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Biomedical subjects

A Milton

Publications and source records attributed to A Milton.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Functional status of stroke patients in long-term care--a basis for development of rehabilitation and care.

Thirty persons who had remained in long-term care for one year or more post-stroke were assessed with respect to motor function, cognitive, perceptual, and communication ability and ADL capacity. Before the stroke they had lived an independent life, although 40% suffered from cardiovascular disease. At the follow-up, all patients had severe impairments due to the brain damage. None could walk or stand independently, ten could not call for help or attract attention in any way, and 13 could not take part in a conversation. Eleven patients had severe pain in spite of treatment with analgesics. Pain treatment and training methods that can reduce dependence and improve the quality of life for patients like these need to be developed. More appropriate assessment instruments for this patient group have to be constructed to make evaluation of training and care possible.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Copper supplementation effects on indicators of copper status and serum cholesterol in adult males.

Two 6-wk double-blind studies evaluated the effects of supplements of 2 or 3 mg Cu/d on serum copper, ceruloplasmin, red-blood-cell super oxide dismutase (RBC-SOD), total serum cholesterol, and serum lipoprotein-cholesterol fractions in adult males. Study I had 6 supplemented and 8 placebo subjects, whereas study II had 7 and 6, respectively. Copper supplementation did not appear to affect serum copper levels, RBC-SOD, hematocrit, and ceruloplasmin levels when assayed by radial immunoassay diffusion. Supplementation with 2 mg Cu/d produced an increase in LDL cholesterol and the percentage of cholesterol as LDL at wk 4 compared to the placebo group, and a concomitant decline in VLDL-cholesterol levels and the percentage of cholesterol as VLDL. At wk 6, the percentage of cholesterol as LDL increased and that of cholesterol as VLDL decreased compared to baseline values in the supplemented group. Supplements of 3 mg Cu/d increased hemoglobin levels, ceruloplasmin activity, and serum total-cholesterol levels at wk 6 compared to placebos. Differences in cholesterol may be partly explained by variability in the placebo groups in both studies. Copper supplementation effects on cholesterol deserves further investigation.

Adult↗

Hydrallantois in a ewe.

Hydrallantois was detected in a pregnant ewe by physical examination and ultrasonographic evaluation. Clinical signs of disease included acute progressive bilateral abdominal distention, anorexia, and recumbency. Right-flank celiotomy and cesarean section were used to alleviate the condition. Post-operatively, in addition to supportive treatment, oxytocin and fenprostalene (a long-acting prostaglandin) were administered to decrease the likelihood or severity of hydrallantoic sequelae.

Allantois↗

Basolateral binding and uptake of 125-I-insulin in proximal tubular cells after peritubular extraction in the avian kidney.

Several studies have suggested the existence of a renal peritubular extraction of insulin. So far, however, no conclusive evidence, as to whether insulin enters the proximal tubular cell following peritubular extraction, has been presented. In the present study we injected iodine labelled porcine insulin into the renal portal system on hens prepared according to a modified Sperber technique and followed cellular handling of the extracted 125-I-insulin using electron microscope autoradiography at 1 and 7 min after injection. The results showed that at 1 min after injection, peritubular extraction of 125-I-insulin accounted for as much as 30% of total proximal tubular accumulation of grains. Of these grains about 40% were located over basal vesicles, lysosomers or other cell organelles with the remaining 60% located in the intercellular space, probably bound to the basolateral membrane. At 7 min after injection the distribution of grains subsequent to peritubular extraction of 125-I-insulin was unchanged. In contrast, very few grains were located over distal tubules at 1 or 7 min. Thus, the results demonstrate a sizable peritubular extraction of 125-I-insulin in the avian kidney with subsequent uptake into the proximal tubular cells of about one third of the extracted insulin.

Animals↗

Renal handling and effects of [3H]digoxin and interactions with quinidine in the avian kidney.

Renal handling and effects of tritium digoxin and interactions with quinidine in the avian kidney were studied using a modified Sperber technique. Results showed that tritium digoxin was extracted at the peritubular side of the nephron in a process competitively inhibited by increasing amounts of unlabelled digoxin. Light microscope autoradiography showed distinct concentrations of silver grains only over distal tubules in the injected kidney. Inhibition of the proximal tubular transport systems for organic anions and cations, respectively, did not change extraction. Addition of quinidine to the injection solution up to an estimated concentration of 1.4 X 10(-5) M in systemic blood significantly lowered 1 min peritubular extraction of tritium digoxin. However, when the amount of quinidine was further increased, extraction of tritium digoxin augmented significantly. Tritium recovery in urine after renal portal bolus injection of tritiated and unlabelled digoxin already showed a distinct ipsilateral peak 2 min after injection with an equally distinct peak of ipsilateral sodium excretion appearing 1 min later. When quinidine was added to the bolus ipsilateral tritium recovery in urine (0-7 min) was halved, with the true tubular excretion fraction (TTEF) lowered by two-thirds, but without changes in the magnitude of ipsilateral natriuresis. Contralateral natriuresis increased more than four-fold with quinidine in the bolus in spite of unchanged tritium recovery in the urine. Thus, our results show tritium digoxin to be extracted from peritubular blood through a specific process probably localized to the distal nephron of the avian kidney.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Renal tubular accumulation of organic substances: a new in vivo method which differentiates between luminal and peritubular uptake.

