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Biomedical subjects

H Martin

Publications and source records attributed to H Martin.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Treatment of postoperative hypertension after coronary artery bypass surgery. Double-blind comparison of intravenous isradipine and sodium nitroprusside.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension commonly occurs after cardiac surgery and requires therapy to prevent the potentially deleterious effects. METHODS AND RESULTS: After coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), 177 patients with elevated blood pressure > or = 90 mm Hg during the initial 6-hour postsurgical period were selected for this random blinded, parallel study to receive intravenous infusions of either isradipine (n = 90) or sodium nitroprusside (n = 87). Isradipine produced a statistically significant decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP, delta-23 mmHg) during a 90-minute treatment period. Target MAP (< or = 85 mmHg or a decrease of 10 mmHg, if baseline MAP was between 90 and 95 mmHg) was achieved in 94% of patients 30 minutes after initiation of isradipine infusion (total mean dose, 411 micrograms); target MAP was achieved in 75% of nitroprusside-treated patients (total mean dose, 1708 micrograms). The mean time to control MAP was 18 minutes for isradipine compared with 24 minutes for nitroprusside. Global smoothness in MAP control was graded on a scale of 0 (not controlled) to 5 (excellent). Approximately 76% of isradipine-treated patients received a rating of > or = 3 (mean score, 3.5); 40% of the sodium nitroprusside-treated patients achieved a score of > or = 3 (mean score, 2.0). Both isradipine and nitroprusside produced statistically significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, a decrease in systemic vascular resistance, and increases in heart rate, cardiac index, and stroke volume index. Isradipine produced no significant decreases in pulmonary artery occlusion wedge pressure compared with nitroprusside. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous isradipine was effective and well tolerated in patients with hypertension after CABG and offers an additional therapeutic option to treat patients after cardiac surgery.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗
PubMed1994

[Transitional cell carcinoma of Bartholin's glands].

A report is given about a patient aged 57 years, who developed a transitional cell carcinoma of the Bartholin's gland. Transitional cell carcinomas of the vulva are rare neoplasms. To the best of our knowledge only eight cases are reported in the literature including this case. In context with the international literature etiopathogenetic theories, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of the disease are discussed.

Bartholin's Glands↗
PubMed1994

Effects of two kinds of decaffeinated coffee on serum lipid profiles in healthy young adults.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of two kinds of decaffeinated coffee on serum lipid profiles in healthy young adults. DESIGN: Randomized controlled study with three study groups and a parallel design, consisting of two consecutive periods. SETTING: Outpatient clinical research center in a university clinic. SUBJECTS: 119 healthy students (60 male, 59 female) who were selected after a screening. All completed the study. Blood samples of three subjects (1 male, 2 female) were excluded from evaluation due to later diagnosed genetic anomalies of lipid metabolism. INTERVENTIONS: All subjects consumed 750-1000 ml of caffeinated filtered coffee per day for a 2 week wash-in period. During the 6 week test period one group continued drinking the caffeinated coffee, while the two other groups consumed different kinds of decaffeinated coffee. RESULTS: Consumption of both types of decaffeinated coffee did not lead to any significant changes in serum total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoprotein B. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the reactions between the three groups. The diet did not change during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Switch from regular to decaffeinated coffee had no cholesterol-elevating effects, irrespective of the type of coffee.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Importance of AgNOR analysis in malignant tumors].

For the assessment of proliferative activity of malignant tumors several methods can be used. The method having been used at first has been the determination of mitotic index, playing an important role as a part of various grading systems until now. Besides of DNA cytometry, flow cytometry, determination of bromodeoxyuridine labeling index (BrdUr-LI) and immunohistochemical analysis of proliferation-associated antigens (e.g. Ki-67, PCNA), for several years AgNOR analysis has been used as a new technique, giving reproducible, exact results of proliferative activity of malignant tumors. Valuable information about proliferative activity of cells can be gained already by counting the AgNOR number per nucleus. Moreover the use of digital image analysis provides information about size and distribution of AgNORs. Evidently these data are more important than AgNOR number. In the hands of experienced pathologists and under standardized conditions AgNOR staining and AgNOR quantification are a valuable completion of established methods.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1993

Antibodies against the major brain isoforms of 14-3-3 protein. An antibody specific for the N-acetylated amino-terminus of a protein.

