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Biomedical subjects

C H Bergh

Publications and source records attributed to C H Bergh.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A mutation of the glucocorticoid receptor in primary cortisol resistance.

The precise molecular abnormalities that cause primary cortisol resistance have not been completely described. In a subject with primary cortisol resistance we have observed glucocorticoid receptors (hGR) with a decreased affinity for dexamethasone. We hypothesize that a mutation of the hGR glucocorticoid-binding domain is the cause of cortisol resistance. Total RNA isolated from the index subject's mononuclear leukocytes was used to produce first strand hGR cDNAs, and the entire hGR cDNA was amplified in segments and sequenced. At nucleotide 2,317 we identified a homozygous A for G point mutation that predicts an isoleucine (ATT) for valine (GTT) substitution at amino acid 729. When the wild-type hGR and hGR-Ile 729 were expressed in COS-1 cells and assayed for [3H]-Dexamethasone binding, the dissociation constants were 0.799 +/- 0.068 and 1.54 +/- 0.06 nM (mean +/- SEM) (P < 0.01), respectively. When the wild-type hGR and hGR-Ile 729 were expressed in CV-1 cells that were cotransfected with the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat fused to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene, the hGR-Ile 729 conferred a fourfold decrease in apparent potency on dexamethasone stimulation of CAT activity. The isoleucine for valine substitution at amino acid 729 impairs the function of the hGR and is the likely cause of primary cortisol resistance in this subject.

Adult↗

Localization of a functional autoimmune epitope on the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-2 in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

A peptide corresponding to the sequence 169-193 of the second extracellular loop of the human muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-2 was used as an antigen to screen sera from patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, n = 36) and healthy blood donors (HBD, n = 40). The sera from 14 patients with DCM (38.8%) and 3 HBD (7.5%) recognized the muscarinic receptor peptide at dilutions varying from 1:20 to 1:160 in ELISA. A highly significant correlation (P = 0.006) was found between the presence of antimuscarinic receptor-2 autoantibodies and anti-beta-adrenoceptor-1 autoantibodies in the patients' sera. Affinity-purified autoantibodies from positive sera of patients with DCM recognized on the electrotransferred protein of rat ventricular membrane a major band of about 80 kD. Incubation of autoantibodies with membrane resulted not only in a decrease in the maximal binding sites (Bmax) but also in an increase in Kd of radioligand binding in a concentration-dependent manner. This suggests a mixed-type of inhibition. Moreover, preincubation with atropine abolished the inhibitory effect of autoantibodies on the receptor binding whereas carbachol appeared to have no effect on the activity of the autoantibodies. These data define a subgroup of patients with idiopathic DCM who have in their sera functionally active autoantibodies against muscarinic receptor-2.

Adult↗

Oxygen free radical injury and Gs mediated signal transduction in the stunned porcine myocardium.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate involvement of oxygen free radicals and any changes in the Gs mediated beta adrenergic signalling system of stunned porcine myocardium. METHODS: Myocardial stunning was induced in eight pentobarbitone anaesthetised pigs by brief occlusions of the distal left anterior descending coronary artery for periods of up to 10 min. Segment length function was measured in the ischaemic region and in a control region supplied by the circumflex artery. Left ventricular biopsies were obtained from the two regions 1 h after the last occlusion for ultrastructural and biochemical studies. Timolol has been used to prevent arrhythmia during ischaemia. RESULTS: At the time when biopsies were obtained, percent systolic shortening was reduced to 58% in the region subjected to ischaemia and was only minimally reduced in the control region. In the biopsies from the stunned region: (1) electron microscopy showed mild and reversible intracellular changes in the stunned myocardium; (2) the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were decreased by 66% and 52%, respectively; (3) the content of malondialdehyde was increased by 49%; (4) neither density nor affinity of beta adrenoceptors showed any changes; (5) there were no alterations in messenger RNA encoding for the alpha subunit of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gs), demonstrated by northern and dot-blot hybridisations; (6) ELISA technique utilising a specific antipeptide antibody showed no quantitative change in Gs; (7) the activity of adenyl cyclase was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the stunned porcine myocardium showed substantial evidence of free radical injury, the beta adrenergic signalling system was intact.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Long-term beta-blockade in dilated cardiomyopathy. Effects of short- and long-term metoprolol treatment followed by withdrawal and readministration of metoprolol.

