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Biomedical subjects

A Salem

Publications and source records attributed to A Salem.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Therapeutic ligature of hypogastric arteries: color Doppler follow-up].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the interest of color Doppler sonography in the watching of therapeutic ligature of hypogastric arteries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen female patients presenting a serious haemorrhage in the post-partum and be in managed by bilateral hypogastric ligature, have undergone a systematic protocol of investigation involving a Doppler sonography in the fourth day after intervention and then monthly until repermeabilization of the internal iliac arteries. RESULTS: In all cases, the first exam showed down-side the ligature, a flow inversion with an important pelvic collateral circulation. The next Doppler exams showed repermeabilization of the hypogastric arteries after an average interval of 5 months (extremes: 1 to 6 months). CONCLUSION: Color Doppler showed the resolvent character of therapeutic ligature of the hypogastric arteries and may estimate with sufficient accuracy the interval of repermeabilization.

Adult↗

Role of endogenous adenosine in the expression of opiate withdrawal in rats.

Samples of extracellular fluid from striatum and nucleus accumbens of anaesthetised rats undergoing opiate withdrawal were collected using microdialysis and then analysed for adenosine and its metabolites using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet (UV) detection. Although the amount of adenosine present in the dialysate from either brain region was below the limit of detection by 90 min after probe placement, the metabolites could still be detected. Samples of dialysates collected from the nucleus accumbens contained significantly higher concentrations of hypoxanthine and inosine following naloxone challenge. The data are compatible with the hypothesis that endogenous adenosine might be involved in the expression of the opiate abstinence syndrome.

Adenosine↗

Endoscopic therapy of fascioliasis resistant to oral therapy.

BACKGROUND: We present an endoscopic approach to patients with fascioliasis resistant to oral pharmacotherapy. A staged study was performed in which the effect of flushing the biliary system with a fasciolicidal solution was evaluated. METHODS: In phase I of the study, four agents (povidone iodine, potassium permanganate, chlorhexidine, and sodium bicarbonate) were tested in vitro for their effect on Fasciola worm viability. In phase II, patients resistant to oral pharmacotherapy for fascioliasis were referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and flushing of the biliary system with the solution found to be most effective in phase I. RESULTS: Povidone iodine proved to be the most effective solution against Fasciola worm viability. Nine patients had the biliary system flushed with povidone iodine. The presence of a Fasciola worm was demonstrated in the bile duct of all patients. In one patient an extra worm was found in the gallbladder. All patients were negative for Fasciola ova on repeated follow-up stool examination. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend washing the biliary system of patients with fascioliasis resistant to oral pharmacotherapy with povidone iodine because it is effective against the worms in the bile ducts and gallbladder and usually leaves the patient with an intact papilla.

Administration, Oral↗

A study on seasonal variation in the development of morphine dependence in rats.

The possibility that naloxone-precipitated opiate withdrawal behaviors varied qualitatively over the course of the year was investigated. The experiments were carried out at monthly intervals over a 2-year period using rats treated with a morphine-containing slow-release emulsion. The results obtained from these experiments were equivocal, neither providing support for seasonal variance in the expression of the opiate abstinence syndrome, nor showing a complete lack of time-related differences. Although some behavioral signs of opiate abstinence showed seasonally related alterations in frequency over one of the years, this was not consistent from one year to another. It was therefore concluded that no significant relationship between the severity of the abstinence syndrome and the time of the year in which the experiment carried out could be demonstrated.

Animals↗

Absorption of morphine from a slow-release emulsion used to induce morphine dependence in rats.

This study was performed to measure absorption of morphine from the injection site following treatment of rats with slow-release emulsions formulated with morphine hydrochloride and morphine base. Samples of emulsion were collected from the injection site of halothane anesthetized animals at 24 and 48 h following emulsion treatment and concentrations of morphine remaining in the emulsion were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In another group of morphine-treated rats, at times equivalent to collecting samples of emulsion, the intensity of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal behaviors was monitored. Both morphine base- and hydrochloride-containing emulsions induced a high degree of physical dependence in animals treated over 48 h. Release of morphine from emulsions containing morphine base was slower than that from the hydrochloride formulations. In the 24-h morphine base-treated animals, approximately 45% was absorbed from the injection site as opposed to 99% in the 24-h morphine hydrochloride-treated animals. These results suggest that morphine base containing emulsions provide a more sustained exposure to the opioid.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

Effect of adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists on the expression of opiate withdrawal in rats.

