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Biomedical subjects

R K Marya

Publications and source records attributed to R K Marya.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of vitamin D repletion on testicular function in vitamin D-deficient rats.

Freshly weaned 30-day-old male Wistar rats were fed a vitamin D-deficient diet adequate in calcium and phosphorus for 3 months. On the 120th day of age three different doses of vitamin D were injected intramuscularly into three groups of rats and maintained for another month with water and a normal diet ad libitum. One group was continued with a vitamin D-deficient diet up to the 150th day. One group of animals was killed by decapitation on the 120th day and testicular functions like sperm count in testis and epididymis, testicular glutamyl transpeptidase activity and Leydig cell count as well as body weight were noted. On the 150th day animals of all groups were killed and testicular function was studied. Body weight and testicular function decreased significantly on the 120th and 150th day of age in vitamin D-deficient rats as compared to age-matched normal control rats. Injection of lower doses of vitamin D on the 120th day of age improved testicular function after 1 month whereas administration of a high dose of vitamin D caused a deterioration of the testicular function. The result suggests that retardation of spermatogenesis due to disturbances in Sertoli and Leydig cell function in vitamin D deficiency is reversible and can be corrected by supplementing an optimal dose of vitamin D.

Aging

Transfer lung factor for Co (TLCO) and its components (DM & VC) in flour mill workers.

Tlco, Kco (Tlco/Va), Va, Vc and Dm were measured in 25 flour mill workers (non-smoker 9, smoker 16) and 50 healthy control subjects (25 non-smoker, 25 smoker) of similar anthropometric parameters and socio-economic status. Tlco (P < 0.05) was decreased significantly and rest of the parameters were decreased insignificantly in flour mill workers as compared to control subjects. In non-smoker flour mill workers none of the parameters altered significantly as compared to non-smoker control subjects. Statistically significant reduction was seen in smoker workers only in Tlco (P < 0.05) and its component Dm (P < 0.05) as compared to smoker control subjects. Further it has been observed that less duration of flour dust exposure (< 5 years) in all flour mill workers and smoker flour mill workers caused negligible fall in Tlco, whereas longer duration of flour dust exposure (> 5 years) in both the groups caused highly significant fall in Tlco (P < 0.01) which was contributed to by highly significant fall in Dm (P < 0.001).

Carbon Monoxide

Effect of vitamin D deficiency on testicular function in the rat.

To study the effect of vitamin D deficiency on testicular function, 30-day-old male rats were put on a vitamin-D-deficient diet. At 120 days of age, the testicular function of these animals was compared with that of rats of the same age group fed, ad libitum, a diet containing vitamin D and rats fed on a restricted amount of diet with vitamin D. In vitamin-D-deficient rats, there was a significant reduction in the total body weight, testicular and epididymal sperm count and testicular glutamyl transpeptidase activity (an index of Sertoli cell function) as compared to control group rats, but there was no difference in the testicular lactate dehydrogenase activity (an index of germ cell function). Histological examination of the testis in vitamin-D-deficient rats revealed a significant reduction in the Leydig cell count along with degenerative changes in the germinal epithelium. Histological examination of the tibia revealed excess of osteoid in vitamin-D-deficient rats only. On the other hand, in undernourished rats given a normal amount of vitamin D, the only significant change was a reduction in total body weight. These results suggest that vitamin D deficiency retards spermatogenesis by interfering with the function of Sertoli and Leydig cells.

Animals

Vasopressin antagonist disrupts the circadian rhythm of water intake on suprachiasmatic injection.

The present study makes an attempt to find out the action of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its antagonist d-(CH2)5 Tyr (Me) AVP applied at the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) on the circadian rhythm of water intake. Chronic implantation of a 22 G stainless steel cannula for injection was performed using a stereotaxic technique under Nembutal anesthesia. AVP and its antagonist were injected into the SCN of free-moving rats at the beginning of light and dark phases of the light-dark (LD) cycle. Injections of AVP during either phase did not disrupt the circadian pattern of water intake while the injections of the antagonist disrupted it. The findings are suggestive of the involvement of AVP as a mediator of the circadian rhythm of water intake at the level of the neural pacemaker, SCN.

Animals

Effect of graded doses of naloxone on renal function in canine hemorrhagic shock.

All the parameters of renal function (inulin clearance, para amino hippuric acid clearance and urine flow) which were depressed during experimentally induced hemorrhagic shock in dogs improved significantly in addition to improvement in mean arterial pressure (MAP) after bolus administration (iv) of 1 or 2 mg/kg naloxone. A smaller dose (0.5 mg/kg) of naloxone, however, did not improve the renal function. Even renal arterial injection of the same dose of naloxone showed no improvement in the renal function. In both these cases the improvement in the MAP was significantly less as compared to other groups of animals which received 1 or 2 mg/kg naloxone. It may be concluded that (a) naloxone at doses of 1 or 2 mg/kg improved the renal function by improving MAP and (b) naloxone has no direct action on renal vasculature.

