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Biomedical subjects

A Khan

Publications and source records attributed to A Khan.

At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources

Effect of thyroid hormones on the activity of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase in fed and fasted rats.

The action of thyroid hormones on hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase was studied in rats. Fed and 24-h fasted rats received T3 (10 micrograms/day) or T4 (25 micrograms/day) 1 h, 1 or 3 days before sacrificing. In addition a group of fed rats was treated with T4 for 7 and 14 days. The glucose-6-phosphatase activity was measured in the isolated microsomes prepared from the liver. The intactness of the microsomal preparation was checked using 2 mM mannose-6-phosphate as a substrate. In fed rats a single injection of T3 or T4 augmented the activities of the translocase and hydrolase components of glucose-6-phosphatase provided that the rats were killed 24 h after the administration of hormone. This effect was more pronounced in animals treated for 3-14 days. As expected, fasting per se increased the activities of both components of the enzyme. Moreover, in fasted rats treatment with T3 and T4 for 3 days further augmented the activities of the translocase and the hydrolase components of glucose-6-phosphatase. In fed animals T3 and T4 increased the latency of the enzyme whereas in fasted animals thyroid hormones increased the activities of the translocase and hydrolase components in parallel, maintaining the level of latency of the enzyme system. Administration of T3 and T4 increased blood glucose level in fasted rats after one day, while in fed rats a significant hyperglycaemia appeared after 7-14 days of treatment. In conclusion, T3 and T4 increase the activities of the translocase and hydrolase components of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase in fed and fasted rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Blood flow in psoriatic skin lesions: the effect of treatment.

Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) was used to assess the effect of treatment upon cutaneous blood flow in psoriatic skin lesions. The resolution of two separate plaques in each of seven subjects was followed. Six of the subjects received the Goeckerman regimen, the seventh was treated with psoralen-ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy. Control LDV readings were taken from uninvolved skin sites during the treatment period. Cutaneous blood flow in the psoriatic lesions of the Goeckerman-treated patients decreased to levels comparable to those in uninvolved skin early in the course of treatment and significantly preceeded the observed clinical resolution from 4 to 8 days after initiation of therapy (P less than 0.05). Visible flare-ups sometimes appeared when patients were untreated (over a weekend, for example) and these eruptions were accompanied by a transient elevation of LDV readings. Perfusion of the lesions of the PUVA-treated patient remained consistently higher than perfusion of uninvolved skin despite clinical healing. In a separate series of experiments, blood flow at the extensor surface of the forearm was measured in the skin of normal subjects, the uninvolved skin of psoriatic patients and the untreated lesional skin of psoriatic patients. While the lesional skin had significantly higher perfusion levels than uninvolved psoriatic or normal control skin (P less than 0.01), there was no significant difference between blood flow to the uninvolved psoriatic skin of psoriatics and that to the skin of healthy controls.

Adult↗

Adjunctive benzodiazepines in acute schizophrenia.

An open clinical trial was conducted on an unlocked ward investigating the use of benzodiazepines as adjunctive therapy with neuroleptics in managing acute exacerbation of chronic schizophrenia. Seventeen patients meeting DSM-III criteria for this disorder were treated. Patient response was monitored with use of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and Beigel Mania Rating Scale. Our results indicate that those patients who received greater than 2 mg lorazepam equivalents daily had greater improvement at 4 days of treatment in comparison to those who received less than 2 mg lorazepam equivalents daily.

Adult↗

Pharmacological management of manic psychosis in an unlocked setting.

There has been a resurgence in the past few years of exploring alternative pharmacological agents in the management of manic psychosis. An open clinical trial was conducted on an unlocked ward investigating the use of benzodiazepines as adjunctive therapy with lithium or carbamazepine, with some of the patients also receiving neuroleptics. Twelve patients meeting DSM-III criteria for bipolar affective disorder, manic type, were treated. Patient response was monitored with use of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Biegel Mania Rating Scale. The patients all had moderately severe illness upon initiation of the trial. Results indicate that those patients who received benzodiazepines alone were among the better responders, and that when used in combination with neuroleptics, the dose of each drug was quite small. Minimal side effects were noted with this regimen. Our preliminary results suggest that benzodiazepines may be useful as adjunctive treatment in the management of patients with bipolar affective disorder, manic type.

Acute Disease↗

Adinazolam--a new antidepressant: findings of a placebo-controlled, double-blind study in outpatients with major depression.

Adinazolam mesylate, a new triazolobenzodiazepine with antidepressant properties, was significantly superior to placebo based on the following efficacy measures: number of subjects who completed the study; number of subjects whose total score on the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) decreased by 50% or more; and number of subjects who reported that the drug helped them. Mean scores on three HAM-D clusters (anxiety/somatization, sleep disturbance, and an endogenomorphic cluster) also showed significant differences in favor of adinazolam. Side effects were generally mild and transient; however, a seizure of moderate intensity occurred during rapid tapering of adinazolam from 90 to 40 mg/day. There were no significant anticholinergic effects, and no mania or hypomania was reported in any subject. No consistently significant differences were observed between subjects whose primary diagnosis was major depression and those with a diagnosis of bipolar II depression.

