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E Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to E Murphy.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Measurement of cytosolic free calcium in perfused rat heart using TF-BAPTA.

The feasibility and usefulness of loading 1,2-bis(2-amino-5,6-difluorophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (TF-BAPTA), a new high-dissociation constant (KD) (65 microM) Ca2+ indicator, into perfused rat heart is demonstrated. TF-BAPTA-loaded perfused rat heart showed less than a 10% reduction in left ventricular developed pressure. In addition, loading perfused rat heart with TF-BAPTA had no effect on cell high-energy phosphates measured by 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Cytosolic free Ca2+ (Ca2+i) can be monitored in TF-BAPTA-loaded perfused rat heart using 19F-NMR. TF-BAPTA has a Ca(2+)-insensitive resonance (6F) and a Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorine (5F) that responds to changes in Ca2+ binding with fast exchange kinetics at magnetic fields < or = 8.5 T. Thus the shift difference between the 5F and 6F resonances is a measure of Ca2+i. Given the high KD and the slight differences in intra- vs. extracellular fluorine shifts, TF-BAPTA is not well suited for measuring basal Ca2+i, but it is useful for measuring increases in Ca2+i above this level. For studies in which intracellular pH changes are significant, e.g., during ischemia, pH-dependent corrections must be made to obtain an accurate Ca2+i value. Given its fast exchange kinetics, TF-BAPTA is also useful for measurement of free Ca2+ in different compartments or cells with different Ca2+i. We show that the rise in Ca2+i is not uniform during prolonged global ischemia (60 min); several different Ca2+i values are present. Thus TF-BAPTA is a useful new indicator for measuring elevations in Ca2+i or compartmentation of Ca2+i.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Xid-associated resistance to experimental Chagas' disease is IFN-gamma dependent.

In contrast to normal Balb/c, Balb.Xid immunodeficient mice are naturally resistant to Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Thus, Balb.Xid mice control parasitemia, do not show the characteristic wasting in the acute infection and develop no tissue pathology in the skeletal or cardiac muscles in the chronic phase of disease. By in situ hybridization and semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction, the expression of IL genes in spleen cells from Balb/c and Balb.Xid mice were compared after T. cruzi infection. The results showed that Balb.Xid mice produce considerably higher levels of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4, but lower levels of IL-10, from as early as 4 days after parasite injection. By day 12 of the infection, although IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4 expression was now comparable in both groups, IL-10 levels continue to be lower in Balb.Xid than in control Balb/c animals. The central role of IFN-gamma in the resistance to T. cruzi was confirmed by treatment of Balb.Xid mice with anti-IFN-gamma antibodies that reestablished susceptibility and lead to increased parasitemia and mortality.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Detection of in vivo expression of interleukin-10 using a semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction method in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice.

A modified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for analysis of cytokine gene expression from reverse-transcribed (R/T) RNA obtained from small numbers of cells is described in detail. This method employs a previously described dot-blot format and utilizes a target specific radioactive oligonucleotide probe which hybridizes to the PCR amplified product, thus increasing both specificity and sensitivity. This obviates the need for repeated electrophoresis gels and easily accommodates large experiments (e.g., numerous samples or kinetic studies), using small amounts of RNA from low cell numbers. Manipulation of many samples is further enhanced with the use of a PCR thermocycler, which like the dot-blot apparatus is designed in a 96-well format. We describe the use of the house-keeping enzyme hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) as an internal standard, which is especially suitable since its range of detectability of expression is similar to that of the cytokines under test. This enables one to obtain an accurate measure of losses or degradation of RNA, as well as controlling for efficiency of the R/T and PCR reactions. These reactions are further controlled by inclusion of a standard curve consisting of a titration of a known amount of RNA from a cell line expressing the cytokine under test. As well as controlling for the R/T-PCR, this standard curve also enables one to obtain a semi-quantitative measure of cytokine expression by different cell populations during an immune response. We show that this method can be used successfully for studying differential expression of IL-10 in different microenvironments during infection of mice with Schistosoma mansoni.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Diversity of V3 region sequences of human immunodeficiency viruses type 1 from the central African Republic.