The effects of the selective A1 adenosine receptor agonist N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) and the selective A2a agonist 2-[p-(2-carboxethyl)phenylethyl-ethylamino]-5'-ethylcarboxamidoade nosine (CGS 21680) (each at 0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg, SC) as well as the selective A1 adenosine receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX), non-selective antagonists 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), aminophylline, 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargyl-xanthine (DMPX) and 8(p-sulfophenyl)-theophylline (8-SPT) were investigated (each at 5, 10 and 30 mg/kg, SC) for their ability to alter the naloxone-precipitated opiate withdrawal syndrome in morphine-dependent rats. Effects of CPA and CGS 21680 on opiate withdrawal in the presence of aminophylline were also investigated. Both CPA and CGS 21680, caused a significant reduction in the incidence of body shakes, teeth chatter and paw shakes and decreased the amount of faecal matter produced. DPCPX, IBMX, DMPX, 8-SPT and aminophylline significantly increased the incidence of jumps and decreased the amount of faecal matter produced. The incidence of body shakes was significantly increased by DMPX, 8-SPT and IBMX. Neither CPA nor CGS 21680 were able to reverse the significant increase in the incidence of jumps caused by aminophylline. These data suggest that there is a role for endogenous adenosine in the modulation of the opiate abstinence syndrome and both A1 and A2a adenosine receptors are involved in this phenomenon.

Animals↗

Role of morphine glucuronide metabolites in morphine dependence in the rat.

Concentrations of morphine and its 3- and 6-glucuronide metabolites (M3G and M6G) in plasma, brain, and urine of rats exposed to morphine for either 24 or 48 h were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. In another group of morphine-treated rats, the intensity of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal behaviours was monitored at 24 and 48 h. The behavioural effects of M3G in opiate-naive and opiate-dependent rats were also investigated. Morphine was present in plasma, urine, and brain at 24 and 48 h, whereas M3G was detected in plasma and urine only. M6G was not present in detectable quantities in either plasma, urine, or brain. Although plasma concentrations of M3G were similar in both time groups, rats treated for 48 h had significantly larger quantities of M3G in their urine than did the other treatment groups. The incidence of withdrawal behaviour was significantly higher in animals exposed to morphine for 48 h than in those with only 24 h of exposure, M3G had no behavioural effects in the opiate-naive rats and did not precipitate an opiate-abstinence syndrome in morphine-dependent rats. From these results, it was concluded that although M3G is the major product formed by morphine breakdown in rats, it is unlikely that it is involved in the development of morphine dependence in this species.

Animals↗

Analysis of buprenorphine in rat plasma using a solid-phase extraction technique and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A solid-phase extraction method and sensitive reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis with electrochemical detection of buprenorphine and its metabolite, norbuprenorphine, in rat plasma is described. Adequate separation of the compounds of interest was achieved on a Phenomenex C18 reversed-phase column using a mobile phase comprising phosphate buffer: acetonitrile (75:25, pH 3.0) and 0.25 mM 1-octane-sulfonic acid, at a flow rat of 1 ml/min. Electrochemical detection was performed at a potential of 0.75 V and sensitivity of 2 nA. Buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine were extracted from plasma by solid-phase extraction technique using naltrindole as an internal standard (IS). Recoveries of buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine following the extraction method were high (70%-89%) over the concentration range used (25-100 ng/ml) and no endogenous substances in plasma interfered with any of the sample components. The retention times for norbuprenorphine, IS, and buprenorphine were 8, 12.5, and 30.5 min, respectively. The limits of detection of buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine in spiked plasma samples were 25 and 5 ng/ml, respectively. Using this method, buprenorphine was detected in rat plasma in animals acutely treated with the drug (5 mg/kg, s.c.).

