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Biomedical subjects

J E Parrillo

Publications and source records attributed to J E Parrillo.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Effects of clinical maneuvers on sonographically determined internal jugular vein size during venous cannulation.

We sought to define variations in internal jugular vein (IJV) anatomy and the effect of recommended cannulation maneuvers on a population of ICU patients. Maneuvers that decreased IJV lumen cross-sectional area were carotid artery palpation (1.48 to 0.82 cm2, p less than .05) and advancement of the needle (1.57 to 0.75 cm2, p less than .001). The head-down (modified Trendelenburg) position increased IJV lumen cross-sectional area (1.18 to 1.62 cm2, p less than .05). There was wide variability in IJV anatomic features, although most patients had patent veins.

Carotid Arteries↗

Right ventricular dysfunction and dilatation, similar to left ventricular changes, characterize the cardiac depression of septic shock in humans.

Septic shock in humans is usually characterized by a high cardiac output, a low systemic vascular resistance, reversible depression of left ventricular ejection fraction, and transient left ventricular dilatation. The relationship of left ventricular to right ventricular function in septic shock is poorly understood. To evaluate right ventricular vs left ventricular performance and to evaluate the relation of biventricular performance to survival, we performed serial hemodynamic and radionuclide angiographic studies in 39 patients with septic shock. Right ventricular ejection fraction was calculated using the two regions of interest method. There were 22 survivors and 17 nonsurvivors. Comparing initial with final (after recovery for survivors; within 24 hours of death for nonsurvivors) studies, each survivor's cardiovascular performance returned toward normal, with significant increases in mean arterial pressure, left and right ventricular ejection fraction, and right ventricular stroke work index. Their profiles also demonstrated significant decreases in central venous pressure, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, pulmonary artery mean pressure, and left and right ventricular end-diastolic volume indices. From initial to final study in the nonsurvivors, there was a statistically significant increase in heart rate but no change in any other cardiovascular parameter, indicating a persistence of the initial cardiovascular dysfunction until death. Comparing serial studies, the pattern of change in right vs left ventricular function was very similar (same direction in 82 percent of patients). Thus, myocardial depression in human septic shock affects both ventricles simultaneously with a similar pattern of dysfunction.

Adolescent↗

The effects of heterologous platelet transfusion on pulmonary function during ARDS.

Pulmonary platelet sequestration has been implicated in the pathophysiology of ARDS. Since HPTs are frequently given therapeutically to patients with ARDS, a serious concern clinically has been the possibility that platelet transfusions might worsen pulmonary function in such patients. To prospectively evaluate this issue, we assessed the effects of HPT on two parameters of pulmonary function: (1) Qs/Qt; and (2) PVR. Measurements were made immediately before and at 1 hour and 4 hours after HPT in 16 patients during 18 separate episodes of ARDS and in 11 control patients. The ARDS had been present for at least 48 hours in all patients at the time of study. Prior to HPT, patients with ARDS had significantly worse pulmonary function compared to control subjects. Although a small number of patients with ARDS had large changes in PVR and Qs/Qt after HPT, no group showed significant changes in any pulmonary parameter following transfusion. Neither individual changes in the platelet count after HPT nor the duration of ARDS before HPT was associated with changes in pulmonary function after platelet administration. We concluded that therapeutically required HPT did not significantly worsen pulmonary function at up to four hours after transfusion in this group of patients with well-defined and fully evolved (greater than 48-hour duration) ARDS. The reason for this absence of effect was not known, but the pathogenesis of ARDS might only be susceptible to alteration during the early developmental stage.

Carbon Dioxide↗

Detection of renal blood flow abnormalities in septic and critically ill patients using a newly designed indwelling thermodilution renal vein catheter.

