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Biomedical subjects

G Nolan

Publications and source records attributed to G Nolan.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Assessment of the nutritional status of rural and urban elderly living at home.

Assessment of nutritional status was conducted on a selected sample of 46 rural and 24 urban elderly people living at home in Galway. Nutrient intake was assessed by the 24 hour dietary recall method. Blood tests and anthropometric measurements were also carried out. Both subject groups, but particularly the rural elderly were discovered to have deficient intake of many nutrients when compared to 80% of the Irish Recommended Dietary Allowances. Blood tests of nine haematological and biochemical parameters with values below the lower limit of the adult laboratory references range were rarely found. Anthropometric values below recognized standards were common. Sub-optimal nutritional status was present to a greater degree in subjects living in the geographically isolated rural area but inadequate nutrition was also detected in the city-dwelling elderly. Education of these elderly people on better dietary intake should be conducted and increased social contact encouraged. Provision of improved transport and communication facilities for the rural elderly studied may aid improvement in their nutritional status. While results of this study suggest that undernutrition is a problems in this group, a more representative sample of elderly people needs to be studied to ascertain the true prevalence of undernutrition in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

A previously unidentified leukotriene produced by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

A previously unidentified leukotriene was isolated from incubations of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes with ionophore A23187. The compound eluted between LTB4 and 20-carboxy LTB4 on SP-HPLC and between the two 6-trans isomers of LTB4 on RP-HPLC. Ultraviolet spectroscopy revealed three absorption bands at 258 nm, 268 nm and 278 nm. 1802 was incorporated by the OH at both C5 and C12. Oxidative ozonolysis indicated the presence of 5S, 12S configuration. The structure of the newly identified leukotriene is 5S, 12S-dihydroxy-icosatetraenoic acid. Stereochemistry of the double bonds and biologic activity were not investigated.

Calcimycin↗
PubMed1984

Decreased leukotriene B4 synthesis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from male patients with diabetes mellitus.

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) synthesis and release by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) from 17 male patients with type I diabetes mellitus was decreased (407.1 +/- 55.6 vs 709.4 +/- 62.7 ng/30 X 10(6) cells/10 min, mean +/- SE, p less than 0.001) as compared with 17 normal subjects matched for sex and age. There was an inverse correlation (r = -0.50, p less than 0.04) between LTB4 synthesis and plasma glucose concentration in the diabetic patients. The same correlation (r = -0.71, p less than 0.01) was observed in three diabetic patients studied weekly for one month. Because LTB4 is a potent chemoattractant and stimulates PMNL function, the defect in its synthesis may contribute to the predisposition to infections in the diabetic patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Leukotrienes produced by incubation of dihomo-delta-linolenic acid with human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Two new leukotrienes, 8,15-dihydroxy-9,11,13-icosatrienoic acid (8,15-LTB3) and 14,15-dihydroxy-8,10,12-icosatrienoic acid (14,15-LTB3) were identified in incubations of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes with dihomo-delta-linolenic acid (8,11,14-icosatrienoic acid). The yield of these compounds was very low (0.5% of the total radioactivity) and did not increase with indomethacin alone or in combination with ionophore A-23187. Stereochemistry and biologic activity of the two leukotrienes remain to be established.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗
PubMed1979

Metyrapone test with adrenocorticotrophic levels. Separating primary from secondary adrenal insufficiency.

Basal plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations as well as plasma ACTH and 11-deoxycortisol responses to the administration of a single dose of metyrapone were evaluated in 104 patients with intact pituitary-adrenal axis, in 20 patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency, and in seven patients with primary adrenal insufficiency. In patients with primary adrenal insufficiency, baseline ACTH levels were high. Following metyrapone administration, 11-deoxycortisol concentrations were low and ACTH levels did not change. In patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency, baseline plasma ACTH levels were normal, but neither 11-deoxycortisol nor ACTH levels increased in response to metyrapone. The metyrapone test is not only useful to screen for adrenal insufficiency, it is also useful to differentiate a primary from a secondary cause.

Adrenal Insufficiency↗
PubMed1978

The effect of prednisone on serum thyrotropin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations in hypothyroid patients.

The effect of exogenous prednisone on serum thyrotropin (TSH), thyroxine (T4), and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations was investigated in four patients with non-functioning thyroid glands receiving T4 replacement therapy. Orally administered prednisone, in a dose of 20 mg each day for nine days, resulted in a significant decrease in mean serum TSH levels (p less than 0.01) without significant changes in levels of serum T4, T3, and thyroxine binding globulin (TBG). These findings suggest an inhibitory action of relatively low pharmacologic doses of prednisone on TSH release without changes in circulating thyroid hormone concentrations or inhibition of the peripheral conversion of T4 to T3.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

N-Ethylmaleimide prevents destruction of corticotropin (ACTH) in plasma.

Addition of N-ethylmaleimide, an inhibitor of proteolytic enzymes, to samples for plasma corticotropin determinations prevents destruction of the hormone at room temperature for at least 72 h. A concentration of 125 mg per liter of blood is effective. N-Ethylmaleimide is not so effective in preventing corticotropin degradation in whole blood. Use of the inhibitor should make plasma corticotropin determinations more practical and reliable.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1976

Changes in serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and thyrotropin induced by lithium in normal subjects and in rats.

Serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured in 4 normal subjects before, during, and 2 wk after administration of lithium carbonate (1,200 mg/day) for 6 wk. All subjects developed thyroid enlargement associated with increase in TSH. Serum T3 and T4 did not change significantly. In 3 hypothyroid maintained on thyroxine replacement, lithium administration did not alter circulating levels of T4 or T3, suggesting no effect of lithium on the extrathyroidal metabolism of the thyroid hormones. In rats fed a low iodine diet containing 122 mg/kg/day lithium carbonate, goiter, increased 131I uptake, and a decrease in intrathyroidal T3 and T4 with an increase in MIT, DIT, and MIT/DIT were observed at 3 wk. Serum T3 fell significantly only during the third week, while T4 did not change. Thyroid enlargement, secondary to a rise in TSH, appears to play a role in the adaptation of the thyroid gland to lithium carbonate. The exact mechanism for the elevation of TSH has not been elucidated.

Adult↗