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Biomedical subjects

F Ervin

Publications and source records attributed to F Ervin.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Homicidal somnambulism: a case report.

A case of a homicide and an attempted homicide during presumed sleepwalking is reported in which somnambulism was the legal defense and led to an acquittal. Other possible explanations including complex partial seizures, dissociative state, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and volitional waking behavior are discussed. The evidence supporting the probability that this act occurred during an episode of somnambulism and sleep-related confusional arousal is reviewed and weighed. This evidence includes personal and family history of somnambulism and related disorders; neurological, psychiatric and psychological assessments; presence of possible precipitating factors; and polysomnographic data.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Lead and cadmium levels in violent criminals.

Two groups of violent incarcerated male criminals and 30 nonviolent criminals were compared for element content of hair by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Groups did not differ in age, socioeconomic status, or months institutionalized. The groups did differ significantly in lead and cadmium levels. The importance of cadmium in affecting reactivity to stimuli is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Effect of prolonged infusion of ANF in normotensive and hypertensive monkeys.

It is now recognized that bolus and short-term infusions of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) into different species lead to a slight and transient decrease of blood pressure, while prolonged infusions cause a significant blood pressure reduction in hypertensive but not in normotensive rats. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of prolonged ANF infusions on blood pressure and humoral parameters in normotensive and hypertensive African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). Human-ANF infusions (100 ng/kg.hr) in conscious, normotensive vervets for a period of 48 hours evoked highly significant decreases of blood pressure (from 124/65 to 104/53 mm Hg), plasma renin activity, aldosterone, and hematocrit. This fall in blood pressure was not accompanied by an increase of plasma cGMP levels at the end of the infusion. Forty-eight hours after the infusion was terminated, the decrease in blood pressure was still significant (97/46 mm Hg), as was the drop in aldosterone. In hypertensive monkeys, systolic blood pressure declined from 175 +/- 8 to 130 +/- 8 mm Hg, while diastolic pressure fell from 117 +/- 10 to 88 +/- 4 mm Hg. These data demonstrate that the chronic infusion of ANF in both normotensive and hypertensive vervets has more profound effects than does acute bolus administration, effects that persist for a prolonged period of time after discontinuation of the infusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Transmitter-replacement therapy in Alzheimer's disease using intracerebroventricular infusions of receptor agonists.

Neurotransmitter replacement therapy in Alzheimer's Disease is currently being attempted using bethanechol chloride (Urecholine) infused intracerebroventricularly with an Infusaid continuous infusion pump. The rationale of this therapy is based on the severe cortical pre-synaptic cholinergic deficit in the presence of relatively normal post-synaptic muscarinic receptor density. Patients are selected on the basis of strict clinical criteria at a functional stage 4 or 5 of Reisberg. A cortical biopsy at the time of pump and catheter implantation confirms the diagnosis by histological and biochemical examination. Pre-operative, post-operative and serial mental status assessments combined with functional ADL assessments monitor changes in behavior. A 6 months double-blind treatment period is done in every patient, who is then free to continue if he has improved on active treatment. This specific study is part of a multi-centre trial. Other therapeutic trials using somatostatin analogs, such as Sandostatin, could then be done. The biological effects of the latter compound are being studied currently in adult Green Vervet monkeys, prior to its use in Alzheimer patients. Furthermore autoradiography of bethanechol and peptides labeled with 14C administered in these animals by intracerebroventricular infusion will allow a better knowledge of their pharmacological site of action.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1966

Puromycin and cycloheximide: different effects on hippocampal electrical activity.

Abstract. Mice were injected in the temporal region of the brain with cycloheximide or puromycin; both agents markedly inhibit protein synthesis in the brain. Recordings of electrical activity were made in the hippocampal region 5 hours after injection of these drugs. The amplitude and frequency observed in records from mice injected with cycloheximide were indistinguishable from those injected with saline alone. Records from puromycin-injected mice were strikingly abnormal. This finding may contribute to the differences in behavioral effects of intracerebral injections of the two inhibitors of protein synthesis studied.

Animals↗