To evaluate alterations in renal blood flow in sepsis-induced renal failure, we developed and studied a percutaneously placed thermodilution renal blood flow catheter in eight critically ill patients. Para-aminohippurate extraction coefficients were decreased, supporting the need for renal vein sampling to determine CPAH in sepsis. Thermodilution and CPAH methods correlated strongly, confirming the reliability of this thermodilution method. Renal vascular resistance, an indicator of renal vascular function, remained unchanged throughout the bouts of sepsis. The fraction of total body arterial blood flow going to the kidneys rose significantly during recovery from sepsis. Glomerular filtration rate, which was reduced in four of seven septic patients, correlated with the fraction of total blood flow going to the kidneys. These results suggest that renal vascular abnormalities may be occurring during septic shock. Our study demonstrates that sepsis-induced renal dysfunction may occur despite normal ranges of total renal blood flow during shock.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared with Escherichia coli produces less endotoxemia but more cardiovascular dysfunction and mortality in a canine model of septic shock.

We investigated the effects of two different Gram-negative bacteria and radiation-induced leukopenia on endotoxemia, cardiovascular abnormalities, and mortality in a canine model of septic shock. Serial hemodynamics were measured in conscious dogs using radionuclide heart scans and thermodilution cardiac output catheters. Plasma endotoxin concentrations were determined with a chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Viable Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli implanted intraperitoneally produced concordant hemodynamic patterns of septic shock (p less than 0.01). Endotoxin concentrations were more than tenfold lower in dogs infected with P aeruginosa compared with E coli (p less than 0.0001). Despite lower endotoxin levels, P aeruginosa-infected dogs had a higher mortality (p less than 0.01), more severe hypotension (p less than 0.05), and greater depression of the left ventricular ejection fraction (p less than 0.05) than dogs with E coli sepsis. A nonlethal E coli challenge combined with leukopenia (induced by a nonlethal dose of radiation) resulted in a mortality of 60 percent (p less than 0.01) without greater cardiovascular dysfunction or higher endotoxin concentrations. These findings suggest that bacterial products other than endotoxin and host-related factors may be important contributors to the toxicity, cardiovascular instability, and mortality of Gram-negative septic shock. Quantitative determinations of plasma endotoxin are unlikely to correlate with the clinical severity of septicemia in heterogeneous patient populations infected with different Gram-negative organisms.

Animals↗

A prospective, randomized, controlled trial of prednisone for dilated cardiomyopathy.

Although prednisone has been used to treat patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, its efficacy has not been rigorously studied. We therefore randomly assigned 102 patients to either treatment with prednisone (60 mg per day) or a control group. At three months, improvement, defined prospectively as an increase in the ejection fraction of greater than or equal to 5 percentage points, was observed in 53 percent of the patients receiving prednisone and 27 percent of the controls (P = 0.005). The mean (+/- SE) ejection fraction increased 4.3 +/- 1.5 percentage points (from 17.9 +/- 1.0 to 22.2 +/- 1.6 percent) in the prednisone group, as compared with 2.1 +/- 0.8 percentage points (from 17.1 +/- 1.1 to 19.3 +/- 1.4 percent) in the control group (P = 0.054). All patients were categorized prospectively in two separately randomized subgroups. "Reactive" patients (n = 60) were those who had fibroblastic (n = 36) or lymphocytic (n = 2) infiltration or immunoglobulin deposition (n = 16) on endomyocardial biopsy, a positive gallium scan (n = 7), or an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (n = 18). "Nonreactive" patients (n = 42) had none of these features. At three months, 67 percent of the reactive patients who received prednisone had improvement, as compared with 28 percent of the reactive controls (P = 0.004). Nonreactive patients did not improve significantly with prednisone (P = 0.51). After three months, reactive patients who received prednisone daily were switched to alternate-day therapy (60 mg every other day), and after six months the improvement seen earlier was no longer present. These data suggest that patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy may have some improvement when given a high dose of prednisone daily. However, the increases in the ejection fraction that we observed during prednisone treatment were small, their duration was limited, and the side effects were important. Overall, prednisone was judged to have only marginal clinical benefit, and should not be administered as standard therapy for dilated cardiomyopathy.

Cardiomyopathy, Dilated↗

The cardiovascular response of normal humans to the administration of endotoxin.

