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Biomedical subjects

E Seifter

Publications and source records attributed to E Seifter.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Effect of supplemental vitamin A on the healing of colon anastomosis.

The effect of dietary supplementation with vitamin A on the healing of colon anastomoses was studied. Fifty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: (1) rats fed a standard chow which contains the equivalent of about 15 IU vitamin A/g diet; (2) rats fed the chow supplemented with an additional 150 IU vitamin A/g diet. Rats were prefed for 5 days; on Day 6 under ether anesthesia the colon was divided 1-in. distal to the ileocecal junction and then reanastomosed. The rats were maintained on the above diets for 5 days and killed on the sixth postoperative day with ether and the segment of colon containing the anastomosis was resected. In 15 rats of each group, the breaking strength of the anastomosis was measured. In the remaining 10 rats of each group, the bursting strength of the anastomotic site and a segment of normal distal colon was measured. Samples of colon from the anastomotic site and the normal segment were analyzed for hydroxyproline. There was a significant decrease in hydroxyproline content at the anastomotic site when compared to the normal distal colon segment in each group of rats (P less than 0.01). The hydroxyproline content of both normal colon and the anastomotic site was significantly higher in the vitamin A-supplemented rats than in the control diet rats (P less than 0.01). There was also a significant increase in bursting strength in the vitamin A-supplemented rats both of the anastomotic site (P less than 0.01) and of the normal colon segment (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Supplemental vitamin A prevents the acute radiation-induced defect in wound healing.

Acute radiation injury leads to thymic involution, adrenal enlargement, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal ulceration, and impaired wound healing. The authors hypothesized that supplemental vitamin A would mitigate these adverse effects in rats exposed to acute whole-body radiation. This hypothesis was based on previous experiments in their laboratory that showed that supplemental vitamin A is thymotropic for normal rodents and lessens the thymic involution, lymphopenia, and adrenal enlargement that follows stress, trauma, and neoplasia, largely obviates the impaired wound healing induced by the radiomimetic drugs streptozotocin and cyclophosphamide, lessens the systemic response (thymic involution, adrenal enlargement, leukopenia, lymphocytopenia) to local radiation, and shifts the median lethal dose (LD50/30) following whole-body radiation to the right. To test their hypothesis, dorsal skin incisions and subcutaneous implantation of polyvinyl alcohol sponges were performed in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats at varying times following sham radiation or varying doses of whole-body radiation (175-850 rad). In each experiment, the control diet [which contains about 18,000 IU vit. A/kg chow (3 X the NRC RDA for normal rats)] was supplemented with 150,000 IU vit. A/kg diet beginning at, before, or after sham radiation and wounding or radiation and wounding. The supplemental vitamin A prevented the impaired wound healing and lessened the weight loss, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, thymic involution, adrenal enlargement, decrease in splenic weight, and gastric ulceration of the radiated (750-850 rad) wounded rats. This was true whether the supplemental vitamin A was begun before (2 or 4 days) or after (1-2 hours to 4 days) radiation and wounding; the supplemental vitamin A was more effective when started before or up to 2 days after radiation and wounding. The authors believe that prevention of the impaired wound healing following radiation by supplemental vitamin A is due to its enhancing the early inflammatory reaction to wounding, including increasing the number of monocytes and macrophages at the wound site; possible effect on modulating collagenase activity; effect on epithelial cell (and possible mesenchymal cell) differentiation; stimulation of immune responsiveness; and lessening of the adverse effects of radiation.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1984

Morbidity and mortality reduction by supplemental vitamin A or beta-carotene in CBA mice given total-body gamma-radiation.