Animals↗

Initial expression of the common alpha-chain in hypophyseal pars tuberalis-specific cells in spontaneous recrudescent hamsters.

When exposed to short-day conditions, hamsters and other long-day breeders undergo gonadal regression. With chronic exposure to short days, however, the animals become photorefractory and gonadal recrudescence occurs. The underlying mechanism for this insensitivity is still unknown. There is growing evidence, however, that specific cells of the pituitary pars tuberalis (PT) mediate these photoperiod/nonphotoperiod-dependent changes as a direct or indirect "Zeitgeber" for the endocrine system. We investigated messenger RNA (mRNA)/protein formation for several hypophyseal hormones (beta-TSH, beta-LH, PRL, common alpha-chain) in the pars distalis (PD) and PT of female Djungarian hamsters in long photoperiod (LP) and after 18, 28, and 38 weeks of short photoperiod (SP). As indicated by gonadal and body weight, the hamsters displayed gonadal regression after 18 and 28 weeks of SP; after 38 weeks of SP, all animals showed recrudescence. At 18 and 28 weeks of SP, only PRL mRNA and protein levels were significantly reduced in the PD and returned to LP values after 38 weeks of SP. The expression of hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase in the arcuate nucleus that was determined by immunocytochemistry and by in situ hybridization was also down-regulated in SP18 and SP28 with increasing levels at SP38. Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were elevated in SP with highest levels in the SP18 group. In the PT, beta-TSH mRNA and protein were not detectable in all SP groups compared with the moderate signal intensity in LP. The common alpha-chain mRNA and protein, however, which were also reduced in the animals of the SP18 group, were already elevated after 28 weeks of SP and nearly reached LP-levels after 38 weeks of SP. These results show that, in contrast to LH and TSH, PRL expression in the PD is a sensitive indicator for photoperiod dependent changes of the endocrine system and seems to be tyrosine hydroxylase independent. The increase of common alpha-chain expression in PT-specific cells depending upon duration of SP that precedes the hormonal changes in the PD leads us to speculate that PT-specific cells initiate spontaneous recrudescence via a PT-PD pathway.

Animals↗

The effect of hyperglycemia on nerve conduction and structure is age dependent.

The nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of nondiabetic male Wistar rats continues to increase until approximately 26 weeks of age. Rats made hyperglycemic at 6 weeks of age manifest reduced NCV by 10 weeks of age and show morphological differences in the sciatic tibial nerve after 5 months of hyperglycemia when compared with age-matched controls. Fiber diameter, myelin width, and the number of large myelinated fibers were decreased in the tibial nerves of the hyperglycemic animals. Rats made hyperglycemic at 26 weeks of age had elevated glycosylated hemoglobin and sciatic nerve sorbitol levels but maintained normal NCVs and had little change in morphology after 7 months of hyperglycemia. Thus, animals with maturing peripheral nerve structure and function exposed to chronic hyperglycemia manifest greater pathological alterations than those that occur when more matured nerves are exposed to similarly elevated glucose concentrations for an even greater duration. We suggest that immature animal models commonly used to study diabetic peripheral neuropathy may not be appropriate for understanding a process that commonly develops in humans who become hyperglycemic after maturation of the peripheral nerves.

Age Factors↗

[Quantification of passive smoking in an survey of smoking coaches in the French high-speed trains (TGV Sud-Est)].

OBJECTIVES: Passive smoking has been demonstrated in many situations. We designed an experimental protocol to measure passive smoking in the coaches of the French high-speed train (TGV) and to attempt to identify interindividual variability in sensitivity. METHODS: Ten healthy non-smokers (5 males, 5 females) volunteered to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke for the duration of the study. On three separate occasion they were subjected to a 5-hour trip in the smoking coaches of the French TGV (south-east line). Twelve-hour urine samples were collected before each trip and over the following 72 hours. Urinary cotinine was measured in each fraction. RESULTS: Significant levels of urinary cotinine were found for a prolonged period in these passive smokers. Elimination of the tobacco by-product was similar to the level observed in subjects smoking 2 to 5 cigarettes per day. The kinetics of cotinine elimination was reproducible from one trip to another for any given individual, however significant interindividual variability was observed despite normal liver function in all. CONCLUSION: Measurement of urinary cotinine is potentially useful in non-smokers who are involuntarily exposed to tobacco smoke and who wish to know the extent of their exposure.

