties of clozapine?

Full neuropharmacological understanding of the atypical antipsychotic agent clozapine remains elusive. Antidopaminergic actions of most neuroleptics probably contribute to their antipsychotic benefits, but also to neurological side-effects. Clinical evidence of abnormalities of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in psychotic disorders is inconsistent, but there is substantial metabolic and post-mortem evidence for hyperactivity of noradrenaline (NA). Clozapine is only weakly antidopaminergic but is a potent antagonist at brain alpha 1-adrenergic, 5-HT2-serotonergic, and muscarinic receptors. Its apparent limbic-over-extrapyramidal neurophysiological selectivity can be mimicked by combining a typical neuroleptic with a central alpha 1 antagonist. Clozapine strongly upregulates alpha 1, but not DA, receptor abundance, and may supersensitise alpha 1 but not DA receptors in rat brain. Clozapine also selectively increases activity of NA neurons and metabolic turnover in NA more than DA areas of rat brain, and also increases NA, but not DA or 5-HT, metabolites in human CSF. Potential psychotropic effects of selective central antiadrenergic agents may deserve reconsideration.

Clozapine

Prolonged D2 antidopaminergic activity of alkylating and nonalkylating derivatives of spiperone in rat brain.

Alkyl and arylalkyl derivatives of the dopamine (DA) D2 antagonist spiperone were prepared and characterized chemically and pharmacologically. They included the N-methyl, N-phenethyl (NPS), and N-p-aminophenethyl (NAPS) derivatives, as well as the alkylating isothiocyanato (NIPS), bromacetamido, and ethylfumaramido p-substituted N-phenethylspiperones. These compounds showed high lipophilicity (log P up to 6.0 with NIPS), as well as very high in vitro D2 affinity (Ki = 35-280 pM) and D2 versus D1 selectivity (540-9000-fold) in radioreceptor assays with corpus striatum of rat brain. Of the alkylating series, NIPS showed the highest D2 affinity (57 pM) and D2 versus D1 selectivity (2040-fold) and so was selected for further evaluation. NPS, NAPS, and NIPS showed little or no affinity for 34 non-DA binding sites defined by radioligand assays for monoamine, amino acid, and peptide neurotransmitters, ion channels, peptide growth factors, and transmission mediators but did show low alpha 2 and moderate alpha 1 and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT2) affinity with rat forebrain tissue in vitro; NIPS showed a marked gain in D2 versus 5-HT2 selectivity, compared with spiperone (1520- versus 26-fold). Systemic injections of NIPS induced marked decreases in rat striatal D2 binding sites 24 hr later, with little effect on D1, 5-HT2, or alpha 1 sites; NIPS and NAPS lowered apparent Bmax values at D2 receptors with little change in ligand affinity, ex vivo as well as in vitro. NPS, NAPS, and NIPS all induced dose-dependent lowering of D2 binding ex vivo (ID50 = 1-9 mumol/kg, intraperitoneally) and blocked the behavioral effects of the DA agonist apomorphine (0.9 mumol/kg) potently (ID50 = 0.3-0.5 mumol/kg) at 24 hr. Recovery from these anti-DA actions required about 1 week after equimolar (15 mumol/kg) and similarly effective doses of NPS and NAPS, as well as NIPS. Thus, highly selective and avidly bound lipophilic D2 affinity ligands with similarly avid in vitro and prolonged in vivo anti-DA activities can be derived from N-phenethylspiperones with or without an alkylating moiety present. Such affinity ligands may represent useful additions to previously used, generally less selective, D2 affinity ligands.

Alkylating Agents

Binding characteristics of Escherichia coli biotin repressor-operator complex.

