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Biomedical subjects

R L Brunner

Publications and source records attributed to R L Brunner.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Concomitant psychological and cardiac improvement during successful treatment of anorexia nervosa.

A patient with anorexia nervosa in whom concurrent nutritional, psychological, and cardiovascular assessments were obtained sequentially during successful treatment is presented. At the time of diagnosis, severe multisystem dysfunction was present including depression, low self-esteem, hypotension, bradycardia, exercise intolerance, and abnormalities of systolic and diastolic cardiac function. Treatment resulted in weight gain and increased skinfold thickness and arm circumference. There were concomitant improvements in the psychometric indices of depression and self-esteem as well as decreased anorectic tendencies. During her recovery, working capacity increased and diastolic function improved. However, echocardiographic evidence of impaired systolic function persisted. Despite the apparent treatment success in this patient, this report suggests a potential need for further studies to determine the extent, if any, of long-term cardiac sequelae.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Preliminary support for the oral administration of valine, isoleucine and leucine for phenylketonuria.

Recent behavioral data have demonstrated the importance of maintaining low phenylalanine concentrations beyond early childhood in patients with phenylketonuria, which can be a difficult task, particularly during adolescence. Administration of certain large neutral amino-acids (valine, isoleucine, leucine--VIL) appears to reduce phenylalanine concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid of humans and in the brain of rats. The present study compared neuropsychological test-performance of six patients with phenylketonuria during periods of VIL administration and periods when this supplement was not given. Although individual responses to VIL were variable, there was an over-all improvement of about 1 1/2 SD in neuropsychological test performance during VIL treatment. Abstract reasoning and tactile motor problem-solving increased more than pure motor performance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity of sodium nitrite in rats.

Sodium nitrite (NaNO2) was fed to male and female rats before and during breeding, to females only during gestation and lactation, and to their offspring after weaning (day 21 after birth) through day 90, at levels of 0, 0.0125, 0.025 or 0.05% (w/w) of the diet. Dams in a fifth group (positive controls) were given 4 mg/kg ip of the anti-mitotic/embryotoxic drug 5-azacytidine on day 16 of gestation. All offspring were reared by their natural dams and were evaluated blind with respect to treatment in a battery of standardized behavioural tests between 3 and 90 days of age. NaNO2 produced no significant reductions in parental body weight or food consumption, though it significantly increased offspring mortality and decreased weight gain at the two highest doses during the preweaning period. Functionally, NaNO2 delayed swimming development and decreased open-field activity. The open-field effect was not linearly dose dependent. In rats killed on day 90 after birth, NaNO2 produced no effects on brain or body weights. 5-Azacytidine produced evidence of substantially greater developmental toxicity than did NaNO2. NaNO2 produced a moderate degree of developmental toxicity, but no evidence was found to suggest that the central nervous system was the target organ for the toxic effects. The inclusion of tests of functional development added useful confirmatory evidence to the overall picture of NaNO2 toxicity.

Aging↗
PubMed1984

Developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity of potassium iodide in rats: a case for the inclusion of behaviour in toxicological assessment.

Potassium iodide (KI) was fed to male and female rats before and during breeding, to females only during gestation and lactation, and to their offspring after weaning (day 21 after birth) through to day 90, at levels of 0, 0.025, 0.05 or 0.1% (w/w) of the diet. Dams in a fifth group (positive controls) were given 4 mg/kg ip of the anti-mitotic/cytotoxic drug 5-azacytidine on day 17 of gestation. All offspring were reared by their natural dams and were evaluated blind with respect to treatment in a battery of standardized behavioural tests between 3 and 90 days of age. KI produced no significant reductions in parental body weight or food consumption, though it significantly reduced litter size and increased offspring mortality at the highest dose, and decreased weight gain at the two highest doses throughout the first 90 days after birth. Functionally, KI delayed auditory startle at the two highest doses, delayed olfactory orientation to the home-cage scent at the middle dose and decreased female running-wheel activity at all dose levels. In rats killed on day 90 after birth KI reduced brain and body weight at a dose of 0.1% of the diet, and reduced body but not brain weight at a dose of 0.05% of the diet. No significant effect was found on absolute or relative thyroid weight at 90 days of age. Several additional behavioural effects were observed in the low-dose KI group, but because these effects were not dose-dependent, they were not regarded as reliable. 5-Azacytidine produced evidence of substantially greater developmental toxicity than KI. It was concluded that KI produced evidence of developmental toxicity consistent with a picture of impaired thyroid function. The inclusion of tests of functional development added useful evidence to the overall picture of KI developmental toxicity.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1983

Behavioral and reproductive effects of chronic developmental exposure to brominated vegetable oil in rats.

Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% of the food additive brominated vegetable (soybean) oil (BVO) for 2 weeks prior to mating. After conception, the diets were continued throughout gestation and lactation for the females. The same diets were also provided to the dams' offspring throughout their development (up to 90-120 days of age). BVO at 2.0% of the diet completely blocked reproduction. BVO at 1.0% of the diet severely impaired conception, reduced maternal body weight, and produced slightly reduced litter sizes but no evidence of malformations. At this dose postnatal mortality was high, and survivors showed impaired growth and severe behavioral impairments on a battery of standardized tests of functional development. After weaning, adequate data could not be obtained because of the high mortality rate in this group. BVO at 0.5% of the diet produced less reproductive interference and much less offspring mortality or impairment of growth, but produced behavioral impairments almost as severe as seen in the BVO 1.0% group. In addition, this group exhibited severely reduced postweaning activity, delayed vaginal patency development, and reduced day-90 weight. BVO at 0.25% of the diet produced reproductive deficits similar to the BVO 0.5% group, but less severe effects on growth and behavioral development. This group showed no significant increase in offspring mortality. The data demonstrate clear evidence of dose-related physical and behavioral developmental toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

A developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity evaluation of FD and C red dye #3 (erythrosine) in rats.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate FD and C Red Dye #3 for its developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing the dye for 2 weeks and were then bred. The diets were continued for the females throughout gestation and lactation and were provided continuously to their offspring thereafter. The treatment groups for Experiment 1 were Red Dye #3 as 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% of the diet (w/w), and a positive control group treated with the toxin hydroxyurea on days 2-10 of life (50 mg/kg/day, s.c.); Experiment 2 was a replication of Experiment 1 with the same dose groups, but without the positive control group. Parental animals were evaluated for weight and food consumption, and females for reproductive success. The offspring were assessed on a series of tests using the Cincinnati Psychoteratogenicity Screening Test Battery, plus weight, food consumption, physical landmarks of development, and brain weight. Red-3 produced no reductions in parental or offspring weight or food consumption. Red-3 significantly increased preweaning offspring mortality in the first experiment, but not in the second. Behaviorally, Red-3 produced no dose-dependent effects that replicated across the two experiments. It was concluded that no evidence was obtained that dietary exposure to FD and C Red Dye #3 (erythrosine) is psychotoxic to developing rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

A systematic approach to reducing the risk of industrially related cancer.

One specific concern that has received public attention in recent times is the possible risk of cancer from exposure to industrial chemicals. Although it is not known presently how much cancer is caused by exposure to chemicals from industry, and although the amount is believed by many to be low, responsible corporate actions to reduce the threat of industrially related cancer must be a part of daily business. Even though the personal and emotional impacts of cancer pose a great difficulty in dealing with its risk, if we take a realistic view, it is possible to place the risk into a more manageable perspective and thereby not impede our efforts toward abating it. To that end, we have developed a four stage process for making decisions about cancer risk and actions to reduce it, together with a system for classifying risks as "high," or "low," or "insignificant." The four stages are: hazard identification, hazard evaluation, risk evaluation and risk response. A proper understanding and use of this systematic process by legislative and regulatory bodies could lead to more rational decisions about how to best allocate society's finite resources so as to reduce cancer risks as soon as possible for the largest number of people. Use of this process will also accelerate the handling of the most significant risks first and, until our complex societal mechanisms move to determine what is acceptable risk, it will give us in industry a means for setting priorities and moving in a clearly desirable direction.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity of FD and C red dye No. 40 (allura red AC) in rats.

Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing FD and C red dye No. 40 for 2 weeks and were then bred. The diets were continued for the females throughout gestation and lactation and were provided continuously to their offspring thereafter. The treatment groups were: FD and C red dye No. 40 as 0.0, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0% of the diet, and a positive control group treated with the toxin hydroxyurea on days 2-10 of life with 50 mg/kg/day given s.c. as a positive control group. Parental animals were evaluated for weight and food consumption, and females for reproductive success. The offspring were assessed on a series of tests using the Cincinnati Psychoteratogenicity Screening Test Battery. Additional measures were weight, food consumption, physical landmarks of development, and brain weight. Red-40 significantly reduced reproductive success, parental and offspring weight, brain weight, survival, and female vaginal patency development. Behaviorally, R40 produced substantially decreased running wheel activity, and slightly increased postweaning open-field rearing activity. Overall, R40 produced evidence of both physical and behavioral toxicity in developing rats at doses of up to 10% of the diet.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Early-treated phenylketonuria: neuropsychologic consequences.