Using a modification of the Sperber technique we studied cellular uptake of organic substances in the kidney. A test substance was mixed with an extracellular marker (ethylenediaminetetraacetate or inulin), both radiolabelled with an activity ratio close to I, and injected into the renal portal system on one side via a leg vein. The animals were killed 1-10 min after injection and the radioactivity in different organs determined. Results showed significantly higher ipsilateral (injection) to contralateral (control) kidney ratios (substance to marker) at 1 min after injection for 125I-Na-o-iodohippurate (125I-Hipp; P less than 0.001), 14C-tetraethylammonium bromide (14C-TEA; P less than 0.001), 3H-dihydromorphine (3H-DHM; P less than 0.01), and 125I-iothalamate (P less than 0.01), with a progressive decrease in injection kidney ratios for 125I-Hipp and 14C-TEA when death occurred after a longer period. Inhibition of renal tubular transport with novobiocin or mepiperphenidol markedly reduced 1- and 4-min injection kidney ratios for 125I-Hipp and 14C-TEA, respectively. When death occurred after a longer period, ratios in both kidneys increased significantly for 125I-iothalamate. A good correlation was found between peak cellular accumulation in the kidney and excretion efficiency of test substances. Thus, the results indicate that 125I-Hipp, 125I-iothalamate, 14C-TEA, and 3H-DHM were accumulated from the peritubular side of the nephron through the transport systems for organic acids and bases, respectively, and that 125I-iothalamate also showed luminal uptake. In conclusion, this new in vivo technique is simple and well suited for studying renal tubular accumulation of organic substances and offers the advantage of being able to distinguish luminal from peritubular uptake.

Animals↗

Renal handling of 125I-labelled insulin in the hen.

Renal handling of 125I-insulin was studied using a modification of the Sperber technique. Results showed 125I-insulin to be extracted at the peritubular side of the nephron in a process that was competitively inhibited by increasing amounts of unlabelled insulin, but not ACTH, in the injection mixture. When unlabelled insulin instead was injected 30 sec after the labelled insulin it showed significantly less interference with peritubular extraction of 125I-insulin, indicating strong attachment to the cell membrane or possible internalization of 125I-insulin into proximal tubular cells. Light microscope autoradiography 1 min after injection of 125I-insulin showed grains over proximal tubules only. On the ligated side localization was preferably peritubular while on the control side it was luminal. Electron microscope autoradiography showed sparsely distributed grains, however, frequently located over basal parts of proximal tubular cells. Pretreatment with lysine hydrochloride lowered renal extraction of 125I-insulin and increased urinary recovery of iodine label bilaterally. 125I-glucagon and 125I-C-peptide were not extracted from the peritubular circulation. In conclusion, the model has provided evidence of a rapid and significant peritubular extraction of 125I-insulin by proximal tubular cells in a process probably involving specific insulin receptors. Following receptor binding probably only minor amounts of 125I-insulin enters the proximal tubular cells, while the greater part is degraded at the cell surface or released into the circulation.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Spontaneous plaque forming cells in the peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A reverse haemolytic plaque assay using staphylococcal protein A coupled to sheep red blood cells was set up in Cunningham chambers. Using this method, the numbers of Ficoll-Hypaque isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) secreting IgG, IgA or IgM without preceding culture or mitogen stimulation were estimated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and control subjects. Seven patients with clinically inactive SLE at the time of the study had values similar to those of the control subjects. In contrast, eight patients who had clinically active SLE had markedly increased numbers of PBL secreting IgG, IgA and IgM. Control experiments confirmed that the plaques were due to Ig secretion by lymphoid cells rather than to immune complexes adsorbed onto Fc receptor bearing cells or to passively adsorbed Ig. The results confirm the expected polyclonal B cell activation in patients with SLE and serial measurements showed that clinical relapses occurred only when the numbers of immunoglobulin secreting cells were high. Experiments in three patients with active SLE using native DNA prepared from T2 bacteriophage as the 'developing antigen' suggest that PBL secreting nDNA antibody can also be demonstrated by this method.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗

Rubella in the United Kingdom, 1970-1983.

The numbers of acquired and congenital rubella infections in the United Kingdom were obtained from clinical and laboratory reports and from notifications to the National Congenital Rubella Surveillance Programme. Since 1970 the annual frequency of clinical infection has varied from 150 to 450 cases per 100,000 population and laboratory reports of infection, from 800 to 4,100 per year. The number of notified congenital rubella infections varied from 12 to 86 per year. The largest recent epidemics occurred in 1978 and 1979, with an increase in the number of congenital rubella infections during the following winters. Increased numbers of cases occurred every one to three years, with troughs of two to three years, but peaks in different localities often did not coincide. Terminations of pregnancy associated with rubella or rubella vaccination during pregnancy are reported by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and vary with the incidence of acquired rubella; a maximum of 830 abortions were performed in 1978 for women who acquired the disease, and from 27 to 156 were performed each year for women vaccinated just before or soon after becoming pregnant. The effect of the vaccination program is discussed in relation to the decrease in the number of young women without rubella antibody.

Abortion, Induced↗