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Biomedical subjects

J M WALKER

Publications and source records attributed to J M WALKER.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

CALCIUM IN RELATION TO THE ACTIONS OF OUABAIN AND ADRENALINE ON THE HEART.

Isolated pairs of rabbit auricles have been observed in media containing 6, 24 or 75 mM-potassium, with corresponding reductions in sodium concentration. In 24 mM-potassium, adrenaline restored beating and excitability, as did calcium chloride, but ouabain had no effect. In 75 mM-potassium, adrenaline had no effect; calcium chloride caused a contracture; ouabain had no direct effect, but auricles which had been beating in the presence of ouabain contracted promptly on transfer to 75 mM-potassium. Left auricles, which do not beat spontaneously, were less sensitive to calcium and to ouabain. The results showed a membrane stabilizing action of calcium and an action on muscular contraction, and suggested that cardiac glycosides acted by causing accumulation of calcium at the activator site in the tissue.

Animals↗

A comparison of antifibrillatory drugs in the heart-lung preparation.

Quinidine, amethocaine, Trasentin and atropine have been tested for their ability to stop atrial fibrillation produced in the heart-lung preparation of the dog by stimulating the right atrium in the presence of acetylcholine. The results suggest that atropine acts by specifically antagonizing acetylcholine, but that amethocaine and Trasentin act chiefly by virtue of their quinidine-like properties.

Acetylcholine↗

The action of sympathomimetic amines on heart rate in relation to the effect of reserpine.

When the heart-lung preparation is made from a dog treated with reserpine, catechol amines such as noradrenaline and isoprenaline have a greater effect on the rate of the heart than they have in a preparation from a normal dog. Other sympathomimetic amines such as tyramine and ephedrine, on the other hand, are found to have lost their action. Since treatment with reserpine has been shown to cause the store of noradrenaline in the heart to disappear, and the infusion of noradrenaline into the preparation made from a reserpine-treated animal restores the action of tyramine, it is concluded that substances like tyramine and ephedrine normally act by liberating noradrenaline from the store, and do not act directly. Cocaine, like reserpine, increases the effect of noradrenaline and decreases the effect of tyramine on the heart rate; it appears to block the release of noradrenaline from the store in the heart.

Amines↗

The effects of nicotine, hexamethonium and ethanol on the secretion of the antidiuretic and oxytocic hormones of the rat.

The actions of nicotine, hexamethonium, and ethanol on the hypothalamo-hypophysial system have been investigated in the rat. The antidiuretic action of nicotine was not inhibited by ethanol, nor by doses of hexamethonium which were sufficient to block both its pressor and convulsant actions. Hexamethonium itself had an antidiuretic action the mechanism of which has been investigated. Nicotine caused a release of oxytocin into the blood which was not blocked by ethanol nor significantly reduced by hexamethonium. The results suggest that any synapse which exists at the supraoptic nuclei is dissimilar in its pharmacological properties to synapses at autonomic ganglia.

Animals↗