To evaluate the short- and long-term effects of beta-adrenergic blockade (metoprolol) as well as the reaction to withdrawal and readministration of metoprolol in severe heart failure, 33 patients (25 men and eight women; mean age, 47.6 +/- 14.0 years) with dilated cardiomyopathy were studied by right and left heart catheterization, right ventricular biopsy, two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography, and external pulse recordings. Twenty-six of 33 patients survived more than 6 months, and 24 of the 26 patients improved their functional class (from mean 3.3 to 1.8, p less than 0.0001). These 24 patients were subjected to withdrawal of metoprolol until the number of symptoms increased and deterioration occurred as observed noninvasively (group 1, n = 16), whereas the eight patients did not deteriorate during a 12-month period (group 2). During long-term treatment with metoprolol, there was an increase in ejection fraction from 0.24 to 0.42 (p less than 0.0001), whereas there was a decrease in the left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension (from 7.3 to 6.4 cm, p less than 0.0001), in the grade of mitral regurgitation (from 1.7 to 0.4, p less than 0.0001), and in the grade of tricuspid regurgitation (from 0.6 to 0.05, p less than 0.007). There was a decrease in pulmonary wedge pressure (from 23.8 to 10.7 mm Hg, p less than 0.0001), LV end-diastolic pressure (from 24.1 to 13.4 mm Hg, p less than 0.002), and systolic vascular resistance (from 1,782 to 1,499 dynes/sec/cm, p less than 0.04). There was an increase in systolic blood pressure (from 116 to 132 mm Hg, p less than 0.003), cardiac index (from 2.17 to 2.58 l/min/m2, p less than 0.005), and LV stroke work index (from 31 to 65 g.m/m2, p less than 0.0001). During withdrawal of metoprolol, the heart rate and left atrial dimension increased (p less than 0.0001), whereas ejection fraction decreased (p less than 0.0001). The 12 (of 16) patients in group 1 who survived the withdrawal period had metoprolol readministered, and subsequently, ejection fraction increased (from 0.23 to 0.33, p less than 0.002). Patients had a low number of ventricular beta-adrenergic receptors compared with healthy control subjects (30.3 +/- 2.9 vs. 97.4 +/- 8.7 fmol/mg protein, p less than 0.001), but long-term treatment with metoprolol caused a moderate up-regulation (from 30.3 +/- 2.9 to 49.0 +/- 7.1 fmol/mg protein, p less than 0.05), which may facilitate a more normal response to sympathetic stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

The effect of diabetes on phosphatidylinositol turnover and calcium influx in myocardium.

Diabetes was induced in rats by administration of streptozotocin. Diabetes occurred within 24 h after treatment. Two forms of diabetes were studied, an acute form (4 days) and a chronic form (2 months). In a separate experiment the effect of insulin and an aldose reductase inhibitor on acute diabetes was studied. Phosphoinositide labelling was done in biopsies of heart with [3H] myo-inositol. It was shown that the incorporation of myo-inositol amounted to about 65% in acute diabetes and 80% in chronic diabetes compared to age-matched controls. The incorporation both in atria and ventricles was affected in a similar way. Muscarinic receptor-mediated phosphatidylinositol breakdown and release of myo-Ins-1 P (myo-inositol 1-phosphate) was unaffected in diabetic hearts in the chronic model. In hearts of diabetic ketotic animals uncoupling of the muscarinic receptor from the phosphoinositide metabolism was apparent. Calcium net influx was significantly reduced in both acute and chronic diabetes compared to age-matched controls. Insulin supplementation to acute diabetic animals significantly improved phosphoinositide labelling with [3H] myo-inositol. No improvement was seen in calcium transport. An aldose reductase inhibitor also facilitated phosphoinositide labelling without improving calcium transport. It is suggested that phosphoinositide metabolism and calcium entry through the slow inward current are independent of one another and the former is sensitive to insulin. It is suggested that insulin by regulating the pool of phosphoinositides and release of endogenous calcium may modulate cardiac function.

Animals↗

Studies on calcium exchange in platelets in human diabetes.