Male CBA mice received graded doses (450-750 rad) of total-body gamma-radiation (TBR) from a dual-beam 137Cs irradiator. Commencing directly after TBR, 2 days later, or 6 days later, groups of mice received supplemental vitamin A (Vit A) or beta-carotene (beta-Car), compounds previously found to reduce radiation disease in mice subjected to partial-body X-irradiation. Given directly after TBR, supplemental Vit A decreased mortality, evidenced by increases in the radiation dose required to kill 50% of the mice within 30 days (LD50/30). In one experiment, Vit A increased the LD50/30 from 555 to 620 rad; in another experiment, Vit A increased the dose from 505 to 630 rad. Similarly, in a third experiment, supplemental beta-Car increased the LD50/30 from 510 to 645 rad. Additionally, each compound increased the survival times, even of those mice that died within 30 days. In addition to reduction of mortality and prolongation of survival time, supplemental Vit A moderated weight loss, adrenal gland hyperemia, thymus involution, and lymphopenia--all signs of radiation toxicity. Delaying the supplementation for 2 days after irradiation did not greatly reduce the efficacy of Vit A; however, delaying supplementation for 6 days decreased its effect almost completely.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1984

Early history of parenteral nutrition.

A historical review is presented of a number of aspects of early animal experiments and clinical trials dealing with the i.v. infusion of whole blood and milk; the nutritional use of i.v. erythrocytes, plasma proteins, protein hydrolysates, amino acids, and glucose; and development and use of i.v. fat emulsions. A brief description of the experience with the nutritional use of i.v. ethyl alcohol is also presented. The important studies beginning in the 1960's by Dudrick, Rhoads, Vars, and Wilmore are described elsewhere by them.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1983

Wound healing accelerated by Staphylococcus aureus.

While comparing the effects on wound healing of a heated scalpel with those of the cold scalpel, we discovered that inoculation of rat skin incisions with a strain of Staphylococcus aureus dramatically accelerated the gain in wound strength. The accelerating effect was evident four days postoperatively, was maximal at seven to ten days, and was still present at 28 days. The accelerating effect was correlated with the number of S aureus organisms introduced into the wound, and was found in conventional rats and rats germ free up to the time of monocontamination with S aureus. There was no evidence of infection on gross examination; on histologic examination an occasional microabscess was seen in some rats. There may be both local and systemic mechanisms underlying the S aureus accelerating effect. Seven strains of S aureus with varying characteristics demonstrated the wound-healing accelerating effect. In sharp contrast, Staphylococcus epidermidis (three strains), Staphylococcus hominis (one strain), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (two strains) did not show this effect. The increases in wound healing due to S aureus were substantially greater than reported previously for any nutritional supplement, drug, or other chemical or physical agent.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Ornithine decarboxylase as an early indicator of in vitro hepatocyte DNA synthesis.

The enzyme ornithine decarboxylase, one of the key enzymes involved in polyamine biosynthesis, catalyzes the decarboxylation of ornithine to give putrescine. The activity of this enzyme in an in vitro hepatocyte culture assay system was measured because it is known that ornithine decarboxylase levels increase in instances where active protein synthesis, DNA synthesis, and cell growth is initiated. A good correlation was found between ornithine decarboxylase activity and the rate of tritiated thymidine incorporation into hepatocyte DNA. The increase in enzyme activity precedes the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA (enzyme activity increases 2-3 hr following stimulation of cell growth; whereas the tritiated thymidine uptake increases at about 14-18 hr). Experimental results obtained with this assay system, suggest that hepatocytes from the regenerating liver remnant, grown in vitro, secrete a factor(s) into the culture medium which stimulates DNA synthesis of normal hepatocytes. Use of the increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in this hepatocyte monolayer culture system confirmed the observation made by several investigators: that the serum of rats which underwent partial hepatectomy contains a factor(s) which stimulates hepatocyte DNA synthesis in vitro. In conclusion, these results suggest that ornithine decarboxylase activity can be used as a sensitive, early indicator of the degree of stimulation of hepatocyte DNA synthesis and thus be of use in determining the effect of various trophic factors on hepatocyte DNA synthesis in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Wound healing and thymotropic effects of arginine: a pituitary mechanism of action.