14-3-3 proteins are apparently ubiquitous eukaryotic proteins that comprise a large number of isoforms. They have been implicated in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes [reviewed in Aitken et al. (1992) Trends Biochem. Sci. 17, 498-501]. We have raised specific antibodies against each mammalian brain isoform of 14-3-3 employing peptides synthesised from the amino-terminal regions. The peptides were, like the proteins from mammalian brain, N-acetylated. The antiserum specific for the epsilon isoform did not recognise the recombinant form of this protein (lacking the N-acetyl co-translational modification) expressed in E. coli until it was chemically acetylated.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed1993

An N-terminal peptide from link protein is rapidly degraded by chondrocytes, monocytes and B cells.

A peptide cleaved from the link-protein component of human and pig proteoglycan aggregates by trypsin and stromelysin was taken up and degraded further by human monocytes, B cells, chondrocytes and by mouse peritoneal macrophages. Monocytes were able to process the peptide twice as rapidly as peritoneal macrophages and some 16 times more rapidly than articular chondrocytes. The B cell line Priess, which unlike the monocytes and macrophages could not take up or degrade whole proteoglycan aggregates, was able to degrade the peptide at a rapid rate. Synthetic, unglycosylated peptides consisting of the first 16 and 13 N-terminal amino acids of human link protein, corresponding to its stromelysin-cleavage and trypsin-cleavage products, were also taken up and degraded in a similar manner to the natural products and, in addition, were able to block uptake of the 125I-labelled natural peptides. The isoelectric points of the re-secreted breakdown fragment from both the synthetic and natural peptides were identical and each peptide was processed by the cells to produce a single radiolabelled fragment. Each of these fragments was eluted with the same retention time during HPLC, indicating that the natural peptides were derived from the N-terminal region of the link. Since a proportion of the link protein extracted from human and pig cartilage has already undergone proteolysis to remove peptides from its N-terminal region, these peptides may be produced in articular cartilage during the normal process of turnover and ageing. Although a physiological function for this protein has not been established, it may have a homeostatic role in the regulation of proteoglycan synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Rapid release of an alpha-adrenergic receptor ligand from photolabile analogues.

A series of 2-nitrobenzyl derivatives of the alpha 1-selective adrenergic agonist, L-phenylephrine [(R)-N-[2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-N-methylammonium chloride], have been synthesized and characterized for the purpose of developing biologically inert compounds that can be rapidly converted to L-phenylephrine by near-UV irradiation. The compounds, derivatized on the phenolic oxygen, were O-(1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl)phenylephrine (I), O-(2-nitrobenzyl)phenylephrine (II), O-(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl)phenylephrine (III), and O-(alpha-carboxyl-2-nitrobenzyl)phenylephrine (IV). All four compounds photolyzed to free phenylephrine following a brief exposure to 300-350-nm light or 347-nm laser light with steady-state quantum yields ranging from 0.05 to 0.28. The rates of phenylephrine formation on photolysis were estimated from the decay rates of aci-nitro intermediates detected by absorbance between 380 and 500 nm. Compound IV displayed the highest quantum yield (0.28) and most rapid photolysis rate (1980 s-1) measured under near physiological conditions, pH 7.0, 22 degrees C. Biological properties of the compounds were examined in smooth muscle from rat caudal artery. Laser pulse photolysis of IV at 347 nm initiated a maximal contraction in Krebs buffer, pH 7.1, 25 degrees C, that mimicked the response to 50 microM phenylephrine but was faster in onset. Photoinitiated contractions were characterized by a delay of 0.93 +/- 0.09 s followed by a rising phase with a 10-90% rise time of 3.56 +/- 0.17 s (n = 7). Responses were fully blocked by the alpha 1-selective antagonist prazosin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed1993

Estimation of urinary aldosterone using thin-layer chromatography and fluorimetry.

AIMS: To develop a fluorimetric method for the estimation of urinary aldosterone; to establish a normal range in 24 hour and overnight urine samples; and to investigate the use of overnight urines for detecting hyperaldosteronism. METHODS: Essential steps include hydrolysis of the 18 conjugate to release aldosterone and its oxidation with Benedict's solution, followed by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel and development of fluorescence on the plate with sulphuric acid. RESULTS: There was a linear correlation between the amount of aldosterone and the area under the peak on the chromatogram. The mean intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation were 4.4% and 6.8%, respectively. The mean aldosterone excretion in 67 adults was 15.7 (SD 8.1) nmol/24 hours. The mean overnight excretion in 65 adults was 2.6 (1.4) nmol/8 hours. The method detected raised concentrations in patients with primary and secondary aldosteronism. CONCLUSIONS: This technique provides an accurate means of assaying urinary aldosterone. Overnight estimations seem to be as effective as 24 hour assays for identifying patients with hyperaldosteronism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Study of combinations of antimicrobial agents. Development of the method].

