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Biomedical subjects

S Morton

Publications and source records attributed to S Morton.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Alpidem and lorazepam in the treatment of patients with anxiety disorders: comparison of physiological and psychological effects.

The physiologcal and psychological effects of the novel imidazo-pyridine alpidem were compared with those of the benzodiazepine lorazepam in the context of a clinical trial. Twenty-three psychiatric out-patients with generalised anxiety disorder received alpidem (mean dose 112.5 mg daily) or lorazepam (mean 3.5 mg daily) in doses adjusted to clinical need under double-blind conditions. A battery of tests was performed before and after four weeks treatment. Anxiety scores improved very significantly in both groups with no subjective sedation nor other particular side-effects noted in either group. However, lorazepam reduced the EEG averaged evoked response and produced significant impairment in the reaction time and memory tests whereas alpidem had no such effects. Alpidem therefore shows promise as an effective anxiolytic devoid of the adverse psychomotor and cognitive effects often associated with the benzodiazepines.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Benzodiazepine problems.

Benzodiazepines present problems related to both unwanted and withdrawal effects. Dosage adjustments usually obviate unwanted effects except for paradoxical reactions such as hostility. Patients with apparent benzodiazepine dependence need careful assessment with respect to personality, social situation and psychiatric disorder. The patient must be motivated and carefully prepared for withdrawal and taught anxiety management techniques. Withdrawal must always be gradual over at least 6 weeks but very prolonged schedules are counter-productive. Substituting a long-acting for a medium-acting benzodiazepine may be helpful in the more intractable cases. An antidepressant may be needed if a depressive disorder supervenes, but other adjunctive therapies are usually unhelpful.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1990

Studies with alpidem in normal volunteers and anxious patients.

Alpidem, an imidazo-pyridine compound, has been evaluated as an anxiolytic in comparison with placebo and lorazepam. In the first of our normal volunteer studies, we compared single doses of alpidem, 25, 50 and 100 mg with lorazepam 2 mg and placebo on a range of cognitive, psychomotor and EEG variables. Lorazepam and the highest (100 mg) dose of alpidem impaired performance on a range of psychomotor tasks, the effects of the benzodiazepine being more severe and more prolonged. No impairment of performance was observed with the 25 and 50 mg doses. In the second study, the focus was on memory functions. Lorazepam, 2 mg, caused anterograde amnesia which was most apparent 1 h post-drug but persisted until 4 h: sedation was marked. By contrast, single doses (25, 50 mg) of alpidem had little effect on either memory or alertness. The third study compared the effects of alpidem (25, 50 mg) and lorazepam (1 mg) with placebo, each given twice-daily for 8 days to normal volunteers. On the final day, a test dose of ethanol was given. Lorazepam impaired many tests of cognitive and psychomotor function, and this impairment was enhanced by ethanol. By contrast, alpidem produced less impairment with less interaction with alcohol. In a fourth, clinical, study, 24 patients with a DSM III primary diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder were treated, under double blind conditions, with doses adjusted according to clinical need of either alpidem 25-150 mg daily or lorazepam 1-6 mg daily.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1988

Sequential intrahepatic metabolic effects of enteric galactose alimentation in newborn rats.

We determined metabolic responses after enteric galactose alimentation in 5- to 7-day-old newborn rats fasted for 24 h. The glycemic response was attenuated after enteric galactose feeding compared with the response after enteric glucose-fed rat pups. 14C radioactivity in blood from galactose-fed pups was reduced as counts in blood galactose were lower than counts in blood glucose in glucose-fed pups. Nonetheless within 15 min, [14C] from galactose appeared in blood glucose suggesting rapid conversion of galactose to glucose. The plasma insulin response was also attenuated after galactose feeding compared with the insulin response after enteric glucose. Hepatic glycogen content increased rapidly after enteric galactose feeding and was higher than after glucose feeding at 60, 120, and 180 min. Significant glycogen synthesis after oral glucose was delayed and occurred at 240 min. Carbon radioactivity in glycogen was higher in galactose fed pups between 15 and 360 min of the study. Serial determination of hepatic metabolites revealed an increase of galactose-1-phosphate levels after oral galactose at 240 and 300 min and a transient decline of ATP at 15 min. Other hepatic metabolites did not demonstrate significant differences between the two groups. These data suggest that hepatic glycogen synthesis is more rapid and occurs sooner after galactose than after glucose alimentation in previously fasted newborn rats. Galactose may enter a more direct pathway for neonatal hepatic glycogen synthesis. The relatively delayed entry of glucose label into hepatic glycogen and the delay of net glycogen synthesis after oral glucose suggest that glucose entry is not direct and may require further metabolism before incorporation into glycogen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The current physical therapy regimens of 108 consecutive patients attending a regional cystic fibrosis unit.