Marked abnormalities in cardiovascular function accompany septic shock, and bacterial endotoxin is believed to be one of the principal mediators of these abnormalities. To evaluate the cardiovascular effects of endotoxemia in humans, we measured hemodynamic variables in nine normal subjects given an intravenous bolus dose of endotoxin (Escherichia coli, 4 ng per kilogram of body weight) and in six normal subjects given a bolus dose of saline, before and three hours after administration. All the subjects then underwent volume loading with normal saline (mean, 2217 ml) during the fourth and fifth hours after administration of the bolus, and the measurements were repeated. Three hours after the administration of endotoxin and before volume loading, the cardiac index had increased by 53 percent and the heart rate by 36 percent (both changes were significant; P less than or equal to 0.008), and the systemic vascular-resistance index had decreased by 46 percent (P = 0.004). After volume loading (five hours after the administration of endotoxin), the left ventricular ejection fraction decreased by 1 percent of the base-line value in the subjects given endotoxin, but increased by 14 percent in the controls (P = 0.008). The left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indexes increased by 18 percent (P = 0.07) and 24 percent (P = 0.042), respectively. Left ventricular performance, as measured by the ratio of the peak systolic pressure to the end-systolic volume index, was depressed (a decrease of 0.90 in the subjects given endotoxin vs. an increase of 0.76 in the controls; P = 0.024). We conclude that the administration of endotoxin to normal subjects causes a depression of left ventricular function that is independent of changes in left ventricular volume or vascular resistance. The changes in function are similar to those observed in septic shock and suggest that endotoxin is a major mediator of the cardiovascular dysfunction in this condition.

Adult↗

Promotion and subsequent inhibition of plasminogen activation after administration of intravenous endotoxin to normal subjects.

To evaluate the effect of endotoxin on the fibrinolytic response, we administered Escherichia coli endotoxin (4 ng per kilogram of body weight) intravenously to 19 healthy volunteers and measured fibrinolytic proteins, protease inhibitors, neutrophil elastase, and von Willebrand factor in serial blood samples obtained over 24 hours. One hour after endotoxin administration, the level of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen rose from 10 to 23 ng per milliliter, peaking at 52 ng per milliliter at three hours. The level of alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complexes increased sevenfold, peaking at three hours. Plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 activity rose more slowly, from 7 U per milliliter to a maximum of 49 U per milliliter at five hours. The concentrations of neutrophil elastase and von Willebrand antigen were unchanged at one hour, increased approximately threefold by 3 hours, and remained elevated at 24 hours. None of these measures changed in a control group (n = 5) given intravenous saline instead of endotoxin. We studied t-PA functional activity in four subjects. The level of activity rose rapidly, from 1.2 ng per milliliter at base line to 8.3 ng per milliliter at one hour and 13.9 ng per milliliter at two hours; it was undetectable at three hours. This increase in plasminogen activator activity was abolished in vitro by incubation of t-PA with an antiserum specific for human t-PA, suggesting that t-PA may be directly responsible for plasmin generation in the response to endotoxin. We conclude from this study of healthy subjects that endotoxin activates the fibrinolytic system, beginning with release of t-PA in the blood within one hour. The early activation of plasmin by endotoxin may prevent thrombosis, and the increase in fibrinolysis is then offset by the release of plasminogen activator inhibitor.

Adult↗

Endotoxin and tumor necrosis factor challenges in dogs simulate the cardiovascular profile of human septic shock.

Survivors of both human and animal bacterial shock develop a characteristic pattern of progressive changes in cardiovascular function over a period of 7-10 d. In this present study, we examined whether endotoxin (a product of Gram-negative bacteria) or TNF (a cytokine released from macrophages) could reproduce the same complex cardiovascular changes observed in septic shock over a period of 7-10 d. To test this hypothesis, we implanted a thrombin-fibrin clot containing purified endotoxin from E. coli into the peritoneal cavity of eight dogs, and infused TNF into eight different dogs. Over the next 10 d, serial simultaneous heart scans and thermodilution cardiac outputs were performed in these awake nonsedated animals. By day 2 after challenge with either endotoxin or TNF, animals developed a decrease (p less than 0.05) in both mean arterial pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction. With fluid resuscitation, animals manifested left ventricular dilatation (increased [p less than 0.05] end diastolic volume index), increased or normal cardiac index, and decreased or normal systemic vascular resistance index. In surviving animals, these changes returned to normal with 7-10 d. The time course of these changes was concordant (p less than 0.05) with that previously described in a canine model of septic shock using viable bacteria. During the 10-d study, control animals receiving sterile clots or heat-inactivated TNF had not significant changes in hemodynamics. The results from this canine model demonstrate that either endotoxin or TNF alone can produce many of the same hemodynamic abnormalities seen in human septic shock and in a canine septic shock model induced by live bacteria. These findings support the hypothesis that the action of endogenous mediators (TNF) responding to bacterial products (endotoxin) is the common pathway that produces the serial cardiovascular changes found in septic shock.

