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J David

Publications and source records attributed to J David.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effect of dothiepin on nociceptive response in diabetic rats.

In alloxan-diabetic rats of 4 wk duration with blood glucose levels of about 300 mg/100 ml, the tail flick reaction time (TFRT) to thermal stimuli was significantly elevated (P less than 0.25), indicating hypoalgesia. Intraperitoneal dothiepin, injections of 25 mg & 50 mg/kg body weight per day did not significantly alter the TFRT, either in control or in diabetic rats, following either acute (one dose), or short term (once a day for five days) administration. It is concluded that at least in the dosage schedule used herein, dothiepin does not influence hypoalgesia of diabetic neuropathy.

Analysis of Variance

Antiepileptic drugs delay the onset of seizures induced by aminophylline in conscious rats.

Aminophylline, 285.7 +/- 2.19 mg/kg infused intravenously in unanaesthetized rats produced onset of seizures within 3.2 +/- 0.99 minutes. Seizures were repetitive and death occurred in 10.5 +/- 1.75 minutes. Pretreatment of rats with carbamazepine, sodium valproate and diazepam at doses that prevented electroshock induced seizures were effective in significantly postponing seizures and death, but did not reduce mortality. Concomitant EEG studies in aminophylline infused rats showed that cortical excitability evidenced by initial cortical spiking occurred at 42 secs and polyspiking at 165 seconds. Following diazepam, the initial cortical spike was delayed 50 fold, appearing after 36 minutes. Antiepileptic drugs and EEG monitoring may prove useful in patients with status asthmaticus receiving intravenous aminophylline.

Aminophylline

Evidence of genotoxic damage in human cataractous lenses.

Lens epithelial fragments (tags) recovered from individuals during routine cataract extraction have been assessed for cellular changes reflective of genotoxic damage. A high percentage of tags exhibited a population of micronucleated and polyploid cells. The presence and number of micronuclei (MN) in the epithelia of cataract patients appears to be independent of age and sex. However, a large number of MN in the epithelial cells of some individuals strongly suggests a history of compromised genomic integrity. While the study was not designed to define the role of DNA damage in the development of cataracts or to monitor human populations at risk of exposure to exogenous mutagens/cataractogens, the potential of the methodology to address each is demonstrated.

Adult

Scleroderma 'en coup de sabre'.

A case of scleroderma 'en coup de sabre' presenting with uveitis, predominantly posterior, and intractable grand mal seizures is described. The histopathology specimens and neuroradiology investigations reaffirm the clinical impression that inflammation is not solely confined to the skin in this form of linear scleroderma.

Child, Preschool

Influence of adenosine receptor antagonists, aminophylline and caffeine, on seizure protective ability of antiepileptic drugs in rats.

Interaction of methylxanthines, aminophylline (AMP) and caffeine (CAF) on seizure protective ability of various antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), diphenylhydantoin (DPH), phenobarbitone (PB), diazepam (DZP), sodium valproate (SV) and ethosuximide (ESM) was investigated in rats. In the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) test, ED100 doses (mg/kg, ip), against hind limb tonic extension (HLTE) were DPH, 20; PB, 10; DZP, 10 and SV, 300. The interaction of AEDs with AMP (100 mg/kg, ip) reduced the seizure protection afforded by DPH, PB and DZP to 20%, while the efficacy of SV remained unimpaired. Interaction with CAF (200 mg/kg, ip) abolished the seizure protection by DPH and DZP, reduced that by PB to 20%, while the protective effect of SV was unchanged. In pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, 70 mg/kg, sc) induced seizure test, ED100 doses (mg/kg, ip) against clonic convulsions were PB, 10; DZP, 1; SV, 300 and ESM, 200. Complete seizure protection against clonic convulsions following SV or ESM was not significantly influenced by either AMP or CAF, whereas the protective effect of PB and DZP was reversed. SV and ESM showed a qualitative departure in their anti-seizure activity profiles following interaction with either AMP or CAF when compared with the other AEDs.

Aminophylline

Randomized, double-blind trial of deflazacort versus prednisone in juvenile chronic (or rheumatoid) arthritis: a relatively bone-sparing effect of deflazacort.

