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Biomedical subjects

R B Johnston

Publications and source records attributed to R B Johnston.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The effects of beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic blockade and calcium channel blockade on postresuscitation electrolyte changes.

We have previously reported in dogs after ventricular fibrillation that (1) potassium and calcium levels decrease and magnesium and glucose increase, (2) all values return to control levels by 3 hours, and (3) propranolol blocks the changes in potassium, magnesium, and glucose but not calcium. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the beta 1- and beta 2-selectivity of changes in potassium, magnesium, and glucose and assess the response of the change in calcium to calcium channel blockade. Before initiating ventricular fibrillation, we pretreated dogs with an intravenous solution of either normal saline, metoprolol, ICI 118551 (two doses), or diltiazem. After a 2-minute episode of ventricular fibrillation, dogs were resuscitated. Baseline electrolyte measurements were obtained before ventricular fibrillation and sequentially for 3 hours after fibrillation. The saline-treated control group had a maximal decrease in the serum potassium level of 0.5 +/- 0.2 mEq/L. High-dose ICI 118551 reduced this decrease to 0.3 +/- 0.3 mEq/L (p = 0.055), but the other three groups showed no difference compared with the control group. Magnesium increased in the saline control group by 0.2 +/- 0.1 mEq/L. This increase was partially reduced by high-dose ICI 118551 to 0.1 +/- 0.1 (p = 0.055) but not by the other drugs. Glucose increased to 40 +/- 13 mg/dl in the saline control group. This increase was partially reduced by high-dose ICI 118551 to 23 +/- 6 mg/dl (p = 0.007) but not by the other drugs. Calcium showed a maximal decrease of 0.6 +/- 0.3 mg/dl in the control group. This decrease was not attenuated by any of the drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1992

Impairment of macrophage activation and granuloma formation by protein deprivation in mice.

Protein-calorie malnutrition predisposes to infection by intracellular pathogens, but the basis for this predisposition is unclear. We studied the effect of protein deprivation on mouse peritoneal macrophage function and on granuloma formation during infection by bacille Calmette-Gueŕin (BCG). Injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation elicited fewer peritoneal cells from mice fed a 2.5% protein diet than from mice fed an isocaloric chow in which protein calories constituted 24% of the total. LPS-elicited macrophages from protein-deprived mice demonstrated a reduction in spreading, total cell protein, cell lactate dehydrogenase, and release of superoxide anion (O2-) in response to stimulation. Priming in vitro by interferon (IFN)-gamma for enhanced release of O2- was also significantly impaired in protein-deprived mice. This defect was reversible by repletion with 24% protein diet for 10 days. Impairment of macrophage function in protein-deprived mice was further evidenced by an impaired capacity to express Ia antigen in response to IFN-gamma and by reduced production of IL-1 activity in response to LPS. Infection by BCG in protein-deprived mice was characterized by impaired granuloma development in liver, lungs, and spleen. Thus, in this model, protein deprivation significantly impaired macrophage activation, as assessed by morphologic, metabolic, and functional criteria. This impairment might compromise immune effector mechanisms dependent on macrophage activation, including rejection of intracellular pathogens.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Chronic arthritis after rubella vaccination.

In August 1991 the Institute of Medicine released a report entitled "Adverse Effects of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines" that examined, among other relations, the relation between immunization with the RA 27/3 rubella vaccine strain and chronic arthritis. The committee spent 20 months reviewing a wide range of information sources including case series and individual case reports published in peer-reviewed journals and reported by vaccine manufacturers; unpublished case reports from physicians, parents, and other concerned persons; epidemiological studies; and laboratory studies. There were no animal studies available. The committee found that the evidence is consistent with a causal relation between the RA 27/3 rubella vaccine strain and chronic arthritis in adult women, although the evidence is limited in scope. Proving that rubella vaccination can cause chronic arthritis will require a better understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms and additional well-designed studies. We briefly describe the committee's evaluative methods and present the evidence underlying its conclusion.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Phagocytosis and stimulation of the respiratory burst by phorbol diester initiate S-thiolation of specific proteins in macrophages.

