PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

I Larsson

Publications and source records attributed to I Larsson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effects of splanchnic nerve stimulation on the plasma levels of serotonin and substance P in the portal vein of the cat.

The blood levels of serotonin (5-HT) and substance P (SP) in the portal vein were studied after splanchnic nerve stimulation in the cat. The portal levels of both substances were studied before, during and after splanchnic nerve stimulation. There was a twofold increase in 5-HT during stimulation whilst the SP concentration remained unchanged. These results suggest that the nervous control of the amine release into the portal stream and the mechanism that regulates the release of the polypeptide is not the same.

Animals

Effects of leukocyte and fibroblast interferon on events in the fibroblast cell cycle.

Serum-depleted human foetal skin fibroblasts were stimulated by addition of 10% foetal calf serum to proliferate synchronously for at least one cell cycle. This proliferation was suppressed by leukocyte or fibroblast interferon (IF), which prolonged the G1 phase and diminished the rate of DNA synthesis during the S phase in a dose-dependent manner. When used in identical concentration, as judged in terms of units of antiviral activity, fibroblast IF had more pronounced effects on cell cycle events than leukocyte IF. Interferon exerted its effect in early G1, before the cells were irreversibly committed to DNA synthesis.

Cell Cycle

Turnover of human lactoferrin in the rabbit.

Lactoferrin turnover was studied in the rabbit with 125I- and 131I-labelled human lactoferrin. Plasma lactoferrin activity showed a rapid decrease during the first 24 h, followed by a 'final slope' with a T1/2 of about 25 h. Turnover studies after transfer of plasma from one rabbit (A) 3 h after injection to another rabbit (B), showed a recovery of 100% compared to 30% in A rabbits but otherwise a similar disappearance curve. The rapid turnover was confirmed in whole body studies. Concomitantly with the initial dissapearance from the plasma, there was a marked accumulation of proteinbound activity only in the liver in both A and B rabbits. From these results, the rate of synthesis in normal man can be estimated at around 25 mg per d. The disappearance pattern and hepatic uptake are discussed in relation to knowledge about lactoferrin receptors in macrophages, asialo elimination, and fucose group recognition. Concerning the significance of lactoferrin turnover for iron metabolism it is concluded that the plasma turnover results are insufficient to explain the disturbance in iron kinetics seen in the anaemia of chronic disorders; however, it is likely that lactoferrin plays a role in iron metabolism within the extravascular space.

Animals

The effect of transmural field stimulation on the serotonin content in rat duodenal enterochromaffin cells--in vitro.

The effect of transmural field stimulation (TFS)--in vitro--on the sertonin (5-HT) content in enterochromafffin cells (EC) in rat duodenum was studied with a cytofluorimetric method. TFS caused a significant 25% decrease of 5-HT in EC. The presence of tetrodotoxin or d,1-propranolol in the stimulation bath antagonized the effect of TFS. In biopsies from rats pretreated with 6-OH-dopamine TFS had no effect of the 5-HT content in EC. The results of the present study strongly suggest, that the TFS induced decrease in 5-HT content is due to a direct neural, probably beta-adrenoceptor mediated, influence on the EC.

Adrenergic Fibers

The effect of propranolol on the serotonin concentration in the portal plasma after vagal nerve stimulation in the cat.

Efferent cervical vagal nerve stimulation in the cat caused a marked increase of the portal plasma 5-HT concentration. This increase was more than two-fold within 15 min of stimulation. After cessation of stimulation portal plasma 5-HT returned to basal levels within 10 min. Treatment with the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol, in various doses (0.1-2 mg/kg b.wt.), did not abolish but significantly reduced the response to vagal stimulation, particularly during the final part of the stimulation period. The results confirm the existence of a beta-adrenoceptor-mediated release of 5-HT, but also suggest that other mechanisms for 5-HT release may be involved in the response on vagal nerve stimulation.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

Characterization of specific antisera to native human luteinizing hormone.

Antisera against highly purified native hLH (10 000 IU/mg = 0.5 mg hLH/mg protein) were raised in 4 rabbits. The antisera were invariably of high titre and high avidity. They were purified by affinity chromatography on a column with hCG-Sepharose 4 B. Before and after adsorption the antisera were tested in a double antibody radioimmunoassay. Before adsorption hCG cross-reacted in all antisera, but in none were the inhibition curves identical. No such cross-reaction remained after the affinity chromatography. These purified antisera made it possible to develop highly specific and sensitive assays for measuring native hLH. We conclude from studies of the effect of native glycoprotein hormones and their subunits that there are probably differences in the antigenic sites of the complete hLH molecule and in the isolated beta-subunit of hLH. The investigation also indicates that even highly purified preparations of hTSH may be contaminated with hLH and that the preparations of hLH-subunits may contain a certain amount of the native hormone.

Adsorption

Phosphate buffer stimulates somatostatin release into the antral lumen of anaesthetized cats.

The effect of variations of intra-antral pH on the intraluminal release of somatostatin was studied. Acute pouches were created in anaesthetized cats, and the pouches were perfused with solutions differing in pH. Somatostatin levels were then measured in the perfusates. In this model phosphate buffer was a potent stimulator of intra-antral somatostatin release, whereas perfusion with 0.1 M HCl failed to release somatostatin by itself. Since phosphate buffer also releases gastrin, the releasing effect ought to be exerted beyond the mechanism that can be blocked by somatostatin. (Thus the stimulatory effect of phosphate buffer might be exerted on the membranes of the endocrine cells.)

Animals

The release of serotonin from rat duodenal enterochromaffin cells by adrenoceptor agonists studied in vitro.