Twenty-seven children with phenylketonuria who had undergone dietary restriction of phenylalanine since infancy were administered a battery of neuropsychologic tests in childhood. Children without PKU were also assessed. Discriminant function analysis of the neuropsychologic measures resulted in correct diagnostic classification for 94% of the total sample. Measured intelligence, school achievement, concept formation, and tactile-motor problem solving were the most powerful discriminators. In general, motor speed and coordination were not significantly different in patients compared with nonpatients. Serum phenylalanine concentration on the day of neuropsychologic testing was negatively correlated with performance. Correlation coefficients between infant serum phenylalanine concentrations and later neuropsychologic performance did not reach statistical significance. We suggest that concurrent serum phenylalanine concentrations affect neuropsychologic performance and that therefore the practice of terminating dietary restriction requires further scrutiny.

Achievement↗
PubMed1981

Developmental neurobehavioral toxicity of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in rats.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) was fed to rats throughout development (from prior to conception through 90 days of postnatal age) in doses of 0, 0.125, 0.25 or 0.5 percent (w/w) of the diet. A fifth group was also prepared as a positive control by administering 50 mg/kg/day of the antimitotic agent hydroxyurea on days 2-10 of postnatal age. Offspring from all groups were reared by their natural dams and were evaluated blind with respect to treatment assignment in a battery of standardized behavioral tests between 3 and 90 days of age. BHA at 0.5% of the diet impaired offspring growth during the last week of preweaning development and increased preweaning mortality (13.5%). No changes in maternal weight, reproductive performance or mortality were observed. No reductions in offspring growth after weaning or changes in day 90 brain weights were found. BHA at 0.25 and 0.125% of the diet had no effect on growth, reproduction or mortality; although a marginal increase was seen in the 0.25% BHA offspring mortality up to 30 days of age (8.3%, p = 0.06). BHA at 0.5 and 0.25% of the diet delayed startle development and showed a marginal trend towards increased diurnal running wheel activity; no other behavioral effects were found. Comparison of the present results to a similar study using BHT clearly indicates that BHA at equivalent dietary doses is considerably less toxic than BHT. The present results also suggest that BHA is not a potent behavioral toxin, although it is developmentally toxic using non-behavioral measures.

Aging↗
PubMed1979

Psychotropic drugs as behavioral teratogens.

Three psychotropic drugs were administered to pregnant rats and were then evaluated for their behavioral and reproductive effects in the offspring. Control rats received either saline or vitamin A. Prochlorperazine had the most disruptive effects on reproduction and growth, but had the least effect on behavior. Propoxyphene had no apparent effects on reproduction or growth, but produced a variety of behavioral changes. Fenfluramine was intermediate in its effects on reproduction and growth and had behavioral effects that were revealed in tests of preweaning development. The data suggest that systematic tests of behavior add important information to evaluations of reproductive toxicity that cannot, at present, be obtained by other means.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Neuropsychologic consequences of Reye syndrome.

Behavioral measurement of brain function was conducted in 40 children, one or more years after their recovery of Reye syndrome. Test measures included standard indices of intelligence, school achievement, visual-motor coordination and social maturity, plus the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Batteries. There was a strong correlation between the degree of impaired neuropsychologic function and clinical grade at admission, the duration of impaired consciousness, and the number of exchange transfusions required. Patients with milder disease had normal brain function and fewer school problems. Language and perceptual-motor performance significantly improved with increasing years in recovery, suggesting that some of the disturbances of brain functioning are transient. The statistical analysis indicated that there are lasting, often subtle disturbances of higher cognitive function as a result of Reye syndrome. These deficits, not always apparent on clinical examination, are clearly correlated with the extent of neurologic involvement. This quantitative assessment of neuropsychologic function is a basis for determining the "quality of survival" in Reye syndrome, and such measurements should be included in the comparative evaluation of Reye syndrome treatment programs.

Achievement↗