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Biomedical subjects

G Jones

Publications and source records attributed to G Jones.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Modification of cytochrome P450 1A2 enzymes by the mechanism-based inactivator 2-ethynylnaphthalene and the photoaffinity label 4-azidobiphenyl.

2-Ethynylnaphthalene (2EN) had previously been demonstrated to be a mechanism-based inactivator of rat cytochrome P450 (P450) 1A2 [Hammons, G.J., Alworth, W.L., Hopkins, N.E., Guengerich, F. P., & Kadlubar, F. F. (1989) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2, 367-374]. In this work 2EN was also demonstrated to be a useful inactivator of rabbit P450 1A2 (k(inactivation) 0.094 min-1, K(i) 11 microM) but it did not inactivate human P450 1A2, although the sequences of the three proteins are approximately 80% identical. Rat and rabbit P450 1A2 were modified by incubation with NADPH-P450 reductase, NADPH, and [3H]2EN to levels of 0.35 and 0.47 nmol of adduct (nmol of P450)-1, respectively. In each case only a single tryptic peptide was labeled; recovery of labeled peptides was low under the acidic HPLC conditions. The rabbit P450 1A2 peptide FQELMAAVGR (positions 175-184) and the rat P450 1A2 peptide L(S)QQYGDVLQIR (positions 67-78) were identified. 4-Azidobiphenyl (4-N3BP) was developed as a photoaffinity label for P-450 1A2 proteins because of its similarity to 4-aminobiphenyl, a known substrate for the enzymes. 4-N3BP was shown to be photolyzed with 350-nm light and radioactive label could be incorporated into rat P450 1A2. Labeling of the protein was found to be saturable with increasing concentrations of 4-N3BP and up to 0.59 nmol of label could be incorporated (nmol P450 1A2)-1. The substrate 4-aminobiphenyl and the competitive inhibitor 7,8-benzoflavone blocked photolabeling of P450 1A2 with 4-N3BP, and 4-N3BP inhibited N-hydroxylation of 4-aminobiphenyl by P450 1A2 in the usual enzyme assay.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Affinity Labels

Structural and functional characterisation of recombinant human haemoglobin A expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Recombinant human HbA, produced by co-expressing alpha-globin and beta-globin chains in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been characterised extensively both physically and functionally. Structural studies using N-terminal sequence analysis, peptide mapping, amino acid composition analysis and electrospray MS demonstrated that the recombinant protein was identical to standard HbA purified from erythrocytes. The functional properties of the recombinant protein were assessed using equilibrium and kinetic measurements of oxygen and carbon monoxide binding. The oxygen-binding studies demonstrated that the yeast-derived HbA behaved as a fully functional, cooperative tetramer (Hill coefficient, 2.9), exhibited a normal Bohr effect and response to phosphate, and displayed a rate of oxygen dissociation identical to that of the native human molecule. The recombinant protein also showed the same characteristics of carbon monoxide combination as the standard protein. These studies demonstrate that yeast provides an ideal system for the production of Hb for structural and functional analysis and a potentially useful source of HbA for formulation into a Hb-based oxygen carrier.

Amino Acids

Cardiac arrest in Ontario: circumstances, community response, role of prehospital defibrillation and predictors of survival.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the patient characteristics, circumstances and community response in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; to evaluate the effect on survival of the introduction of prehospital defibrillation; and to identify factors that predict survival. DESIGN: Population-based before-and-after clinical trial. SETTING: Five Ontario communities: London, Sudbury, the Greater Niagara region, Kingston and Ottawa. PATIENTS: A consecutive sample of 1510 primary cardiac arrest patients who were transported to hospital by ambulance over 2 years. INTERVENTION: The use of defibrillators by ambulance attendants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient characteristics (sex and age), circumstances of arrest (place, whether arrest was witnessed and cardiac rhythm), citizen response (whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] was started by a bystander, time to access to emergency medical services and time to initiation of CPR), emergency medical services response (ambulance response time, time to initiation of CPR and time to rhythm analysis with defibrillator) and survival rates. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 92.1% of the patients were 50 years of age or older, and 68.3% were men. Overall, 79.6% of the arrests occurred in the home. The average ambulance response time for witnessed cases was 7.8 minutes. The overall survival rate was 2.5%. The survival rates before and after defibrillators were introduced were similar, and the general functional outcome of the survivors did not differ significantly between the two phases. Factors predicting survival included patient's age, ambulance response time and whether CPR was started before the ambulance arrived. CONCLUSIONS: The survival rate was lower than expected. The availability of prehospital defibrillation did not affect survival. To improve survival rates after cardiac arrest ambulance response times must be reduced and the frequency of bystander-initiated CPR increased. Once these changes are in place a beneficial effect from advanced manoeuvres such as prehospital defibrillation may be seen.