The genes of the operon bioA.BFCD are transcribed divergently from a single regulatory region between the bioA and, bioB genes. Transcription in both directions is co-repressed by biotinyl-5'-adenylate and the biotin repressor. The multimeric state of the biotin repressor bound to DNA and how it affects transcription have not been fully characterized. Therefore, we isolated the BirA protein from a recombinant strain which overproduced the biotin repressor and studied the repressor-operator binding characteristics through restriction enzyme site protection experiments and the mobility shift assay. We also measured the stoichiometry of the biotin repressor-operator complex directly. The results of restriction enzyme site protection studies are consistent with the postulation that the biotin operator is approx. 40 bp long. Only one retarded DNA band appeared in the mobility shift experiments, suggesting that the repressor-operator binding could be a single step reaction. The repressor-operator binding stoichiometry determination revealed that two repressor monomers may occupy the wild type or half palindromic biotin operator sequences.

Base Sequence

Inhibition of dopamine synthesis in rat striatal minces: evidence of dopamine autoreceptor supersensitivity to S(+)- but not R(-)-N-n-propylnorapomorphine after pretreatment with fluphenazine.

This study provides in vitro evidence that rats pretreated with fluphenazine for 10 days, but not acutely, developed moderate but significant striatal autoreceptor supersensitivity as measured by the ability of S(+)-NPA, a selective DA autoreceptor agonist and very weak postsynaptic agonist, to inhibit tyrosine hydroxylase activity. In contrast, autoreceptor supersensitivity was not found with the nonselective auto- and postsynaptic receptor agonist R(-)-NPA. Presumably, this effect represents some modification of a presynaptic regulatory mechanism controlling DA synthesis which can occur despite a reportedly high striatal DA autoreceptor reserve in rat striatum [2, 7]. Such a mechanism, by tending to reduce synaptic availability of DA, may contribute to tolerance to the transient, early DA-synthesis stimulating actions of acutely administered neuroleptics [4], and help to counterbalance increases in postsynaptic DA receptor abundance and sensitivity associated with long-term neuroleptic treatment.

Animals

Selective antidopaminergic effects of S(+)N-n-propylnoraporphines in limbic versus extrapyramidal sites in rat brain: comparisons with typical and atypical antipsychotic agents.

Dopamine (DA), injected unilaterally into rat forebrain after pretreatment with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, equipotently induced locomotor arousal when placed in the nucleus accumbens septi (a limbic site) and contralateral deviation of the head when placed in the corpus striatum (an extrapyramidal target); testing was done with an ED50 dose of DA (16 micrograms). Systemic injections (IP) of the representative typical neuroleptic haloperidol showed high potency and minor striatal selectivity against the behavioral effects of intracerebral DA [accumbens ID50 = 0.090, striatum = 0.027 mg/kg (0.24 and 0.072 mumol/kg); ID50 ratio = 3.3, favoring striatum]. The atypical antipsychotic agent clozapine was less potent against DA in both brain regions but, paradoxically, showed ever greater striatal selectivity [ID50 = 12 and 1.4 mg/kg (37 and 4.2 mumol/kg); ratio = 8.8, favoring striatum], while its analog, the piperazinyl-dibenzothiazepine ICI-204,636 showed intermediate potency and the lowest striatal selectivity of these three neuroleptic agents [ID50 = 1.8 and 0.88 mg/kg (4.1 and 2.0 mumol/kg); ratio = 2.1]. In striking contrast, the S(+) isomers of N-n-propylnorapomorphine, its orally active 10,11-methylenedioxy prodrug derivative, and its 11-monohydroxy analog all induced potent antagonism of limbic DA but had little effect on extrapyramidal injections of DA except at high systemic doses [ID50, accumbens = 0.18-0.52, striatal = 10-15 mg/kg (0.50-1.6 and 29-42 mumol/kg); regional ID50 ratios = 18-69, favoring accumbens]. The S(+)aporphines showed limbic potency similar to that of haloperidol and 25-73 times greater than that of clozapine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

R(-)2-fluoro-N-n-propylnorapomorphine: a very potent and D2-selective dopamine agonist.

A series of 2-substituted N-n-propylnorapomorphine (NPA) derivatives were synthesized and compared with other DA agonists for affinity to D1 and D2 dopamine (DA) receptors in rat brain corpus striatum tissue. The 2-substituents tested reduced D1 affinity similarly, but enhanced D2 affinity in the rank order: F greater than OH greater than Br greater than OCH3 greater than H greater than or equal to NH2. The extraordinarily high D2 affinity (Ki = 12 pM) and D2 vs. D1 selectivity (57,500) of 2-F-NPA far-exceeded that of all other DA agonists tested, and it was about 10-times more potent than NPA in vivo.

