Biomedical subjects

J M Warwick

Publications and source records attributed to J M Warwick.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A comparison of the effects of citalopram and moclobemide on resting brain perfusion in social anxiety disorder.

INTRODUCTION: The serotonin specific reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram and the reversible mono-amine oxidase-A inhibitor (RIMA) moclobemide have both been used successfully for the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). In this study we investigate the effects of these compounds on resting brain function using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). METHODS: Subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for SAD underwent regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) SPECT using Tc-HMPAO at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment with either citalopram or moclobemide. Using statistical parametric mapping brain SPECT studies were analysed to determine the effects of treatment on rCBF, to compare the effects of citalopram and moclobemide, and to detect correlations between changes in rCBF and clinical response. RESULTS: Subjects received citalopram (n=17) or moclobemide (n=14) as therapy. Subjects in both treatment groups demonstrated a significant improvement of SAD symptoms as measured by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale total score. All subjects demonstrated a decrease in rCBF in the insulae post therapy. Subjects receiving citalopram had decreased superior cingulate rCBF after therapy compared to those receiving moclobemide. CONCLUSION: Both SSRI's and RIMA's decreased rCBF in the insulae during treatment of SAD; an effect that may be consistent with the role of these regions in processing internal somatic cues evoked by emotional stimuli. Citalopram had a greater effect on superior cingulate perfusion, an effect that is consistent with evidence of high levels of 5-HT transporters in this region.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Cloning, sequence and expression in Escherichia coli of cDNA for ovine pregrowth hormone.

cDNA prepared from mRNA from ovine anterior pituitary glands was cloned in Escherichia coli and the sequence of a clone encoding the full coding sequence of ovine pregrowth hormone (preGH) determined. The predicted sequence for ovine GH agrees with that determined previously on the protein, except that residue 99 is asparagine rather than aspartic acid. The cDNA sequence also accords with one of the two genomic sequences for the ovine GH gene that have been reported. Expression plasmids using trp and lac promoters were constructed which allowed expression at low levels of ovine preGH in E. coli, as detected by immunoblotting and immunoassay.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1987

Nucleotide (cDNA) sequence encoding the horse gonadotrophin alpha-subunit.

Several cDNA clones corresponding to mRNA for the alpha-subunit of the horse (Equus caballus) pituitary and placental (chorionic) gonadotrophic hormones have been isolated and sequenced. Polyadenylated mRNA was purified from horse pituitary glands (the source of FSH and LH) and horse placental tissues (the source of chorionic gonadotrophin; CG). The mRNA preparations were characterized by in-vitro translation and Northern hybridization techniques using human and ovine gonadotrophin cDNA clones as probes. Complementary DNA libraries were created from the pituitary and placental mRNAs and a human CG alpha-subunit probe was used to isolate several horse alpha-subunit cDNA clones. The alpha-subunit nucleotide sequence from both sources of tissue was identical, thereby indicating that in the horse (as in man) the same gonadotrophin alpha-subunit gene is expressed in the pituitary and placenta. Our results are consistent with transcription of a single alpha-subunit gene for all the glycoprotein hormones in the horse, and we suggest that the reported differences between the horse CG and FSH alpha-subunit amino acid sequences determined by conventional peptide sequencing methods arose due to errors in the FSH alpha-subunit sequence. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of the horse alpha-subunit with that of other alpha-subunit sequences indicated a number of significant differences which may be related to the unusual receptor-binding properties of the equine gonadotrophins.

Animals↗