Adult↗

The perfect state of Trichophyton violaceum.

BACKGROUND: Trichophyton violaceum is the most common etiologic agent causing dermatophytosis in Egypt. This report deals with attempts to produce the perfect state of T. violaceum that may play a role in the epidemiology of T. violaceum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten strains of T. violaceum were inoculated on hair soil culture and on rice agar media. RESULTS: Cultures on hair soil media failed to produce the ascogenous form of the fungus, but after 6 weeks of culture on rice agar media, fertile cleistothecium were seen and 2 weeks later separate asci appeared. CONCLUSION: This is the first report on the production of the perfect (sexual) state of T. violaceum. Details of the ascogenous form of this dermatophyte should be studied in the future.

Humans↗

Induction of tumor necrosis factor in severe acute pancreatitis and its subsequent reduction after hepatic passage.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the early, critical mediators of several inflammatory conditions, most notably endotoxic shock. The purposes of this study were to determine whether TNF levels are raised in severe acute pancreatitis, thus pointing to its role as a potential mediator of the inflammatory process, and to determine the possible sites of production and uptake. METHODS: TNF levels were measured during a 2-hour period in a rat model of acute pancreatitis by using an antegrade infusion of artificial bile. TNF levels were measured with a bioassay. RESULTS: TNF levels increased proportionately with time and serum amylase level, reaching a mean value of 2700 pg/ml at 2 hours compared with sham operated rats (mean, 125 pg/ml) (p < 0.001). TNF levels in nonoperated controls were undetectable. These measurements were found to be independent of endotoxin production. In addition, selective sampling from the portal vein, hepatic vein, and femoral artery showed hepatic degradation of TNF (p < 0.005), indicating that the liver may play an important role in protecting the host from multiple organ failure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that TNF levels are elevated in acute pancreatitis and may suggest a role for this cytokine in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Acute Disease↗

Acetyl-L-carnitine corrects electroretinographic deficits in experimental diabetes.

Acetyl-L-carnitine reduces the latencies of electroretinogram oscillatory potentials in healthy humans. The effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (50 mg.kg-1.day-1) on the increased electroretinogram latencies found in rats with STZ-induced hyperglycemia of 3-wk duration was evaluated. The aldose reductase inhibitor sorbinil, which has been shown to normalize abnormal electroretinogram tracings associated with STZ-induced diabetes, was used as a positive control. Aldose reductase inhibitors are thought to lower tissue sorbitol while increasing myo-inositol. The electroretinograms of the STZ-induced diabetic rats in this study were abnormal; treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine as well as sorbinil significantly improved electroretinogram b-wave amplitude and decreased the latencies of oscillatory potentials 2 and 3. Acetyl-L-carnitine treatment of STZ-induced diabetic rats did not affect hyperglycemia or erythrocyte polyol pathway activity as reflected by erythrocyte sorbitol levels. In contrast, sorbinil did reduce elevated erythrocyte sorbitol levels. This suggests that the impaired electroretinograms associated with STZ-induced diabetes may not be caused solely by increased polyol pathway activity.

Acetylcarnitine↗

Studies on human fascioliasis in Egypt. 2. Serum iron and copper in chronic fascioliasis.

Twenty-three patients diagnosed as established fascioliasis were enrolled in the present study. Fasciolia cases were investigated for serum iron, copper and their carrier proteins together with haemoglobin and some blood indices. A significant reduction in serum iron was detected in the examined group. This reveals the occurrence of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with chronic fascioliasis.

Adolescent↗