Adult

The Lancet's statistical review process: areas for improvement by authors.

The Lancet now incorporates statistical review of submitted papers which remain candidates for publication after conventional review. We summarise here criticisms noted by the statistical reviewers for 191 such papers received between November, 1990, and June, 1991. Only 54% of papers were deemed acceptable or acceptable after revision; the others were either recommended for rejection (14%) or for more substantial revision and re-review (32%). Descriptions of methods and of results were found inadequate in about half of the papers; about one-quarter of papers had inadequate abstracts and conclusions. Major errors of inference were made in 48 papers and went hand in hand with major criticisms of analysis or design in those papers. The natural focus of statistical review is whether conclusions drawn are justified by study design and statistical analysis. In this, there is room for improvement by authors.

Bias

Locoregional disease.

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Combined Modality Therapy

Polar metabolites of dihydrotachysterol3 in the rat. Comparison with in vitro metabolites of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxydihydrotachysterol3.

The metabolism of 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol3 (25-OH-DHT3) to more polar metabolites was investigated in vivo in the rat and compared with the in vitro metabolism of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxy-DHT3 (1 alpha,25-(OH)2DHT3) in the osteosarcoma cell line UMR 106. Rats were given 2 mg of DHT3 in divided doses at 0 and 6 hr. Plasma was collected 24 hr after the initial dose, extracted, separated, and polar metabolites purified by HPLC. A number of polar metabolites were formed in vivo with mass spectrometric characteristics which suggested that they were derived from a previously isolated metabolite of 25-OH-DHT3, T3/H. Of these, four were isolated and identified as 24-oxo-T3/H, 24-hydroxy-T3/H, 26-hydroxy-T3/H and the 26,23-lactone of T3/H. In view of the identification of T3/H as a mixture of 1 alpha- and 1 beta-hydroxylated 25-OH-DHT3, osteosarcoma cells (UMR 106) were incubated with chemically synthesized 1 alpha,25-(OH)2DHT3 in an attempt to determine from which component of the T3/H mixture these metabolites were derived. Again, more polar metabolites were formed and five of these were isolated by lipid extraction, purified by HPLC and identified as 24-oxo-1 alpha,25-(OH)2DHT3, 1 alpha,23,25-(OH)3DHT3, 24-oxo-1 alpha,23,25-(OH)3DHT3, 1 alpha,24,25-(OH)3DHT3 and 1 alpha,25,26-(OH)3DHT3. Three of the in vitro metabolites were similar to those found in rat plasma but only two of these metabolites were available in sufficient amounts to allow comparison. The chromatographic characteristics, using HPLC and gas chromatography, of these two pairs of metabolites (24-oxo and 24-hydroxy) were examined and it was demonstrated that they were not the same. It is therefore suggested that the polar metabolites formed in vivo are in fact metabolites of the T3/Hb component (1 beta,25-(OH)2DHT3) rather than the T3/Ha component (1 alpha,25-(OH)2DHT3). Supporting evidence for this suggestion was obtained when a small quantity of 1 beta,25-(OH)2DHT3, obtained from chemically synthesized 1 beta-OH-DHT3 by incubation with Hep 3B cells, was further incubated in the osteosarcoma UMR 106 system. Preliminary studies indicated that the putative 24-oxo and 24-hydroxy metabolites formed from 1 beta,25-(OH)2DHT3 had chromatographic and mass spectral properties almost indistinguishable from those of corresponding metabolites of T3/H formed in vivo. All the metabolites formed in vivo and in vitro are components of two metabolic pathways described previously for 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and also for 25-OH-DHT3.

Animals

Contrast variation studies of clathrin coated vesicles by small-angle neutron scattering.