Animals

Effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on the neonatal skeletal growth in the rat.

In rats on normal intakes of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3, 3,000 and 7,500 IU of vitamin D3 were injected on the 10th day of pregnancy and the pups were investigated for the skeletal growth on 28th day of age. Compared to controls, the pups in the supplemented groups showed significantly greater dry weight and ash weight of the tibiae. However, the ash weight/dry bone weight ratios in the supplemented groups were not different from controls. Histological examination of the upper ends of decalcified tibiae and plasma calcium estimations revealed no abnormality in any group. The results suggest that vitamin D3 supplementation in pregnancy enhances the skeletal growth of the pups which involves both the organic and inorganic components.

Animals

Effect of vitamin D supplementation in lactating rats on the neonatal growth.

In lactating rats consuming a commercial diet adequate in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D, the effect of supplementation of 3000 IU and 7,500 IU of vitamin D3 on the lactational performance of the dams and soft tissue and skeletal growth in the pups has been investigated. On 28th day of age, the pups in the supplemented groups were significantly heavier than in the control group. Study of the indices of cellular growth in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle revealed that the increase in the soft tissue weight was due to a significant increase in protein, RNA and DNA contents (cellular hyperplasia) without any change in protein/DNA ratio (cell size). In the tibia, compared to controls, the dry bone weight and ash weight were more in the supplemented groups, but ash weight/dry bone weight ratio was not altered. The improvement in the neonatal growth was most probably due to the greater milk yield observed in the dams in supplemented groups and not due to any anabolic effect in the pups since direct administration of 500 IU or 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 in 10 day old pups did not increase their body weight.

Animals

H-reflex latency and sensory conduction in the assessment of neuropathy in patients of chronic obstructive lung disease.

H-reflex latency, proximal conduction velocity and distal proprioceptive conduction velocity were studied along with distal motor and sensory conduction in 38 patients of chronic obstructive lung disease grouped according to age and duration of the disease, as well as in 35 age-matched smoker controls and 14 non-smoker controls. The mean values of all the parameters studied in all the patient groups were significantly different from those of the non-smoker control group. Smoker controls also showed significant abnormality in all the parameters except motor conduction velocity. Among the patients, significant abnormality (mean +/- greater than 2 SD) was seen in 44.7% in motor conduction, 86.8% in sural nerve distal latency, 97% in Ia conduction velocity, 78.9% in H-reflex latency and 60.5% in proximal conduction velocity, as compared to the non-smoker control values. Among the old patients with more than 10 years of the disease, 62.5% had all the parameters significantly abnormal. More than one parameter was affected in 97.4% of the patients. The intra-group and inter-group differences in all the parameters studied, except motor conduction velocity, were statistically significant indicating that age, chronicity of the disease and smoking can produce nerve conduction defects independently and collectively. It is suggested that though all parameters studied are highly sensitive to neuropathies, proximal H-latency studies are best suited for grading conduction defects in patients of chronic obstructive lung disease, since in many patients sural nerve action potential (52.63%) and distal H-reflex response for Ia conduction studies (81.52%) could not be elicited.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Effect of cold challenge on alveolar capillary blood volume in normal individuals.

The effect of immersion of both the hands and the feet in water at 10 degrees C on lung transfer factor for carbon monoxide (Tlco) and on pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) was investigated in 20 normal young adult males immediately, 60 min and 120 min after the end of the cold challenge. Vc was significantly reduced immediately and the reduction was aggravated at 60 min. Tlco was significantly reduced only at 60 min. All the values returned to baseline at 120 min. It is concluded that the cold-induced changes in Tlco and Vc are physiological responses and not unique to patients with Raynaud's phenomenon as suggested by some workers.

Adult

Comparison of effects of naloxone and catecholamines on acid-base balance in canine hemorrhagic shock.

The present study was conducted to compare the effect of naloxone, an opiate receptor antagonist, with catecholamines on acid-base status and survival in dogs subjected to hemorrhagic shock. Arterial lactic acid concentration which had increased during hemorrhage, decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) in naloxone treated animals but increased further in catecholamine treated dogs. Blood bicarbonate concentration and PCO2 which had markedly decreased 1 hr after hemorrhage recovered significantly (P less than 0.05) in naloxone group of animals. On the other hand bicarbonate and pH declined further in noradrenaline group and remained unchanged in dopamine group. These results as well as better survival rate observed in naloxone treated animals suggest the superiority of naloxone over dopamine and noradrenaline, as an adjunct to blood transfusion in the treatment of hemorrhagic shock.

