Delusions of pregnancy in the elderly.
We present five case reports of elderly ladies with delusions of pregnancy. This symptom is discussed with reference to the cases and a review of the literature.
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Biomedical subjects
R F Harland
Publications and source records attributed to R F Harland.
Increased thyroxine clearance in rats treated with high doses of a histamine H2-antagonist, SKF 93479.
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Animals↗
The perchlorate discharge test for examining thyroid function in rats.
A perchlorate discharge test was developed for rats to detect changes in the thyroidal iodide accumulation and organification mechanisms. Rats were pretreated with compounds that alter thyroid function by different mechanisms: SK&F 93479 (an H2-antagonist that enhances pituitary thyroid stimulating hormone drive by increasing thyroid hormone clearance) and propylthiouracil (an inhibitor of iodide organification). Six hours following administration of 125I, either potassium perchlorate (10 mg/kg x 2.5 min) or saline was given i.p. Perchlorate significantly reduced the thyroid: blood 125I ratio in propylthiouracil-treated rats but had no effect in those pretreated with SK&F 93479, indicating an iodide organification block in the former. At the same time thyroidal radioiodide accumulation in SK&F 93479-treated rats (no perchlorate) was enhanced, whereas that in propylthiouracil-treated animals (no perchlorate) was depressed.
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Effects of toxic doses of a novel histamine (H2) antagonist on the rat thyroid gland.
The oral administration of high doses of a histamine H2 antagonist SK&F 93479 (up to 1000 mg/kg/day) to male rats for up to 21 days resulted in alterations in thyroid morphology indicative of increased activity of the thyroid gland. Measurement of thyroidal 125I incorporation substantiated these findings. Treatment with SK&F 93479 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in thyroidal iodide incorporation. This was apparent after a single dose of the compound and was reversible after dosing for 7 days. The increased incorporation of 125I into the thyroid gland was apparently dependent on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) since both hypophysectomy and pretreatment with thyroxine (T4) markedly reduced thyroidal 125I uptake. Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and pituitary TSH concentrations were not altered by SK&F 93479 treatment, and in TRH challenge experiments circulating TSH concentrations showed no change from control levels. These data suggest that hypothalamic-pituitary sensitivity was unaltered by treatment with SK&F 93479. Pharmacological ablation of thyroidal mast-cell function did not alter the thyroid response to 125I accumulation after SK&F 93479 dosing, indicating that the action of the compound is probably not dependent on changes in thyroid mast-cell histamine. Circulating T4 and TSH levels were altered in SK&F 93479-treated rats. Generally, T4 levels were reduced 6 hr after dosing and TSH levels were elevated 24 hr after dosing. Triiodothyronine (T3) levels were unaffected by SK&F 93479 treatment. The effect of SK&F 93479 treatment on T4 clearance was measured by examining the elimination of radioactivity from the circulation of rats previously injected with 125I-labelled T4. One oral dose of 1000 mg SK&F 93479/kg markedly increased T4 clearance. These results suggest that SK&F 93479 affects thyroid activity indirectly by a primary effect on T4 clearance. Reductions in circulating T4 lead to increased TSH levels and subsequent stimulation of thyroid activity.
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Alkaline proteolytic activity from smooth muscle of mouse small intestine.
An alkaline proteolytic activity from the smooth muscle of mouse small intestine has been separated and characterised. The activity sedimented after high-speed centrifugation, but was released into the soluble phase after treatment with 2.0 M KCl. The proteinase was found to be sensitive to salt concentration and the activity was maximal between 0.1-0.5 M NaCl/KCl and pH 9.5. This activity was completely inhibited by di-isopropylphosphoro fluoridate suggesting that it is a serine endopeptidase. The proteinase was identified as chymotrypsin-like due to the inhibition observed with the agents chymostatin, lima bean and soya bean trypsin inhibitor. These characteristics of the alkaline proteinase resemble the properties of the mast cell enzyme, chymase. The enzyme activity was measured in 48/80 treated animals and the mutant strain w/wv, which do not contain mast cells. No significant reduction in the enzyme activity was observed.
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Alkaline proteolytic activity in mouse intestinal muscle.
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Animals↗