Animals↗

Monoclonal antibodies to Pneumocystis carinii: identification of specific antigens and characterization of antigenic differences between rat and human isolates.

To increase understanding of the antigenic structure of Pneumocystis carinii, we developed monoclonal antibodies to rat and human P. carinii. The specificity of the antibodies was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and immunoblot studies. Only one of five monoclonal antibodies to rat P. carinii reacted with human P. carinii, and none of four monoclonal antibodies to human P. carinii reacted with rat P. carinii. Two antibodies to human P. carinii reacted by immunofluorescence with only one human P. carinii isolate. Immunoblot studies identified major antigens of rat P. carinii with molecular masses of 40,000-100,000 daltons and of human P. carinii with molecular masses of 22,000-95,000 daltons. These studies document the existence of antigenic differences between rat and human P. carinii and are consistent with the suggestion that individual isolates of human P. carinii are also antigenically different. Further studies with these antibodies should increase understanding of the antigenic nature of P. carinii and of the interaction of P. carinii with its host.

Animals↗

Characterization of de novo folate synthesis in Pneumocystis carinii and Toxoplasma gondii: potential for screening therapeutic agents.

Drug therapy studies imply that Pneumocystis carinii and Toxoplasma gondii possess the enzymes necessary for de novo folate synthesis. To verify this, incorporation of [3H]paraaminobenzoic acid [( 3H]PABA) into reduced folates by P. carinii and T. gondii was investigated. Both organisms synthesized tritiated reduced folates. In P. carinii, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate and tetrahydrofolate, and in T. gondii, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate were the major synthesized folates. P. carinii remained metabolically active in vitro for only a few days. Because current systems for screening antipneumocystis agents are cumbersome, the utility of this assay system for screening therapeutic agents was investigated. Sulfonamides and pentamidine efficiently inhibited de novo folate synthesis in P. carinii. Inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase such as trimethoprim and trimetrexate were poor inhibitors for P. carinii but efficient inhibitors for T. gondii. This study demonstrates the first unambiguous evidence of metabolic activity in P. carinii, and provides a potential assay for efficiently screening antipneumocystis drugs in vitro.

4-Aminobenzoic Acid↗

Blood histamine concentrations are not elevated in humans with septic shock.

Histamine has been suggested as an important mediator of the cardiovascular abnormalities during septic shock. To determine if blood histamine levels were increased during human sepsis and septic shock, plasma histamine was measured using a very sensitive radioenzyme assay employing histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) in the following patient groups: normal controls (n = 76), nonseptic critically ill (n = 12), nonseptic shock (n = 2), sepsis without shock (n = 28), and septic shock (n = 41). Using this enzyme binding assay, all these groups had similar, normal plasma histamine concentrations, except those patients with septic shock whose mean histamine measurements were significantly reduced (p less than .002). This decrease was found to be due to an artifact of the assay: plasma contained a circulating inhibitor that falsely lowered the measured histamine level. Fractionation of septic shock plasma using molecular exclusion membranes and gel filtration revealed a 5000 MW inhibitory factor. After removal of this inhibitor from plasma, septic shock plasma histamine levels were normal. Thus, septic shock patients may have a circulating inhibitor of the HNMT enzyme, but plasma histamine concentrations are normal. Histaminemia is unlikely to play an important role in the pathogenesis of septic shock in humans.

Chromatography, Gel↗

Purification, toxicity, and antiendotoxin activity of polymyxin B nonapeptide.