The serotonin (5-HT) content of enterochromaffin cells (EC) was studied by a cytofluorimetric method in biopsies from rat duodenal mucosa after in vitro incubation with different adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists and acetylcholine (ACh). Noradrenaline (NA), Adrenaline (A) and Isoprenaline (IP) caused a decrease of 5-HT in EC down to 40--60% and for NA and A this effect was concentration-dependent. The effect was antagonized by d,1-propranolol but not by d-propranolol, metoprolol, phentolamine or phenoxybenzamine indicating that the 5-HT release from EC is probably mediated via a true beta-adrenoceptor mechanism possibly of the beta2 type. ACh also decreased the 5-HT content of EC but was much less potent than the adrenergic substances. Dopamine (DA) had no effect.

Acetylcholine

Ultrastructural evidence for an innervation of epithelial enterochromaffine cells in the guinea pig duodenum.

The innervation of the duodenal enterochromaffine cells (E.C.) of the guinea pig was studied at the electronmicroscopic level. Pretreatment with 5-OH-dopamine was performed to visualize catecholaminergic (CA) nervous elements. Near the basement membrane of all examined E.C. in the crypts, bundles of unmyelinated nerve processes were observed, only partly ensheathed in a Schwann cell cover. At least 4 types of processes could be observed. 1) Boutons containing only small clear vesicles, probably cholinergic fibres; 2) boutons with small clear vesicles, and in addition large (greater than 200 nm) granules with a dense matrix (P-type-fibres); 3) boutons with small electron-dense vesicles, probably CA-fibres; and 4) processes with few vesicles but having the appearance of dendrites. No typical synaptic arrangements were observed, but the minimal distance between the E.C. and the nerve bundles was 150 to 250 nm, thus well within the functional limits of the "autonomic gap". Thus epithelial E.C. may be influenced by several types of nervous elements, including CA-fibres.

Adrenergic Fibers

Efferent innervation of the small intestine by adrenergic neurons from the cervical sympathetic and stellate ganglia, studied by retrograde transport of peroxidase.

The nervous pathways between the small intestine of cat and guinea pig and various sympathetic ganglia were investigated by the retrograde horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) technique. HRP was injected at multiple sites in the wall of the duodenum and the first third of the jejunum. At 1--5 days after the injections, the HRP reaction product was searched for in various sympathetic ganglia. Not only the coeliac and nodose ganglia, but also the superior cervical, medial cervical, stellate and thoracic ganglia contained HRP-positive nerve cells. Crushing the cervical vagal nerve prevented the occurrence of HRP-reaction in the cervical ganglia, indicating that the HRP was transported from the gut to the cervical ganglia via axons in the vagal nerve. The results demonstrate that the sympathetic ganglia in the neck (sup, and med. cerv. ganglia and stellate ggl.) send efferent fibres to the small intestine.

Animals

Modulation of immune responses in newborn and adult mice by interferon.

Interferon was found to have both suppressive and enhancing effects on the antibody response in newborn and adult mice. Evidence was obtained that these effects are primarily evoked during the initial steps controlling cell proliferation. Stimulation of thymus and spleen cells with a T-cell mitogen was enhanced by low doses and suppressed by high doses of interferon. Treatment of parental spleen cells with interferon before injecting them into immunized F1 hybrid mice resulted in an enhanced allogeneic effect. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that interferon affects T cells and has an immunoregulatory role, either by inhibiting the action of suppressor cells or by promoting immunological maturation.

Animals

Interferon production in glia and glioma cell lines.

Interferon (IF) was produced in glia and glioma cell lines in titers comparable to those produced by human fibroblasts. It was inducible by both Sendai virus and polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid. "Superinduction" resulted in up to 500-fold-higher titers of IF. The IF appeared to be of the fibroblast type, as revealed by experiments using heat treatment, assay of antiviral activity in heterologous cell lines, and neutralization with specific antisera. Since large amounts of IF may easily be produced with glioma cell lines, such cells may be suitable for mass production of IF.

Cell Line

Image artifacts at high photon fluence rates in single-crystal NaI(T1) scintillation cameras.

A method that simulates a clinically relevant situation is used to measure the amount of pulse pileup in the gamma image by distinguishing between correctly and incorrectly positioned events. Comparison was then made between responses from different cameras. These investigations show the influence of pileup rejection on counting rate. Pileup effects can be determined for some cameras at such low count rates as about 10,000/sec with a 30% energy window. Parameters affecting the total count rate of the scintillation camera--such as scattering media, source geometry, collimator, and energy window--have been investigated. It is shown that the energy distribution of the photon fluence striking the crystal determines the counting losses and image distortion, rather than the counting rate in the energy window. The approach described here might fulfill the requirements for a new method to compare scintillation cameras. It is important to note that measurements without scattering medium yield results irrelevant for clinical situations.

Radionuclide Imaging

Distribution of intravenously injected 201thallium in the legs duging walking. A new test for assessing arterial insufficiency in the legs.

There is a multitude of method for assessing the efficiency of the arterial circulation in the legs. Most of these methods can give conclusive information about the patency of the main arteries in the leg; the level of an arterial obstruction can also be estimated. However, none of these methods provides a direct estimate of the functional importance of arterial lesions of light to moderate severity. The present report describes preliminary findings of the distribution of intravenously injected 201Thallium, a potassium analogue, in the legs during exercise provoking symptoms of ischemia. From this pilot study the general impression is that the thallium uptake pattern corresponds well with the clinical, physiologic, and angiographic picture.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases