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Biomedical subjects

J McCrea

Publications and source records attributed to J McCrea.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of fluconazole on indinavir pharmacokinetics in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

To evaluate a potential pharmacokinetic interaction of coadministration of fluconazole, and indinavir, a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor, 13 patients were enrolled in a multiple-dose, three-period, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive indinavir at 1,000 mg every 8 h for 7 1/3 days (with fluconazole placebo), fluconazole at 400 mg once daily for 8 days (with indinavir placebo), and indinavir with fluconazole in combination. The pharmacokinetics of both drugs were measured on day 8 of each treatment period. The peak concentration in plasma (Cmax) and the time to reach Cmax were obtained by inspection, and the area under curve (AUC) was calculated for indinavir and fluconazole for each treatment period in which the respective drugs were administered. There was a marginally (P = 0.08) statistically significant decrease in the AUC from 0 to 8 h (AUC(0-8)) for indinavir when it was administered with fluconazole. However, the magnitudes of the decreases in Cmax and the concentration at 8 h postdosing (C8) were not as great as the decrease in AUC(0-8). Although the 90% confidence interval for the geometric mean ratio was within the hypothesized limits, the clinical significance is not clear. Indinavir coadministration with fluconazole had no statistically (P > 0.5) or clinically significant effect on the Cmax and C8 of indinavir. Fluconazole coadministration with indinavir had no statistically or clinically significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of fluconazole. One patient was discontinued because of mild to moderate abdominal pain and diarrhea while on indinavir and fluconazole in combination. No serious adverse experience according to the results of laboratory tests was noted. Total bilirubin levels in serum were mildly increased in most patients treated with indinavir. This was not clinically significant and was not affected by the coadministration of fluconazole. Although the values of the pharmacokinetic parameters for indinavir decrease in the presence of fluconazole, indinavir and fluconazole can be administered concomitantly to HIV-infected patients without adjustment of the dose of either drug, and both drugs are generally well tolerated.

Adolescent

Effects of losartan on blood pressure, plasma renin activity, and angiotensin II in volunteers.

Losartan is an orally active, nonpeptide angiotensin II (Ang II) (site-1) receptor antagonist. We conducted a multiple-dose study in healthy male volunteers to investigate the tolerability, blood pressure effects, and changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma Ang II concentration associated with once-daily administration of 100 mg losartan for a week. Subjects were studied on a standardized sodium diet (24-hour urinary sodium excretion, 98 +/- 37 [SD] mEq per 24 hours on the placebo run-in day). Measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, PRA, Ang II, and aldosterone were taken during a placebo run-in day and after single and multiple (7 days) daily doses of losartan (100 mg, n = 10) or placebo (n = 4). Ang II was measured specifically by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with radioimmunoassay. In subjects given losartan, respective decreases (systolic/diastolic) from run-in in supine blood pressure 6 hours after dosing were (mean +/- SD), compared with the placebo run-in day, first dose: -8.8 +/- 9.6/-6.8 +/- 5.0, last dose: -11.6 +/- 8.9/-7.0 +/- 4.8 mm Hg (p < 0.05 for all changes). At this 6-hour time point, corresponding increases from run-in in PRA were from 1.2 +/- 0.6 to 12.0 +/- 6.3 (first dose) and 9.6 +/- 4.9 (last dose) ng angiotensin I per milliliter per hour and in Ang II were from 4.3 +/- 1.7 to 72.4 +/- 33.3 and 45.7 +/- 14.1 pg/mL. All changes in PRA and Ang II were statistically significant within the losartan-treated group, and the biochemical changes were significantly greater than those in the placebo-treated group. The increment in Ang II was less after the last dose than after the first (p < 0.05). The drug was well tolerated by all subjects. These data indicate that, under the conditions of this study, losartan administration (100 mg/day for eight doses over 9 days) results in treatment-related decreases in blood pressure and increases in PRA and Ang II octapeptide.

Adolescent

The influence of amines on various platelet responses.

Four amines, galactosamine, mannosamine, histamine and arginine were studied for their effects on platelet aggregation, platelet morphological changes, platelet protein phosphorylation and platelet secretion. Galactosamine inhibited platelet aggregation in response to arachidonic acid and ionophore A23187 but did not inhibit changes in platelet morphology, or in platelet protein phosphorylation in response to these agents and only partially inhibited platelet secretion. The results suggest that galactosamine can be used as a selective inhibitor of platelet-platelet attachment without having a significant effect on intracellular processes. Mannosamine was similar to galactosamine except that it partially suppressed phosphorylation of myosin light chain. Histamine was similar to mannosamine except that some platelet damage was seen in platelets exposed to histamine and arachidonic acid or ionophore A23187. Arginine was non-selective: it suppressed platelet aggregation, secretion and phosphorylation of myosin light chain and a 40 kDa protein (40P) in response to arachidonic acid and ionophore A23187. Arginine was also potent in suppressing platelet morphological changes. When the same four amines were evaluated for their effects on thrombin-induced aggregation; secretion was inhibited concomitantly with inhibition of aggregation. Inhibition of myosin light chain and 40P phosphorylation was evident with galactosamine, suggesting that when thrombin is used as the agonist, galactosamine is not a specific inhibitor of platelet-platelet attachment. These amines therefore have various effects on platelet responses. Under some conditions and with arachidonic acid or ionophore A23187 as agonist, one of them, galactosamine, can be used as a selective inhibitor of platelet-platelet attachment.

Arachidonic Acid

Potentiation by endotoxin of responses associated with increases in calcium conductance.

Bacterial endotoxin at concentrations of 0.03 mug/ml enhanced the following responses, each of which reflects calcium influx: (1) contraction of spiral intestine retractor muscle of dogfish; (2) amplitude of postsynaptic potential of squid giant synapse as a function of presynaptic depolarization; (3) membrane responses of deep abdominal extensor muscle of crayfish, stimulated intracellularly; and (4) slow transient (calcium) current in trabeculae of frog atrium under voltage clamp. Corticosteroid antagonized the endotoxin effect on the smooth muscle, not on the frog atrial current. One mechanism of action of endotoxin may be to increase transmembrane calcium currents.

Action Potentials