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Biomedical subjects

M G Davis

Publications and source records attributed to M G Davis.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Dissociation of the contractile and hypertrophic effects of vasoconstrictor prostanoids in vascular smooth muscle.

To more clearly define the physiologic roles of thromboxane (TX)A2 and primary prostaglandins (PG) in vascular tissue we examined vascular contractility, cell signaling, and growth responses. The growth-promoting effects of (15S)-hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5Z,13E-dienoic acid (U46619; TXA2 agonist), PGF2 alpha, and PGE2 consisted of protein synthesis and proto-oncogene expression, but not DNA synthesis or cell proliferation. U46619 contracted rat aortas and increased cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cell intracellular free calcium concentration [Ca2+]i, [3H]inositol monophosphate (IP) accumulation, myosin light chain phosphorylation, and protein synthesis ([3H]leucine incorporation) with EC50 values ranging from 10 to 50 nM. Each of these responses was inhibitable with the TXA2 receptor antagonist [1S]1 alpha,2 beta(5Z),3 beta,4 alpha-7-(3-[2- [(phenylamino)carbonyl]hydrazino]methyl)-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2- yl-5-heptenoic acid (SQ29548). In contrast, PGF2 alpha increased [Ca2+]i, [3H]IP, and protein synthesis with EC50 values of 30-230 nM but contracted rat aortas with an EC50 of 4800 nM. PGE2 increased [Ca2+]i, [3H]IP accumulation, protein synthesis, and contracted rat aortas with EC50 values of 2.5-3.5 microM. TXA2 receptor blockade prevented PGF2 alpha- and PGE2-induced aortic contraction and cell myosin light chain phosphorylation, but not cell signaling or protein synthesis. Binding studies to vascular smooth muscle TXA2 receptors using 1S-[1 alpha,2 beta(5Z),3 alpha(1E,3S),4 alpha]-7-(3-[3-hydroxy-4-(p- [125I]iodophenoxy)-1-butenyl]7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl)-5-hepte noic acid ([125I]BOP) showed U46619, SQ29548, PGF2 alpha, and PGE2 competition for TXA2 receptor binding at concentrations similar to their EC50 values for aortic contraction, while binding competition with [3H]PGF2 alpha and [3H]PGE2 demonstrated the specificity of [125I]BOP and SQ29548 for TXA2 receptors. The results suggest that 1) PGF2 alpha- and E2-stimulated vessel contraction is due to cross-agonism at vascular TXA2 receptors; 2) PGF2 alpha stimulates TXA2 receptor-independent vascular smooth muscle protein synthesis at nanomolar concentrations, consistent with an interaction at its primary receptor; and 3) TXA2 is a potent stimulus for vascular smooth muscle contraction and protein synthesis. We suggest that the main physiologic effect of PGF2 alpha may be as a stimulus for vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy, not as a contractile agonist.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗
PubMed1992

Adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen in malignant external otitis.

Necrotizing invasive pseudomonal infection of the external auditory canal (malignant external otitis) is an uncommon but important disorder in the elderly. The high morbidity, and even mortality, of this disorder has been reduced by the early and intensive use of combination antipseudomonal antibiotics. However, in severely immunocompromised patients or in infection involving the base of the skull, multiple cranial nerves, or the meninges, conventional therapy has been prolonged, intensive, and relatively ineffective. We treated 16 patients with malignant external otitis with adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In six patients, infection was in advanced stages, infections were recurrences after previous treatment, and repeated treatment with antipseudomonal antibiotics had failed. All 16 cases responded promptly when a 30-day course of hyperbaric oxygen was added to the antibiotic regimen, and all patients remained free of infection or neurologic deficit during 1 to 4 years of follow-up. No complications of this treatment modality were noted. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reverses tissue hypoxia, which enhances phagocytic killing of aerobic microorganisms, and stimulates neomicroangiogenesis. In addition, hyperbaric oxygen augments the action of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy should be considered in advanced or recurrent cases of malignant external otitis.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Radiotherapeutic management of an orocutaneous defect with a balloon-retaining stent.

Maxillary resection defects have traditionally been technically difficult to treat with conventional radiation therapy. The irregular contours of the defect lead to an uneven distribution of the radiation doses. The potential to undertreat defects of microscopic involvement may leave residual disease. Tissue morbidity is high at isolated "hot spots" or at locations of excessive dose distribution. The use of a water-filled balloon bolus in conjunction with a balloon-retaining stent can significantly improve treatment efficacy and decrease tissue morbidity. This article describes a technique for the fabrication of a balloon-retaining stent for an orocutaneous defect.

