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Biomedical subjects

B L O'Dell

Publications and source records attributed to B L O'Dell.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

An unrecognized dietary factor for guinea pigs associated with the fibrous fractions of plant products.

The growth rate of guinea pigs was used to assess the nutritional value of plant materials and to characterize the active component(s). Weanlings were fed for 28 days a purified diet based on soybean protein. Addition of 10 to 20% of wood pulp improved the growth rate beyond that supported by 0 to 5%. Subsequently, the basal diet contained 15% of wood cellulose. Raw cabbage, ad libitum, 5% of wheat straw and 5% of mature alfalfa, collected and dried in the laboratory, increased growth rate significantly. Several other plant products tested were inactive. Holocellulose (2.5%) prepared from alfalfa improved the growth rate while that from cabbage was minimally active. Afalfa holocellulose fractions enriched in hemicellulose and alpha-cellulose were inactive. Lyophilized cabbage and the residue which remained after extraction of frozen raw cabbage with ethyl acetate and acetone stimulated growth when fed at a level of 10%. Treatment of holocellulose with KOH, with pancreatin at pH 8 or with 0.1 m KHCO3 caused loss of activity. Storage of dry alfalfa meal for a period of 1 year resulted in loss of activity. It is concluded that a labile component of alfalfa associated with the fibrous fraction confers unique nutritional value to the fiber. Cabbage also contains a labile growth stimulant which may be associated with the fibrous fraction.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1979

Interaction of zinc and essential fatty acids in the rat.

Three experiments were performed to investigate the possibility of a physiological relationship between zinc and essential fatty acids (EFA). Male weanling rats were fed diets low in zinc, EFA or both and their growth rates, dermal scores and tissue fatty acid profiles determined. In experiment 1, a basal soybean protein diet containing 7 ppm of added zinc and approximately 300 ppm EFA was used in a 2 X 2 factorial design: low Zn-low EFA; adequate Zn-low EFA; low Zn-adequate EFA and adequate Zn-adequate EFA. The low zinc status accentuated signs of EFA deficiency, including dermal lesions and growth rate, but it had no significant effect on the fatty acid profile in plasma. In experiment 2, a basal casein diet containing approximately 25 ppm of EFA and less than 1 ppm of zinc, was used in a similar design. For 7 weeks two groups of weanling rats were fed ad libitum either a diet adequate in Zn and low in EFA or a diet adequate in all nutrients. From 7 to 12 weeks zinc was removed from one-half of each group and all were pair-fed to the intake of the low zinc-low EFA group. Zinc deficiency accentuated dermal lesions in the group deprived of EFA and caused enlarged joints suggestive of an arthritic-like syndrome. In experiment 3, an egg albumin based diet containing approximately 25 ppm EFA and less than 1 ppm of zinc was used in a 2 X 2 factorial design. No signs of fatty acid deficiency occurred in 5 weeks with adequate zinc. Zinc and EFA deficiency accentuated dermal scores and severely depressed growth. Zinc deficiency increased the proportion of arachidonic acid in foot skin especially in the EFA deficient group. It is concluded that there is a physiological interaction between Zn and essential fatty acids.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

The lung of the copper-deficient rat. A model for developmental pulmonary emphysema.

Based on the hypothesis that cross-linked elastin is critical for normal lung structure, lung tissue from copper-deficient rats was studied. Copper deficiency was induced in the second generation by feeding dams a milk-based diet low in copper (less than 1 ppm) during gestation and lactation. The weanlings were fed the same diet until they showed severe signs of deficiency between 6 and 10 weeks of age. Controls animals received the basal diet supplemented with 10 ppm copper. Liver cytochrome oxidase activity, which served as the chief index of deficiency, decreased from a normal level of approximately 80 to 15 mumole/min/g. The lungs of the deficient animals contained 17% less elastin and had 35% larger alveolar spaces (34.7 vs 47.7 intercepts), as determined by the mean alveolar intercept method. The ultrastructure of elastin in the bronchi, arterioles, and alveolar ducts had a "washed out" appearance. To determine the reversibility of the pathology, deficient animals, 5 to 10 weeks of age, were repleted by feeding a copper-supplemented diet for 1, 2, and 3 months. During this period growth resumed, anemia disappeared, and liver cytochrome oxidase returned to normal. There was no improvement in lung structure with regard to alveolar size (28.4 intercepts compared with 43.6 in controls and 35.1 in deficient littermates killed at the start of repletion). The ultrastructure and electron density of pulmonary elastin was restored to near normal. The lung of the copper-deficient rat is proposed as a model for developmental pulmonary emphysema.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Analogous effects of zinc deficiency and aspirin toxicity in the pregnant rat.

At or near term, zinc deficient pregnant rats are depressed and exhibit difficult and extended parturition with excessive bleeding. This investigation was designed to develop objective measures of this pathology and to apply these parameters to the assessment of possible interrelationships of zinc with aldosterone and the prostaglandins. Female rats were fed during gestation a low zinc diet based on soybean protein (less than 1 ppm Zn) or the same diet supplemented with zinc (100ppm). Some of the rats were treated with aldosterone or aspirin, a prostaglandin inhibitor. Following parturition, both body temperature and blood pressure were depressed in the zinc deficient dams. Bleeding time and blood loss were also increased. Plasma potassium value were slightly elevated, adrenal weights increased and thymus weights decreased. Aldosterone had no effect on the incidence of the postpartum illness: temperature and blood pressure were unchanged. Toxic doses of aspirin produced pathologic signs analogous to those of zinc deficiency, including extended gestation period, difficult and prolonged parturition, excess bleeding, and low blood pressure and rectal temperature. The results suggest a role for zinc in prostaglandin metabolism.

Aldosterone↗
PubMed1976

Biochemistry of copper.

Copper, as a component of numerous cuproenzymes, plays a vital role in many physiologic functions in man and animals. From the stand-point of human health there are at least three functional areas of prime importance. Copper is involved in the development and maintenance of cardiovascular and skeletal integrity, central nervous system structure and function, and erythropoietic function including iron metabolism. Although there is no evidence for widespread copper deficiency in the human population, it does occur, owing to genetic defects and other precipitating factors. A clear understanding of the functions of copper and its mechanisms of action could prove highly beneficial in the solution of present and unforeseen problems in medicine.

Anemia↗