Supplemental dietary arginine HCl (ARG-HCl) minimizes immediate post-wounding weight loss, accelerates wound healing, and is thymotropic for uninjured and wounded rats. The present experiments were to determine if arginine-pituitary interactions underlie these effects because arginine is a growth hormone secretagogue. Effects of 1% dietary ARG-HCl supplements (0.5% added to a regular commercial rat diet containing 1.8% ARG, 0.5% in drinking water) were studied in (a) hypophysectomized (hypox) rats supplemented with ACTH, L-thyroxine, testosterone propionate, (b) such hypox rats additionally supplemented with bovine growth (hypox + bGH) hormone, (c) intact rats (Int), and (d) intact rats supplemented with growth hormone (Int. bGH). Group (a) hypox rats healed their wounds as rapidly as intact rats (dorsal skin incision breaking strength, accumulation of reparative collagen in sc polyvinyl alcohol sponges). Group (b) hypox, bGH rats showed increased wound breaking strength and accumulation of reparative collagen in the sc sponges to levels significantly greater than those of intact controls; bGH given to intact controls did not affect these indices of wound healing. Supplemental ARG-HCl given intact rats significantly minimized immediate postoperative weight loss, increased wound breaking strength and sponge reparative collagen accumulation, and increased thymic weight. None of these effects of supplemental ARG-HCl were observed in group (a) hypox rats or group (b) hypox + bGH rats. We conclude that an intact hypothalamic-pituitary axis is necessary for these beneficial effects of supplemental ARG-HCl given wounded rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Regression of C3HBA mouse tumor due to X-ray therapy combined with supplemental beta-carotene or vitamin A.

Male CBA/J mice, ingesting a vitamin A- and beta-carotene-sufficient laboratory chow, were inoculated in a hind limb with 2 X 10(5) C3HBA adenocarcinoma cells. When the mean tumor size was 6.2 mm, the mice were divided randomly into groups; some groups received supplemental vitamin A or beta-carotene, some received 3,000 rad local radiation to the tumor, and others received both radiation and one of the supplements. All mice that received only radiation or one of the dietary supplements died within 3 months. When local irradiation and supplemental vitamin A or beta-carotene were coupled, "complete" tumor regression occurred in every case (12/12), and tumor regrowth in and death of the mice occurred in only 1 of 12 in each of these groups during the succeeding 12 months. One year after irradiation and dietary supplementation, half the surviving mice were switched back to the control chow. During the next year, none of the mice remaining on the vitamin A or beta-carotene supplements developed tumors; however, of 6 mice switched from vitamin A, 5 had tumors that reappeared. In contrast, tumors recurred in only 2 of 6 mice after they were switched from beta-carotene. A second experiment yielded similar results. These results show that both vitamin A and beta-carotene supplementation added remarkably to the antitumor effect of local irradiation. beta-Carotene supplementation produced a greater residual antitumor action than vitamin A supplementation after the supplements were discontinued, which may have been due to greater tissue storage of beta-carotene.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1982

A hemostatic scalpel for burn debridement.

We studied excision of burns with a new heated scalpel. The disposable blade resemble conventional scalpel blades, except that their edges can be heated and the temperature controlled within narrow limits. The control mechanism compensates "instantaneously" for varying losses of heat depending on the vascularity of the tissues and rate of cutting. Cutting is done by the blade's sharp edge and hemostasis results from direct transfer of heat; no electric currents are generated in the tissues. The blades can be fashioned in variety of shapes and sizes, including those suitable for tangential excisions. The heated scalpel allows excision of third-degree burns in pigs and humans with much smaller loss of blood than when the usual cold surgical scalpel is used. Skin grafts applied immediately after excisions with the heated scalpel had excellent rates of success, similar to those of grafts applied immediately after excisions with the cold scalpel.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Increased survival due to radioactive estradiol in mice with C3HBA or BW 10232 tumors.

The influence of progesterone and estradiol labeled with tritium was studied in mice inoculated with transplantable mammary adenocarcinomas C3HBA or BW 10232. Tumor size, tumor growth rate, and host survival were measured. Radioactive [3H]estradiol administration increased survival time and inhibited tumor growth in mice inoculated with these tumor lines. Tumor growth retardation depended on the amount of radioactivity injected and nonradioactive estradiol was without any salutary effect on tumor size or host survival. Neither survival times nor tumor growth rate were altered by radioactive [3H]progesterone. The underlying mechanism(s) is (are) referable to ionizing radiation by the specific carrier estradiol or to an isotope effect of [3H]estradiol.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Moloney murine sarcoma virus tumors in CBA/J mice: chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic actions of supplemental beta-carotene.