We developed and validated a micromethod similar to the checkerboard method in antibiotherapy to study the efficiency of antiseptic and disinfectant molecules. The determination of the FBC index (Fractional Bactericidal Concentration) on 4 reference strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae) for 4 associations (2-benzyl-4 chlorophenol--iodophor; cetrimide-iodophor, 2 benzyl-4 chlorophenol--formaldehyde; hexamidine--formaldehyde) revealed 2 synergistic associations and 2 antagonistic associations for one or more strains.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1993

Cumulative chemotherapy increases mafosfamide toxicity for normal progenitor cells in AML patients: rationale for cryopreserving adapted-dose purged marrow early in first complete remission.

To evaluate whether conditions for adapted dose mafosfamide (mafo) purging vary with accumulating chemotherapy, we studied the sensitivity of bone marrow CFU-GM in a total of 30 patients at different stages of treatment. We determined the dose of 95% CFU-GM growth-inhibition by mafo (ID95) in 23 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 7 patients with lymphoid malignancies in first or second complete remission (CR). Sixteen AML patients were studied in early first CR prior to intensive consolidation with high-dose cytarabine (HDAC) and had a median ID95 of 130 (range 90-190) micrograms mafo/ml; the median ID95 in 3 of 7 AML-CR1 and 4 of 7 AML-CR2 patients who previously had HDAC therapy was 75 (range 55-110) micrograms/ml whereas a control group of 7 patients with lymphoid malignancies in CR1 showed a median ID95 of 100 (range 80-160) micrograms/ml. In AML the difference between patients in CR1 prior to HDAC and patients in CR1 after HDAC late consolidation or in CR2 was highly significant (p = 0.0006). We conclude that accumulating chemotherapy pre-treatment, in particular HDAC intensive consolidation, increases mafo toxicity for non-leukemic bone marrow CFU-GM and conversely decreases the mafo concentration applicable for adjusted-dose purging to eliminate residual leukemic cells. Hence mafo purging appears to be more efficient when done in early CR1 compared with later stages of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Serotonin-like immunoreactivity in Merkel cells and their afferent neurons in touch domes from the hairy skin of rats.

Immunoreactivity to serotonin was observed in Merkel cells as well as the afferent type I nerves terminating upon them in touch domes excised from the belly skin of rats. Type I nerves were strongly immunoreactive and could be traced through the dermis of the domal papilla. Merkel cell immunoreactivity was sometimes seen in the entire cell, but was often localized in the Merkel cell cytoplasm adjacent to nerve terminals and may have been in the terminals themselves. Domes were fixed by immersion in 4% paraformaldehyde-lysine-sodium-m-periodate (PLP) fixative at 4 degrees C for 2.5-3 hours and cryoprotected in 30% sucrose overnight. Sections were processed with the avidin-biotin complex peroxidase (ABC), peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP), and indirect immunofluorescence techniques with rabbit antiserum generated against serotonin.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1992

Temporal and spatial regulation of a novel gene in barley embryos.

The temporal and spatial pattern of expression of a novel barley gene is described. The gene has been identified through the differential screening of a cDNA library constructed to poly(A)+ RNA of zygotic embryos. Transcripts corresponding to the cDNA, pZE40, become abundant in the non-axial tissues of the developing embryo within 8-10 days after anthesis, when steady-state levels are high in the scutellum, coleoptile and coleorhiza, with the exception of the scutellar epithelium. This expression pattern is maintained throughout maturation of the embryo until levels eventually decline as the grain desiccates. On germination, there is a transient re-appearance of mRNA to pZE40, with accumulation specifically restricted to the scutellum of the seedling. In situ hybridization has enabled the detection of transcripts elsewhere in the barley plant, in highly localized groups of cells. The timing and cell specificity of expression suggests the gene product is involved in the synthesis and/or transport of metabolites.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Karyotypes in 90 human gliomas.

Cytogenetic studies were performed on 90 human gliomas including 26 astrocytomas, 12 oligodendrogliomas, three oligo-astrocytomas, seven ependymomas, eight pilocytic astrocytomas, and 33 malignant gliomas (anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas). The most common abnormalities were trisomy 7 in 23 cases, monosomy 22 in 15 cases, losses of the Y chromosome in 19 of 50 male cases, and losses of the X chromosome in 10 of 39 female cases. There are evident differences between the particular subgroups of gliomas. Monosomy 10 and double minutes are typical for malignant gliomas. The 58 determined chromosomal breakpoints were located on 45 different sites. Chromosomes 1, 9, 6, 3, 10, and 17 were predominantly involved.

Adult↗