Addition of chemical oxidants to cells in culture has been shown to induce binding of low-molecular-weight thiols to reactive sulfhydryls on proteins in a process termed S-thiolation. We found that stimulation of the respiratory burst in mouse macrophages, with release of O2-, resulted in S-thiolation of several proteins, most prominently three with molecular weights of 74, 33, and 22 kDa. One protein (28 kDa) was S-thiolated without addition of an exogenous stimulus. Exposure of cells to concentrations of hydrogen peroxide like those released in the respiratory burst induced S-thiolation of these same proteins. S-thiolation and release of O2- began at approximately the same time. Stimulation of LPS-elicited macrophages induced prominent S-thiolation of three different proteins (38, 30, and 21 kDa). Under the conditions of these experiments, there was no detectable increase in glutathione disulfide and a negligible decrease in glutathione, which suggests that S-thiolation can occur without significant perturbation of the glutathione peroxidase/reductase cycle. S-thiolation of proteins could help protect the macrophage against the autoxidative damage associated with the respiratory burst. Modification of specific proteins by S-thiolation might serve to modulate cellular metabolic events.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Protein kinase C isotypes and signaling in neutrophils. Differential substrate specificities of a translocatable calcium- and phospholipid-dependent beta-protein kinase C and a phospholipid-dependent protein kinase which is inhibited by long chain fatty acyl coenzyme A.

Neutrophils possess a classical Ca2+, phosphatidyl serine (PS) and diglyceride (DG)-dependent protein kinase C (beta-PKC) which was translocatable from cytosol to membrane in response to elevated Ca2+ in the physiologic range or to pretreatment with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The translocatable beta-PKC was purified from neutrophil membranes prepared in the presence of Ca2+, eluted with EGTA and subjected to hydroxyapatite chromatography. An 80-kDa protein possessing Ca/DG/PS-dependent histone phosphorylating activity was recognized by a monoclonal antibody to beta-PKC but not to alpha-PKC or gamma-PKC. A cytosolic kinase activity remaining after Ca(2+)-induced translocation of beta-PKC was dependent on PS and DG but did not require Ca2+. This novel Ca(2+)-independent, PS/DG-dependent kinase, termed nPKC, eluted from hydroxyapatite between alpha-PKC and beta-PKC, ran as a 76-kDa band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and was reactive to a polyclonal consensus antibody but not to monoclonal antibodies to alpha-PKC, beta-PKC, or gamma-PKC. Long chain fatty acyl-CoA, but not the corresponding free fatty acids, inhibited nPKC in the 1-10 microM range. The chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe triggered prompt but transient increases in neutrophil long chain fatty acid acyl-CoA, suggesting that nPKC is regulated by fatty acyl-CoA as well as DG during neutrophil activation. Purified beta-PKC phosphorylated a number of cytosolic proteins in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, including a major 47-kDa cytosolic protein, which may be implicated in superoxide anion generation. In contrast, nPKC did not phosphorylate the 47-kDa protein, but phosphorylated numerous cytosolic proteins in a Ca(2+)-independent manner, including a 66-kDa protein which was not phosphorylated by beta-PKC. Differences in location, substrate specificity, and cofactor dependence between nPKC and beta-PKC suggest these kinases may play selective roles in the activation sequence of the neutrophil.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗
PubMed1991

Mechanisms of host defense against Candida species. II. Biochemical basis for the killing of Candida by mononuclear phagocytes.

We studied the biochemical basis of candidacidal activity by comparing the killing of Candida albicans, a serious pathogen, and Candida parapsilosis, a low-grade pathogen, by human monocytes (Mo) and monocyte-derived macrophages. Mo killed C. parapsilosis significantly better than C. albicans. The two species triggered the respiratory burst and release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and beta-glucuronidase in Mo to an equivalent extent. In contrast to Mo, macrophages killed both species to an equivalent extent. Mo exhibited a greater candida-stimulated respiratory burst than did monocyte-derived macrophages, and the respiratory burst was required for the killing of both species. C. parapsilosis was killed much more easily than C. albicans by exposure to low concentrations of hypochlorite or monochloramine, MPO-dependent oxidants released by Mo but not macrophages, which lack MPO. With six different Candida strains there was a significant correlation between killing by Mo and susceptibility to hypochlorite (r = 0.926) or monochloramine (r = 0.981) (p less than 0.01 for each). Species differences in resistance to killing by Mo may be related to differences in sensitivity to MPO-derived oxidants, and the ability of C. albicans to resist the effects of these oxidants may be a virulence factor associated with this species.

