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Biomedical subjects

C A Carrington

Publications and source records attributed to C A Carrington.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The effects of athletic training and muscle contractile character on the pressor response to isometric exercise of the human triceps surae.

In this study, the influence of athletic training status and the contractile character of the active muscle on the magnitude of the pressor response (PR) to voluntary and electrically evoked isometric plantar flexion was investigated. Subjects were 10 sprint-trained athletes (sprint) (100-m, 200-m and 400-m) [mean (SD) age, 21 (2) years], 14 endurance trained athletes (distance) [22 (2) years] and 8 untrained men (control) [23 (3) years]. Twitch time to peak tension (TPT) in the sprint group [108 (7) ms] was significantly less (P<0.001) than that of the distance group [124 (10) ms]. During voluntary contraction, the mean change in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (fc) was not significantly different between groups. During electrically evoked contractions, mean changes in SBP, DBP and fc were not significantly different between the sprint, distance and control groups. However, division of the sprint group into 400-m (sprint I) and 100/200-m athletes (sprint II) showed that an increase in DBP of 1.6 kPa (12 mm Hg) in sprint I was significantly less (P<0.05) than the 2.5 kPa (19 mm Hg) increase observed for both the distance and control groups. Prediction of the DBP response from our previously published relationship between TPT and DBP showed close agreement in all subject groups except sprint I; in these subjects the observed DBP response was only 55% of that predicted. Attenuation of the PR in the involuntary experiment suggests that some aspect of sprint training, but not endurance training, modifies the muscle afferent input to the PR in man.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The relationship between the pressor response to involuntary isometric exercise and the contractile protein profile of the active muscle in man.

The present investigation examined the relationship between the pressor response during electrically evoked isometric ankle plantar flexion and the contractile protein profile of the active muscle in seven young men [mean (SD) age, 26 (6) years] and five older men [70 (4) years]. Muscle biopsy samples were taken from lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and soleus (SOL) of each subject. These were analysed for isomyosin composition using non-denaturing pyrophosphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The degree of association was examined between the cardiovascular changes and the fast isomyosin content of LG and SOL individually and in combination (SOL/LG). In the total subject group there was no association between the heart rate response or the change in systolic blood pressure (BP) and the fast isomyosin composition. However, the change in diastolic BP was significantly associated with the fast isomyosin composition of SOL/LG (delta diastolicBP = 0.31 + 0.045% FM SOL/LG, r = 0.65, P = 0.029). These findings suggest that the magnitude of the peripheral reflex mediated pressor response to isometric exercise and the fast isomyosin content of the active muscle are related.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Electrically evoked torque-velocity characteristics and isomyosin composition of the triceps surae in young and elderly men.

The electrically evoked isokinetic torque-velocity relationship of the triceps surae of eight elderly and four non-trained young men was examined in relation to the isomyosin composition of the soleus and the gastrocnemius muscles, determined under non-denaturing conditions using pyrophosphate gel electrophoresis. The angle specific torque-velocity properties of the triceps surae were measured using maximal percutaneous electrical stimulation at 50 Hz and a release technique. The elderly subjects generated significantly (P < 0.05) less absolute torque at all angular velocities when compared with the young subjects. When the isokinetic data were normalized to the isometric torque, the lower normalized torques generated by the elderly subjects were not statistically different from the young. The total fast isomyosin (FM) content of the soleus and gastrocnemius in the elderly subjects was 22 +/- 13 and 35+/- 18%, respectively. This compared with 29 +/- 8 (n.s) and 44 +/- 8% (n.s.) in the young subjects. When the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were given an equal weighting and considered together to represent the whole triceps surae, the normalized torque at the fixed angular velocity of 5 rads s-1 was significantly associated with %FM (r = 0.90, P < 0.01), and the isomyosin bands %FM1 (r = 0.90, P < 0.01) and %FM2 (r = 0.93, P < 0.001) when only the elderly subjects were considered. No relationships were observed between contractile characteristics and contractile protein profile when only the young subjects were considered. This was despite the inclusion of a further two sprint and three endurance trained athletes to increase the range of contractile characteristics and differences in muscle composition.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The pressor response to involuntary isometric exercise of young and elderly human muscle with reference to muscle contractile characteristics.

