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J Abel

Publications and source records attributed to J Abel.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

[The determination of number and differentiation of excreted leukocytes in relation to acuity, course and prognosis of inflammatory urinary tract infections].

The intention was to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of differentiating between the cells excreted in the urine. Midstream morning urine specimens of children with untreated urinary tract infection (group AO), with recurrent urinary tract infection in the symptom-free period (group D), of healthy girls (group CW), healthy boys (group CM), of children with acute infections other than urinary tract infections (group B) and with acute urinary tract infections after 8 days of antibiotic therapy (group A8) were examined for number of leucocytes and proportion of granulocytes (PMNL) in percent. There were significant differences in leucocyte numbers between groups D, CW and A8 on the one hand and CM and B on the other The granulocytes percentages differed significantly between AO, D and CW, CM, A8. The study provides essential data for assessing acuity, course and prognosis of urinary tract infection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Renal clearance of aluminium: studies in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

The model of isolated rat kidney was used to study the renal handling of aluminium (Al). The kidney function remained unchanged at perfusate concentrations of Al in a range of 0.04-12.4 micrograms/ml during a perfusion period of 60 min. The clearance values of Al decreased with increasing concentrations of Al in the perfusate. The fractional Al clearance was reduced from 70% at the lowest Al concentration in the perfusate to 8.2% at the highest Al concentration. The Al content of the kidneys increased dose-dependently and reached a maximum value of 4 micrograms Al per kidney at a perfusate concentration of 5 micrograms Al/ml. Protein-binding studies with Al confirmed the suggestion that renal elimination of Al is dependent on the degree of Al binding. It is proposed that at low Al load in the plasma, the kidney possesses the capability to eliminate Al in an effective manner.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1989

Inhibition of hydroxyl-radical-generated DNA degradation by metallothionein.

The effect of metallothionein (MT) on hydroxyl-radical-induced DNA damage was investigated in an in-vitro study. The degradation of DNA as demonstrated by agarose gel electrophoresis was inhibited by MT in a concentration-dependent manner. The degradation of DNA was almost completely inhibited by a concentration of 13 microM MT, whereas a concentration of 10 mM glutathione was needed to achieve the same protective effect.

Catalase↗
PubMed1989

The effect of topically applied corticosteroids and zinc on the metallothionein content of skin in an experimental model.

The metallothionein (MT) content in hairless mouse skin was determined after topical application of various glucocorticoids or zinc oxide (ZnO). Dexamethasone (1%) in a cream base or zinc paste (20% zinc oxide) were applied twice daily, at a dose of 0.5 g, to the dorsal surface of the mouse. These experiments were conducted for 7 days. The MT content of the skin increased in a time-dependent manner after dexamethasone application with maximal values (7.1 +/- 0.29 pmol MT/mg wet weight) seen after 5 days, whereas zinc paste caused only slight increases after 3 days of treatment. The effect of hydrocortisone and triamcinolone-acetonide on the MT content of the skin was also studied. The physiological significance of these results is briefly discussed.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1989

[Coronary arteriography with a plasma-isotonic roentgen contrast medium: effects on ECG, blood pressure and coronary circulation].

The nonionic-dimeric compound lotrolan (0.27 osmol/kg, 280 mg J/ml) is the first contrast medium with plasma-isotonic osmolality and sufficient iodine content for intravascular use. In 15 patients with coronary heart disease, the cardiac side effects of 1) lotrolan, 2) nonionic-monomeric lopromide (0.77 osmol/kg, 370 mg J/ml and 3) ionic-monomeric Amidotrizoate (2.1 osmol/kg, 370 mg J/ml) were compared intraindividually following randomized left coronary artery injections (8 ml). Electrocardiographic indices, aortic pressure, coronary sinus flow (thermodilution method), and coronary vascular resistance were determined before, during, and 60 s after each injection. Heart rate remained almost unchanged with lotrolan (+/- 3%) and lopromide (-8%). Amidotrizoate (-16%), however, caused a significant bradycardia. Aortic pressure decreased markedly after Amidotrizoate (-12%) but only moderately after lopromide (-7%) and lotrolan (-6%). Coronary sinus flow increased to the same extent with lopromide (+66%) and Amidotrizoate (+72%), but less with lotrolan (+43%). Coronary vascular resistance dropped significantly more following lopromide (-38%) and Amidotrizoate (-43%) than after lotrolan (-27%). As opposed to Amidotrizoate and lopromide, lotrolan caused only slight changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and coronary hemodynamics, presumably due to its plasma-isotonic osmolality. Only minor differences were found between the cardiac effects of Amidotrizoate and lopromide. The diagnostic quality of the angiograms, however, was better with Amidotrizoate and lopromide. Thus, due to its reduced cardiac side effects, lotrolan may only be useful in the case of experimental investigations applying digital techniques.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Metallothionein gene expression in mouse tissues by D-penicillamine.

