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Biomedical subjects

A Palou

Publications and source records attributed to A Palou.

157 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Serine dehydratase activity in the liver and extrahepatic organs of fed and 24-hour fasted rats.

The serine dehydratase activity in crude homogenates of rat liver, intestine, adipose tissue, kidney, brain, leg striated muscle, skin and stomach, both in fed and 24-hour fasted rats have been estimated. The liver enzyme activity increased twofold with fasting, while it did not affect the serine dehydratase activity in any other organ studied. The highest serine dehydratase activity is found in the liver, with only fractional activity in all other tissues studied.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Effect of chronic feeding of Remington's diet and fasting on rat plasma composition.

Rats fed on Remington's low iodine diet (supplemented with iodine) and on rat chow were compared as to their plasma composition. There are significant differences in plasma glycerol, aceto-acetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate and in several amino acid concentrations, mainly lysine and tryptophan. 24 hours of fasting lowered the differences between the groups, but some aspects remained unchanged, i.e. the low lysine and tryptophan concentrations in Remington diet fed rats. The use of the Remington diet therefore, provoked a functional lack of these amino acids, even when their concentration in the diet was higher.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1978

Different expressions for enzyme activities in organs of rat. Application to aspartate transaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase and AMP-deaminase.

The widely used activity expressions for enzyme levels in tissues are discussed: microkatals per unit of tissue weight, protein weight, and DNA weight. The expression of microkatals present in a definite organ in reference to a standard animal weight, 100 g in the case of rat, is also used. The different expressions are applied to aspartate transaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase and AMP deaminase activities in liver, hind leg striated muscle and kidneys in rat. The conclusion is reached that measurements of enzyme activity in tissues should be expressed in more than one form, as the information drawn from one could differ substantially from that obtained from other, giving artifactual views of the metabolic role played by the enzyme in a given tissue.

Adenosine Deaminase↗
PubMed1977

Plasma amino acid concentrations in pregnant rats and in 21-day foetuses.

Plasma amino acid concentrations were determined in virgin female rats, in pregnant rats (12 and 21 days after impregnation) and in 21-day foetuses. The total amino acid concentration in plasma decreases significantly with pregnancy, being lower at 12 than at 21 days. Alanine, glutamine+glutamate and other 'gluconeogenic' amino acids decrease dramatically by mid-term, but regain their original concentrations at the end of the pregnancy. With most other amino acids, mainly the essential ones, the trend is towards lower concentrations which are maintained throughout pregnancy. These data agree with known nitrogen-conservation schemes in pregnancy and with the important demands on amino acids provoked by foetal growth. In the 21-day foetuses, concentrations of individual amino acids are considerably higher than in their mothers, with high plasma foetal/maternal concentration ratios, especially for lysine, phenylalanine and hydroxy-proline, suggesting active protein biosynthesis and turnover. All other amino acids also have high concentration ratios, presumably owing to their requirement by the foetuses for growth. Alanine, glutamine+glutamate, asparagine+aspartate, glycine, serine and threonine form a lower proportion of the total amino acids in foetuses than in the virgin controls or pregnant rats, probably owing to their role primarily in energy metabolism in the adults. The results indicate that at this phase of foetal growth, the placental amino acid uptake is considerable and seems to be higher than immediately before birth.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1976

Determination of plasma amino acids in small samples with the use of Dansyl-chloride.

A radiochemical method based on dansylation of plasma samples with Dansyl-chloride and thin alyer chromatography on polyamide sheets is presented for the quantitative individual determination of plasma amino acids in very small blood samples. The results are first corrected with a norvaline internal standard and secondly with specific recovery factors for each amino acid. The results agree slosely with other methods and with already published plasma normal amino acids values in healthy adult rats.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1975

[Hepato-erythrocytic porphyria. A new type of porphyria].