Calcium has a key role in platelet aggregation. In order to assess the role of calcium metabolism in the platelet in diabetes mellitus, calcium exchange into and out of the cytosol was investigated in platelets from eight patients with insulin-treated diabetes with a mean duration of 10 years without any clinical complications. Their mean HbAIc (glycosylated haemoglobin) was 9% (normal range 3.4-5.4%). Influx rate of 45Ca2+ was significantly increased by 35% in diabetic platelets compared with controls. The efflux rate was significantly reduced during the first 15 min but total efflux measured over 2 h was equal in diabetic and control platelets. Access to sequestered non-mitochondrial calcium in the dense tubular system was gained by permeabilization of the cells with saponin. Into cells loaded with 45Ca2+, Inositol 1, 4, 5 triphosphate (IP3) was introduced and release of the sequestered ion would be determined. In control platelets calcium release was prompt and amounted to 43%. In diabetic platelets the response to IP3 was blunted and was only 17%. The nutritional and hormonal status influenced the response to IP3 in diabetes and, to a lesser extent, in controls. In the fasting state and without insulin the release was reduced but in the fed state and after insulin the release of calcium from diabetic platelets was equal to those of controls. It is concluded that abnormalities exist in platelet calcium handling in diabetes that can be influenced by insulin and the nutritional status.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Abnormality of adenylate cyclase regulation in human platelet membranes in renal insufficiency.

Adenylate cyclase in human platelets is under dual control of prostaglandins (PGI2 and PGE1) and catecholamines. The adenylate cyclase complex in membranes of platelets from ten patients with uraemia was investigated. The activation of the platelet cyclase by PGE1 is increased in the uraemic state, Vmax 4436 +/- 607 pmol cAMP mg-1 15 min-1. In the normal state Vmax is 2098 +/- 309 pmol cAMP mg-1 15 min-1. The alpha 2-adrenergic receptor was assayed with 3H-yohimbine binding. The density of receptors was equal in the uraemic (175 fmol mg-1 membrane protein) and the normal (170 fmol mg-1 membrane protein) states. Norepinephrine/3H-yohimbine competition binding revealed that catecholamines were bound with normal affinity in platelets in uraemia. Yet the inhibition of adenylate cyclase through the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor was diminished since Vmax values of adenylate cyclase with PGE1 and PGE2 + norepinephrine did not significantly differ. In the normal state, norepinephrine significantly (P less than 0.05) inhibited the PGE1 stimulated cyclase. It is concluded that platelet adenylate cyclase in the uraemia has an increased capacity for activation which is the result of both a sensitized stimulatory mechanism (prostaglandin mediated) and a deficient inhibitory mechanism (catecholamine mediated). It is suggested that a defect exists in the inhibitory nucleotide binding protein (NI) which is the coupling unit between the adenylate cyclase catalytic subunit (C).

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Oxygen consumption in collagenase-liberated rat adipocytes in relation to cell size and age.

Oxygen consumption of collagenase-liberated rat adipocytes was measured by two different techniques: a microspectrophotometric method using hemoglobin as indicator of respiration and a technique using the oxygen electrode. These two completely different techniques gave similar values for oxygen consumption. With the spectrophotometric method, the oxygen consumption of single fat cells was determined. A close positive correlation (r = greater than 0.90) between oxygen consumption and fat cell size was observed in each tissue examined. With the oxygen electrode technique, oxygen consumption of adipocyte suspensions from young (40 days, 180 g) and old (90 days, 480 g) rats was examined. Fat cells of the suspensions were separated into classes of different size by a flotation technique. A significant positive correlation between fat cell size and oxygen consumption was observed in both young (r = 0.88) and old (r = 0.95) rats. However, the slope was much steeper in young rats. At a cell weight of 0.1 microgram the oxygen consumption was 0.364 and 0.086 microL O2/10(6) cells/min-1 in young and old rats, respectively. In the literature, a number of separate metabolic pathways have been found to be related positively to fat cell size and negatively to age. We conclude that these scattered metabolic observations are in agreement with integrated data on energy expenditure as evaluated from oxygen consumption. Estimations of the energy expenditure of adipose tissue indicates that this tissue is responsible for about 1% and 0.5% of the total energy expenditure in young and old rats, respectively.

Adipose Tissue↗

Effects of acute ketotic and non-ketotic diabetes on the myocardial muscarinic receptors.