The effect of D-penicillamine on metallothionein mRNA accumulation was examined in mouse tissues by Northern and dot blot analysis. This drug was given as a single intraperitoneal dose of 250 mg/kg body weight and the metallothionein mRNA content of the tissues was measured 1, 4, 8 and 24 hours later. A detectable increase of mRNA was observed after 1 hour and maximal accumulation was seen after 4 hours in the liver, kidneys, lungs, brain and spleen, whereas in the heart the maximum occurred after 8 hours. In the liver metallothionein mRNA was increased 14.5-fold over the control and in the kidneys it was increased by a factor of 9.2. A significant increase was also seen in the lungs, where it was 10 fold. To determine whether the increase is due to new transcription of the metallothionein gene, animals were pretreated with actinomycin D (1.0 mg/kg body weight) before receiving D-penicillamine. Actinomycin D prevented some of the D-penicillamine-induced increase in metallothionein mRNA, indicating that the drug, to some extent, acts at the transcriptional level. Regulation of metallothionein gene expression may play an important role in the molecular mechanisms involved in the clinical action of D-penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Metallothionein induction in a human B cell line by stimulated immune cell products.

Metallothionein (MT) is a protein inducible by heavy metals, various chemicals, immunomodulatory substances, and interleukins. We have asked the question whether immunostimulatory substances, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Concanavalin A (Con A), or supernatants obtained from human peripheral mononuclear cells (hPMC), which had been stimulated with LPS or Con A, are able to induce increased MT concentrations in cells of the immune system. For this purpose, the effects of LPS and Con A, and of supernatants obtained from immune cells stimulated by them were studied using the human IgM-secreting B cell line RPMI 1788. Supernatants obtained from hPMC that were stimulated by LPS or Con A increased the MT concentration in RPMI 1788 cells. However, LPS or Con A failed directly to increase MT concentrations in RPMI 1788 cells, whereas they increased MT concentrations in hPMC. Our data support the hypothesis that MT is probably not only important for metal homeostasis and protection against environmental hazards but also during immunostimulation.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1988

[Intrathoracic gastric duplication with intrapulmonary abscesses and perforation into the bronchial system--pathologico-anatomic peculiarities and diagnostic problems].

Gastric and enteric cysts represent genuine duplications. With regard to their genesis opinions are divided. These duplications may perforate into the lung parenchyma and/or the bronchial system, giving rise to specific symptoms. The only possible therapy is complete extirpation. The intrapulmonary metastases are drained and aspirated and can be cured without loss of lung tissue. A report is given on a thoracic cystic gastric duplication with haemorrhagic inflammation of the mucous membrane associated with erosions in a 8-week old boy. Clinically, the duplication was reflected by poor general health, dyspnea and tachypnea. The perforation into the bronchial system caused respiratory insufficiency. Using antibiotic therapy, immune substitution and surgery in combination, the boy was cured. The morphological findings, causative embryological factors, and diagnostic possibilities and problems are discussed.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1987

Metallothionein-determination in biological materials: interlaboratory comparison of 5 current methods.

Five current methods of metallothionein (MT)-estimation in biological materials (Hg/TCA-, Cd/heme-, SH-assay, G 75-method and RIA) were compared. Uniform calibration was ensured by measuring the nitrogen-content of the standard-apoprotein after "Kjeldahl-digestion". Known amounts of rabbit standard Cd-MT I were recovered from identical rat S9-samples. In an overall rating, RIA and Cd/heme-assay performed best, whereas the other methods either underestimated (SH-, G 75) or overestimated (Hg/TCA) the 100%-expectation.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Renal handling of cadmium and cadmium-metallothionein: studies on the isolated perfused rat kidney.