Changes in heart rate (fc) and blood pressure (BP) were observed in eight healthy young men aged [mean (SD)] 20 (1) years and ten healthy elderly men aged 65 (5) years, during electrically evoked contractions of the ankle plantar flexors and elbow flexors which were sustained for 2 min. There was no significant difference in the fc response to evoked contraction of the ankle plantar flexors or elbow flexors between young and elderly subjects. During contraction of the elbow flexors, elderly subjects produced an unexpectedly large rise in systolic BP which was significantly greater than that of the young subjects. The exaggerated response seen in the elderly group may be due to a more rigid arterial tree which is thought to occur with advancing age. Electrically evoked contraction of the slower contracting elderly ankle plantar flexors resulted in a significantly diminished diastolic BP response when compared with that of the young subjects. In contrast, during electrically evoked contraction of the elbow flexors, which showed a similar twitch time course in young and elderly subjects, the diastolic BP response was not significantly different between groups. This may reflect differences in the peripheral reflex input to the pressor response in elderly arm and leg muscles which, in turn, may be influenced by relative fast twitch fibre area.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Sensitive and specific two-site immunoradiometric assays for human insulin, proinsulin, 65-66 split and 32-33 split proinsulins.

Monoclonal antibody-based two-site immunoradiometric assays are described for human insulin, proinsulin, 65-66 split and 32-33 split proinsulin. The detection limits of the assays lie in the range 0.8-2.5 pM. The assays for 65-66 and 32-33 split proinsulins do not distinguish between these substances and their respective C-terminal di-desamino derivatives. The assay of 65-66 split proinsulin does not cross-react with insulin, proinsulin or 32-33 split proinsulin. This material was undetectable (less than 1.0 pM) in plasma taken after an overnight fast in eight normal male subjects and the maximum individual concentration reached in plasma taken during an oral glucose tolerance test of these subjects was 3.8 pM. The proinsulin assay cross-reacted 66% with 65-66 split proinsulin but not with insulin or 32-33 split proinsulin. The 32-33 split proinsulin assay cross-reacted 84 and 60% with proinsulin and 65-66 split proinsulin respectively. The insulin assay cross-reacted 5.3, 62 and 5.0% with intact proinsulin, 65-66 split proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin respectively. The very low concentration of 65-66 split proinsulin meant that this derivative did not interfere significantly with the specificity of the assays of proinsulin and insulin. The concentration of 32-33 split proinsulin could be calculated by subtracting the cross-reactivity of the measured proinsulin. The mean concentrations of insulin, proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin in eight young male subjects in the fasting state were (pM +/- S.E.M.) 20 +/- 0.3, 2.3 +/- 0.3 and 2.1 +/- 0.7 and at the maximum reached during an oral glucose tolerance test, 150 +/- 26, 9.9 +/- 1.4 and 19.7 +/- 6.0 respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Insulin deficiency in non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

A highly specific two-site immunoradiometric assay for insulin was used to measure the plasma insulin response to 75 g glucose administered orally to 49 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM). The plasma insulin concentration 30 min after glucose ingestion was lower in the diabetic patients than in matched controls for both non-obese (11-83 pmol/l vs 136-297 pmol/l, p less than 0.01) and obese subjects (23-119 pmol/l vs 137-378 pmol/l, p less than 0.01). By means of another two-site immunoradiometric assay, the basal intact proinsulin level was found to be higher in the NIDDM patients than in the controls for both non-obese (7.1 [SEM 1.2] pmol/l vs 2.4 [0.4] pmol/l, p less than 0.01) and obese subjects (14.4 [2.2] pmol/l vs 5.9 [1.9] pmol/l, p less than 0.01). The basal level of 32-33 split proinsulin was also raised in NIDDM. Previous failure to show clear separation between normal and NIDDM insulin responses was probably due to the high concentrations of proinsulin-like molecules in the plasma of NIDDM patients. These substances cross-react as insulin in most, if not all, insulin radioimmunoassays but have very little biological insulin-like activity. It is therefore now possible and necessary to designate most NIDDM patients as insulin deficient.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2↗
PubMed1988

Effects of sulphonylureas and diazoxide on insulin secretion and nucleotide-sensitive channels in an insulin-secreting cell line.