Adult↗

Utility of radiography and clinical features in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia.

This article reviews the approach to the differential diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia using clinical clues and radiography. Evidence is reviewed that indicates that the etiology of such pneumonias is changing. The basic clinical patterns, including bacterial, nonbacterial, and mixed presentations are discussed, as well as how aspiration, diabetes, and alcoholism affect the differential diagnosis.

Adult↗

Induction therapy in head and neck cancer. A comparison of two regimens.

Seventy-two patients with advanced resectable head and cancer received two courses of induction chemotherapy before definitive therapy. Forty-six patients were treated with platinol, Oncovin (vincristine), and bleomycin. Twenty-six received Platinol (cisplatin), Velban (vinblastine), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Although both regimens had an overall response rate of 80% or more, the bleomycin-containing regimen had a higher complete response rate and better long-term disease control, with greater than 60% probability of remaining disease-free (36 month minimum follow-up). As given in this regimen, the 5-FU regimen was well tolerated but had a higher incidence of stomatitis and a low rate of complete responses. When the two regimens were compared to a historical control, the regimen with Platinol, Oncovin, and bleomycin was significantly better.

Adult↗

A simple two-count method for routine monitoring of 222Rn and 220Rn progeny working levels in U mines.

In the case of U mines containing Th, the total alpha energy will contain contributions from both 222Rn progeny and 220Rn progeny. A simple routine grab sampling monitoring scheme is therefore needed for separate measurement of the working levels of 222Rn and 220Rn progeny. The scheme presented here is based on a short delay period after sampling (2 min) for 222Rn progeny and a long delay period (340 min) before counting 220Rn progeny. An advantage of this scheme is that no corrections need to be made to the 222Rn progeny working level for the presence of 220Rn progeny. Such corrections must be made in the commonly used Kusnetz scheme.

Mathematics↗

Potentiation of cytotoxic effect of lymphotoxin by anti-cancer drugs and elevated temperatures.

The cytotoxic lymphokine, lymphotoxin (LT), has been shown to possess antitumor effect in vitro and in vivo. We examined the effect of the combination of partially purified LT with anti-cancer drugs and elevated temperatures on mouse transformed fibroblast cell line, L-929, and two human carcinoma of the cervix cell lines, HeLa and ME180. The cells were treated for 7 hr with Adriamycin, cisplatin, or bleomycin. These cells were then incubated for 24 hr in the presence of LT. At the end of the incubation period, cytotoxicity was measured by the neutral red dye uptake assay. There was 10- to 47-fold potentiation of cytotoxicity of LT on L-929 cells. The potentiation of cytotoxicity on human carcinoma of cervix cell lines ranged from 3- to 23-fold. L-929 cells and ME180 cells were incubated for 7 hr at 40 or 42 degrees C followed by 24 hr of incubation in the presence of LT. The elevated temperature treatment also enhanced (5- to 9-fold) the cytotoxic effect of LT. DNA, RNA, and protein syntheses of the ME180 cells was measured following incubation at 42 degrees C. It was observed that all three parameters were suppressed by incubation at this temperature. It was, therefore, possible that the repair of LT damaged cells was hampered by the elevated temperature treatment. It is suggested that LT may have a potential as an anti-tumor agent in combination with selected therapeutic drugs and hyperthermia.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Phase equilibria in four lysophosphatidylcholine/water systems. Exceptional behaviour of 1-palmitoyl-glycerophosphocholine.

The phase equilibria in four lysophosphatidylcholine/water systems were investigated at different temperatures. Each of the 1-palmitoyl-, 1-stearoyl-, 1-oleoyl- and 1-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines was dispersed in heavy water at different concentrations. The phase structures were determined by 2H-, 14N- and 31P-NMR, polarization microscopy and low-angle X-ray diffraction. The phase diagrams of the oleoyl and linoleoyl systems were quite similar. At room temperature and with decreasing water content the isotropic micellar solution was followed by a hexagonal phase and then a cubic phase. Finally the lamellar phase appeared before the region of hydrated crystals. The same sequence of phases was observed in the stearoyl system at elevated temperatures. The palmitoyl system differed from the others: here a cubic phase followed after the micellar solution, then came a hexagonal phase and after this a lamellar phase. In general the lysophosphatidylcholines seem to behave similarly to the many soaps and detergents as they show the same sequence of isotropic micellar solution, hexagonal phase, lamellar phase with interspersed cubic phases. The presently established phase diagrams demonstrate that the major lysophosphatidylcholines which may be generated by phospholipase A2 in mammalian cell membranes, viz. 1-palmitoyl- and 1-stearoyl-glycerophosphocholines differ greatly in their packing properties. The extraordinary ability of 1-palmitoyl-glycerophosphocholine to form a cubic phase in equilibrium with a micellar solution is of particular interest with regard to the possible occurrence of cubic structures in biomembranes during the process of fusion.

Lysophosphatidylcholines↗