Polymyxin B, a relatively toxic antibiotic, has potent endotoxin-neutralizing properties that may be beneficial as adjunctive therapy in gram-negative sepsis. Polymyxin B nonapeptide (deacylated polymyxin B) is devoid of antibiotic activity but retains the capacity to disorganize the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. To evaluate the potential therapeutic usefulness of this derivative, we produced purified polymyxin B nonapeptide, tested its in vivo toxicity in animals, and evaluated its in vitro antiendotoxin activity. Effectiveness as an antiendotoxin agent was assessed by examining the ability of polymyxin B nonapeptide to block the enhanced release of toxic oxygen radicals induced by lipopolysaccharide in human neutrophils (priming). In vivo, at doses of 1.5 and 3.0 mg/kg, polymyxin B nonapeptide did not exhibit the neuromuscular blocking, neurotoxic, or nephrotoxic effects that were observed with polymyxin B sulfate. Both polymyxin B and polymyxin B nonapeptide inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced neutrophil priming in a concentration-dependent manner, but the parent compound, polymyxin B, was 63 times more effective on a weight basis. The inhibitory activity of both compounds, however, diminished rapidly when they were added after the start of the lipopolysaccharide-neutrophil incubation. We conclude that polymyxin B nonapeptide is less toxic than polymyxin B and, at the doses tested, lacks the neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity of the parent compound. Polymyxin B nonapeptide retains the antiendotoxin activity of polymyxin B but is much less potent. The findings suggest that these compounds block an early step in the neutrophil priming process, possibly lipopolysaccharide attachment to or insertion into the neutrophil membrane.

Animals↗

Role of endotoxemia in cardiovascular dysfunction and mortality. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus challenges in a canine model of human septic shock.

Using different types of bacteria and a canine model simulating human septic shock, we investigated the role of endotoxin in cardiovascular dysfunction and mortality. Either Escherichia coli (a microorganism with endotoxin) or Staphylococcus aureus (a microorganism without endotoxin) were placed in an intraperitoneal clot in doses of viable or formalin-killed bacteria. Cardiovascular function of conscious animals was studied using simultaneous radionuclide heart scans and thermodilution cardiac outputs. Serial plasma endotoxin levels were measured. S. aureus produced a pattern of reversible cardiovascular dysfunction over 7-10 d that was concordant (P less than 0.01) with that of E. coli. Although this cardiovascular pattern was not altered by formalin killing (S. aureus and E. coli), formalin-killed organisms produced a lower mortality and less myocardial depression (P less than 0.01). S. aureus, compared to E. coli, produced higher postmortem concentrations of microorganisms and higher mortality (P less than 0.025). E. coli produced significant endotoxemia (P less than 0.01), though viable organisms (versus nonviable) resulted in higher endotoxin blood concentrations (P less than 0.05). Significant endotoxemia did not occur with S. aureus. Thus, in the absence of endotoxemia, S. aureus induced the same cardiovascular abnormalities of septic shock as E. coli. These findings indicate that structurally and functionally distinct microorganisms, with or without endotoxin, can activate a common pathway resulting in similar cardiovascular injury and mortality.

Animals↗

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides prime human neutrophils for enhanced production of leukotriene B4.

Neutrophils can be "primed" for an enhanced respiratory burst by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in concentrations measurable in patients with septic shock. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is the primary eicosanoid product of neutrophils and is felt to be a mediator of host defense and inflammation. We investigated the in vitro effects of LPS on neutrophil production of LTB4 and the omega-oxidation metabolites of LTB4. Incubation of neutrophils with LPS in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 100 ng/ml did not result in production of LTB4 or metabolites in the absence of a second stimulus. Priming neutrophils with LPS and then stimulating with opsonized zymosan, phorbol-myristate-acetate or a low concentration of the calcium ionophore A23187 resulted in enhanced production of LTB4. LPS priming of neutrophils occurred in a concentration dependent manner. LPS did not result in LTB4 production in response to the chemoattractant peptide FMLP. LPS priming of neutrophils had no effect on cytosolic calcium concentrations of resting or zymosan-stimulated cells. These results suggest that LPS might effect host defense and tissue injury by potentiating the effect of other stimulants on neutrophil production of LTB4. This LPS induced enhancement may represent an important pathogenetic pathway in patients with gram negative sepsis.

Calcimycin↗