Candida↗
PubMed1991

Mechanisms of host defense against Candida species. I. Phagocytosis by monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages.

We studied the biochemical basis of phagocytosis of Candida albicans, a serious pathogen, and Candida parapsilosis, which is rarely pathogenic, by human monocytes (Mo) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). Optimal phagocytosis of both species by Mo required the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and opsonization through both the classic and alternative complement pathways. Serum-opsonized Candida were ingested equally by Mo and MDM; unopsonized Candida were phagocytosed only by macrophages, and uptake began slowly. This opsonin-independent phagocytosis required Ca2+ and could be blocked by yeast mannan or mannose-BSA conjugate, suggesting a role for the mannose receptor. Opsonized Candida elicited a vigorous increase in the concentration of [Ca2+]i in Mo and MDM, but no Ca2+ transient was detected in MDM stimulated with unopsonized Candida. Pretreatment of MDM with ionomycin to increase [Ca2+]i had no effect on phagocytosis of unopsonized Candida. Addition of 5 mM EGTA completely inhibited changes in [Ca2+]i in Mo and MDM, suggesting that the Ca2+ transient induced by opsonized Candida is due to an influx of extracellular Ca2+. Differences in pathogenicity between the two Candida species could not be explained by differences in any aspect of phagocytosis. Uptake mediated by the macrophage mannose receptor could play a role in clearance of Candida under opsonin-poor conditions.

Calcium↗
PubMed1991

Impaired macrophage function in severe protein-energy malnutrition.

Protein-energy malnutrition induces immunosuppression that predisposes to sepsis, but the mechanisms are unclear. This study examines the role of the macrophage in host defense in the malnourished state. Swiss-Webster mice (N = 300) were randomly allocated to control (24% casein) or low-protein (2.5% casein) diets for 8 weeks. We studied the ability of two populations of macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and Kupffer cells to produce superoxide anion after in vivo administration of endotoxin or mycobacterium (bacille Calmette-Guérin). Phorbol diester and Candida albicans were used as stimuli. In another group of mice, we evaluated the ability of interferon gamma to up-regulate superoxide anion release and Candida phagocytosis and killing. Mice under protein-energy malnutrition demonstrated decreased mean body weights, serum protein levels, and cell yields. Superoxide anion production in resident and activated (lipopolysaccharide, interferon gamma, bacille Calmette-Guérin infection) peritoneal macrophages was significantly reduced in the malnourished group. Candida phagocytosis and killing were also both depressed in malnourished mice. Kupffer cells failed to generate superoxide anion in all groups. We conclude that severe protein-energy malnutrition significantly impairs macrophage function, which could diminish response to acute and chronic septic challenges. Interferon gamma up regulated peritoneal macrophage and Kupffer cell microbicidal function, which suggests a therapeutic role for this lymphokine in the malnourished septic host.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Improved imaging of rat hindfoot prints for walking track analysis.

Walking track analysis is an investigative technique that allows a researcher to assess objectively the functional capacity of the limb in the rat sciatic nerve model. This study has shown that paint and paper is a better method for imaging the rat foot plantar surface than other methods described in the literature. The block printing paint has the distinct advantage of keeping radial diffusion error to a minimum. Paint more correctly images the important anatomical landmarks of the rat plantar surface. There is better traction (less slippage) rendering the prints easier to interpret. The authors conclude that the paint and paper is a superior method to the other methods currently available.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Influence of calcium on the subcellular distribution of protein kinase C in human neutrophils. Extraction conditions determine partitioning of histone-phosphorylating activity and immunoreactivity between cytosol and particulate fractions.

Activation of the neutrophil respiratory burst is thought to involve a translocation and activation of protein kinase C. We report that the presence of Ca2+ during the disruption of unstimulated human neutrophils and cytoplasts resulted in an increase in protein kinase C activity (histone phosphorylation) and immunoreactive protein kinase C species in the particulate (membrane) fraction and a reduction in such activities in the cytosol. This Ca2+-induced translocation of activity was concentration-dependent and occurred at physiologically relevant concentrations of Ca2+ (30-500 nM). The Ca2+-induced membrane association of protein kinase C could be reversed by removal of Ca2+. These findings indicate that the Ca2+ concentration of the extraction buffer can determine the subcellular distribution of protein kinase C in disrupted cells and suggest that the observed location of this enzyme activity in cell fractions may not necessarily reflect the localization in intact cells. These results also raise the possibility that the distribution of protein kinase C between cytosol and membrane is a dynamic equilibrium controlled by levels of free Ca2+. Thus, Ca2+ might regulate distribution as well as activation of protein kinase C.

