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Biomedical subjects

B J Booth

Publications and source records attributed to B J Booth.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Bitterness of sweeteners as a function of concentration.

Sixteen trained tasters provided sweetness and bitterness intensity ratings for 19 compounds including: acesulfame-K, alitame, aspartame, fructose, glucose, glycine, lactitol, maltitol, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, neosugar (fructo-oligosaccharide), palatinit (isomalt), rebaudioside-A, sodium cyclamate, sodium saccharin, stevioside, sucralose, sucrose, and thaumatin. With increasing concentration, high-potency sweeteners including acesulfame-K, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, sodium saccharin, rebaudioside-A, and stevioside tended to become more bitter. Low-potency sweeteners including fructose, sucrose, and lactitol tended to become less bitter with increasing concentration.

Female↗

Investigation of synergism in binary mixtures of sweeteners.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the presence and degree of synergism among all binary mixtures of 14 sweeteners varying in chemical structure. A trained panel evaluated binary combinations of the following sweeteners: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two diterpenoid glycosides (rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), two N-sulfonyl amides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), and one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone). Each sweetener was tested at three concentrations that were isosweet with 3%, 5%, and 7% sucrose. Two methods of analysis were performed to determine synergistic effects. In Method I, an ANOVA was performed for each intensity level to determine if the mean sweetness intensity ratings of each binary mixture were equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., additivity) or not equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., synergism or suppression). In Method II, an additional ANOVA was performed to determine if the sweetness intensity ratings of any given mixture were equal to or greater than the average of the sweetness ratings of the two pure components in that blend.

Adult↗

Adaptation of sweeteners in water and in tannic acid solutions.

Repeated exposure to a tastant often leads to a decrease in magnitude of the perceived intensity; this phenomenon is termed adaptation. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of adaptation of the sweet response for a variety of sweeteners in water and in the presence of two levels of tannic acid. Sweetness intensity ratings were given by a trained panel for 14 sweeteners: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two terpenoid glycosides (rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), two N-sulfonyl amides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), and one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone). Panelists were given four isointense concentrations of each sweetener by itself and in the presence of two concentrations of tannic acid. Each sweetener concentration was tasted and rated four consecutive times with a 30 s interval between each taste and a 2 min interval between each concentration. Within a taste session, a series of concentrations of a given sweetener was presented in ascending order of magnitude. Adaptation was calculated as the decrease in intensity from the first to the fourth sample. The greatest adaptation in water solutions was found for acesulfame-K, Na saccharin, rebaudioside-A, and stevioside. This was followed by the dipeptide sweeteners, alitame and aspartame. The least adaptation occurred with the sugars, polyhydric alcohols, and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone. Adaptation was greater in tannic acid solutions than in water for six sweeteners. Adaptation of sweet taste may result from the desensitization of sweetener receptors analogous to the homologous desensitization found in the beta adrenergic system.

Adult↗

Antihuman growth hormone (GH) antibodies cross-react with the GH-like factor from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides.

A factor produced by the plerocercoid stage of S. mansonoides mimics some, but not all, of the actions reported for hGH. The biological actions of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) suggest structural similarity to human GH (hGH). Plerocercoid membranes were solubilized, and PGF was purified more than 1000-fold by hGH receptor affinity chromatography. The ability of purified PGF to displace [125I]hGH from monoclonal antibodies specific for four distinct nonoverlapping antigenic determinants of hGH and from an anti-hGH polyclonal antibody was tested in liquid phase RIA. All of the hGH antibodies cross-reacted with PGF, with potencies ranging from more than 60% to less than 1% that of the hGH standard. Of the four major epitopes of hGH defined by the monoclonal antibodies used in this study, only one is not represented to a significant extent in PGF. The epitope of hGH that is only marginally present in PGF is highly conformationally dependent, and a minor difference in the structure of PGF (compared to hGH) could result in a significant conformational change. The dramatic cross-reactivity between anti-hGH antibodies and PGF suggests that the similarities in biological activities between these two substances are based in significant molecular homology.

Animals↗

Reduction of lactogenic receptors in female hamster liver due to the human growth hormone analog produced by plerocercoids of the tapeworm, Spirometra mansonoides.

The inductive effect of GH on hepatic lactogenic receptors is suspected of being due to a direct somatogenic action. Plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm, Spriometra mansonoides, produce a factor that stimulates body growth, suppresses endogenous GH, and specifically displaces [125I]human (h) GH from hepatic receptors. Plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) mimics the growth-promoting actions of GH, but it has not been shown to duplicate all of the activities reported for GH. An important function of GH is its role in the maintenance of liver receptors for lactogenic hormones. This study was undertaken to determine if treatment of female hamsters with PGF would increase, decrease, or have no effect on liver receptors that bind hGH. Since hGH binds to somatogenic as well as lactogenic receptors, it was necessary to demonstrate the specificity of PGF's effects on [125I]hGH binding. PGF-treated (15 pleocercoids sc) hamsters had accelerated body growth, suppressed serum GH, and a marked reduction in [125I]hGH and [125I]ovine PRL binding to hepatic microsomes. Specific binding of [125I] bGH was unaltered by PGF treatment. The difference in [125I] hGH binding was due to a reduction in receptor number and not to receptor occupancy or reduced affinity. Serum GH was normalized after 10 days of estradiol benzoate (25 micrograms/day) injections, but the binding capacity for [125I]hGH of the PGF-treated group was less than half that of the control group. The fact that estrogen injections normalized serum GH, but not hGH binding, indicates that down-regulation of these receptors by PGF cannot be entirely explained on the basis of reduced levels of serum GH. The lack of any effect of PGF treatment on [125I]bGH binding suggests that the hepatic somatogenic receptors were not involved and that the reduction in receptors for [125I]hGH was associated with the lactogenic component of hGH.

Animals↗

Suppression of receptors for prolactin and estrogen in rat liver due to treatment with the growth hormone analogue produced by the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides.

Somatogenic hormones play an important role in regulation of receptors for prolactin (PRL) and estrogen. Plerocercoids of the tapeworm, S. mansonoides produce a factor which mimics some, but not all of the actions reported for GH. Intact female rats were subjected to a constant infusion of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) via a subcutaneous infection for two weeks to determine if PGF influences receptors for PRL, GH or estradiol. The rate of weight gain in the PGF-treated rats was accelerated in spite of a marked reduction in serum GH. Partially-purified PGF specifically displaced [125I]hGH from rat liver receptors but microsomes prepared from rats treated with PGF specifically bound significantly less [125I]hGH than microsomes from control rats. The reduction in [125I]hGH binding was not due to occupancy or to a change in affinity but to a suppression in receptor concentration. Scatchard analysis of [3H]estradiol binding in rat liver cytosols shows a 50% reduction in receptor concentration in the PGF-treated group. Specific binding of [3H]estradiol in anterior pituitary was also suppressed by PGF treatment.

Animals↗

Serial casting for the management of spasticity in the head-injured adult.

Soft tissue contractures resulting from spasticity are a frequent sequella of traumatic head injuries. This article identifies rationale for the use of serial casting to manage these deformities, provides guidelines for cast fabrication and application, and reports the results of lower extremity casting on 42 head-injured adults at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital.

Adult↗