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Biomedical subjects

G D Cain

Publications and source records attributed to G D Cain.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Lipids from subcellular fractions of the tegument of Hymenolepis diminuta.

Lipids comprised 37% and 22.1%, respectively, of the day weights of brush border- and vesicle-rich fractions separated by differential centrifugation of isolated H. diminuta tegument. Neutral lipids of both fractions were rich in cholesterol, but also contained small amounts of glycerides, sterol esters, and (in brush borders) free fatty acids. Phosphatidyl ethanolamine was the most prevalent polar lipid in both fractions, and was particularly abundant (63.4% of total polar lipids) in vesicles; sphingomyelin, not previously reported from H. diminuta, was also present. Polar lipids of both tegumental fractions resembled each other but differed from whole worm polar lipids in fatty acid composition. Tegumental polar lipids contained lower levels of long-chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids than reported for corresponding lipids of whole worms.

Cestoda↗

Responses of Megalodiscus temperatus miracidia to amino and sialic acids found in snail-conditioned water.

Analysis of snail-conditioned water (SCW) from Helisoma trivolvis revealed 17 free amino acids. Those in great concentration were glycine, serine, and alanine. The concentration of sialic acid was found to be twice that of the most abundant amino acid. The behavior of miracidia of Megalodiscus temperatus, measured by the contact with return method, to agar cylinders containing single amino acids and sialic acid indicated greater responses to polar molecules charged either positively or negatively at neutral pH. The molecules elicting the greatest response were aspartic, glutamic, and sialic acid. No correlation was found between concentration of amino acids in H. trivolvis SCW and response of M. temperatus miracidia.

Alanine↗

Myeloma-like lesions of the kidney. Occurrence in a case of acinic cell adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

A 54-year-old man with acinic cell adenocarcinoma of the pancreas died of oliguric renal failure associated with myeloma-like renal lesions. Electron microscopical study of the tumor cells disclosed rich rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and membrane-bound secretory granules, which indicated active protein synthesis and suggested that abnormal proteins produced by the tumor cells were the underlying cause of the renal lesions. Rapid deterioration of renal function ensued after intravenous pyelography, as is usual in the syndrome of myeloma-like lesions of the kidneys. This case presents further evidence for the occurrence of "myeloma kidney" in association with tumors other than plasma cell myeloma.

Carcinoma↗

Augmentation of albumin but not fibrinogen synthesis by corticosteroids in patients with hepatocellular disease.

Simultaneous studies of albumin and fibrinogen metabolism have been conducted using the carbonate-(14)C method before and after a 13 day course of prednisolone in eight patients with hepatocellular disease. Initially six patients were hypoalbuminemic. The mean plasma albumin and fibrinogen concentrations and albumin and fibrinogen synthetic rates were all lower than the corresponding values in a group of control subjects. Prednisolone therapy was associated with significant increases in the plasma concentration and synthetic rate of albumin but changes in the intravascular albumin pools were not significant. It is inferred that a low synthetic rate of albumin in a patient with liver disease does not necessarily represent the maximum capacity of the diseased liver to synthesize this protein. Changes in the plasma concentration, intravascular pool, and synthetic rate of fibrinogen were small and inconsistent. The data are compatible with a selective action of corticosteroids on hepatic protein metabolism and with the existence of different mechanisms for the control of albumin and fibrinogen synthesis.

Adult↗