Thirty-four children with juvenile chronic (rheumatoid) arthritis were recruited to a randomized, double-blind study of deflazacort (an oxazolone derivative of prednisone) vs prednisone. All had been receiving glucocorticoid therapy for at least 1 year and required at least 5 mg/d of prednisolone (usually as 10 mg every 2 days). Thirty-one children completed the study. Bone density trends were measured in the spine by dual photon absorptiometry and in the forearm by single photon quantitative computed tomography at 3-monthly intervals. Trends (velocities) in bone and soft tissue growth were calculated. In the spine, bone growth correlated well with indices of soft tissue growth, but covariance analysis showed a significant advantage (P less than .007) of deflazacort when spinal bone mineral growth was compared to body surface area and weight. In part this was due to a temporary interruption in weight by children receiving deflazacort, whose gain in height was comparable with that of the prednisone group. Some children in both groups improved clinically and showed catch-up growth; in these children relative spinal bone mineral growth velocities were about twice those observed for height and weight. It is concluded that during the first year of deflazacort, their spinal bone mineral content at a level that was appropriate for their height and weight. Further observations are required to establish whether this advantage can be maintained subsequently. The anti-inflammatory effects of the two glucocorticoids appeared similar.

Adolescent

[A clinical and histological study of the efficacy of betadine on gingival inflammation].

12 patients (7 men and 5 women) with advanced periodontitis and probing depths of 4mm or more were selected to assess the effectiveness of an antiseptic: betadine used in situ, as a subgingival irrigation in periodontal pockets. Although widely used in other fields of medicine such as gynecology and dermatology, betadine has not been used in periodontology. However, betadine is an excellent antiseptic with a wide range of action. The slow release of iodine explains why this antiseptic is well tolerated by mucosae. The oral cavity was divided in 2 parts: the left side was irrigated with betadine while the right side was irrigated with saline which was used as a control. Irrigations were performed once a day during a period of 15 days. Patients were able to carry out the irrigations themselves after careful, instruction. Thc practitioner carried out the irrigation on day 0 and day 8. The comparison of clinical and histological data showed a decrease in gingival inflammation after 15 days of treatment. By means of the Student "t" test significant decreases in the plaque index, the gingival, index and the bleeding index were observed between day 0 and day 15 as well as a significant increase in recession. These clinical results were correlated with histological findings. Significant decreases in the volumetric density of the infiltrated connective tissue, the non collagenous structures and the number of plasma cells were observed as well as significant increases in the volumetric density of the non-infiltrated connective tissue of the collagenous structures and the number of fibroblasts.

Administration, Topical

Effect of calcium channel blockers on experimentally induced seizures in rats.

Chemically different classes of calcium channel blockers were examined in rats for their effects on behavior, tolerability and protection against maximal electroshock seizures (MES) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) induced seizures. In MES test at doses (mg/kg, ip) that were devoid of side effects, felodipine, 50, afforded 100% protection, while nimodipine, 5; pimozide, 10; and thioridazine, 25, showed 50 to 66% protection. Nifedipine, 10, and diltiazem, 50, showed 30 and 66% protection respectively, but were associated with side effects. Verapamil and loperamide were ineffective against MES and PTZ induced seizures. Nimodipine, 1 mg/kg, ip, was the most potent agent and produced 100% protection against PTZ. Equieffective doses were pimozide, 25, felodipine, 50, and thioridazine, 50. The rest of the calcium channel blockers showed marginal to moderate activity against chemoshock. The data obtained suggest that some calcium channel blockers possess anticonvulsant activity and may be considered as adjuvant therapeutic agents in epileptics refractory to conventional antiepileptic medication.

Animals

Inhibition of anticonvulsant action of carbamazepine by aminophylline and caffeine in rats.

Interaction of two well known methyl xanthines, aminophylline--an antiasthmatic agent--and caffeine--commonly present in beverages, on the seizure protective ability of carbamazepine (CBZ) against electrically and chemically induced seizures in rats was investigated. Aminophylline (75 mg/kg, ip) did not alter the activity of CBZ (10 mg/kg, ip; ED100) on maximal electroshock seizures while dose dependent antagonism of CBZ efficacy was seen at 100 and 150 mg/kg, ip. Similar effects were observed with caffeine (200 and 250 mg/kg, ip). At the highest tolerated doses, aminophylline (150 mg/kg, ip) and caffeine (250 mg/kg, ip) produced antagonism of CBZ protection against pentylenetetrazole seizures. These observations support the possibility that the antagonism due to the interaction of these drugs could be related to their action at adenosine receptor sites in the brain.