Dental Occlusion↗
PubMed1992

Differential megakaryocytic desensitization to platelet agonists.

Platelets are released into the peripheral circulation from the bone marrow where they arise as fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm. To characterize the effects of platelet agonists on megakaryocytes, we examined calcium signaling and desensitization to thrombin, the thromboxane A2 (TxA2) mimetic (15S)-hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5Z,13E-dienoic acid (U46619), and platelet-activating factor (PAF) in cultured CHRF-288-11 megakaryocytic cells. Initially, we compared agonist-stimulated calcium transients in fura-2-loaded CHRF-288-11 cells and human platelets. The 50% effective concentration values for the agonists to increase free cytosolic calcium were as follows: thrombin (0.11 +/- 0.02 U/ml in CHRF, 0.19 +/- 0.03 U/ml in platelets), U46619 (147 +/- 33 nM in CHRF, 157 +/- 5 nM in platelets), and PAF [15 +/- 2 nM in CHRF, 16 +/- 2 nM in platelets (n = 4 each)]. CHRF-288-11 thrombin, TxA2, and PAF receptors were demonstrated to be coupled to phospholipase C because each of the agonists stimulated phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis in myo-[3H]inositol-loaded CHRF-288-11 cells and pharmacological inhibition of phospholipase C-blunted agonist-stimulated calcium signaling. CHRF-288-11 cells exposed to the three agonists for 1 h showed different patterns and extent of homologous and heterologous desensitization. Protein kinase C activation appeared to be necessary but not sufficient for desensitization because 1) activation of protein kinase C with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate inhibited the calcium responses to all three agonists, 2) inhibition of protein kinase C with staurosporine attenuated subsequent desensitization to each agonist, and 3) each agonist increased protein kinase C activity in CHRF-288-11 cell homogenates.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1992

Thrombin, but not thromboxane, stimulates megakaryocytic differentiation in human megakaryoblastic leukemia cells.

Physiologic stimuli for differentiation of bone marrow megakaryoblasts, a critical event leading to formation of platelets, have not been identified. Therefore, we examined the effects of two potent platelet agonists, thrombin and the thromboxane A2 mimetic U46619 [(15S)-hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5Z, 13E-dienoic acid], on the developmental regulation of cultured CHRF-288-11 megakaryoblast cells. Both thrombin and U46619 increased intracellular free calcium in fura-2 loaded, serum-deprived CHRF-288-11 cells with EC50 values of 0.07 +/- 0.01 U/ml and 194 +/- 27 nM, respectively (n = 4 each). Thrombin, but not U46619, increased intracellular pH from 7.44 +/- 0.03 to 7.55 +/- 0.06 (n = 4, P = .012) in 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein-loaded cells. Because increases in cytosolic free calcium and/or cytosolic pH are associated with mitogenic responses in many cell systems, we determined if thrombin or U46619 stimulated CHRF-288-11 proliferation or differentiation. U46619 (1 microM) inhibited cell growth but had no effect on cell size or morphology. In contrast, thrombin (0.2 U/ml) inhibited cell division and increased overall cell size to 116 +/- 2% of control (P less than .05). Microscopically, thrombin-treated cells had increased cytoplasmic content, nuclear lobulation and nucleolar content--hallmarks of megakaryocytic differentiation. Thrombin, but not U46619, increased levels of CHRF-288-11 c-fos and c-myc mRNA transcripts (protooncogene expression). We conclude that thrombin, but not thromboxane A2, induces terminal megakaryocytic differentiation of CHRF-288-11 cells. This suggests that thrombin may act as a physiologic regulator of platelet formation in vivo.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗
PubMed1990

Body fluid spaces and blood pressure in hemodialysis patients during amelioration of anemia with erythropoietin.