A case of porphyria with symptomatology beginning in early infancy with peculiar biochemical features is described. There were crops of blisters, an extraordinary hypertrichosis and scarring of the exposed skin. The porphyrin examination showed an abnormal excretion pattern of urinary porphyrins with large amounts of 5-COOH carboxyle porphyrins and the protoporphyrin level of the red cells was raised. There was fluorescence of the erythrocytes and erythroblasts. The porphyrin excretion pattern of the stools was similar to those of the PCT. This case is closely similar to another published by the authors in 1969 and to 2 published by Schneider and Simon. The authors consider that could represent a new type of porphyria.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue composition in persistent dietary obesity after early and adulthood overfeeding in the rat.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of prolonged cafeteria-diet feeding on tissue composition in adult rats comparing those that had been overfed in early life and then in adulthood with a group that was only overfed in adulthood, and to determine whether any alterations were related to the high energy diet per se or to obesity. In addition to following the body weight changes in detail, tissue masses and composition were determined at selected points of this long term dietary experiment. The marked changes in body weight and tissue composition of cafeteria-fed obese rats were sustained for at least 84 days after returning to the standard diet, and the obesity was exaggerated if these animals were pre-exposed to the palatable diet in early life. Three patterns of tissue composition in response to cafeteria feeding could be discerned: Liver and brown adipose tissue developed cell hypertrophy without apparent hyperplasia. In contrast, the retroperitoneal white adipose depot developed hyperplasia whereas the intestine and kidneys were not associated with marked changes in lipid composition. These adaptations were not recovered to control levels by prolonged standard diet feeding. Previous obesity influenced the adaptations in adipose tissue during the subsequent return to standard diet feeding, and differences between cafeteria-induced obese animals became more apparent when the cafeteria diet was removed. These results indicated the important effects of early dietary experience in subsequent responses to overfeeding.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Erythrocyte uptake kinetics and cell to plasma gradients of leucine and phenylalanine in fed and fasted rats.

The kinetic parameters of the L-phenylalanine and L-leucine uptake by isolated erythrocytes in fed and 24 hour starved rats have been determined. In addition, the in vivo compartmentation between blood cells and plasma of the above amino acids in arterial and venous blood vessels has also been studied under the above physiological situations. Both the L-phenylalanine and L-leucine uptake by erythrocytes was saturable and non concentrative. Starvation increased the Km value for the leucine uptake and did not significantly affect that of phenylalanine uptake. The in vivo blood cell/plasma (C/P) concentration ratio of both amino acids was higher than the unit. The starvation-induced changes in the relative distribution of these amino acids between the blood cell and the plasma compartments were significant for the phenylalanine in the aortic artery but not in venous blood. The transport system capabilities measured in vitro can not account for the maintenance of both the leucine and phenylalanine gradient between blood cells and plasma, and the starvation-induced changes in the blood amino acids compartmentation are not directly related entirely to the transport system capabilities.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Nutrigenomics and obesity].

Obesity is a multifactorial disorder affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors, in particular nutrients, and their interrelationships. Increasing knowledge of the genes and molecules involved in the development of obesity is paving the way for new methods of obesity control. In this sense, Nutrigenomics--which represents a new approach in nutrition research that joints the application of powerful functional genomics technologies, bioinformatics and molecular biology with more traditional methodologies--may orientate the design and development of new functional foods for obesity, based on the scientific knowledge of the impact of specific nutrients on the mammalian body weight control system and their mechanisms of action.

Adipocytes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Survey on information provided to hospitalized patients at a monographic center].

To assess the information of patients, eight interviewers surveyed simultaneously 103 of the 130 in patients of a monographic (Urology and Nephrology) Hospital. Answers to the 10 questions can be grouped in: a) Physician identification: 72% identified the visiting physician and 61% knew his/her name; b) Information about disease: 94% declared to be informed and thought information was adequate (92%) and understandable (83%); c) Information about procedures or interventions had been given to 82% and not given to 18% of them. 43% had been inquired their opinion about treatment; d) Information to relatives had been given to 97% of patients surveyed, although 16% couldn't recall who gave it. The level of information in our Center is similar to others reported, but two aspects could be improved: 1) identification of all members of the team and 2) increasing patient participation in decision making. The need of the knowledge by the patient of the Hospitals hierarchy should be defined.

Humans↗