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Biomedical subjects

D Barltrop

Publications and source records attributed to D Barltrop.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1970

Motor neurone disease and exposure to lead.

Disease of the lower motor neurone is a recognized hazard of lead toxicity, but the importance of contact with lead in the causation of motor neurone disease has not previously been ascertained. In 74 cases of motor neurone disease, 15% had a history of extensive exposure to lead, compared with 5·4% of a control group. The five year survival rate of these patients was 54%, compared with 16% in the remainder. The more benign course of the disease in some of these cases may be due to treatment with chelating agents. A history of either disease of the axial skeleton or previous fracture was obtained in 25% of patients compared with 9·4% of controls. There may be a relationship between skeletal demineralization and the development of motor neurone disease. The lead content of iliac crest bone biopsy specimens in 25 patients with motor neurone disease was no greater than that of a control group, but this does not exclude the possibility that lead liberated from bone might affect the motor neurone.

Biopsy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of particle size on lead absorption from the gut.

The relationship between particle size and absorption of lead particles from the gastrointestinal tract of the rat has been investigated. Preparations of metallic lead of particle size between 0 and 250 micron were incorporated in laboratory rat diets and absorption determined by measurement of tissue lead concentrations attined under standard conditions. An inverse relationship was found between particle size and lead absorption; this relationship was most marked in the 0 to 100 micron range. A five-fold enhancement of absorption was observed from the diet with lead particles of mean size 6 micron, compared with 197 micron particle size. Lead absorption from dried pain films containing lead chromate and lead octoate was measured using a similar technique. A marked enhancement of absorption was observed for both paints when particle size was reduced from 500 to 1,000 micron to less than 50 micron.

Animals↗