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Biomedical subjects

R Brill

Publications and source records attributed to R Brill.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Immunohistochemical localization of CYP1A, vitellogenin and Zona radiata proteins in the liver of swordfish (Xiphias gladius L.) taken from the Mediterranean Sea, South Atlantic, South Western Indian and Central North Pacific Oceans.

Cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) monoxygenase, vitellogenin (Vtg) and Zona radiata proteins (Zrp) are frequently used as biomarkers of fish exposure to organic contaminants. In this work, swordfish liver sections obtained from the Mediterranean Sea, the South African coasts (South Atlantic and South Western Indian Oceans) and the Central North Pacific Ocean were immunostained with antisera against CYP1A, Zrp, and Vtg. CYP1A induction was found in hepatocytes, epithelium of the biliary ductus and the endothelium of large blood vessels of fish from the Mediterranean Sea and South African waters, but not from the Pacific Ocean. Zrp and Vtg were immunolocalized in hepatocytes of male swordfish from the Mediterranean Sea and from South African waters. Plasma Dot-Blot analysis, performed in Mediterranean and Pacific specimens, revealed the presence of Zrp and Vtg in males from Mediterranean but not from Pacific. These results confirm previous findings about the potential exposure of Mediterranean swordfish to endocrine, disrupting chemicals and raise questions concerning the possible presence of xenobiotic contaminants off the Southern coasts of South Africa in both the South Atlantic and South Western Indian Oceans.

Animals↗

Blood volume, plasma volume and circulation time in a high-energy-demand teleost, the yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)

We measured red cell space with 51Cr-labeled red blood cells, and dextran space with 500 kDa fluorescein-isothiocyanate-labeled dextran (FITC-dextran), in two groups of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Red cell space was 13.8+/-0.7 ml kg-1 (mean +/- s.e.m.) Assuming a whole-body hematocrit equal to the hematocrit measured at the ventral aortic sampling site and no significant sequestering of 51Cr-labeled red blood cells by the spleen, blood volume was 46. 7+/-2.2 ml kg-1. This is within the range reported for most other teleosts (30-70 ml kg-1), but well below that previously reported for albacore (Thunnus alalunga, 82-197 ml kg-1). Plasma volume within the primary circulatory system (calculated from the 51Cr-labeled red blood cell data) was 32.9+/-2.3 ml kg-1. Dextran space was 37.0+/-3.7 ml kg-1. Because 500 kDa FITC-dextran appeared to remain within the vascular space, these data imply that the volume of the secondary circulatory system of yellowfin tuna is small, and its exact volume is not measurable by our methods. Although blood volume is not exceptional, circulation time (blood volume/cardiac output) is clearly shorter in yellowfin tuna than in other active teleosts. In a 1 kg yellowfin tuna, circulation time is approximately 0.4 min (47 ml kg-1/115 ml min-1 kg-1) compared with 1. 3 min (46 ml kg-1/35 ml min-1 kg-1) in yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) and 1.9 min (35 ml kg-1/18 ml min-1 kg-1) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In air-breathing vertebrates, high metabolic rates are necessarily correlated with short circulation times. Our data are the first to imply that a similar relationship occurs in fishes.

Journal Article↗

Principles of multimodal imaging.

Current medical practice deals with a variety of multimodal information (X-ray film, ultrasound, CT, MR, ECG and EEG, laboratory results, medical records, etc.) Diagnosis and treatment demand an integrated view of this information including the patient's record and history. This paper describes multimodal imaging approaches to such a system with regard to (i) user interface, (ii) data management (including access control), (iii) registration and modality matching based on reference models, and (iv) interface to the modalities.

Data Display↗

THE INFLUENCE OF HEMATOCRIT, TEMPERATURE AND SHEAR RATE ON THE VISCOSITY OF BLOOD FROM A HIGH-ENERGY-DEMAND TELEOST, THE YELLOWFIN TUNA THUNNUS ALBACARES

The high cardiac output, arterial blood pressure and cardiac energy demand of tuna make it likely that blood viscosity has an important influence on cardiovascular function. Furthermore, tuna regularly subject themselves to ambient temperature changes of 10°C or more during their daily vertical migrations. They can also maintain muscle temperatures several degrees Celsius above ambient and reach maximum muscle temperatures of approximately 15°C above ambient. The blood of tuna is, therefore, subjected to more frequent and rapid temperature changes than those that occur in other teleosts. Nothing is known, however, about the effects of temperature, shear rate or hematocrit on the viscosity of tuna blood. Viscosity of yellowfin tuna blood (hematocrits of 0­55 %) was measured at 15, 25 and 35°C and at shear rates of 45, 90, 225 and 450 s-1 using a cone-plate viscometer. As found for the blood of other vertebrates, viscosity increased with increasing hematocrit. Viscosity also increased nonlinearly with decreasing shear rate, until a shear rate of 90 s-1 was reached. There was no significant increase in viscosity when shear rate was decreased further, to 45 s-1. Because of the relatively flat hematocrit­viscosity curves, predicted optimal hematocrit curves were nearly flat above a hematocrit of approximately 30 %.

Journal Article↗

STUDIES OF TROPICAL TUNA SWIMMING PERFORMANCE IN A LARGE WATER TUNNEL - THERMOREGULATION

The body temperatures (Tb) of nine yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) were monitored while fish swam in a large water tunnel at controlled velocities (U) and ambient temperatures (Ta). Monitoring Tb during step changes in Ta at constant U permitted estimation of the thermal rate coefficient (k), an index of heat transfer. In the yellowfin, k is dependent on both Ta and the direction of the thermal gradient (i.e. whether Ta is greater or less than Tb). Modulation of k in response to Ta was further demonstrated during tests in which U was varied; the elevation of Tb in response to equal increases in U was 3&shy;4 times less at 30 C than at 25 and 20 C. These experiments demonstrate that the yellowfin tuna can modulate heat transfer. This ability could prevent overheating during intense activity, retard heat loss during a descent into cool water and permit increased heat gain upon returning to warm surface waters (i.e. when Tb<Ta).

Journal Article↗

A generic approach to the management of time-related signals and images in medicine.

A framework concept for design and implementation of medical workstations is described by (a) its underlying principles, (b) the handlers provided by the concept, (c) the available data structures and (d) the graphical user interface (GUI). The design principle takes care of a modular approach both for the framework and for the applications. The GUI provides a coherent look and feel for applications based on toolkits for displaying data objects and application control. The data handler allows management of n-dimensional data matrices in a multi-vendor environment, whereas the parameter handler takes care of the data object description. An implementation of a medical workstation exploiting the framework concept is presented.

Computer Graphics↗