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Biomedical subjects

C L Brown

Publications and source records attributed to C L Brown.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

A double blind comparison of perindopril and atenolol in essential hypertension.

A multicentre randomised double-blind trial was performed in order to compare the therapeutic efficacy and acceptability of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor perindopril with those of atenolol in mild to moderate hypertension. After one month of placebo, 173 patients with supine diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between 95 and 125 mmHg were randomised to receive perindopril 4 mg once daily or atenolol 50 mg once daily. Monthly assessments were made for three months. Treatment was adjusted at these visits if supine DBP was greater than 90 mmHg; the dose was first doubled (8 mg perindopril or 100 mg atenolol once daily) and then hydrochlorothiazide was added. The pretreatment blood pressure levels were similar in both groups. Supine DBP was 105.5 +/- 0.9 mmHg (n = 85) in the perindopril group and 106.9 +/- 0.9 mmHg (n = 88) in the atenolol group. At the end of the third month, the study target blood pressure (supine DBP less than or equal to 90 mmHg) was achieved in a significantly (P = 0.006) larger percentage of patients in the perindopril group (78%) than in the atenolol group (58%). This appeared to be due to a greater potentiation of the antihypertensive effect by the addition of diuretic to perindopril than to atenolol. The fall in systolic blood pressure was significantly greater in the perindopril group than in the atenolol group (supine: 26.5 +/- 2.0 mmHg vs. 20.6 +/- 2.0 mmHg; P = 0.042) although the fall in DBP was comparable (supine: perindopril 17.4 +/- 0.9 mmHg, atenolol 15.6 +/- 1.1 mmHg; P = 0.195).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

The safety and acceptability of perindopril.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are becoming increasingly used in the treatment of hypertension. Although they are generally well tolerated, they have been implicated in the occurrence of certain side effects such as cough, hypotension and deterioration of renal function. These have been investigated prospectively during the development of perindopril. In a long term study in 632 hypertensive patients 6% of subjects stopped treatment prematurely because of adverse events and cough was the side effect most frequently responsible for treatment withdrawal (1.3%). A typical ACE inhibitor-induced cough was seen in a further 1.6% of patients. Symptomatic hypotension was rarely reported (0.2%), even in the elderly and patients with congestive heart failure. No clinically significant changes in plasma creatinine or potassium levels were seen during the long-term administration of perindopril in uncomplicated hypertensive patients. The overall safety profile of perindopril in clinical studies was favourable even in groups of more vulnerable patients. However the effect of long-term treatment with ACe inhibitors on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is unknown.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Changes in plasma vitellogenin, sex steroids, calcitonin, and thyroid hormones related to sexual maturation in female brown trout (Salmo trutta).

Female brown trout (Salmo trutta) from a wild strain (Baltic sea trout) and a cultured strain were sampled individually for blood plasma at regular intervals during the period around final sexual maturation. The plasma samples were analyzed for vitellogenin (VTG), estradiol-17 beta, testosterone, 17 alpha, 20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20 beta-P), calcitonin, tri-iodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and total and free plasma calcium. In the wild fish, VTG, estradiol-17 beta, and testosterone peaked 30 days before ovulation, while 17,20 beta-P had a sharp peak at ovulation. Both T3 and T4 declined at the beginning of the sampling period, reached minimal levels 30 days before ovulation, and rose sharply at the time of ovulation. Calcitonin levels were elevated during final maturation. Total plasma calcium correlated with plasma VTG levels. In the cultured strain, sampling was started 2 weeks before ovulation. The levels of VTG, estradiol-17 beta, and testosterone decreased throughout the sampling period. 17,20 beta-P and calcitonin concentrations were high during the period close to ovulation. Plasma thyroxine remained at basal levels in cultured trout. The discrepancies observed between wild and cultured females may be due to differences in stress susceptibility, environmental conditions, life cycles, or to genetic divergence between the strains.

Animals↗

Seascapes.

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Humans↗

House calls.