Structural information on clathrin coated vesicles has been obtained by small angle neutron scattering using contrast variation. A characteristic peak in the neutron scattering profile, which is apparent in 75% D2O, as well as in H2O, disappears when contrast matching the protein component of the coated vesicles in 42% D2O. Neutron, as well as dynamic, light scattering give a coated vesicle size of about 900 A in H2O and D2O, but for neutron scattering the diameter decreases when matching out the protein coat of the clathrin coated vesicles. From the match point for the clathrin coated vesicles it is demonstrated that the clathrin cages do contain internal membrane. The mass of 34 MD and composition of 75% protein and 25% lipid found from the analysis of the small-angle scattering data are both in good agreement with the values reported in the literature. Electron microscopy gives an average outer diameter of 880 A for the coated vesicles and an average diameter of 460 A for the vesicle itself.

Biophysical Phenomena

Metabolism of 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol3 in bone cells in vitro.

Dihydrotachysterol3, a reduced (or hydrogenated) analog of vitamin D3 in which the A ring has been rotate through 180 degrees , is, after hepatic 25-hydroxylation, converted in vivo to a dihydroxylated metabolite, termed peak H, which is at present unidentified but with good affinity for the vitamin D receptor. Although peak H is made in relatively large amounts in vivo, it has not yet been possible to synthesize it in vitro. Mass spectrometric evidence suggests that peak H is 25-hydroxylated and the presumption that it is a metabolite of 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol3 was confirmed by the demonstration that radiolabeled peak H was formed in vivo in the rat after injection of 25-hydroxy-[10,19-3H]dihydrotachysterol3, produced from [10,19-3H]dihydrotachysterol3 in a hepatic cell model. The metabolism of 25-hydroxy-[10,19-3H]dihydrotachysterol3 was also studied in a rat osteosarcoma cell UMR-106, a known target cell for vitamin D, using high (11 microM) and low (10 nM) substrate concentrations. Metabolic products were isolated by lipid extraction, purified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and characterized by direct-probe mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The formation of peak H from 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol3 could not be demonstrated in UMR-106 cells. However, 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol3 was metabolized to at least seven side-chain modified metabolites, each of which was extensively characterized and tentatively identified. It is concluded that the vitamin D enzyme system present in UMR-106 cells is able to metabolize dihydrotachysterol3 very efficiently to a series of metabolites but is incapable of producing peak H.

Animals

Combined treatment with oral etretinate and electron beam therapy in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome).

BACKGROUND: Total skin irradiation for early-stage mycosis fungoides produces clinical remission in 90% of patients, but the median duration of remission is only 2 to 4 years. Etretinate has proven efficacy in advanced mycosis fungoides. Its potential as adjuvant therapy to radiation could be limited by toxicity from the combination. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether oral etretinate at 1 mg/kg can be combined with 35 Gy of radiation without intensifying or prolonging the radiation reaction and to determine the relapse-free survival rate. METHODS: Twenty-three patients began etretinate on day one of radiation and the dose was reduced for nose bleeds, dry skin, or hyperlipidemia. During the reaction skin toxicity questionnaires were completed weekly. Nine concurrent patients receiving only radiation completed identical forms. RESULTS: Etretinate did not intensify the skin reaction but did prolong it by 2 weeks. At a median follow-up of 2 years the relapse-free survival rate in complete responders was similar to stage-matched concurrent and historic control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Both radiation and etretinate can be given together with acceptable toxicity and without compromising either therapy.

Administration, Oral

Regulation of phospholipase C isozymes.

Phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate hydrolysis is an immediate response to many hormones, including growth factors. The hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate is catalyzed by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. A number of phospholipase C isozymes have been identified. Different isozymes are activated by different receptor classes. This review will summarize the different isozymes of phospholipase C, and the current knowledge of the mechanisms by which phospholipase C activity is modulated by growth factors.

Animals

The metabolism of dihydrotachysterols: renal side chain and non-renal nuclear hydroxylations in vivo and in vitro.