Decreased tumor frequency, increased latent period, and increased rate of tumor regression were observed in male inbred CBA/J mice fed supplemental beta-carotene before and/or after they were inoculated with the Moloney sarcoma virus. When beta-carotene feeding was begun after tumors were already present, it markedly increased the rate of tumor regression. beta-Carotene minimized the virus-induced thymus gland involution that accompanies tumor growth, and this action on the thymus gland was believed to underlie part of beta-carotene's antitumor activity. The basal diet, a standard commercial mouse chow containing more vitamin A than the National Research Council recommends as a daily allowance for rodents, supported normal growth, reproduction, and longevity of normal mice. The work reported here is the first demonstration of the antitumor action of beta-carotene in mice inoculated with an oncogenic virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Prophylactic and therapeutic actions of supplemental beta-carotene in mice inoculated with C3HBA adenocarcinoma cells: lack of therapeutic action of supplemental ascorbic acid.

Decreased tumor incidence, increased latent period, and increased survival time were observed in C3H/HeJ mice fed supplemental beta-carotene for 3 days and then inoculated with 10(4) C3HBA (syngeneic) tumor cells. In addition, C3H/HeJ, C3H/He, and CBA/J mice, fed supplemental beta-carotene beginning immediately after they were inoculated with 2 X 10(5) C3HBA tumor cells, showed decreased tumor growth and increased survival time. When beta-carotene was fed to mice in which palpable tumors were already present, it similarly slowed tumor growth and extended animal survival time. Ascorbic acid supplementation (5 g/kg diet), introduced into the experiment as a possible synergist for beta-carotene's antitumor action, was without therapeutic action when tested in the presence or absence of beta-carotene supplements. The basal diet, a standard commercial mouse chow, contains more vitamin A than the National Research Council's recommended dietary allowance for normal rodents and supports normal growth, reproduction, and longevity of normal mice. The work reported here is the first demonstration of the antitumor action of beta-carotene in animals with a transplanted tumor.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1981

Impaired wound healing in streptozotocin diabetes. Prevention by supplemental vitamin A.

Goodson and Hunt showed that wound healing is impaired in streptozotocin (Sz) diabetic rats; we speculated that this impairment results from defective early inflammatory responses to wounding. Because we had shown that supplemental vitamin A stimulates the early inflammatory response to wounding in nondiabetic rats, we studied the effect of supplemental vitamin A on wound healing in rats with Sz-induced diabetes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a commercial rat chow containing twice the amount of vitamin A recommended by the NRC for healthy rats. The rats ate and drank (tap water) ad libitum. Two-thirds of the rats were injected (intravenously) with Sz 60 mg/kg body weight. All of these rats became diabetic (hyperglycemia greater than 350 mg/dl, hyperphagic, polydipsic, polyuric, glycosuric greater than 2%). Seven days later, half of the Sz-injected rats were continued on the chow (Group 2) while the other half (Group 3) were switched to the chow supplemented with 150,000 units of vitamin A/kg chow. The next day, all were wounded (7 cm skin incisions and s.c. polyvinyl alcohol sponge implants). Similarly wounded saline injected nondiabetic rats ingesting the unsupplemented chow served as controls (Group 1). The wounds of Group 2 rats healed poorly compared to Group 1 (breaking strength of skin incisions, 308 +/- 19 g vs 584 +/- 23 g, p less than 0.001; hydroxyproline of the sponge reparative tissue, 0.87 mg vs 2.40 mg/100 mg sponge p less than 0.001). Supplemental vitamin A (Group 3) did not affect the hyperglycemia, hyperphagia, polydipsia or glycosuria, but increased the breaking strengths of the incisions of the diabetic rats (468 +/- 40 g, p less than 0.001), and the sponge hydroxyproline (2.38 mg/100 mg sponge, p less than 0.001). In another experiment, in which the wounding and start of supplemental vitamin A were delayed until 28 days after streptozotocin administration (50 mg/kg body weight), similar results were obtained. Streptozotocin diabetes also caused a decrease in the cross-linking of reparative collagen as judged by the ratio of breaking strengths of skin incisions before and after formalin fixation. Supplemental vitamin A did not influence this defect. Sz also caused peripheral lymphocytopenia, adrenal hypertrophy and thymic involution which responded to the supplemental vitamin A. Based upon experimental data and theoretical considerations we conclude Sz diabetes causes two defects in wound healing: a) quantitatively (reduction in reparative collagen accumulation) and b) qualitative reduction in the degree of cross-linking of reparative wound collagen. The action of supplemental vitamin A in correcting the impaired wound healing, adrenal enlargement, thymic involution and lymphocytopenia of Sz-diabetic rats is independent of an effect on their disturbed carbohydrate metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Burn sepsis: bacterial interference with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The pathogenicity of several strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for burned rats (3 degrees scald burns, 20% body surface) following topical application of the bacteria to the burn within 1 hour after burning was established. Following this, it was demonstrated that purposeful infection of such 3 degrees scald burns of rats by a strain of Ps. aeruginosa of low virulence (JB-77) protects the rats from the lethal effect of subsequent (48-hour) topical contamination of the burn by a highly virulent strain of Ps. aeruginosa (VA-134) (p less than 0.001). This finding was confirmed in a similar experiment beginning with germfree rats. When the challenge with the highly virulent Ps. aeruginosa strain was 24 hours (rather than 48 hours) after the burning and topical contamination of the burn with the low virulence strain of Ps. aeruginosa, there was little protection (p N.S.). When burned rats were given the low virulence strain of Ps. aeruginosa by gavage right after burning, there was not protection to subsequent (48 hours) challenge by topical application of the highly virulent strain of Ps. aeruginosa to the burn (11/12 vs 12/12 dying). Our finding that purposeful infection of a 3 degrees burn of rats (conventional and also germfree) by a strain of Ps. aeruginosa of low virulence protects from the lethal effect of subsequent (48-hour) topical contamination of the burn by a highly virulent strain of Ps. aeruginosa is due, we believe, to direct bacterial interference between the two strains of pseudomonas.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Chemical debridement of burns: mercaptans.