Animals

Innovation vs. quality control: an 'unpublishable' clinical trial of supplemental ascorbate in incurable cancer.

A computerized data bank was created recording the details of all cancer patients attending three district general hospitals in West Central Scotland over a 4.5 year period 1978-1982. At the conclusion of the trial, the records of 2804 individual patients were available for study, of whom 1826 had reached an incurable stage. 294 of these incurable cancer patients had received supplemental ascorbate at some stage in their illness, whereas 1532 had not, and served as controls. Analysis showed that the ascorbate-supplemented patients had a median overall survival time (343 days) almost double that of the controls (180 days). Our difficulties in having this simple, but important, observation published are briefly recounted in the introduction.

Ascorbic Acid

Granulomatous prostatitis: a clinicopathological study.

In a clinicopathological study of granulomatous prostatitis, we have found two distinct histological patterns. Approximately one third of cases consisted of localized, often elongated or stellate lesions, resembling rheumatoid nodules. Where clinical details were available, most of these cases had a history of previous transurethral resection. The remaining cases showed more diffuse involvement of the prostate, with lesions centred on ducts and glands, and were not associated with previous prostatic surgery or systemic illness. Immunohistochemical studies of the associated inflammatory infiltrate showed an apparently random distribution of T- and B-lymphocytes in the former group, while in the latter group there was a concentration of T-cells in and around damaged ducts and glands, suggesting a possible immune-mediated destruction of these structures.

Adult

Reticulum cell sarcoma: two complete 'spontaneous' regressions, in response to high-dose ascorbic acid therapy. A report on subsequent progress.

In 1975, we reported the remarkable case of a 42-year-old man with histologically proven widely disseminated reticulum cell sarcoma who, in a remarkably short time, appeared to enjoy not one, but two, complete spontaneous regressions of his fatal illness. Both these regressions coincided exactly in time with intravenous high-dose ascorbate administration, and it seemed reasonable to conclude that this unconventional therapy must have been responsible for his excellent responses. For those interested in spontaneous regressions of cancer and the possible mechanisms, we now report his subsequent progress some 17 years later.

Adenocarcinoma

Effects of the isomers of N-n-propylnorapomorphine and haloperidol on regional concentrations of neurotensin in rat brain.

Rats were treated for 10 days with haloperidol (0.2 or 3 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally [IP]), with either S(+) or R(-) N-n-propylnorapomorphine (NPA; 3 mg/kg IP three times daily) or saline as a placebo control. Brain was microdissected into 11 regions for radioimmunoassay of neurotensin (NT)-like activity under coded ("blind") conditions. Concentrations of NT in rat brain regions ranked central amygdaloid nucleus greater than ventral bed nucleus greater than ventral tegmentum greater than dorsal bed nucleus greater than arcuate nucleus greater than substantia nigra greater than nucleus accumbens septi (accumbens) greater than piriform cortex greater than nucleus caudatus (caudate) greater than mesoprefrontal cortex greater than cingulate cortex, similar to previous observations. Since untreated and placebo-injected control results were indistinguishable, a stress artifact is unlikely to account for the findings. Haloperidol at the lower dose produced no significant changes but, at the higher dose, yielded relatively large (42%-143%) increases of NT concentrations in accumbens, caudate, and substantia nigra. S(+)NPA, which has some properties as a limbic-selective dopamine antagonist, yielded smaller (55%-66%) but significant average increases of NT in accumbens and piriform cortex, and lesser trends toward increases (40%-51%) in caudate, nigra, and mesoprefrontal cortex--all persisting for 5 days after treatment, whereas the R(-) enantiomer, a potent dopaminergic agonist, increased NT only in nigra (by 112%). These observations confirm previous results with haloperidol and add to the impression that S(+)-NPA shares some properties of atypical antipsychotic agents.

Animals