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Biomedical subjects

G Hodges

Publications and source records attributed to G Hodges.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of gentamicin on isolated glomeruli and proximal tubules of the rabbit.

Alterations in both glomerular filtration rate and tubular transport occur in clinical gentamicin nephrotoxicity. We have studied the function of isolated tubules and glomeruli from rabbits treated with gentamicin. Gentamicin was administered subcutaneously to sexually immature (1400 to 1800 gm) or sexually mature (3800 to 4600 gm) New Zealand White rabbits in a dose of 15 mg/kg twice a day. Immature rabbits were treated for 28 to 31 days and developed only minimal renal insufficiency. About one-half of the mature rabbits developed azotemia. The mature rabbits that did not become azotemic were sacrificed after 28 to 30 days, and those that became azotemic were killed when their serum creatinine reached 2.5 mg/dl or higher (10 to 24 days). Animals were anesthetized and kidneys were removed for histologic examination and isolation of tubules and glomeruli. The ratio of p-aminohippuric acid (PAH) concentration in isolated tubule cells to that in medium after incubation in 3H-PAH (1 microM) at 37 degrees C for 30 minutes (T/M PAH) was used as an indicator of transport capacity of tubules. T/M PAH ratios averaged 196 +/- 18 and 111 +/- 21 for control immature and mature rabbits, respectively, and 135 +/- 22, 80 +/- 16, and 9 +/- 2 for gentamicin-treated immature and mature nonazotemic and mature azotemic rabbits, respectively. Glomeruli were isolated and filtration induced in vitro by a transcapillary oncotic gradient. Ultrafiltration coefficient, Kf, of glomeruli of immature and mature control rabbits averaged 3.78 +/- 0.29 and 5.84 +/- 0.51 nl/minute X mm Hg. Kf from gentamicin-treated immature rabbits averaged 2.82 +/- 0.20 and from mature azotemic rabbits 3.14 +/- 0.44 nl/minute X mm Hg. Kf of both mature and immature rabbits were decreased compared with controls (p less than 0.01). When all animals were considered, relative glomerular filtration rate, estimated from 1/serum creatinine, was positively correlated with the T/M PAH and Kf. When only experimental animals were studied, 1/serum creatinine and T/M PAH were also correlated. Decreased glomerular filtration rate and dysfunction of proximal tubules were also correlated with abnormal tubule histology. We suggest that injury to glomeruli and tubules may represent independent manifestations of gentamicin toxicity. Dysfunction may be present even when there are only mild histologic changes and glomerular filtration rate is near normal. Kf does not appear to limit glomerular filtration rate after treatment with gentamicin; rather, some direct or indirect effect of tubular injury may determine the decrement in glomerular filtration rate.

Aging

Silica fragments from millet bran in mucosa surrounding oesophageal tumours in patients in northern China.

Millet bran is a component of the diet in the area of highest oesophageal cancer incidence in northern China. Millet bran was found to contain up to 20% by weight of silica; some of this silica occurs as friable sheets or sharply-pointed fibres. These types of silica in millet bran are the most likely source of an unusual contamination with fragments of silica found in the oesophageal mucosa surrounding tumours in patients in northern China. A group of mucosal samples analysed together contained over 5,000 particles/g (100 parts per million by weight), ten times as many as were found in tissue from normal controls taken at necropsy in London. The modal diameter was 10 microgram (1-70 microgram). The particles were in the body of the mucosa and were not simply a surface contaminant. Silica fragments and fibres of similar size originating from other plant species occur in the diet in the two other regions of greatest incidence of oesophageal cancer, the Transkei and Iran. If such fragments enter the mucosa, they must cause some degree of trauma, and they may also be able to stimulate proliferation by providing anchorage. These findings suggest the possibility that silica particles might be involved in the aetiology of oesophageal cancer.

Adult

Training sensory awareness and spatial organization in people with right brain damage.

Building on a methodology to improve scanning and academic skill performance behavior in persons with acquired right brain damage due to stroke, this study presents 2 additional treatment methods: training in sensory awareness and spatial organization. The 53 patients studied were divided into two groups, experimental (N = 30) and control (N = 23). The experimental group received a treatment program incorporating the 2 new methods as well as a condensed version of the original program. The controls received standard rehabilitation. Both groups were retested after 1 month. Analyses revealed that the performance of those in the experimental group exceeded that of the controls, that those patients in the experimental group with severe impairments improved more than those with mild impairments, and that combined multiple-treatment produces greater generalization than the original single treatment program.

Activities of Daily Living

Visual scanning training effect on reading-related tasks in acquired right brain damage.

This study presents a method for analyzing and remediating the visual perceptual deficits often found in persons with acquired right brain injury due to stroke. A total of 57 patients were randomly assigned to experimental (N=25) or control (N=32) groups. All patients were administered the same test battery prior to assignment. Experimentals received the specific training program and the controls received standard rehabilitation. Both groups were retested after a period of one month. Analysis revealed the superior performance of the experimental group. The results suggest that the academic disorders found in right brain damage can be treated as secondary to a primary disturbance in visual scanning behavior.

Adult