The metabolism of dihydrotachysterol (DHT), a hydrogenated analogue of vitamin D, has been studied in vivo using man and rat and in vitro using the perfused rat kidney, and hepatoma (3B) and osteosarcoma (UMR-106) cell lines. In vivo a large number of metabolites appeared in the plasma of rats given DHT2 and DHT3. Of particular interest was a compound more polar than 25-hydroxy-DHT, which has been designated compound H. Further study of this compound showed that it was composed of two components, one (Ha) being in much lower concentration than the other (Hb). The production of T2/H (peak H from DHT2) was demonstrated in human plasma after administration of oral DHT2. Comparison of the metabolites formed in vivo with those isolated from the rat kidney perfused with 25-hydroxy-DHT3 in vitro showed that 25-hydroxy-DHT3 was metabolized along two metabolic pathways previously described for vitamin D, culminating in the production of 25-hydroxy-DHT3-23,26-lactone and 23,25-dihydroxy-24-oxo-DHT3. The osteosarcoma cell line metabolized 25-OH-DHT3 in vitro along the same two metabolic pathways already demonstrated in the perfused rat kidney. More polar metabolites than compound H seen in rat plasma in vivo were shown to be metabolites of compound H and similar metabolites were also produced in the osteosarcoma cell line from chemically synthesized 1 alpha,25-dihydroxy-DHT3. The hepatoma cell line 25-hydroxylated DHT and no feed-back inhibition was observed. Use of the hepatoma cell to 25-hydroxylate a number of chemically synthesized 1-hydroxy-DHTs indicated that compound Ha was indistinguishable from 1 alpha,25-dihydroxy-DHT whereas compound Hb is possibly 1 beta,25-dihydroxy-DHT. Studies with the VDR in both chick gut and calf thymus indicated that 1 alpha,25-dihydroxy-DHT is very effective in displacing radiolabelled 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3 and is thus most likely to be the calcaemic metabolite of DHT.

Animals

Normal 24-hydroxylation of vitamin D metabolites in patients with vitamin D-dependency rickets type I. Structural implications for the vitamin D hydroxylases.

The steady state serum concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)2D] is determined by the relative rates of its biosynthesis via the renal mitochondrial 1-hydroxylase and catabolism via renal and target cell 24-hydroxylases. It is not yet known whether the two catalytic activities are mediated by the product of a single gene or products of distinct genes. To address this question, we undertook to assess 24-hydroxylase function in patients with vitamin D-dependency rickets type I (VDDR-I), a Mendelian disorder of 1,25-(OH)2D synthesis attributable to a defect in renal 1-hydroxylase activity. To assess renal 24-hydroxylase activity, we measured the serum concentration of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [24,25-(OH)2D] and its 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) precursor. We also measured target cell, 1,25-(OH)2D3-inducible 24-hydroxylase activity and calcitroic acid production in skin fibroblasts from VDDR-I patients and age- and sex-matched controls. Serum levels of 24,25-(OH)2D and 25OHD were similar in VDDR-I patients and controls [ratio of product to substrate, 0.062 +/- 0.013 (n = 5) vs. 0.067 +/- 0.005 (n = 10), mean +/- SEM, for patients and controls, respectively]. Circulating levels of 1,25-(OH)2D were also comparable in both groups [80.6 +/- 15.5 (n = 5) vs. 86.1 +/- 5.2 (n = 10) pmol/L, for patients and controls, respectively], presumably indicative of compliance with calcitriol therapy. Skin fibroblasts from VDDR-I patients exhibited 24-hydroxylase activity which was indistinguishable from that observed in control fibroblasts [108 +/- 14 (n = 5) vs. 96 +/- 25 fmol/10(6) cells.min (n = 6), for patients and controls, respectively]. Similarly, calcitroic acid production was comparable in fibroblast cultures derived from the two groups of subjects [31 +/- 6 vs. 33 +/- 3 fmol/10(6) cells.min (n = 3), for patients and controls, respectively]. Our data demonstrate that renal and target cell 24-hydroxylase activities are normal in patients with VDDR-I and suggest that the renal 1- and 24-hydroxylases likely represent, or contain, distinct polypeptides encoded by different genes.

24,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D 3

Intensity and direction as dimensions of competitive state anxiety and relationships with competitiveness.

This study examined differences in intensity and direction of symptoms of competitive state anxiety in high and low competitive subjects from the sports of rugby union, basketball, soccer, and field hockey. The 69 men were dichotomized via a median-split into high and low competitive groups based on their scores on the Sport Orientation Questionnaire. All subjects completed a modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 30 minutes prior to competition. This inventory included the original intensity scale plus a direction scale on which subjects rated the extent the experienced intensity of each symptom was either facilitative or debilitative to subsequent performance. There were no significant group differences on intensity of cognitive anxiety or of somatic anxiety or on direction of somatic anxiety; however, the highly competitive group of 34 subjects reported their anxiety as more facilitative and less debilitative than the low competitive group (n = 35). This supports the proposal that sports performers' directional perceptions of their anxiety symptoms may provide further understanding of the competitive state-anxiety response.

Adult