Aminophylline

Evolutionary conservation of the chromosomal configuration and regulation of amylase genes among eight species of the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup.

Nuclear DNA was extracted from each of the eight species comprising the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup. Southern hybridization of this DNA by using a molecular probe specific for the alpha-amylase coding region showed that the duplicated structure of the amylase locus, first found in D. melanogaster, is conserved among all species of the melanogaster subgroup. Evidence is also presented for the concerted evolution of the duplicated genes within each species. In addition, it is shown that the glucose repression of amylase gene expression, which has been extensively studied in D. melanogaster, is not confined to this species but occurs in all eight members of the species subgroup. Thus, both the duplicated gene structure and the glucose repression of Drosophila amylase gene activity are stable over extended periods of evolutionary time.

Amylases

A double blind, placebo controlled trial of intravenous methylprednisolone in systemic lupus erythematosus.

A double blind, placebo controlled trial was performed in 25 patients to study the use of intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) in the treatment of active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The trial examined the additive effect of IVMP on a background of conventional oral steroid treatment. Patients were followed up for six months. The results showed a trend towards more consistent overall improvement in the first two weeks after IVMP administration compared with placebo, but this difference was not maintained at one month or subsequently. They also suggested a quicker resolution of hypocomplementaemia in the treatment group. Other parameters of disease activity showed no difference. Side effects were generally mild and were similar in incidence between the two groups. Thus it is concluded that IVMP may improve initial suppression of active lupus in some patients when added to conventional oral steroid treatment, but that this additional benefit is not maintained; IVMP is, however, a relatively safe treatment when used in this way.

Adolescent

Psychiatric and neurological manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The frequency and type of psychiatric disease were investigated in 40 patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 27 control subjects with rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease. The psychiatric morbidity at the time of interview was the same in the two groups, but the patients with SLE had experienced more episodes of psychiatric illness in the past, and psychotic symptoms occurred only in this group. Half of the patients with SLE had previous or current evidence of neurological involvement; an association was found between neurological disease and psychotic symptoms in SLE, while anxiety and affective disturbances appeared to be closely related to environmental factors in both patients with SLE and controls. There was no correlation between psychiatric and neurological disease and clinical or laboratory indices of disease activity. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed in 15 patients with SLE. Abnormalities were more often present in those with neurological disease; no such correlation was found with psychiatric illness.

Adolescent

Care of the hands.

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Cross Infection

Association of quantitative anticardiolipin antibody levels with fetal loss and time of loss in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The presence of anticardiolipin antibodies has been associated with the occurrence of spontaneous abortions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Retrospective analysis of the relationship between the levels of IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies in 84 patients with SLE and the prevalence of spontaneous abortions was performed. The time at which abortion occurred amongst these patients was compared with that in 26 subjects with a poor obstetric history, but without SLE. Forty-six of 84 patients had anticardiolipin antibodies and had 143 pregnancies, of which 84 (58.7 per cent) resulted in fetal loss. In contrast, amongst the 38 patients without anticardiolipin antibodies only 23 of 93 pregnancies (24.7 per cent) resulted in fetal loss. The prevalence of spontaneous abortions in the SLE patients was related to the levels of IgG anticardiolipin antibodies; IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were not associated with increased fetal loss. In SLE patients without anticardiolipin antibodies, and in the group of patients without SLE, fetal loss occurred at 14.1 +/- 7.5 (mean +/- SD) and 12.5 +/- 5.5 weeks respectively. When anticardiolipin antibodies were present fetal loss tended to occur at a later stage of pregnancy (17.4 +/- 7.1 weeks) and amongst this group 30 per cent of the pregnancy losses were in the third trimester of pregnancy. These findings demonstrate further that anticardiolipin antibodies are strongly linked to late pregnancy failure in patients with SLE.

Autoantibodies