Acid-Base Equilibrium

Effect of ganglionic stimulating and blocking agents on the fast components of colonic myoelectrical activity in the rat.

The presence of two types of fast myoelectrical activities, medium fast activity and fast activity, has been demonstrated previously in the electromyogram of colon in normal children and in the rat by the authors. An absence of medium fast activity in Hirschsprung's disease and in experimental aganglionosis of colon in the rat has also been described. In the present study the fast components of colonic myoelectrical activity were analysed during the procedures affecting ganglionic transmission. It was observed that ganglionic stimulants, such as balloon inflation, and intra-arterial injections of acetylcholine and small amounts of nicotine, increased the spike activity and the frequency of medium fast activity without affecting fast activity. The intra-arterial injections of ganglionic blocking agents, such as nicotine in large amounts and pentolinium tartrate, completely abolished the medium fast activity. These observations suggest that the ganglionic activity is responsible for the genesis of medium fast activity and that the absence of cholinergic ganglionic transmission is the most important single factor for the reported altered electromyogram pattern in aganglionosis.

Acetylcholine

Effect of vitamin D administration during pregnancy on neonatal growth in the rat.

Groups of rats on commercial diet were injected 3,000 IU (group 2) and 7,500 IU (group 3) of vitamin D3 on the 10th day of pregnancy. Compared to control pups (group 1), the pups in group 2 and 3 weighed significantly more on the 10th, 20th and 28th day of age. At 28th day of age, study of the gastrocnemius muscle revealed significantly greater organ weight, protein, DNA and RNA contents, protein/DNA and RNA/DNA ratios in group 2 and 3 pups than in controls. In the liver, whereas all these indices were significantly increased in group 3 pups, only protein/DNA and RNA/DNA ratios were significantly increased in group 2 pups. Brain weight, its RNA content and RNA/DNA ratio were significantly greater in group 2 and 3 pups than in controls. The results suggest that vitamin D administration in pregnancy promotes soft tissue growth in the pups by enhancing cellular proliferation and hypertrophy.

Animals

Long latency cutaneous reflex effect on H-reflex recovery in hemiplegics and paraplegics: a longitudinal study for the assessment of motor function.

H-reflex recovery by twin pulses was recorded serially in 10 paraplegics for 5 months and in 23 hemiplegics for 2 months after the lesion. Fifty-one normal subjects acted as controls. The effect of cutaneous tactile stimulation was also studied simultaneously by applying electrical stimuli synchronized with twin pulses to the skin over the lateral border of small toe. In paraplegics, the H-reflex recovery curves recorded serially showed a highly depressed pattern during the first two weeks, an almost normal pattern during the second and third months and a significantly elevated pattern during the fourth and fifth months. Whereas cutaneous stimulation in control subjects produced a highly significant late inhibition of H-reflex recovery between 600 ms and 600 ms, in paraplegics it failed to produce any significant effect, except in two, who besides having a normal H-reflex recovery curve even during the first week, showed a substantial amount of cutaneous inhibition of H-reflex recovery, 4 months after the lesion. A highly depressed pattern of H-reflex recovery was observed on the affected side of the majority of hemiplegics during the first week after the lesion, many of them showing similar pattern on the "unaffected side" also. The serial study showed very good improvement in all hemiplegics both in terms of H-reflex recovery pattern and the amount of cutaneous inhibition. The observations in present study suggest preservation and/or restoration of supraspinal influences in many hemiplegics and in at least two paraplegics. The study also shows that a serial recording of H-reflex recovery curve and the amount of cutaneous reflex effect on it, is a very sensitive method of assessing the supraspinal influences on the spinal motoneurones and so can be of immense help in the diagnosis and prognosis in hemiplegics and paraplegics.

Female

Lithium chloride SCN injection alters the circadian rhythm of food intake.

Effect of lithium injections through chronically implanted cannulae into the bilateral suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) on the circadian rhythm of food intake was investigated in the rat. It was observed that the circadian rhythm was disrupted by injections of lithium at the beginning of the light as well as the dark phase of the LD cycle. In either case the percentage of the food consumed during the 12-hr light period increased while that during the dark period decreased without any significant change in the total daily intake. Disruptions in the circadian rhythm of food intake failed to show any dose-response relation. Injections of saline into the SCN or lithium into the nearby SCN area did not produce a disruption of the circadian rhythm of food intake.

Animals