Blood pressure (BP) may increase in hemodialysis patients during treatment of anemia with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO). Since fluid volume is a determinant of BP in dialysis patients, changes in body fluid spaces during r-HuEPO therapy could affect BP. Thus, 51Cr-labeled red blood cell (RBC) volume, inulin extracellular fluid (ECF) volume, and urea total body water (TBW), as well as cardiac output, plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma aldosterone concentration were determined postdialysis before and after r-HuEPO therapy in patients in whom changes in BP could be managed by ultrafiltration alone. Eleven patients entered the study: one had a renal transplant and two required addition of antihypertensive drug therapy and were excluded; eight, of whom two required antihypertensive drug therapy following the study, were included in the analyses. Results revealed an increase in predialysis hemoglobin from 67 to 113 g/L (6.7 to 11.3 g/dL) (P = 0.001) during 18 +/- 6 weeks of therapy. Predialysis diastolic BP increased from 80 to 85 mm Hg (P = 0.07), while postdialysis diastolic BP was unchanged at 73 mm Hg. 51Cr-RBC volume increased, from 0.7 to 1.3 L (P = 0.004). ECF tended to decrease, from 13.7 to 10.8 L (P = 0.064), while TBW decreased to a similar extent, but not significantly, 34.3 to 31.2 L (P = 0.16). Postdialysis ECF volume was positively correlated with mean arterial BP at baseline (r = 0.89, P = 0.007) and after therapy (r = 0.74, P = 0.035). However, the regression lines for this relationship were different (P = 0.022) before and after therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Isolation and characterization of lambda pleu bacteriophages.

In the Escherichia coli lysogen HfrH73 described by Shimada et al. (1973), none of the enzymes coded for by the leucine operon is synthesized due to an insertion of phage lambda into cistron leuA. The orientation of lambda in the chromosome is ara leuDCB lambda JAN leuA. After heat induction of the lysogen, plaque-forming transducing phages of two types are formed at low frequency. One type (e.g., lambda pleu9) transduces leuD, leuC, and leuB strains to prototrophy. The other type (e.g., lambda pleu 13) transduces leuA strains to prototrophy. lambda pleu 13 forms lysogens at low frequency (about 0.2%) by integration into the leucine operon. These lysogens are unstable, segregating phage-sensitive clones at high frequency (about 1%). Phages carrying different portions of the leucine operon were formed by aberrant excision after heat induction of strain CV437 (leuA371 lambda pleu13). A phage carrying the entire leucine operon (lambda K2) was constructed by a cross between lambda pleu9 and lambda pleu13. An analysis of leucine-forming enzyme levels in strains lysogenized with lambdaK2 indicated that leuO and leuP are present and functional in lambda K2. leu-specific messenger ribonucleic acid from E. coli hybridizes to the heavy (r) strand of lambdaK2. The leucine operon of lambda G4 pleuABCD (an S7 derivative of lambda K2) exists intact on a 7.3 x 10(6)-dalton fragment (lambdaG4EcoRI-B) generated by cleavage with endonuclease EcoRI. Heteroduplexes formed between lambda G4 and lambda show a 5.4 x 10(6)-dalton piece of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replacing a 4.5 x 10(6)-dalton piece of lambda DNA starting at 0.46 fractional unit on the map of lambda. Fragment lambda G4EcoRI-B has about 0.6 x 10(6) daltons of lambda DNA from the b2 region at one end and about 1.4 x 10(6) daltons of lambda DNA from the int region at the other end.

Coliphages↗
PubMed1977

Relationship between messenger ribonucleic acid and enzyme levels specified by the leucine operon of Escherichia coli K-12.

The levels of leucine-forming enzymes in Escherichia coli K-12 varied over a several thousand-fold range, depending upon conditions of growth. The highest levels were achieved by growing auxotrophs in a chemostat under conditions of leucine limitation. Under such conditions, enzyme levels were increased 45- to 90-fold relative to cells grown in minimal medium containing leucine (the latter values arbitrarily called 1). Leucine operon-specific messenger ribonucleic acid levels were elevated to about the same extent as enzyme levels in cells grown in a chemostat. Growth in media of greater complexity resulted in progressively lower levels of leucine-forming enzymes, reaching a value of less than 0.02 for growth in a medium containing tryptone broth and yeast extract. The levels of leucine operon-specified enzymes and messenger ribonucleic acid were also measured in strains containing about 25 copies of plasmid pCV1(ColE1-leu) per chromosome. For such strains grown in minimal medium, enzyme levels were proportional to the number of plasmids per cell. Furthermore, they followed the same trends as those described above upon derepression in a chemostat or upon repression following growth in rich media. Leucine messenger ribonucleic acid, measured both by pulse-labeling and hybridization-competition experiments, was roughly proportional to enzyme levels over this entire range. For a plasmid-containing strain grown in a chemostat under conditions of leucine limitation (about 100 plasmids per chromosome), about 27% of pulse-labeled ribonucleic acid was coded for by genes in or adjacent to the leucine operon, and 10% of the total protein was beta-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase.

2-Isopropylmalate Synthase↗