1. The effects of various sulphonylureas and diazoxide on insulin secretion and the activity of various channels have been studied using tissue culture and patch-clamp methods in an insulin-secreting cell line derived from a rat islet cell tumour. 2. Tolbutamide, glibenclamide and HB699 increased the rate of insulin release by 2-5 fold. The concentrations of tolbutamide and glibenclamide giving half-maximum effects on insulin secretion were approximately 40 microM and 0.2 microM, respectively. 3. Diazoxide (0.6-1.0 mM) per se, had either no effect or produced a small increase in insulin secretion, whereas when secretion was maximally stimulated by the combination of glucose (3 mM) and leucine (20 mM), it produced inhibition. Tolbutamide-induced release was also inhibited by diazoxide. 4. Tolbutamide, glibenclamide, HB699 and HB985 reduced the open-state probability of the ATP-K+ channel in a dose-dependent manner. Tolbutamide and glibenclamide were shown to be effective regardless of which side of the membrane they were applied. 5. In whole cell recording, in which the total ATP-sensitive K+ conductance of the cell could be measured, dose-inhibition curves for tolbutamide and glibenclamide were constructed, resulting in Ki values of 17 microM and 27 nM, respectively. The value of Ki for tolbutamide was unchanged when ATP (0.1 mM) was present in the electrode. 6. Diazoxide (0.6 mM) activated the ATP-K+ channels only when they had first been inhibited by intracellular ATP (0.1 mM) or bath applied tolbutamide (3-30 microM). The inhibition produced by glibenclamide could not be reversed by diazoxide. 7. Neither tolbutamide (1.0 mM) nor glibenclamide (10 microM) altered the open-state probability of the Ca2+-activated K+ channel or the Ca2+-activated non-selective cation channel which are present in this cell line. 8. It is concluded that the sulphonylureas and related hypoglycaemic drugs and diazoxide regulate insulin secretion by direct effects on the ATP-K+ channel or a protein closely associated with this channel.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1987

Nucleotide-sensitive ion channels in human insulin producing tumour cells.

Cells from a human insulin producing tumour have been studied and single channel currents recorded. We have observed three main cation-selective channels in excised patch experiments. An ATP-sensitive potassium channel is present the activity of which can be inhibited by the oral hypoglycaemic drug, tolbutamide. A calcium-activated non-selective cation channel, which is inhibited by AMP could also be seen. In addition a large conductance potassium selective channel, possibly the "maxi" calcium-activated potassium channel is present in these cells.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1986

Five new insulin-producing cell lines with differing secretory properties.

Five cell lines have been derived from a rat transplantable islet cell tumour using two different methods. The lines differ in morphology and contain and release different amounts of insulin and glucagon (insulin content, 1-90 pmol/10(6) cells; insulin release, 6-250 pmol/10(6) cells per 24 h; glucagon content, less than 0.005-35 pmol/10(6) cells; glucagon release, less than 0.05-10 pmol/10(6) cells per 24 h). All the lines responded to the presence of the secretagogues leucine (20 mmol/l) plus theophylline (5 mmol/l) by increasing the rate of release of insulin approximately twofold. A high extracellular concentration of potassium (40 mmol/l) caused a three- to tenfold calcium-dependent increase in release of insulin and a parallel release of glucagon. Increasing the concentration of glucose from 2.8 to 16.7 mmol/l did not alter the rate of insulin release by any of the cell lines.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗
PubMed1986

Single channel recordings of potassium currents in an insulin-secreting cell line.

