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Biomedical subjects

M A Evenson

Publications and source records attributed to M A Evenson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Isolation and biological activity of aspidospermine and quebrachamine from an Aspidosperma tree source.

The indolealkaloids aspidospermine and quebrachamine have been isolated in crystalline form by a relatively rapid fractionation from the extract of a powdered material designated "Quebracho" derived from an Aspidosperma tree species. We present a novel isocratic LC method that provides baseline resolution of these two compounds and of the structurally related yohimbine in less than 15 min. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to identify these compounds as well as several minor derivatives of aspidospermine during and after the purification process. Aspidospermine and quebrachamine like yohimbine have been found to possess adrenergic blocking activities for a variety of urogenital tissues.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1992

Deficiency of copper can cause neuronal degeneration.

The aim of this article is to emphasize the important role that copper plays in the function of nerve cells. We are reporting preliminary data which suggest that the swelling of axons which we produce in rats by iminodipropionitrile, IDPN, is due to its chelating action on copper, and how conversely supplementation with copper abolishes both symptoms and lesions. The copper values we obtained by atomic absorption spectrophotometry of the spinal cord and brain from the animals fully support this contention. In comparing these results with the diseases that are known to be due to copper deficiency, namely Menkes disease in man, swayback in lambs and several neurological mutant mice, we find not only similar axonal swellings, but also amelioration of symptoms and lesions by early administration of copper. Considering the main forms in which copper is present, we discuss the cuproproteins, i.e. ceruloplasmin and metallothionein, and their role in transport and delivery of copper to various organs. Further, the many cuproenzymes i.e. superoxide dismutase, tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase, lysine oxidase, cytochrome oxidase, monoamine oxidases, tyrosinase, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and d-amino levulinate dehydratase are noted for their roles in the nervous system. Finally, we suggest that neuronal copper deficiency should be more fully investigated as a possible etiological factor in the more common neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Automated capillary electrophoresis applied to therapeutic drug monitoring.

Chromatographic separations in conjunction with physical chemical detection methods can provide extremely accurate and highly precise measurements of drugs in biological matrices. Immunochemical methods for drug analyses, on the other hand, although usually fully automated, often lack accuracy, may be subject to matrix interference effects, and frequently exhibit nonlinearities that contribute to suboptimal analytical results. Automated capillary electrophoresis (CE) promises the high accuracy and precision of physical methods with no operator intervention once the sample is loaded into the sample cup. A clean-up step is necessary for the analysis of drugs in biological matrices, but that could also be fully automated. Reagent costs per test with CE approach zero, because of the use of extremely small volumes of buffers, standards, and controls. We present data supporting CE as an alternative separation strategy for 28 commonly used therapeutic drugs. These can be resolved in less than 16 min with an optimized micelle-based buffer system.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1991

Fatty acids are potential endogenous regulators of aldosterone secretion.

Adrenal glomerulosa cells washed with delipidated albumin produced increased amounts of aldosterone in response to angiotensin-II (AII) or (Bu)2cAMP. Albumin treatment also increased binding of 125I-labeled AII to high affinity binding sites on adrenal cells. Lipid extracts of albumin solutions that were used to wash cells inhibited AII binding and aldosterone responses by washed glomerulosa cells. Chromatographic fractionation and mass spectroscopic analysis indicated that the inhibitors removed from cells by albumin were long chain fatty acids. Exogenous fatty acids not only inhibited AII binding, but they inhibited basal aldosterone production and increments in aldosterone caused by AII or dbcAMP, suggesting an effect on postreceptor steps in aldosteronogenesis. The most potent and most abundant fatty acids removed from adrenal cells were oleic, linoleic, and arachidonic. These fatty acids inhibited at micromolar concentrations in the absence of albumin and at somewhat higher concentrations in its presence. Cells that had been washed, then inhibited by exogenous oleic acid in vitro, were restored to their enhanced responsiveness by a second albumin wash, making it unlikely that cell damage is the mechanism of inhibition by fatty acids. Responses of fasciculata cells were not potentiated by albumin washes, and cortisol production was less sensitive than aldosterone production to exogenous fatty acids. Binding of ANP to glomerulosa cells was not affected by albumin or fatty acids. These results combined with clinical correlations make it plausible that unesterified fatty acids are naturally occurring regulators of the adrenal glomerulosa. Insulin's ability to lower plasma levels of fatty acids may be one way that it causes sodium retention.

Aldosterone↗
PubMed1988

200 Kd neurofilament protein binds Al, Cu and Zn.

200 Kd human and bovine neurofilament proteins were isolated from spinal cord and purified to homogeneity. The purified proteins were shown to be metal-binding proteins which bind at least one mole of Al, one mole of Cu and four moles of Zn. Neither dephosphorylation of the protein nor equilibrium dialysis against 25 mM EDTA, pH 7.0, removed these metals. This is the first report of a human protein which stoichiometrically binds Al.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1988

Measurement of copper in biological samples by flame or electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

Guidelines presented here allow for copper analysis of biological materials by methods that are very sensitive, that require little sample preparation, that have few chemical or spectral interferences, that are inexpensive, and that require only usual care in contamination control. The commercial instruments for FAAS and ETAAS from Perkin-Elmer, from Varian, and from Instrumentation Laboratories Inc. (Allied Analytical Systems) all work well in either the flame or the flameless mode. Background correction techniques are not essential for copper analysis if care is taken with the sample preparation to minimize the background signals. Different types of burners will work adequately if one makes certain that the viscosity of the sample and the control products are similar to the calibration standards. Further, dilution of samples is preferred over increasing the viscosity of the calibration standards by the addition of a protein containing solution or a substance such as glycerol. A 1:10 dilution of blood plasma or serum with dilute nitric acid or water is all that is necessary for copper analysis by the FFAS methods. Cation and anion effects should be tested by bracketing the concentrations of the ions found in the sample with known amounts of ions in the sample solutions. Increasing the concentrations of the ions thought to interfere while keeping the copper concentration constant is another way to test for ion interferences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Stabilized analysis of antidepressant drugs by solvent-recycled liquid chromatography: procedure and proposed resolution mechanisms for chromatography.