Nucleotide sequences of the central portion of gp120, including the third hypervariable (V3) loop, were obtained from lymphocytes cocultivated with SupT1 cells from 29 AIDS patients in Bangui, Central African Republic. These sequences displayed significantly greater diversity (average distance, 23%) than has been previously observed in isolates from comparably restricted geographical areas. Isolates belonging to four major subtypes of HIV-1 were found; the only subtype not represented was the North American/European subtype B. Unlike the situation in Zaire and Uganda, where subtypes A and D account equally for virtually all isolates of HIV-1, the predominant subtypes in the Central African Republic, accounting for two-thirds of the isolates, were subtypes A (10 isolates) and E (9 isolates). Subtype E represents a group of variants that have previously been found only in Thailand. Only one isolate belonging to subtype D was found. Also recovered were two isolates of subtype C, a subtype associated with southern African and Indian isolates but not previously detected in central Africa. These isolates, although clearly clustering with subtype C, formed a distinct subset, differing from one another by 8.8% and from the Indian and South African subtype C isolates by an average of 22.5%. High interpatient, intrasubtype variation was also seen among the CAR subtype A (average pairwise difference, 19.3%) and subtype E (10.9%) isolates. The diversity of V3 sequences in this set has implications for immunization protocols that rely on the recognition of V3. This study underscores the necessity of basing intervention strategies on knowledge of the particular sequences present in the target population or geographical area.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Assessment in severe dementia: the Guy's Advanced Dementia Schedule.

Previous findings suggest that severely demented subjects are often capable of responding in some ways to stimulation. This study describes the development of a schedule which can discriminate between subjects on the basis of their responses to a range of objects of varying familiarity. The schedule includes extensive prompting to elicit a range of responses from simple taking of objects through to naming and using. The measure was found to be reliable and valid against the Clifton Assessment Procedures for the Elderly and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Scores were able to discriminate between subjects scoring 0 on the Mini-Mental State Examination. It is suggested that scores on the schedule may reflect residual cognitive capacities and orientation to the environment and as such this measure could prove useful to a range of future studies.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Glibenclamide does not abolish the protective effect of preconditioning on stunning in the isolated perfused rat heart.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine if the beneficial effects of preconditioning would be affected by inhibiting ATP sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in the isolated, perfused rat heart. METHODS: The effects of inhibiting KATP channels with glibenclamide (10 microM) were evaluated on ionic alterations and recovery of function after 30 min ischaemia in non-preconditioned hearts and in hearts that had been preconditioned with four intermittent periods of 5 min ischaemia each separated by 5 min of reflow. [Ca2+]i, pHi, and high energy phosphate levels were measured using 19F and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance during the preconditioning periods of ischaemia, during 30 min of ischaemia, and during reflow, in the presence and absence of 10 microM glibenclamide. RESULTS: High energy phosphate contents were decreased during the preconditioning period to a greater extent in glibenclamide treated hearts and the onset of contracture was hastened during the subsequent 30 min period of sustained ischaemia. However, glibenclamide (10 microM) did not abolish the protective effects of preconditioning on ion accumulation during ischaemia or on postischaemic recovery of contractile function. Recovery of left ventricular developed pressure (as % of initial value) following 30 min of ischaemia was 74(SEM 5)% in the preconditioned hearts without drug and 62(4)% in the preconditioned hearts with glibenclamide, while recovery was 25(5)% in the non-preconditioned hearts without drug and 19(2)% in the non-preconditioned hearts with drug. The alterations in [Ca2+]i and pHi during ischaemia were similar in the glibenclamide treated and untreated preconditioned hearts and in both cases were less marked than in the non-preconditioned untreated hearts. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, although inhibition of KATP channels accelerates high energy phosphate depletion during the preconditioning period, this does not result in accentuation of the ionic derangements during a subsequent sustained period of ischaemia and does not abolish the protective effect of preconditioning on stunning in the isolated rat heart.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

pRJ5: a naturally occurring Staphylococcus aureus plasmid expressing constitutive macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance contains a tandem duplication in the leader region of the ermC gene.

The 2.55 kb Staphylococcus aureus plasmid, pRJ5, confers constitutive resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) antibiotics. pRJ5 is nearly identical to the inducible MLS resistance plasmid pT48, and has homology with the S. aureus plasmids pE194 and pSN2. The HindIII-C and/or Hind-B fragments were required for stable maintenance of the plasmid and probably carry palA. Plasmids pRJ5 and pT48 were shown to belong to the same incompatibility group, Inc12 (L). DNA sequencing showed that pRJ5 contains a 28 bp direct tandem duplication in the leader/attenuator region of ermC. This is likely to change the secondary structure of the methylase mRNA, allowing constitutive expression of ermC. The type of mutation found on plasmid pRJ5 is different from those observed in similar 2.5 kb constitutive MLS-resistance plasmids isolated from other Gram-positive bacteria, including staphylococci.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1993

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 DNA integration: fine structure target analysis using synthetic oligonucleotides.