The isolated kidney perfusion model was used to study the uptake of Cd and metallothionein (MT)-complexed Cd. Cd2+ at concentrations above 40 nM strongly depressed the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), whereas MT-complexed Cd (Cd-MT) at concentrations of 0.8-920 nM had no effect on the GFR. In contrast to Cd2+, Cd-MT was readily reabsorbed by the kidney and uptake saturation for Cd-MT occurred at 240 nM. The maximal transport rate for Cd-MT calculated in this study was 18 pmoles Cd-MT . g-1 . min-1. The accumulation of Cd in the kidney was more efficient in the experiment using Cd-MT, in which case the Cd kidney contents were about 2-4 times higher than compared to CdCl2.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Specific induction of metallothionein in hairless mouse skin by zinc and dexamethasone.

The stimulation of metallothionein (MT) synthesis in mouse skin after i.p. treatments with various doses of dexamethasone or zinc was demonstrated. Specific MT mRNA induction was determined by Northern analysis. Zinc was a more efficient inducer than dexamethasone. The maximal MT accumulation occurs after i.p. injections of 50-100 mg dexamethasone/kg body weight. The possible role of MT in the skin is briefly discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Aminophylline for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of intravenous aminophylline in the treatment of patients hospitalized for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial during the first 72 hours of hospitalization. PATIENTS: Thirty patients admitted from the emergency room or walk-in clinic with the primary diagnosis of an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Twenty-eight patients completed the study; 2 patients, 1 receiving placebo and 1 receiving aminophylline, were removed from the study because of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. INTERVENTIONS: PATIENTS received either intravenous aminophylline or placebo, in addition to nebulized, inhaled 0.3 mL of a 5% solution every 6 hours; methylprednisolone, 0.5 mg/kg body weight every 6 hours intravenously; ampicillin, 500 mg orally every 6 hours (tetracycline or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were substituted in penicillin-allergic patients); and supplemental oxygen as needed. Aminophylline infusion rates were adjusted by an unblinded investigator to achieve theophylline levels of 72 to 83 mumol/L. Changes were also made in placebo infusion rates to maintain the double-blind design. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) before and after metaproterenol inhalation were measured twice daily by a blinded investigator, who also administered a verbal dyspnea index with a scale of 1 to 10 and questioned patients regarding possible side effects of treatment (tremor, palpitations, nausea, or vomiting). Arterial blood gas measurements at 72 hours were compared with those obtained on admission. Significant improvements in FEV1 and FVC measured before and after metaproterenol treatment and in dyspnea occurred over time in both treatment groups (p less than 0.05 for all measurements). However, there were no significant differences between the placebo and aminophylline groups in any of the spirometric measurements or the dyspnea indices (p greater than 0.5 in all five analyses). The mean increases (+/- SE) in Po2 of 1.9 (+/- 0.5) kPa with placebo and 1.7 (+/- 0.7) kPa with aminophylline and the mean decreases in PCO2 of 0.5 (+/- 0.4) kPa with placebo and 1.2 (+/- 0.4) kPa with aminophylline were not significantly different (p greater than 0.6 for PO2, p greater than 0.2 for PCO2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

Determination of Cd-thionein in biological materials: comparative standard recovery by five current methods using protein nitrogen for standard calibration.

Five methods of metallothionein (MT) estimation in biological materials (Hg-saturation assay, Cd-saturation assay, thiolate group determination, Sephadex G-75 gel chromatography with subsequent Cd determination by Zeeman-AAS, and a radioimmunoassay (RIA) were compared for their ability to recover standard MT(rabbit Cd-MTI) from liver or kidney S9. Uniform molar calibration of all assays was achieved using the known amino acid composition of standard MT and the nitrogen content of the standard MT stock solution as measured after complete Kjeldahl digestion. Known molar amounts of standard MT were added exogenously to rat liver- or kidney-S9 samples and recoveries measured using the methods indicated. In an overall rating, RIA and Cd-saturation assay performed best with recoveries of 97 +/- 12.0 and 105 +/- 9.7%, respectively. On the other hand, the remaining methods either underestimated (thiolate group determination, G-75/Cd-AAS) or overestimated (Hg-saturation assay) the theoretical expectation by up to 44%.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Absorption and distribution of cadmium (Cd), copper and zinc following oral subchronic low level administration to rats of different binding forms of cadmium (Cd-acetate, Cd-metallothionein, Cd-glutathione).

