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Biomedical subjects

J Abraham

Publications and source records attributed to J Abraham.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Zinc metabolism and taste acuity in renal transplant recipients.

To determine the effect of renal transplantation on taste acuity and zinc metabolism, we tested 43 patients with functioning allografts for 2.5 to 96 months. They were tested for taste by the 3-drop stimulus technique. In 30 of them, we determined zinc levels in plasma, hair, and urine. Subnormal plasma and hair zinc, as well as hyperzincuria, was present in all of the 15 patients less than 12 months posttransplant. In contrast, 10 patients who were more than 12 months posttransplant had plasma zinc levels, hair zinc, and urinary zinc excretions in the normal range. Zinc concentrations in plasma and hair of 5 patients who were more than 12 months posttransplant with renal failure, were subnormal and were similar to those in hemodialysis patients. Similarly, taste detection and recognition thresholds for sodium chloride, sucrose, urea, and hydrochloric acid were normal only in patients more than 12 months posttransplant with normal renal function. Plasma zinc, hair zinc, and urinary zinc were not related to prednisone or azathioprine dosage. These results suggest that abnormalities of zinc and taste persist up to 12 months posttransplant and may be related to increased urinary zinc losses.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Multiple giant hydatid cysts of the brain. Case report.

A rare case of multiple primary hydatid cysts of the brain is reported in a 9-year-old girl. There were five cysts, occupying most of the right supratentorial region. The biggest cyst measured 9 cm across, while the smallest one was 4.5 cm in diameter. The diagnosis was based on computerized tomography findings. The patient did not have any evidence of hydatid disease elsewhere in the body. The delivery of all the cysts resulted in the dramatic neurological recovery of this patient.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1981

Experimental cerebral infarction in primates: regional changes in brain histamine content.

Histamine levels in different regions of the brain in the primate Macaca Radiata were studied following experimental infarction induced in the basal ganglia by coagulation of the middle cerebral artery. In the basal ganglia an elevation of histamine level was seen probably due to proliferation of mast cells. In the hypothalamus, a main constituent of the ascending histaminergic neuronal pathway, a sharp rise in histamine content occurred in infarcted as well as sham-operated animals: this probably reflects non-specific stress-related alterations. In contrast, the cortical area of the ischemic hemisphere showed a higher elevation of histamine, demonstrating that infarction in one region can cause widespread specific changes in histaminergic systems remote from the infarct. The rise in histamine level at the ischemic site could evoke an increase in microcirculation which might aggravate cerebral edema, while changes in the remote regions may be responsible for some of the neurological deficits following stroke.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

DNA sequence of regulatory region for integration gene of bacteriophage lambda.

The cII and cIII proteins specified by bacteriophage lambda direct the lysogenic response to infection through the coordinate establishment of repression and integration of the viral DNA. The regulatory activity of cII/cIII involves positive regulation of two promoter sites: the p(E) promoter, turning on expression of the cI protein that maintains lysogeny, and the p(I) promoter, activating synthesis of the Int protein for integrative recombination. Regulation of the p(I) promoter provides for differential expression of the Int protein with respect to the excision-specific Xis protein from the closely linked int and xis genes. We have determined the DNA sequence of the p(I) promoter region for wild-type lambda DNA and for two classes of mutations: intc mutations, which result in a high rate of Int synthesis in the absence of cII, and deletion mutations, some of which eliminate cII-activated expression of the int gene. We find a sequence with considerable homology (11 of 15 bases) to a "typical" (computer-generated) promoter sequence, adjacent to a region with striking homology (11 of 14 bases) to part of the p(E) promoter region. This presumed p(I) sequence overlaps the start of the xis gene and includes the site of two intc point mutations. A cII-insensitive xis(+) deletion partially removes the proposed p(I) sequence; a deletion that leaves the p(I) sequence intact but terminates 21 bases upstream does not interfere with cII activation of the int gene. From our results and the analysis of the p(E) region, we suggest that cII acts in the promoter -35 recognition region to facilitate binding by RNA polymerase at the -10 interaction region. Differential expression of the int and xis genes results because the p(I) transcript lacks the initiation codon for Xis protein synthesis.

Bacteriophage lambda↗
PubMed1980

Effects of 2-ethylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole on hepatic adenosine nucleotides in experimental hemorrhagic shock.

2-Ethylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (EAT), originally tested as a cancer chemotherapeutic agent, has been shown to increase the de novo synthesis of purines. To evaluate its effects on hepatic adenosine nucleotides in hemorrhagic shock, EAT was administered to dogs prior to bleeding. Concentrations of uric acid and allantoin in serum and lymph were also measured as additional indices of purine metabolism in the dog. During oligemia, the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in serial liver biopsies fell to half of the control values in treated and untreated groups. After reinfusion, the APT and total adenosine nucleotides increased in both groups but were significantly higher in treated than in untreated control animals (P less than 0.05). In treated animals the hepatic ATP reached 93% and 109% of initial values at one and three hours after reinfusion, respectively. Corresponding values were 63% and 80% in surviving untreated control animals. During oligemia and after reinfusion, the uric acid was increased in both groups but remained significantly lower in treated than in untreated animals. The arterial pressure of treated animals remained higher after reinfusion than in untreated animals. Studies in oligemic rats demonstrated significantly greater survival in EAT-treated animals than in untreated controls. The data suggest that pretreatment with EAT results in improved recovery of the hepatic adenosine nucleotide pool and increased survival of oligemic animals, which may be related to the greater availability of substrates for synthesis of the adenosine nucleotides.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1980

Tissue effects of new silicone mammary-type implants in rabbits.

Two new types of silicone mammary-type implants designed to reduce silicone leakage by a gel barrier or to insulate tissue from silica in standard implants (by silicone coating) were placed in rabbits. Standard-type silicone implants were placed as controls. Capsules histologically similar to those that occur in humans occurred around many implants, although no grossly visible capsular contraction occurred. Inflammation was minimal around all types of implants, and the capsules appeared similar. Myofibroblasts were seen around implants within the first three weeks only. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis was used to positively identify silicon in tissues around the implants. Silicon was found in tissues from 55% of the standard and 60% of the silicone-coated implants, while it was found in only 10% of capsules around implants containing a gel barrier layer. We conclude that both kinds of new implants incite minimal reaction in rabbits, and that a gel barrier can reduce silicone leakage from silicone implants.

Animals↗