In this efficient extraction and isocratic liquid-chromatographic procedure for measuring eight antidepressant drugs in serum (amoxapine, 8-hydroxyamoxapine, doxepin, desmethyldoxepin, imipramine, desipramine, amitriptyline, and nortriptyline), they are extracted from serum as a group by use of disposable solid-phase cyanopropyl columns; the eluate is injected directly onto a Zorbax cyanopropyl analytical column. This sample preparation circumvents potential problems of drug instability associated with the usual evaporating/concentrating techniques. Recycling the acetic acid/acetonitrile/n-butylamine mobile phase not only maintains a stable, cost-effective system, it also prolongs column life. Standard curves for all eight drugs are linear to 1000 micrograms/L; the detection limit is 8-10 micrograms/L. For all drugs and metabolites, within-run CVs were 0.9 to 2.2%, between-run CVs 2.1 to 3.8%. Analytical recovery of the solid-phase extraction step was 85 to 100% (mean = 94.5%) for all analytes. Standards and controls, stored frozen in drug-free serum, are stable for at least six months. We also report a study of separation mechanisms.

Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic↗
PubMed1983

Effects of contaminants in blood-collection devices on measurements of therapeutic drugs.

Substances in evacuated blood-collection devices produce gas-chromatographic peaks with retention times similar to those of drugs. All tubes tested except the serum separator tubes contained tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate, as determined by mass spectrometry. In addition, the partition coefficient during the solvent-extraction step increased for some drugs by as much as 40%, while for other drugs it decreased by as much as 30%, depending on the drug and the collection tube. The Becton Dickinson serum separator tube also contains several other compounds identified by mass spectrometry to be dibasic esters used in the preparation of the polyester gel. The Corning serum separator tube and the Venoject serum tube contain still other impurities. The Becton Dickinson royal-blue-stoppered tube contained the least amount of impurities of the tubes tested. CVs of 25 commonly measured drugs in plasma pools increased from 5% for samples collected in glass tubes to greater than 20% for samples collected in evacuated blood-collection tubes. Clearly, accuracy and precision of measurements of therapeutic drugs can be seriously compromised if an inappropriate blood-collection device is used.

Blood Specimen Collection↗
PubMed1982

Effect of strenuous exercise on serum lithium level in man.

The authors examined the effect of strenuous exercise on the serum lithium levels of four healthy, conditioned athletes who were stabilized on lithium carbonate for 7 days and who ran a 20-km race under hot, humid conditions. The subjects became substantially dehydrated during the race, and their serum lithium levels decreased, suggesting that sweat lithium loss may be substantial. (The sweat-to-serum ratio for lithium exceeded that for sodium by a factor of 4.) The authors conclude that contrary to widely held belief, heavy sweating may not increase the risk of lithium intoxication.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Liquid-chromatographic procedure for simultaneous analysis for eight benzodiazepines in serum.

We describe an efficient extraction and liquid-chromatographic method for separating commonly encountered benzodiazepine drugs and their pharmacologically active metabolites. After a single extraction of the drugs from serum, chlordiazepoxide, demoxepam, N-desmethyl-chloriazepoxide, diazepam, N-desmethyldiazepam, N-desalkylflurazepam, oxazepam, and prazepam can be resolved and quantified by using a C18 reversed-phase "high-performance" column and a ternary-solvent gradient system. Three separate solutions [60 mmol/L ammonium acetate (pH 7.69), 60 mmol/L acetic acid (pH 2.8), and acetonitrile] were incorporated into a gradient mobile phase such that changes in pH and solvent composition occur. Complete chromatographic resolution of the benzodiazepines resulted, permitting quantification of all within 15 min. The standard curve is linear to at least 8 mg/L for each drug, and the detection limit for each was 0.05-0.10 mg/L. The day-to-day precision for both high and low concentrations yielded CVs of 5 to 9%. Extraction of each drug from serum was 95 to 100% complete. Exogenous and endogenous interferences are minimal. Finally, we circumvented the instability problem of benzodiazepine standards in solution by using a simple reduced-pressure drying process that produces a working standard that is stable for at least nine months.

Benzodiazepines↗
PubMed1981

Clinical chemistry.

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Bibliographies as Topic↗
PubMed1979

Chromatographic studies of uremic plasma.

In order to characterize the spectrum of possibly toxic retention compounds in uremia we have developed a simple reproducible method of separating fractions of uremic serum by Sephadex G-15 column chromatography. This technique, which requires no prior deproteinisation and is carried out at ambient temperatures, allowed the separation of uremic serum into several well defined fractions. Subsequent thin layer chromatography (TLC) showed that each peak represented a mixture of peptides, and that there were qualitative and quantitative differences between the plasma of normal and uremic patients as well as between patients with acute renal failure and chronic renal failure.

Acute Kidney Injury↗