Biological Transport↗
PubMed1989

Lidocaine reduces canine infarct size and decreases release of a lipid peroxidation product.

Whether and how lidocaine reduced infarct size in a canine model of ischemia and reperfusion was investigated. Twenty dogs underwent a 90-min left anterior descending artery ligation and 300 min of reperfusion. Infarct size was measured by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride and the region at risk by 99Tc-labeled albumin microspheres injected during ischemia. In 10 dogs, lidocaine (70 micrograms/kg/min i.v.) was infused 90 min prior to and during ischemia and reperfusion, while 10 dogs were untreated. The ratio of infarct to risk area was 35.2 +/- 3.4% (SEM) in lidocaine dogs vs. 48.5 +/- 5.3% in untreated dogs (p less than 0.05). Lidocaine did not reduce neutrophil accumulation in ischemic and reperfused myocardium at 5 h of reperfusion, inhibit stimulated neutrophil superoxide production, or scavenge superoxide in vitro. However, during early reperfusion, lidocaine reduced coronary sinus levels of a lipid peroxidation product (conjugated dienes). Thus, clinically relevant lidocaine infusion rates reduced myocardial infarct size when given prior to and during ischemia and reperfusion. This protective effect may be due to lidocaine's membrane stabilizing effects, which could have protected the myocardial cell membrane from lipid peroxidation.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Lipopolysaccharide priming of human neutrophils for an enhanced respiratory burst. Role of intracellular free calcium.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pretreatment "primes" neutrophils to release increased amounts of superoxide anion (O2-) when stimulated. We investigated the molecular basis of this enhanced activity. Comparison of kinetic parameters of the respiratory burst NADPH oxidase in unstimulated LPS-primed and control neutrophils disclosed a similar Km for NADPH and no difference was seen in the content of cytochrome b. Pertussis toxin, which inhibits some G proteins, did not prevent priming. Change in membrane potential (delta psi) was five-fold greater in LPS-primed cells and paralleled the increased O2- release. Cytofluorographic analysis indicated that the increased change in delta psi was due to the creation of a new population of active cells. Changes in the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) are believed to antecede changes in delta psi. There was a consistent increment (67 +/- 8%, n = 12) in resting [Ca2+]i in cells preincubated with LPS compared with control. When stimulated, the peak [Ca2+]i was significantly higher in LPS-primed cells. Ca2+-dependent protein kinase C activity was unaltered in resting and FMLP-stimulated neutrophils preexposed to LPS. Addition to cells of the intracellular Ca2+ chelator MAPTAM before preincubation with LPS blocked the changes in [Ca2+]i and the enhanced respiratory burst that characterize LPS priming. The increased resting [Ca2+]i in LPS-primed cells may enhance stimulus-induced cellular activity by modifying a Ca2+-dependent step in signal transduction.

Calcium↗
PubMed1989

Replication of herpes simplex virus in blood monocytes and placental macrophages from human neonates.

Increased permissiveness of macrophages for herpes simplex virus (HSV) replication may be a mechanism for the dissemination and severity of neonatal herpetic infection. We have assessed the replication of HSV in neonatal blood monocytes and placental macrophages using several criteria for viral permissiveness. Assay of production of infectious progeny virus indicated that cord blood monocytes, like adult monocytes, were nonpermissive for HSV (about 1% of cells producing virus). In vitro culture of cord blood monocytes resulted in increased replication of HSV, but no greater extent than virus production in cultured adult cells. HSV infection of fetal placental macrophages was weak but present (4.4% of cells). Assay of production of viral antigens and electron microscopic analysis of structural elements indicated that a larger number of cord blood monocytes and placental macrophages were abortively infected than were productively infected. These results indicate that monocytes and macrophages from human neonates do not show the enhanced permissiveness for HSV demonstrated in newborn mice and suggest that dissemination of herpetic infection in human newborns cannot be explained by increased neonatal monocyte permissiveness for HSV.

DNA Replication↗