The target specificity of DNA strand transfer mediated by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase was examined in vitro with synthetic oligonucleotides. Although insertion occurred at most locations in the target, some sites were preferred over others by at least 15-fold. Changing the nucleotide sequence of the target changed the distribution of preferred sites in complex ways, some of which included changes in target preference distant from the sequence alteration. Alignment of target sequences revealed that adenosine is preferred adjacent to the insertion site. Strand transfer occurred to within 2 nucleotides of the 3' end and to within 3 nucleotides of the 5' end of the target. This suggests that only 2 or 3 nucleotides flanking the target site are required for integration; such restricted contact with target DNA would allow integrase to insert the two ends of viral DNA into two closely spaced sites in host DNA, consistent with the concerted in vivo integration reaction that generates a 5-bp target duplication.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Protective effects of adenosine in the perfused rat heart: changes in metabolism and intracellular ion homeostasis.

Increased concentrations of intracellular H+, Na+, and Ca2+ have been observed during ischemia, and these ionic alterations have been correlated with several indexes of cell injury in a number of studies. Recently, adenosine was proposed to play a role in ischemic preconditioning, since adenosine antagonists block the protective effects of these brief intermittent periods of ischemia and reflow. In this study we evaluated the protective effects of adenosine (20 microM) on high-energy phosphate metabolism, H+ and Ca2+ accumulation, and glycolytic rate during 30 min of no-flow ischemia. Adenosine was observed to slow the onset of contracture (7.0 +/- 0.9 min) and to improve left ventricular developed pressure (62 +/- 7% of initial) during reperfusion compared with untreated hearts (5.0 +/- 0.6 min and 18 +/- 5%, respectively). Intracellular Ca accumulation at the end of 30 min of ischemia was higher in the untreated (2,835 +/- 465 nM) than in the adenosine-treated (2,064 +/- 533 nM) hearts, while intracellular pH fell more in the untreated (5.85 +/- 0.17) than in the adenosine-treated hearts (6.27 +/- 0.16). Glycolytic rate and the rate of ATP decline were significantly attenuated in the adenosine-treated hearts during ischemia. Thus adenosine treatment slowed the rate of metabolism and delayed the accumulation of H+ and Ca2+ during ischemia, resulting in better recovery of function upon reflow.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1993

Effects of adenosine antagonists on hexose uptake and preconditioning in perfused rat heart.

Preconditioning with brief intermittent periods of ischemia has been shown to lessen the detrimental effects of a subsequent sustained (30-60 min) period of ischemia. Because adenosine has been suggested to be the mediator of preconditioning, we were interested in investigating whether adenosine antagonists would block the effect of preconditioning on ionic changes during ischemia. We found that 10 microM of the adenosine antagonist BW-A1433U did not reverse the effect of preconditioning on intracellular pH (pHi). Hearts preconditioned with BW-A1433U had virtually no decrease in pHi during the 30-min sustained period of ischemia; after 30 min of ischemia, the pH in untreated hearts was 5.97 +/- 0.16 compared with 6.52 +/- 0.10 in preconditioned hearts and 6.90 +/- 0.08 in hearts preconditioned plus BW-A1433U. Because anaerobic glycolysis is largely responsible for the fall in pHi during ischemia, we examined the effect of BW-A1433U [and other adenosine antagonists, such as PD-115,199 and 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (CPDPX)] on glucose uptake and phosphorylation during aerobic perfusion using 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance to monitor uptake and phosphorylation of 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) to 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate (2-DG-6-P) when one-half of the glucose in the perfusate was replaced with 2-DG. Uptake of 2-DG-6-P after 15 min was reduced by 66% in the presence of BW-A1433U and 82% in the presence of PD-115,199 as compared with untreated hearts, but was not reduced in the presence of CPDPX. Thus CPDPX was the only adenosine antagonist tested that did not block accumulation of 2-DG-6-P. We also found that CPDPX did not block the beneficial effect of preconditioning on ionic alterations during a sustained 30-min period of ischemia or the improved recovery of function on reflow.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1993

Mechanism of preconditioning. Ionic alterations.