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Anecdotes as Topic↗

Membrane potential defect in hygromycin B-resistant pma1 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The proton transport properties of hygromycin B-resistant pma1 mutants which show kinetic defects in the plasma membrane H+-ATPase were examined. It was found that net proton efflux, as measured by whole cell medium acidification in the presence of 25 mM KCl, was similar for normal and pma1 mutant cells. However, in the absence of added KCl, the extent of net proton efflux was considerably less in wild type than in pma1 mutant cells. The cellular membrane potential was implicated as an important factor in regulating net proton transport and was determined from [14C]tetraphenylphosphonium uptake studies to be considerably depolarized in the pma1 mutants. The growth of wild type cells, which is normally inhibited by hygromycin B at 200 micrograms/ml, was found to be resistant to the antibiotic by the addition of 50 mM KCl to the growth medium. These results suggest that the electrogenic behavior of proton transport by the H+-ATPase may be altered in pma1 mutants and that resistance to hygromycin B may be mediated via depolarization of the cellular membrane potential.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

In vivo binding of (3H)Ro 15-1788 in mice: comparison with the in vivo binding of (3H)flunitrazepam.

Benzodiazepine binding sites have generally been labelled with benzodiazepine agonists: (3H)flunitrazepam and (3H)diazepam in vivo. We studied the in vivo binding of the antagonist (3H)Ro 15-1788 in mice and compared it to the in vivo binding of (3H)flunitrazepam. For this in vivo labelling, mice were injected with labelled and unlabelled ligands. Animals were then sacrificed and bound radioactivity was measured after homogenization of the excised brain and filtration of the homogenate. (3H)Ro 15-1788 is a better tool than (3H)flunitrazepam for in vivo labelling of benzodiazepine receptors since 1) it labels specifically the central type binding sites, 2) injection of 4 times less (3H)Ro 15-1788 (50 microCi/kg) than (3H)flunitrazepam (200 microCi/kg) produced the same amount of bound radioactivity, 3) 70-90% of the total (3H)Ro 15-1788 present in the brain is membrane bound instead of 45-55% with (3H)flunitrazepam, 4) maximal binding of (3H)Ro 15-1788 is reached within 3 min, 5) only 5% of the membrane bound (3H)Ro 15-1788 is nonspecific instead of 15% for (3H)flunitrazepam.

Animals↗

Effects of danazol on incidence of progesterone and oestrogen receptors in benign breast disease.

Results from a continuing clinical trial in benign breast disease indicate that danazol may induce progesterone receptors and that this effect persists after treatment. In women given danazol the number of biopsy specimens that were positive for progesterone receptors rose from 14 out of 31 before treatment to 23 out of 30 at the end of six months' treatment and remained raised at 21 out of 31 six months later. The number of biopsy specimens that were positive for oestrogen receptors rose transiently from eight out of 31 to 12 out of 30 and then fell to six out of 31. A satisfactory clinical response was achieved in 26 of the 31 patients but was maintained in only 11 six months or more after the end of treatment. It was only in this group that a significant and long-standing increase in progesterone receptors was observed. These findings suggest that in some women with benign breast disease who have been treated with danazol changes occur that may have long term benefit.

Adult↗

Identification of structurally distinct catalytic intermediates of the H+-ATPase from yeast plasma membranes.

Mild trypsin proteolysis of the H+-ATPase from yeast plasma membranes has been used to identify structurally distinct catalytic intermediates. In the absence of substrate, trypsin treatment resulted in rapid inactivation of enzyme activity. By contrast, trypsin treatment of enzyme in the presence of MgATP or MgATP plus vanadate resulted in enhanced rates of ATP hydrolysis accompanied by protection from extensive inactivation. High concentrations of Pi also induced strong protection from trypsin-induced inactivation, although enhancement of enzyme activity was not observed. Western blot analysis of peptide fragment profiles following tryptic digestion indicated that at least 15 prominent fragments of identical size, ranging from Mr = 12,800 to 48,000, were generated irrespective of digestion conditions. However, fragments from protected enzyme were resistant to further proteolysis, whereas fragments from unprotected enzyme were extensively degraded. These data have been interpreted in terms of a published catalytic reaction pathway (Amory, A., Goffeau, A., McIntosh, D.B., and Boyer, P.D. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 12509-12516) and are consistent with unprotected and protected enzyme conformations representing E1 and E2 X Pi catalytic intermediates, respectively. Trypsin proteolysis proved an effective tool for evaluating preferred enzyme conformational states and with this approach, it was found that ATPase inhibitors N-ethylmaleimide and fluorescein isothiocyanate locked the enzyme in an E1 conformation. The enhanced rate of ATP hydrolysis by trypsin-treated enzyme was fully coupled to proton transport, and all fragments generated by proteolysis were firmly bound to the membrane. These results, coupled with the fact that initial peptide fragmentation profiles were independent of enzyme conformation, suggest that the different conformational states, E1, and E2 X Pi, are not related to gross changes in overall enzyme structure but likely reflect localized changes in intramolecular bonding.

