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Biomedical subjects

L F Vitale

Publications and source records attributed to L F Vitale.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1976

Lead content of tissues of baby rats born of, and nourished by lead-poisoned mothers.

Three groups of Wistar rats (5 males and 5 females in each group) were given zero, 100 mg., and 200 mg. Pb(NO3) 2 per kilogram of body weight per day for 45 days and were mated. The lead feeding was continued throughout the duration of experiments. The blood and urinary lead, blood aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin and urinary aminolevulinic acid were measured on these rats at the beginning of the study, at the time of mating, and prior to delivery. The tissues, incuding kidney, liver, heart, and brain of the newborn progeny were analyzed for lead content. The blood lead and aminolevulinic acid dehydratase were also measured (pooled blood). These tissues contained very high amounts of lead when the newborns were killed within half an hour after their birth, a very significant reduction being found after one day with further reduction after 7 days. Kidney and heart contained the highest amount of lead, the levels being dose-related. Three weeks after birth the lead content of tissues rose significantly but blood concentrations remained almost identical to the levels obtained 1 day after birth. There was no evidence of lead accumulation in the brain of the babies...

Aminolevulinic Acid↗
PubMed1975

Occupational lead nephropathy.

Among eight subjects suspected of excessive occupational exposure to lead, detailed examination of renal function identified abnormalities in four. Glomerular filtration rate was less than 87 ml/mim/1.73 m2 in one subject with asymptomatic renal failure, and in three subjects with preclinical renal dysfunction. In the subject with asymptomatic renal failure, chelation therapy increased the glomerular filtration rate, p-aminohippurate (PAH) extraction, the maximal PAH secretion rate (TmPAH) and improved proximal tubule ultrastructure, despite decreased renal plasma flow. This improvement in PAH transport was associated with correction of a proximal tubule defect in tritiated PAH uptake detected by section freeze-dry autoradiography of renal biopsy specimens. In three subjects, the etiologic diagnosis of lead-induced nephropathy was established by exclusion, but tubular dysfunction did not obviously exceed the reduction in blomerular filtration. Proximal tubule abnormalities were seen in each of the three patients who underwent biopsy. These studies suggest that lead nephropathy may be an important occupational hazard in the United States lead industry.

Aminohippuric Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intake of magnesium and toxicity of lead: an experimental model.

Groups of ten male Wistar rats were fed 100 mg lead/kg body wt . day, or 100 mg lead plus 250 mg Mg . kg body wt . day mixed in the powdered diet as chlorides. Blood and urine were monitored for lead-related enzymes and lead concentrations. Compared to the lead-treated, blood lead and urinary aminolevulinic acid were much lower and blood aminolevulinic acid dehydratase and urinary lead were higher at 30, 45, and 62 days in the lead-magnesium-treated animals. At 45 and 62 days, blood lead was higher in the lead-magnesium group even though the urinary excretion of lead was significantly higher (P less than .01). At 62 days, the lead feeding was discontinued to both groups, but magnesium administration was continued. Both groups of rats were then monitored for urinary excretion of lead and this was significantly higher (P less than .01) in the rats fed magnesium suggesting that magnesium intake helped mobilize lead from bone, thus increasing the blood lead level and subsequent urine excretion. Enzyme levels approached normal values at 106 days only in the lead-magnesium group, thereby indicating low levels of lead toxicity. Lead levels of bones in rats of the lead-magnesium group, when sacrificed at 106 days, were significantly lower (P less than .01) than among those given lead alone, another indication that magnesium helped mobilize lead from bone. The results, therefore, clearly show that feeding magnesium leads to lower retention and increased excretion of lead under the experimental conditions outlined.

Aminolevulinic Acid↗