The mechanism by which preconditioning (brief intermittent periods of ischemia and reflow) improves recovery of function and reduces enzyme release after a subsequent 30-minute period of ischemia was investigated in perfused rat hearts. Specifically, it was hypothesized that ischemia after preconditioning would result in a decreased production of H+ and therefore a smaller rise in [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i via Na(+)-H+ and Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange. To test this hypothesis we measured pHi, [Na+]i, [Ca2+]i, and cell high-energy phosphates during ischemia and reflow, and we correlated this with recovery of contractile function and release of creatine kinase during reflow. 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to measure pHi and cell phosphates. [Na+]i was measured by 23Na NMR using the shift reagent thulium 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N,'N",N"'-tetramethylenephosph onate to distinguish intracellular from extracellular sodium. [Ca2+]i was measured by 19F NMR using hearts loaded with 1,2-bis(2-amino-5-fluorophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, termed 5F-BAPTA. Basal time-averaged levels of pHi, [Na+]i, and [Ca2+]i were 7.07 +/- 0.08, 9.4 +/- 0.8 mM, and 715 +/- 31 nM, respectively. After 30 minutes of ischemia, in preconditioned hearts, pHi was 6.5 +/- 0.06, [Na+]i was 2.09 +/- 4.4 mM, [Ca2+]i was 2.1 +/- 0.4 microM, and ATP was negligible. In untreated hearts, after 30 minutes of ischemia, pHi was 6.3 +/- 0.08, [Na+]i was 26.7 +/- 3.8 mM, [Ca2+]i was 3.2 +/- 0.6 microM, and ATP was undetectable. During reperfusion after 30 minutes of ischemia, preconditioned hearts had significantly better recovery of contractile function than untreated hearts (71 +/- 9% versus 36 +/- 8% initial left ventricular developed pressure), and after 60 minutes of ischemia, preconditioned hearts had significantly less release of the intracellular enzyme creatine kinase (102 +/- 12 versus 164 +/- 17 IU/g dry wt). We also found that unpreconditioned hearts arrested with 16 mM MgCl2 (to inhibit calcium entry via calcium channels and Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange) before 30 minutes of ischemia recover function on reflow to the same extent as preconditioned hearts with or without magnesium arrest. Thus, preconditioning has no additional benefit in addition to magnesium arrest. In addition, in hearts that received 16 mM MgCl2 just before the 30-minute period of ischemia, preconditioning had no effect on the rise in [Ca2+]i during the 30-minute period of ischemia. These data support the hypothesis that preconditioning attenuates the increase in [Ca2+]i, [Na+]i, and [H+]i during ischemia, most likely because of reduced stimulation of Na(+)-H+ and Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1993

Measurement of intracellular ionized magnesium.

Recent advances in methods for measuring Mgi have advanced our understanding of Mgi homeostasis. Several methods exist for measuring Mgi; all have strengths and weaknesses and one needs to match the experimental needs with the limitations of the method. For example, if one needs rapid (ms) time resolution, or only relative directional changes in a cell that is not easily impaled with an electrode, the fluorescent indicators may best suit ones needs. If on the other hand one wants to measure Mgi in a perfused organ, then the NMR methods may best address one's needs. If one needs to accurately know Mgi in a papillary muscle or some other tissue which is readily impaled then ion-selective microelectrodes may be the method of choice.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Resuscitating fresh stillbirths.

Guidelines for duration of resuscitation of freshly-stillborn term infants and their long term outcome are unclear. The predictive factors of both cerebral palsy and early neonatal demise include Apgar scores of 3 or less at 10 minutes, perinatal acidaemia and neonatal seizures. We describe the case of severe perinatal asphyxia (umbilical artery pH at birth of 6.75, Apgar scores of 0.1 and 5 0.1 5 at 1.5 and 10 minutes and neonatal hypertonia) in a term pregnancy, where the infant made an uneventful recovery and was discharged home well. Guidelines for neonatal resuscitation are discussed.

Abruptio Placentae↗
PubMed1993

Gold therapy lowers serum interleukin 6 levels in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical utility and the effect of sodium aurothiomalate (GSTM) on serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Open prospective study of 50 patients with RA treated with GSTM. Serum IL-6 measured by bioassay. RESULTS: IL-6 showed correlations with Ritchie articular index, duration of morning stiffness and C-reactive protein. GSTM significantly reduced IL-6 levels. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 is a potentially useful additional indicator of disease activity in RA and is modulated by GSTM.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