Cell Membrane↗

Recognition site directing vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxylation resides on the propeptide of factor IX.

Posttranslational processing of vitamin K-dependent proteins includes gamma-carboxylation of specific glutamic acid residues to form gamma-carboxyglutamic acids. To determine whether carboxylation is directed by the propeptide sequence, homologous among the precursors of these proteins, alterations were made in the Factor IX propeptide cDNA. The extent of gamma-carboxylation of recombinant Factor IX was assessed using conformation-specific antibodies directed against the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-dependent, metal-stabilized structure. Deletion of the propeptide (residues -18 to -1) abolished carboxylation, but not secretion, of Factor IX. Substitution of alanine for phenylalanine -16 or glutamic acid for alanine -10 also impaired carboxylation. These results indicate that the Factor IX propeptide participates in defining a recognition site that designates an adjacent glutamic acid-rich domain for gamma-carboxylation. The association of the propeptide with the gamma-carboxylation recognition site provides the first demonstration of a specific function served by a propeptide in posttranslational protein processing.

1-Carboxyglutamic Acid↗

Oestrogen and progesterone receptor distribution in the cancerous breast.

To test the hypothesis that steroid hormone receptor expression is particularly pronounced in breast tumours when compared with non-neoplastic tissue, mastectomy samples were divided into 16 sectors. Multifocal tumours, of varying receptor phenotype were found in 4 patients and in addition different regions of large tumours also showed varying receptor contents. Remaining samples were found to consist of normal tissue, with fat, connective tissue and some benign breast disease. In the 9 patients with oestrogen receptor positive tumours (ER), ER content was invariably much greater in the tumours than in the remainder of the breast. Progesterone receptor (PR) content was not closely related to ER, and was lowest in the poorly differentiated tumours. This relation to differentiation was not seen in ER. The data support the view that ER concentration in ER positive tumours may reflect the transformed nature of neoplastic tissue.

Adult↗

Lung function in prematurely delivered rabbits treated with a synthetic surfactant.

We treated prematurely delivered rabbit pups with the synthetic surfactant that has been named Exosurf. By weight, Exosurf is 61.8% dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, 6.8% hexadecanol, 4.6% tyloxapol, and 26.7% NaCl. This simple mixture, suspended at 15 mg lipid X ml-1 water, has appropriate in vitro characteristics for a lung surfactant substitute. As determined by static pressure volume relationships performed after 30 min ventilation, lungs treated with Exosurf accepted significantly more gas at maximal inflation (36 versus 15 ml X kg-1 body weight) and had significantly greater volumes during deflation that did saline-treated control lungs; lungs treated with natural rabbit surfactant (SAM) had significantly larger volumes at maximal inflation (65 versus 35 ml X kg-1) and during deflation than did the Exosurf-treated lungs. After 30 min of ventilation with oxygen and fixation at 10 cm H2O pressure, the ratio of air space to tissue space was determined by a point-counting technique, and mean linear intercepts were measured for air spaces. Exosurf-treated lungs were intermediate between SAM and saline-treated lungs in both measurements. With positive pressure ventilation to maintain a tidal volume of 6.5 to 7.5 ml X kg-1, total compliance was significantly greater and inspiratory pressure significantly lower in both SAM- and Exosurf-treated animals than in saline-treated control animals, although the lungs of the SAM-treated animals were more compliant than the lungs of animals treated with Exosurf. During the first minute of positive pressure ventilation, lungs treated with SAM or Exosurf expanded equally rapidly, both expanding more rapidly than the saline-treated lungs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

3-(Methoxycarbonyl)-amino-beta-carboline, a selective antagonist of the sedative effects of benzodiazepines.

We have previously described the synthesis of a novel compound, 3-(methoxycarbonyl)-amino-beta-carboline (beta-CMC), which has a high in vitro affinity for the benzodiazepine receptor. In vivo testing showed that this compound had a restricted pharmacological profile. beta-CMC lacked intrinsic activity but it antagonized the convulsions induced by the methyl ester of beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid, an inverse agonist of the benzodiazepine receptor. Moreover, beta-CMC selectively antagonized the sedative but not the anxiolytic or anticonvulsant effects of benzodiazepines. The possible mechanisms involved in the selective antagonism of the sedative effects of benzodiazepines by beta-CMC are discussed.

Animals↗