Male Wistar rats received by gavage saline or about 25 micrograms cadmium (Cd)/kg/day as Cd-acetate (Cd-Ac), Cd-metallothionein (Cd-MT) or Cd-glutathione (Cd-GSH) 5 times per week for 28 times. At all treatments 0.2-0.3% of the totally administered Cd dose was found in liver, kidneys, small intestine and pancreas, whereas none of the Cd forms applied resulted in a Cd accumulation in testes. Cd in small intestine was not increased by Cd-MT. However, it was raised by Cd-Ac and even more by Cd-GSH. A smaller increase in hepatic and renal Cd resulted from Cd-GSH than from Cd-Ac or Cd-MT. Cd in pancreas increased after Cd-GSH but not after Cd-Ac or Cd-MT. Copper (Cu) rose in small intestine and testes but decreased in kidneys independent of either Cd treatment. Concomitantly, zinc (Zn) was decreased in small intestine and testes. The tissue concentration of metallothionein (MT) was only marginally increased by all treatments. The highest value (80%) above controls) was found in small intestine after Cd-GSH. Intestinal Cd as well as testicular Cu were related to the tissue MT. Therefore, the distribution of Cd between various organs depends on the Cd form applied. There is some relationship to the distribution of Cu and Zn.

Acetates↗
PubMed1986

[Cellular and molecular biological aspects in environmental toxicology].

Health effects of substances in the environment are considered from the viewpoint of cellular and molecular biology. There are nephrotoxic effects of cadmium to be discussed as well as mechanisms of carcinogenesis and neurotoxicity. Finally, the influences of noxious substances on lung clearance and immune reactions are demonstrated.

Cadmium↗
PubMed1985

The porcine LH/hCG receptor. Characterization and purification.

Porcine luteal LH/hCG receptor (LH/hCG R) was solubilized with 70-80% recovery from the crude plasma membrane fraction by Triton X-100 in the presence of 25% glycerol and protease inhibitors. The solubilized receptor maintained 90% of original activity at -60 degrees C for 90 days. Equilibrium association constant (Ka) values of 1.92, 2.22, and 2.03 X 10(10) M-1 were observed for the whole homogenate, plasma membrane fraction, and solubilized LH/hCG R preparations, respectively. The specific binding capacity for the same fractions were 49, 70, 55 fmol/mg protein, respectively. Complexes of LH/hCG R and Triton X-100 were resolved into two components with approximate Mr = 2.7 X 10(5) and 5.4 X 10(5) by gel filtration on Sepharose 6B and two glycoprotein components by chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. Solubilized porcine LH/hCG R was purified by two cycles of affinity chromatography on highly purified hCG-Sepharose with an overall recovery of 30-35% of the initial activity in the Triton extract. Purified porcine LH/hCG R had a specific binding capacity of 2300 pmol/mg protein and a Ka = 1.5 X 10(10) M-1. Silver staining of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels demonstrated that the major protein in porcine LH/hCG R preparations has Mr = 68,000. A weakly staining band at Mr = 45,000 was also observed in the purified receptor preparation. Analysis of iodinated purified LH/hCG R by autoradiography has confirmed these results. Porcine LH/hCG R was purified 40,000-fold by this method.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The prevention of elastase-induced emphysema in hamsters by the intratracheal administration of a synthetic elastase inhibitor bound to albumin microspheres.

The peptide, succinyl-alanyl-alanyl-prolyl-valine chloromethylketone (SPCK), a synthetic inhibitor of elastase, was covalently attached to human albumin microspheres (HAM) and administered intratracheally to hamsters 15 min and 8 h prior to the instillation of porcine pancreatic elastase. Pressure-volume relationships and histologic examination of excised lungs after 4 wk showed complete protection from emphysema when SPCK-HAM was administered either 15 min or 8 h before elastase exposure. Concurrent experiments with free SPCK showed that protection was achieved only if elastase was administered within 15 min after the instillation of SPCK. Extending this period to 8 h not only led to a failure of free SPCK to prevent emphysema but actually resulted in more extensive air-space enlargement. The prolonged effectiveness conferred by the attachment of SPCK to a biodegradable carrier should reduce the frequency with which it would have to be administered for the therapeutic intervention of emphysema and should minimize any toxic side reactions.

Albumins↗