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Biomedical subjects

K Bhatt

Publications and source records attributed to K Bhatt.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Toxicological screening: a three year experience in poisonings in Kuwait.

The results of toxicological screening of body fluids (urine, blood and gastric lavage) from pediatric patients were analyzed for the period January 1985 - December 1988. Of the 119 cases, approximately one half were positive for at least one foreign substance. In about one fifth of the cases, multiple substances were detected. The most commonly implicated drugs were those acting on the central nervous system including the barbiturates, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, benzodiazepines and carbamazepine.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

Effects of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone on the cyclic AMP and phospholipid metabolism of rat adrenocortical cells.

Results on the effects of peptides on the phospholipid metabolism and steroid and cyclic AMP (cAMP) outputs of rat adrenal capsular cells (96% zona glomerulosa, 4% zona fasciculata) were obtained in a series of three batch experiments. Their significance was examined by analysis of variance. Incorporation of [32P] into phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol was measured. Production of [3H]inositol-1 monophosphate, inositol-1,4 bisphosphate and inositol-1,4,5 tris-phosphate was estimated after prelabelling with [3H]inositol followed by 1 min incubation with a steroidogenic stimulus. Angiotensin II (0.25 nmol/l to 0.25 mumol/l) highly significantly (P less than 0.01) stimulated aldosterone and corticosterone outputs, [32P] incorporation into phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol (but not into phosphatidylcholine) and the production of the three [3H]inositol phosphates. Aldosterone and corticosterone outputs were stimulated by alpha-MSH (above 0.1 nmol/l). However, incorporation of [32P] was not significantly increased until 10 mumol alpha-MSH/l but, unlike with angiotensin II, incorporation into phosphatidylcholine was also then stimulated. Also, the production of the inositol phosphates was not increased significantly (P greater than 0.05) by any dose of alpha-MSH (10 nmol/l, 1 mumol/l and 0.1 mmol/l) used. Therefore, it can be concluded that alpha-MSH does not stimulate phospholipase C in rat zona glomerulosa cells. In further experiments, it was also found that there were significant increases in cAMP as well as in steroid outputs above 1 nmol alpha MSH/l (highly significant above 10 nmol alpha-MSH/l). There were plateaux of the outputs of both steroids and cAMP from 0.1 to 1 mumol alpha-MSH/l. However, there were further increases in steroid and cAMP outputs of the capsular cells at higher doses. Concomitant results on the stimulation of corticosterone output by zona fasciculata-reticularis cells indicate that this additional increase was mostly due to the stimulation of the contaminating zona fasciculata cells. It was also confirmed that alpha-MSH preferentially stimulates steroidogenesis by the zona glomerulosa. However, under our conditions, alpha-MSH highly significantly increased the output of cAMP by both zona fasciculata and glomerulosa cells.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Steroid biosynthesis by zona fasciculata and zona reticularis cells purified from the mammalian adrenal cortex.

Steroidogenesis by zona reticularis (ZR) and zona fasciculata (ZF) cells from guinea-pig, macaque and human adrenals has been examined to establish the relative importance of the two cell types in the production of adrenal androgens. Microdissection and equilibrium density sedimentation of enzymically dispersed cells on Percoll gradients have been used to separate the two cell types with varying degrees of purity. Outputs of androstenedione and cortisol were measured for all the species studied and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) for human adrenal cells. In all three species, the ZF cells produced more cortisol than the ZR cells. This production was stimulated to a greater extent in the ZF than the ZR cells in the guinea-pig, but to a similar extent in the macaque and human cells. Outputs of androstenedione were greater for ZF cells than ZR cells in the guinea-pig both basally and in response to an ACTH stimulus but basal production of this androgen was slightly greater from the ZR than the ZF in tissue incubations (1.6-fold), although cortisol output was still higher for ZF tissue by a factor of 2. Examination of androstenedione/cortisol ratios for all the species, both tissue and cells and in the presence or absence of ACTH, demonstrated clearly the inherent bias for ZR cells towards androgen synthesis by the fact that this ratio was always higher for ZR than for ZF cells or tissue. The most marked difference in this ratio was found in the human cells comparing the purest ZR and the purest ZF cell preparations even though the highest estimated purity of either cell type was only 80%. The difference in the ratio DHAS/cortisol was even greater comparing these human ZR and ZF cell preparations, ranging from 18- to 44-fold basally and in response to ACTH. The preliminary experiment on human adrenal cells indicates that the ZR cells are much more important than the ZF cells in the production of androgens even in the presence of ACTH, in contrast to the other species studied.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Preparation and steroidogenic properties of purified zona fasciculata and zona reticularis cells from the guinea-pig adrenal gland.

Mixtures of zona fasciculata (ZF) and zona reticularis (ZR) cells, obtained by enzyme dispersion of decapsulated guinea-pig adrenal glands, were separated either by unit gravity sedimentation or by equilibrium density sedimentation. There was no evidence of deleterious effects on ultrastructural integrity or the ability of cells to respond to (1-24)ACTH (Synacthen) after either separation technique. Unit gravity sedimentation gave one fraction in which 90% of the cells were from the ZR and another fraction in which 70% of the cells were from the ZF. Equilibrium density sedimentation of cell mixtures on Percoll gradients gave fractions containing either 90% pure ZR or 95% pure ZF cells. Cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, corticosterone, deoxycorticosterone, 11 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione and androstenedione were all formed from [14C]pregnenolone on incubation with purified preparations of both types of cell. No product was seen to be unique to either cell type although ZR cells appeared deficient in 11 beta-hydroxylase activity relative to ZF cells. The ratio of androstenedione to cortisol (formed either from labelled pregnenolone or from endogenous precursors) was higher for ZR cells than for ZF cells. When the purer cells obtained by equilibrium density sedimentation were studied, it was found that (1-24)ACTH stimulated greater steroid production (both androstenedione and cortisol) by the ZF cells compared with the ZR cells.

Adrenal Glands↗

Withdrawal symptoms in neonates from intrauterine exposure to diazepam.

Three infants are presented who had withdrawal symptoms after prolonged, intrauterine exposure to diazepam. Symptoms, clinical course, management, and laboratory findings are described. Some physiologic aspects of diazepam in the fetus and neonate are discussed. One infant died at six weeks of age; death was attributed to the sudden infant death syndrome.

Diazepam↗

Autonomic dysreflexia.

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Autonomic Nervous System Diseases↗

Bacteremia in the spinal cord injury population.

Positive blood cultures were found in 41 patients on the Spinal Cord Injury Service at the Milwaukee VAMC during the period of July, 1980 to December, 1985 giving an incidence of bacteremia of 1.3%. Mortality rate was 17%. Most common pathogens were E. Coli, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus. A review of 29 available charts revealed genitourinary and respiratory tracts as the most common sources of infection (72.4% and 10.3% respectively). Other sources of infection were skin, postoperative, intravenous catheter site and cellulitis. Initial febrile response was seen in 93.1% of patients with 48.1% having temperature greater than 38.3 degrees C. Hypotension (blood pressure less than 90/50 mm Hg) was noted in five out of the 29 (17.1%) patients. Clinical diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation was made in two out of the 29 (6.9%) patients. Underlying risk factors were poor nutrition, respirator dependency, indwelling Foley catheters and manipulative procedures. Incidence and mortality rates are similar to the non-SCI population as reported elsewhere. The risk factors are different; therefore preventive management is extremely important.

Adult↗