Experiments were conducted using non-enzymatic chemical agents (with emphasis on certain mercaptans), alone, in conjunction with enzymatic agents and/or other nonenzymatic chemicals for debridement of burns. Both in vitro (rats, pigs, humans) and in vivo (rats, pigs) tests were carried out. N-acetylcysteine, penicillamine and cysteine ethyl ester in low to moderate concentrations accelerate the debriding action of bromelain (an enzymatic preparation from pineapple stems) and in higher concentrations, N-acetylcysteine and penicillamine (cysteine ethyl ester was not tested) cause ready separation of the burn eschar from the underlying tissue before solubilization of the eschar is complete (rat) or has occurred (pig). Debridement of 3 degree burns of rats is complete within 4-6 hours; the take of immediately applied syngeneic skin grafts is complete and permanent. This is first time rapid debridement of 3 degree burns permitting immediate successful skin grafting has been accomplished with known defined chemicals. In pigs there is softening of the 3 degree burn eschar by N-acetylcysteine but little, if any, dissolution of the eschar. However, mechanical separation of the eschar from the underlying tissue is accomplished readily with a wooden throat stick with no bleeding. There is a change in color of the superficial layer of the underlying subcutaneous tissue from yellow-light brown to dark brown-black. The debrided areas begin to granulate promptly. The healing of deep dermal burns of pigs is hastened by the application of N-acetylcysteine for a day (beginning 24 hours after burning) while the healing of moderately deep dermal burns is not modified. Unburned skin is not damaged. There is no apparent systemic toxicity associated with the use of N-acetylcysteine for debridement of 10-15% b.s.a. 3 degree burns of rats or 15-20% b.s.a. 3 degree burns of pigs. Major emphasis has been on N-acetylcysteine because of the potential adverse secondary effect of penicillamine and cysteine ethyl ester; N-acetylcysteine is readily metabolized. The use of a keratolytic agent prior to the application of N-acetylcysteine hastens the latter's action. Sulfamylon and sulfadiazine can be used with N-acetylcysteine without interfering with its debriding action. The effects of the mercaptans are likely due largely to their ability to depolymerize connective tissue proteoglycans and proteins, especially at the interface between living and dead tissue.

Acetylcysteine↗