Myocardial membranes from rats rendered diabetic with streptozotocin were used to determine muscarinic receptors with 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate. In the acute state of diabetes, four days after induction, the density of receptors were equal in controls, insulin (glucosuria) and non insulin-treated (glucosuria and ketonuria) diabetic animals. In myocardial membranes from diabetic rats agonist binding to the muscarinic receptor was shifted to higher affinity than in controls. Computer modeling revealed that guanine nucleotides transformed agonist binding from two sites to a site of low affinity in controls. In membranes from insulin-treated diabetic animals the shift to lower affinity occurred but two receptor sites remained. In non insulin-treated membranes the nucleotides failed to exert any effect. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase by the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine was amplified in diabetic membranes. This indicates that the function of the inhibitory nucleotide binding protein (NI), as reflected by agonist binding to the receptor and adenylate cyclase inhibition, is sensitive to the hormonal status.

Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗

Corticosteroid modulation of muscarinic receptors in rat myocardial membranes.

Rat ventricular myocardial membranes contain muscarinic acetylcholine receptors which can be identified by binding of the muscarinic antagonist (-)-[3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate. Scatchard analysis of saturation binding data revealed binding to a single class of non-cooperative sites (0.693 pmol/mg protein) with high affinity (i.e. with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 0.24 nM). Competition binding curves of the agonist carbamylcholine were shallow (with a Hill coefficient, nH of 0.71) for membranes of untreated rats, suggesting the presence of two receptor subpopulations with different agonist affinity. These curves were steeper (nH = 0.86) for adrenalectomized animals and more shallow (nH = 0.62) for hydrocortisone-treated animals. In contrast, both treatments did not affect the total receptor number. This suggests that corticosteroids are required for the myocardial muscarinic receptors to adopt high agonist affinity. However, the inhibition of adenylate cyclase by muscarinic agonists disappeared after both corticosteroid treatment and adrenalectomy. But agonist receptor binding could still be modulated by guanine nucleotides. This indicates that both high and low affinity forms of muscarinic receptors induced by altered corticosteroid states retain functional coupling with the inhibitory nucleotide binding site, but are uncoupled from the adenylate cyclase catalytic subunit, C.

Adrenalectomy↗

Fatty acid and aldehyde composition of major phospholipids in salt gland of marine birds and spiny dogfish.

The lipophilic components of choline phosphoglycerides and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides obtained from the salt gland of herring gull and eider duck and from the rectal gland of spiny dogfish were investigated by means of thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. All phospholipids analyzed were shown to contain small amounts of plasmalogens, and mainly C16, C18, and C18:1 aldehyde was detected. The fatty acids were composed of saturated, unsaturated, straight chain, and branched chain types, ranging between 14-22 carbon atoms. The lipophilic composition of the rectal gland phospholipids showed a higher degree of unsaturation and the presence of more branched chain fatty acids than that of the birds, possibly related to body temperature.

Aldehydes↗

Effect of metoprolol on activity of beta-adrenoceptor coupled to guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins in adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Prevention of cardiotoxicity without interfering with the therapeutic efficacy of adriamycin is a very crucial question. We have investigated the activity of beta-adrenoceptor coupled to guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins (G-proteins) and Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in experimental adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity and the influence of metoprolol treatment on these variables. Adriamycin was administered to rats intravenously as a single dose of 6 mg/kg, and metoprol was continuously given by means of implanted osmotic pumps. beta-Adrenoceptor characteristics were measured by radioligand-binding experiments and by basal and stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. Northern blot and dot blot analysis was used to quantify G-protein mRNA. It was shown that adriamycin did not induce any change in the total beta-adrenoceptor density, nor did the high affinity agonist binding to beta-adrenoceptor change. Adriamycin did not induce any alteration in the amount of mRNA encoding for stimulatory (Gs) or inhibitory (Gi) G-proteins. Also, basal and stimulated adenylyl cyclase activities were identical in the different experimental groups. In contrast, the Ca(2+)-ATPase was shown to increase in adriamycin-treated rats compared to control rats (45 +/- 3.8 versus 23 +/- 1.2 mumol Pi/mg/h, P less than .01). Metoprolol was shown to normalize this increase (29 +/- 2.1 mumol Pi/mg/h). Thus, it may be concluded that in experimental adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity, despite Ca(2+)-overloading, the beta-adrenoceptor-G protein-adenylyl cyclase system remains intact. Metoprolol seems to prevent Ca(2+)-overloading independently of the beta-adrenoceptors studied here.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Diabetes-induced changes in the Gi-modulated muscarinic receptor-adenylyl cyclase system in rat myocardium.

The inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding regulatory protein (Gi)-mediated muscarinic receptor-adenylyl cyclase system was studied in myocardium from adult male Wistar rats with 10 weeks of diabetes induced by a single intravenous injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Neither the messenger ribonucleic acid level nor the amount of Gi was changed in the streptozotocin diabetic group as compared to the control group. The activity of the adenylyl cyclase stimulated by guanyliminodiphosphate was decreased by 48% in the streptozotocin diabetic group whereas stimulated activities of adenylyl cyclase by sodium fluoride and forskolin remained unchanged. The inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity by carbachol was more potent in membranes from the streptozotocin diabetic group than that in membranes from the control group. The competition binding curve between (3H)- quinuclidinyl benzilate and carbachol obtained from the streptozotocin diabetic group was shifted to the left as compared to the control group. These results suggest that the myocardium of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats exhibited an increase in Gi function as demonstrated by the increased inhibition of guanyliminodiphosphate-mediated adenylyl cyclase and the superhigh affinity for carbachol of the muscarinic receptors. As there were signs, similar to those seen in clinical heart failure, in the streptozotocin diabetic group, these results demonstrate that functional alteration of Gi might underlie, at least in part, the cardiac dysfunction that is associated with diabetes.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Inhaled nitric oxide in the evaluation of heart transplant candidates with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance.

The reversibility of elevated pulmonary vascular resistance in heart transplant candidates is currently evaluated with intravenous vasodilators. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of increased concentrations of inhaled nitric oxide (20, 40, and 80 ppm) on central hemodynamics and right ventricular function in heart transplant candidates with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (> 2.5 Wood units). Comparison was made with intravenous vasodilators, sodium nitroprusside, and prostacyclin in doses that lowered the mean arterial pressure by about 15%. Inhalation of nitric oxide did not change systemic or pulmonary arterial pressure, cardiac output, right ventricular function, or systemic vascular resistance. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure increased and transpulmonary pressure gradient and pulmonary vascular resistance decreased (-34% +/- 4% and -36% +/- 4%, respectively; p < 0.01) during 20 ppm nitric oxide, with no further effects at higher doses. Prostacyclin and sodium nitroprusside decreased pulmonary vascular resistance (-50% +/- 6% and -33% +/- 5%; p < 0.01). Prostacyclin reduced to some extent (p = 0.08) transpulmonary pressure gradient, which was not seen during sodium nitroprusside infusion. Systemic vascular resistance decreased during both sodium nitroprusside (-37% +/- 5%) and prostacyclin (-44% +/- 4%) infusion. The pulmonary vascular resistance/systemic vascular resistance ratio, used as an index of pulmonary selectivity, was decreased by nitric oxide (p < 0.01) but not by the intravenous vasodilators. Metabolic data indicate that inhaled nitric oxide is metabolized in the same way as that formed endogenously. In conclusion, inhaled nitric oxide is a selective pulmonary vasodilator that can be used safely in the hemodynamic evaluation of heart transplant candidates with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Prognosis of alternative therapies in patients with heart failure not accepted for heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: This article describes the outcome of alternative therapies in patients with end-stage heart failure, New York Heart Association class III-IV, referred for heart transplantation evaluation but not accepted for the procedure. From January 1988 through September 1992, 233 consecutive patients with severe heart failure were admitted to the thoracic transplantation center at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. At the time of admission all patients received standard medical treatment for heart failure. During the pretransplantation evaluation, an attempt to optimize the medical therapy was made in all patients. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (8%) died before a decision concerning transplantation was made, and 146 patients (63%) were accepted for heart transplantation. There were 69 patients (30%) who were denied heart transplantation for various reasons, and they were subgrouped: patients with contraindications (group 1, n = 23) or without indication (group 2, n = 10) for heart transplantation, patients with a positive response to intensified medical therapy (group 3, n = 25), and patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valvular heart surgery (group 4, n = 11). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year actuarial survival rates were as follows: group 1, 26%, 16%, and 8%; group 2, 100%, 77%, and 39%; group 3, 96%, 67%, and 53%; and group 4, 64%, 36%, and 27%, respectively. The corresponding figures for patients who had a heart transplantation were 85%, 79%, and 75%, respectively. During the first 2 to 3 years of follow-up the survival of group 2 and group 3 patients was similar to that of patients who underwent transplantation. However, late survival was worse compared with the heart transplant group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that by close follow-up it may be possible to postpone heart transplantation in a selected group of patients.

Adult↗