Comprehensive assessment of patients attending the Regional Cystic Fibrosis Unit includes a detailed evaluation of their physical therapy habits and management. The following were analysed during the assessment by the physiotherapist: the frequency of patient contact with a physiotherapist, the techniques used for chest clearance, the exercise habits, the postural drainage equipment used, if any, and the frequency of respiratory cultures. The results were divided into three groups: group 1, 72 patients (66%), were first-referral patients (FR) to our cystic fibrosis unit; group 2, 26 (24%), received all their care at our unit (CFU); group 3, 10 (9%), were attending a local hospital but had had a previous assessment at our unit (PA). For all factors examined the CFU and PA patients had a more effective management than the FR patients cared for by local hospitals, with the conclusion drawn that regular contact with a physiotherapist at a cystic fibrosis unit improves the understanding, compliance, and effectiveness of the patient's treatment programme.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMed1987

The metabolic response of the canine neonate to twenty-four hours of fasting.

The metabolic effects of 24 hours of neonatal fasting in unanesthetized dogs were compared to fasting for three hours during the first day of life. Blood glucose, lactate, and ketones were unaltered while FFA (0.94 +/- 0.07 v 0.70 +/- 0.04 mmol/L, P less than .01), glycerol (0.21 +/- 0.01 v 0.12 +/- 0.01 mmol/L, P less than .01), and triglycerides (0.41 +/- 0.03 v 0.23 +/- 0.03 mmol/L, P less than .01) were lower at 24 hours. Glucose production and lactate and alanine turnover were unaffected while palmitate turnover declined (8.8 +/- 0.7 v 5.1 +/- 0.5 mumol/kg/min, P less than .01). Oxygen consumption decreased (6.9 +/- 0.4 v 6.0 +/- 0.3 mL/kg/min, P less than .02) while RQ increased (0.79 +/- 0.02 v 0.86 +/- 0.03, P less than 0.05) at 24 hours. Hepatic glycogen content declined (575 +/- 37 to 266 +/- 32 mumol/g, P less than .001) and could account for a GP of 12 mumol/kg/min between 3 and 24 hours of age. Both gluconeogenesis from lactate and alanine increased, together accounting for 7% and 21% of glucose production at 3 and 24 hours. The increment in gluconeogenesis may be facilitated by augmented hepatic cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase at 24 hours (1.8 +/- 0.2 v 14.1 +/- 0.8 nmol/min mg protein, P less than .01). Despite the decline in VO2, hepatic ATP and energy charge were unaltered by 24 hours of fasting. These data suggest that FFA availability diminishes during a prolonged neonatal canine fast resulting in lower VO2. Furthermore, as FFA availability declines, glucose utilization becomes the predominant precursor for energy production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Galactose assimilation in pups of diabetic canine mothers.

The effects of enteric galactose alimentation on neonatal glucose turnover and hepatic glycogen synthesis were investigated in a newborn animal model of diabetic pregnancy. Control pups and pups of diabetic dogs were studied in the basal state and after each group of pups was randomly fed equivalent amounts of galactose or glucose by oral-gastric tubes. Basal fasting blood glucose levels were not statistically different between the groups, whereas basal plasma insulin levels were 2-3 times higher in pups born to diabetic mothers. Blood glucose levels at each time point in response to glucose or galactose feeding in pups of diabetic mothers were not statistically different; however, the rise of plasma insulin concentrations was attenuated in pups of diabetic mothers fed galactose. The increase in the systemic rate of appearance of glucose and in glucose clearance were attenuated in pups of diabetic mothers fed galactose compared with those fed glucose. Hepatic glycogen content was augmented above basal levels in pups of diabetic mothers. Although glycogen synthase activity was not different between glucose- or galactose-fed pups of diabetic mothers, the active component of glycogen phosphorylase was reduced by both glucose and galactose feedings. Galactose alimentation had a greater effect on glycogen phosphorylase than did glucose alimentation. The observed increase in glycogen synthesis and reduced systemic glucose appearance after galactose alimentation could not be accounted for by the previously proposed excess of galactokinase over glucokinase activities when the latter enzyme was assayed at saturation. Indeed, neonatal hepatic glucokinase activity appeared to be induced during diabetic pregnancy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗
PubMed1987

Measurement of food intake in children with diabetes mellitus: a comparison of protein intake and urine nitrogen.

A comparison of estimates of protein intake and urine nitrogen excretion may reveal something of the strengths and weaknesses of the dietary survey method used. To this end we have compared the protein intake calculated from a 3-day diary with 24 hr urinary nitrogen excretion in 124 children with diabetes mellitus. A positive correlation was found between these measures although this became non-significant when the boys and girls were considered separately and height, weight and age were taken into account. We conclude that the estimates of mean protein intake of the whole group was satisfactory but that of some individuals may have been poor.

Body Height↗
PubMed1986

Outbreak of legionnaires' disease from a cooling water system in a power station.

In September and October 1981 six cases of pneumonia occurred among men working in a power station under construction. Three were identified as cases of legionella pneumonia and two others had serology suggestive of legionella infection. In a sample of 92 men from the site 10 had low levels of antibodies to legionella; a similar sample of men working on an adjacent site showed none with positive serology. In a case control study it was found that cases of pneumonia were more likely than controls to have worked on a part of the site where four small capacity cooling towers were located. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from the water systems of these four towers but was not found in samples from any other cooling towers or hot or cold water outlets on the site. It would appear that there was airborne spread of the organism from these cooling water systems which had not received conventional treatment to inhibit corrosion and organic growth. This is the first outbreak of legionnaires' disease to be recorded in an industrial setting in the United Kingdom. No cases of legionella infection have occurred on the site since the introduction of control measures.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1985

Effects of chronic ethanol feeding on glutathione turnover in the rat.

Glutathione (GSH) is important in protection of cells against electrophilic drug injury and against reactive oxygen species. Both steady-state concentrations and turnover of GSH are important determinants of susceptibility of the hepatocyte to injury. Chronic ethanol administration is known to enhance susceptibility to electrophilic drug injury. We have examined the effects of chronic ethanol feeding on GSH turnover and the hepatic activities of GSH peroxidase and enzymes of the gamma-glutamyl cycle in the rat. Turnover of GSH was measured in individual animals by measuring the decrease in specific activity of GSH in bile over time after i.v. administration of [35S]cysteine. Rats fed ethanol had significantly increased rates of GSH turnover, 0.287 +/- 0.050 hr-1 vs 0.131 +/- 0.041 hr-1 (P less than 0.001), as well as steady-state GSH levels, 6.59 +/- 1.55 vs 4.30 +/- 1.28 mumoles/g liver (P less than 0.01). The activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and GSH-synthesizing enzymes were correspondingly increased significantly. By contrast, GSH peroxidase activity was decreased in ethanol-fed rats, 194 +/- 20.8 vs 311 +/- 89.9 nmoles NADPH oxidized/min/mg protein (P less than 0.001). Biliary output and concentrations of GSH and GSSG were similar in both groups. The increase in turnover of GSH was not due to an increase in oxidation of GSH. There was, however, an association between GSH turnover and the activity of hepatic GGT in ethanol-fed but not in control rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Silica flour exposures in Ontario.

A total of 16 cases of silicosis are reported in Ontario plants where there was exposure to silica flour. Dust counts expressed as mppcf are shown for four of these plants taken over a period of 37 years. A relationship has been obtained experimentally to permit conversion of the counts to respirable mass concentrations. Based on the information obtained, a TLV of 0.05 mg/m3 for silica flour is proposed.

Air Pollutants↗