Using the patch-clamp technique we observed three distinct classes of K+ channels which were spontaneously active in excised 'inside-out' membrane patches from an insulin-secreting rat pancreatic islet cell line (CRI-G1). Two of these occurred infrequently, one with a conductance of approximately 7 pS, and the other a conductance of 220 pS. The activation of the 220 pS K+ channel was dependent upon the membrane voltage and was sensitive to the concentration of calcium ions at the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane. The third, and by far the most common class of K+ channel, was characterized by its sensitivity to ATP. Application of ATP to the cytoplasmic side of the membrane reversibly inhibited this K+ channel in a dose-dependent manner, but had no effect when applied to the external side. The properties of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel appear to be indistinguishable from those of a channel found in rat neonatal beta cells. Thus this insulin-secreting cell line should prove valuable in the investigation of the role of K+ channels in the regulation of insulin secretion.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗
PubMed1985

Effects of dietary fat on the growth of normal, preneoplastic and neoplastic mammary epithelial cells in vivo and in vitro.

In order to determine: (1) whether there is a growth-regulating interaction between the mammary fat pad and mammary epithelium; (2) whether this interaction could be modified by dietary fats; and (3) whether these effects could be demonstrated in vitro, the following experiments were performed. Virgin Balb/c mice had the left inguinal mammary fat pad cleared of epithelium and were then maintained on one of four fully defined diets. These diets contained the following proportions of fat by weight: 5% or 10% mixed fats; 20% saturated fat plus cholesterol; or 20% polyunsaturated fat. To test for effects in vivo, animals received subcutaneous injections into the cleared fat pad of tumorigenic mammary cells (WAZ-2T(+SA) or WAZ-2T(-SA)) or preneoplastic mammary cells (CL-S1). Dietary fat had little effect on the latent period of tumour formation, but a low-fat diet increased the invasive/metastatic potential of both tumorigenic cell lines. A high-saturated-fat diet inhibited the growth of normal and preneoplastic epithelium in vivo. To test for effects in vitro, CL-S1 cells were co-cultured with explants of cleared mammary fat pad embedded within collagen gels. CL-S1 cells co-cultured with adipose explants obtained from mice fed on a diet containing 20% polyunsaturated fat showed a threefold increase in incorporation of [3H]thymidine into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material. These results imply that dietary fats may affect the growth of mammary epithelium in two ways: the inhibition of growth caused by the high-saturated-fat diet may be due to systemic effects as it was not apparent in vitro; the increase in growth seen in vitro and caused by a high-polyunsaturated-fat diet is due to a direct interaction between the mammary fat pad and mammary epithelial cells. This interaction may be masked by systemic effects in vivo.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1983

Milk-fat synthesis by lobules prepared from rabbit mammary gland: response to insulin, corticosterone, prolactin and progesterone.

Multi-alveolar mammary structures (mammary lobules) were prepared from mammary glands of pseudopregnant rabbits by controlled digestion with collagenase and hyaluronidase. The overall rate of fatty acid synthesis and the proportion of milk-specific fatty acids (C8:0 and C10:0) synthesized by these lobules when cultured with insulin, corticosterone and prolactin were measured. Maximum response to physiological concentrations of prolactin (1.1 or 2.2 nmol/l) occurred in the presence of insulin (1.7 mumol/l) and corticosterone (0.58 mumol/l). In general, the results obtained on the effect of progesterone were negative. Though explants showed a ninefold greater response to prolactin per mg DNA than did mammary lobules, the latter have the advantage of being easily prepared for culture in large numbers. Reduction to below 500 microns diameter and culture in conditions which allow cell outgrowth onto plastic limited their response to prolactin. The probable roles of membrane damage by digesting enzymes and of tissue architecture in limiting prolactin response are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Growth of cells in culture treated with the soluble component of volcanic ash from Mount St. Helens.

Volcanic ash was collected immediately after the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. This ash was extracted with water. The elemental composition of the extracted portion was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The aqueous extract was applied at high concentrations (up to 37.5 micrograms/ml) to non-confluent mixed cultures of mouse lung cells. Even after treatment for up to 10 days, cell number was typically unaffected by the ash extract. Cell viability was also unaltered, and no grossly observable changes were noted in the cells by light microscopy. We conclude that the water-soluble portion of the ash we tested does not markedly affect growth of the cells most at risk, those of the lung.

Air Pollutants↗