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Biomedical subjects

F McKenna

Publications and source records attributed to F McKenna.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Determination of nine inorganic elements in human autopsy tissue.

A survey of nine elements of accepted clinical relevance has been performed on tissue sets comprising of kidney, liver, heart and muscle taken at autopsy from healthy individuals killed as the result of an accident. The concentrations are reported using tissue wet weight, dry weight and nitrogen content as frames of reference. This has allowed direct comparisons to be made with other studies without resort to the use of conversions, using average factors, between one frame of reference and another. Such conversions are shown to be unreliable and may generate spurious differences. The results obtained are largely consistent with those reported from studies in other parts of the world.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Clinical and laboratory assessment of outcome in rheumatoid arthritis.

The management of rheumatoid arthritis would be assisted by an ability to assess prognosis in the individual patient. A number of studies have investigated the role of various clinical and laboratory measurements as predictors of prognosis, but all are hindered by the lack of adequate measures of outcome. Age, sex, initial radiograph and functional grades, the presence of rheumatoid factor or nodules may all be useful indicators. Mode of onset may have a bearing on outcome. The relationship between these variables and the clinical and biochemical assessment of disease activity is discussed in relation to prognosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

Renin and beta-blockade: prorenin and aldosterone may explain the controversy.

The role of the renin-aldosterone system in predicting the hypotensive effect of beta-blockade is controversial. We have measured blood pressure, heart rate, plasma active renin, prorenin and aldosterone in 44 hypertensive patients before and after 18 weeks treatment with either nadolol or metoprolol in a double blind randomized study. Prorenin increased and active renin decreased with treatment, total renin and aldosterone remaining unchanged. After beta-blockade the correlation between active renin and prorenin improved from p less than 0.025 to p less than 0.001, and both variables attained a correlation with aldosterone. There was a weak correlation between the reduction in diastolic pressure and both pretreatment active renin and pretreatment prorenin (p less than 0.05). However, using a multiple regression analysis there was a highly significant correlation between the combination of the pretreatment values of active renin, prorenin and aldosterone and the reduction in diastolic pressure with both nadolol (p less than 0.001) and metoprolol (p less than 0.003). This indicates that the combination of active renin with prorenin and aldosterone is a reliable guide to the hypotensive effects of beta-blockade and that the failure to detect this in previous studies is most likely due to errors in the measurement of renin.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1985

Biochemical and clinical changes occurring during the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with novel antirheumatoid drugs.

Groups of 15 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis have been treated with sulphasalazine, (salazosulfapyridine INN), zinc sulfate, captopril or methyl cysteine, and assessed by seven clinical measurements and six laboratory methods on eight occasions during a 24-week treatment period. The results have been compared with equivalent data derived from the use of antiinflammatory agents (e.g. aspirin) and drugs of accepted 'antirheumatoid activity' (e.g. D-penicillamine). Improvements in mean data provide the basis of a human screening system for the detection of antirheumatoid drug activity. Results suggest that sulphasalazine and captopril have this type of activity whereas zinc sulfate and methyl cysteine do not.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Captopril: a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis?

Captopril, an inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme, is prescribed for hypertension. Its molecular structure shares features with D-penicillamine, in that both agents contain a thiol group. In addition, captopril has immunosuppressant activity. Captopril was therefore considered a potential slow-acting drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis. In an open study 15 patients with active arthritis were treated with captopril and followed for 48 weeks. Two-thirds of the patients reported improved arthritis symptoms, and significant changes were seen in several clinical and biochemical measurements, notably Ritchie articular index, clinical score, plasma viscosity, and C-reactive protein. Side-effects were generally mild and included transient taste loss, rashes, and hypotension. Only 2 patients withdrew as a result of drug intolerance.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Captopril.

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Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1983

Effects of azepexole on blood pressure, pulse rate, plasma renin activity and urinary catecholamines in normotensive subjects.

Single 5 mg oral doses of azepexole were administered to 6 normotensive male volunteers. Effects on blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded with the subjects supine, erect and during exercise for 8 hours after drug ingestion. Plasma renin activity and urinary catecholamine excretion were measured before and after treatment. Blood pressure was reduced when supine, erect and during exercise. The maximum reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 20.7 mmHg and 7.9 mmHg, respectively. There was a small reduction in the pulse rate when supine, significant from 2 to 3 hours after drug ingestion. Plasma renin activity increased significantly with drug treatment. There was an insignificant trend towards a reduced urinary catecholamine excretion. Only 1 subject developed significant side-effects. The similarity of azepexole to clonidine is discussed. It is considered that azepexole warrants further study as a hypotensive drug.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Prorenin and beta-blockade in hypertension.

The role of prorenin in relation to beta-blockade has received little attention. We have studied both active renin and prorenin before and during treatment of hypertension with either nadolol or metoprolol in 44 patients. The ratio of active renin to prorenin before treatment was the best predictor of response; the fall in active renin with treatment did not correlate with the fall in blood pressure, whereas prorenin showed an inverse correlation. We suggest that plasma prorenin is an important indicator of the renin status in hypertensive patients.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