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Biomedical subjects

E Massa

Publications and source records attributed to E Massa.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Efficacy of intravenous propafenone in acute atrial fibrillation complicating open-heart surgery.

Early postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) is a frequent complication of major cardiovascular surgery. To assess the effectiveness of intravenous propafenone in this setting, we studied 50 patients who developed AF within 48 hours after open-heart surgery. Intravenous propafenone (2 mg/kg in 10 minutes) was administered 15 minutes after the onset of the arrhythmia. Sinus rhythm was restored in 35 patients (70%) after a mean time of 22 +/- 6 minutes after the beginning of the infusion. The conversion was obtained in 28 of 32 patients (88%) who had a coronary artery bypass graft and in 7 of 18 patients (39%) who had valvular or septal surgery (p less than 0.01). In those whose arrhythmia did not convert to sinus rhythm, the ventricular rate was reduced from 142 +/- 14 beats/min to 108 +/- 9 beats/min (p less than 0.01). In patients whose arrhythmia was converted to sinus rhythm, mean cardiac index increased from a mean baseline value of 2.7 +/- 0.4 L/min/m2 to 3.4 +/- 0.1 L/min/m2 (p less than 0.05), while it remained virtually unchanged in those whose arrhythmia did not convert. No significant side effects were observed. We conclude that intravenous propafenone is effective in converting to sinus rhythm the majority of patients with AF complicating open-heart surgery. Heart rate was reduced in those who did not convert to sinus rhythm and no side effects nor hemodynamic deterioration were observed in any case.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

The fitness paradox.

Fitness represents a delicate balance of physical and mental wellness. Excessive training, competition and stress upset that balance, and the athlete experiences adverse results. Examples of this paradox are discussed.

Competitive Behavior↗
PubMed1990

Structural and functional reconstitution of the glucocorticoid receptor-hsp90 complex.

Untransformed steroid receptors in cytosol preparations are associated with the 90-kDa heat shock protein hsp90, but the study of how hsp90 affects receptor function has been held back by the inability to reassociate steroid receptors with hsp90 in cell-free systems. Recently we showed (Dalman, F.C., Bresnick, E. H., Patel, P. D., Perdew, G. H., Watson, S. J., and Pratt, W. B. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19815-19821) that glucocorticoid receptors translated in rabbit reticulocyte lysate bind to hsp90 at the termination of receptor translation. In this work we show that rabbit reticulocyte lysate promotes the temperature-dependent association of hsp90 with immunopurified mouse L cell glucocorticoid receptors. Reticulocyte lysate also promotes the temperature-dependent dissociation of hormone-free receptors from a prebound receptor-DNA complex. The glucocorticoid receptor is released from DNA in association with rabbit hsp90, and reconstitution of the receptor-hsp90 complex is accompanied by complete restitution of steroid binding activity and repression of DNA binding activity. This is the first time that transformation of a DNA-bound steroid receptor has been reversed and it raises the question of whether the same or a similar system is involved in the termination of transcriptional activation when steroid dissociates from DNA-bound receptors in intact cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

In contrast to the glucocorticoid receptor, the thyroid hormone receptor is translated in the DNA binding state and is not associated with hsp90.

We have recently reported that the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) becomes bound to the 90-kDa heat shock protein (hsp90) at or near the end of receptor translation in vitro (Dalman, F. C., Bresnick, E. H., Patel, P. D., Perdew, G. H., Watson, S. J., Jr., and Pratt, W. B. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19815-19821). In this paper we compare the hsp90 binding and DNA binding activities of the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) to those of the GR after cell-free translation of the two receptors in rabbit reticulocyte lysate. In contrast to the newly translated GR, which is bound to hsp90 and must be transformed to the DNA binding state, the TR is not bound to hsp90 and is translated in its DNA binding form without any requirement for transformation. When the GR is translated in wheat germ extract, which does not contain hsp90, it is translated in its DNA binding form in the same manner as the TR synthesized in reticulocyte lysate. These observations provide direct evidence that binding of GR to hsp90 is associated with repression of its DNA binding function. The fact that the TR does not bind to hsp90 and is translated in its DNA binding form is consistent with the different behavior of this receptor with respect to classic steroid receptors in the intact cell. We propose that binding to hsp90 may account for the fact that most of the steroid receptors are recovered in the cytosolic fraction after lysis of hormone-free cells in low salt buffer whereas the hormone-free TR is recovered in tight association with the nucleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Toxicity and tissue distribution of methacrylonitrile in rats.

The toxicity, uptake, tissue distribution, elimination, and covalent binding of 2-[14C]methyl-[2.3-14C]acrylonitrile (MeAN) in male Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. Following an oral administration of 100 mg/Kg body weight (0.5 LD50, 8 microCi/Kg bw) the rats exhibited several signs of toxicity including ataxia, convulsions, mild diarrhea, salivation, lacrimation, and bladder urine retention. The treated animals excreted 43% of the 14C in the urine, 14% in the feces, and 2.5% in the expired air as 14CO2 in 10 days. Hydrogen cyanide was not detectable. Red blood cells retained significant amounts of radioactivity for more than 10 days after treatment. MeAN was extensively absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and distributed in all the tissues of the rats. The major concentrations of the radioactivity were found with up to 25% of the administered dose in bone, liver, spleen, kidney, blood, and the gastrointestinal tract. This study indicates that MeAN is rapidly absorbed and distributed and the major route of excretion is urinary.

Air↗
PubMed1989

Disposition of methacrylonitrile in rats and distribution in blood components.

The interaction of 2[14C]methyl-2,3[14C]acrylonitrile (MeAN) with the components of blood and its disposition in male Sprague-Dawley rats has been investigated. Following an oral administration of 100 mg/kg (0.5 LD50, 8 microCi/kg), the rats excreted 43% of the [14C] in the urine, 15% in the feces and 2.5% in the expired air as 14CO2 in 5 days. Hydrogen cyanide (H14CN) was not detectable. The red blood cells retained significant amounts of radioactivity for more than five days after administration, whereas the [14C]-activity in plasma declined sharply. More than 50% of the radioactivity in erythrocytes was detected as covalently bound to cytoplasmic (hemoglobin) and membrane proteins. A small amount of radioactivity was also found in the heme fraction. About 13% of the total dose administered was recovered as thiocyanate in the plasma and the urine. These results suggest that the toxicity of MeAN may be attributable to the whole molecule and not entirely to the in vivo liberation of cyanide.

Acrylates↗
PubMed1989

Camptocormia and depression: a case report.

Camptocormia, a sustained forward flexion of the trunk of functional origin, is relatively rare in peace time. It is usually attributed to the dynamics of conversion or psychophysiologic disorder. The association of camptocormia with depression of significant proportions has not been recorded elsewhere. A case report of such a problem in a Navy enlistee during peace time is presented. Treatment with antidepressants and supportive psychotherapy is advocated as a first step when depression occurs in patients with camptocormia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Fatty acid dependent hydrogen peroxide production in Lactobacillus.

Lactobacillus leichmanii growing in complex medium supplemented with decanoic acid accumulated high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in the culture. The H2O2-generating system was specifically induced by one of the saturated fatty acids from 4:0 to 16:0 or oleic acid. The induction of this system was associated with the presence of a fatty acyl-CoA-dependent H2O2-generating activity in the cell-free extracts. This activity is shown for the first time in a procaryote organism.

Decanoic Acids↗
PubMed1986

Accuracy of an average ultrasonic laboratory in measurements of fetal biparietal diameter, head circumference and abdominal circumference.

Twenty patients between 14 and 28 gestational weeks were scanned on three occasions during a single day by six operators with different ultrasonic experience (three use a compound scanner and three a real-time equipment). On each occasion every operator had to measure in a "blind" manner the fetal biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference and abdominal circumference (HC and AC); a coded copy of head and abdominal circumference was subsequently measured by one of the members of the staff. Statistical analysis was carried out on the 1800 measurements, and it was concluded that the accuracy was not dissimilar from that reported by pilot studies. The reproducibility of the parameters studied did not change throughout pregnancy and real-time and compound scanner yielded homogeneous results.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1984

Lupus nephropathy and pregnancy. A study of 26 pregnancies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and nephritis.

We describe 26 pregnancies in 19 patients with lupus nephritis. There were 4 spontaneous abortions, 2 therapeutic abortions, 4 stillbirths and 1 neonatal death. 10 deliveries were preterm and 2 fetuses were small for gestational age. 8 pregnancies were not accompanied by change of renal symptoms. Mild signs of renal involvement appeared during pregnancy in 4 patients. 6 patients showed an increase in proteinuria already present before pregnancy without renal function deterioration. A moderate worsening of renal function was observed in 3 patients. 4 patients, 3 of whom had an apparent onset of systemic lupus erythematosus during pregnancy, developed anuric acute renal failure after delivery or after late spontaneous abortion. 2 of them died from sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation while 2 had complete recovery of renal function. A high rate of complications was observed in patients not adequately treated during pregnancy. Renal biopsy before gestation was not predictive of the outcome of nephropathy during pregnancy, and change of histology in repeated biopsies was frequently observed.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1983

Protein quality and oil digestibility of Lupinus mutabilis: metabolic studies in children.

The nutritional quality of lupins (Lupinus mutabilis) for infants and children was evaluated in two sets of balance studies. In the first the digestibility and protein quality of diets based on lupin flour, with and without methionine supplementation, were compared with those of a control diet consisting of casein, sucrose and vegetable oil. Apparent nitrogen absorption from lupin flour (81.8 and 84.3% of intake) was slightly but significantly less than that during casein control periods (87.2 and 86.8% of intake, P less than 0.05 and less than 0.001). Apparent nitrogen retention from unsupplemented lupin (15.6 +/- 5.8% of intake) was significantly less than that from casein in the corresponding control periods (29.8 +/- 4.9%, P less than 0.001); a small but significant (P less than 0.05) increase in nitrogen retention was observed during the control period following the lupin diet when compared with that preceding it. Methionine supplementation of lupin produced a marked improvement in apparent nitrogen retention (to 22.2 +/- 6.9%, P less than 0.05). In the second set of studies the digestibility of lupin oil was compared with that of a blend of soybean and cottonseed oils (50:50). Excretion of fecal fat (9.8 +/- 3.0% of intake) and fecal energy (6.7 +/- 1.2% of intake) with the diet containing lupin oil were similar to those observed with the control diet. Both the protein quality and oil digestibility of Lupinus mutabilis are very similar to those from soybeans processed in a similar manner. For certain countries the lupin could be a valuable source of protein and edible oil for human consumption.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1978

Transient steatorrhea following episodes of mild diarrhea in early infancy.

Fecal fat excretion was studied after a mild episode of diarrhea in eight infants for whom adequate control data were available. Mean age of onset of diarrhea was 28 days. Duration of the episode, defined as the number of days until the infant was again feeding and libitum, averaged 5.1 days. Balance studies were carried out 3 to 13 days later. Mean fecal fat excretion rose from a prediarrhea value of 2.9 +/- 1.4 gm/day to 8.7 +/- 3.1 gm/day following diarrhea (P less than 0.001). Restudy of five infants one month later showed persistent steatorrhea in one. Mild transient steatorrhea may follow mild diarrhea in infancy and should be considered in infants who are slow to gain weight subsequent to an episode of diarrhea.

Animals↗