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Biomedical subjects

J M Walker

Publications and source records attributed to J M Walker.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Effects of exercise on sleep.

We tested the hypothesis that EEG sleep stages 3 and 4 (slow-wave sleep, SWS) would be increased as a function of either acute of chronic exercise. Ten distance runners were matched with 10 nonrunners, and their sleep was recorded under both habitual (runners running and nonrunners not running, 3 night) and abruptly changed (runners not running and nonrunners running, 1 night) conditions. Analyses of both visually scored SWS and computer measures of delta activity during non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep failed to support the SWS-exercise hypothesis. The runners showed a significantly higher proportion and a greater absolute amount of NREM sleep than the nonrunners. The runners showed less rapid eye-movement activity during sleep than the nonrunners under both experimental conditions, indicating a strong and unexpected effect of physical fitness on this measure. Modest afternoon exercise in nonrunners was associated with a strong trend toward elevated heart rate during sleep. Mood tests and personality profiles revealed few differences, either between groups or within groups, as a function of exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Flurazepam effects on slow-wave sleep: stage 4 suppressed but number of delta waves constant.

Repeated administration of flurazepam reduced stage 4 sleep (high delta-wave concentration) but produced a greater increase in stage 2 duration so that total sleep time was increased. Computer analysis revealed that the increased amount of stage 2 (low delta-wave concentration) sleep provided a number and duration of delta waves sufficient to offset the loss of delta activity in stage 4. However, the amplitude of the average delta wave was reduced. These results demonstrate the value of direct quantification of delta-wave activity, the variable that underlies visual classification of slow-wave sleep into stages 2 to 4. They also give rise to new hypotheses regarding the relative absence of side effects in spite of profound stage 4 suppression by flurazepam and the mechanisms by which total sleep time is increased by this drug.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1977

The nucleus corporis pontobulbaris of the North American opossum.

The nucleus of the pontobulbar body (PBu) in the North American opossum is located, for the most part, adjacent to the motor root of the trigeminal nerve. Material prepared by degeneration and autoradiographic methods shows that the PBu receives projections from the facial motor-sensory cortex, red nucleus, spinal cord and cerebellum. The latter fibers probably take origin within the fastigial nucleus. Each of the afferent connections ends in a restricuted part of the PBu, but there is considerable overlap. Use of the horseradish peroxidase technique reveals that the PBu projects to the spinal cerebellum (anterior lobe, pyramis and paramedian lobules), to visual-auditory areas of the vermis and to the lobus simplex as well as to crus I and II of the hemispheres. Although there is some topography to such projections, it is not sharply defined and many regions of the PBu contain labelled neurons after injections of horseradish peroxidase into widely separate areas of the cerebellar cortex. Because of its embryogenesis and position, the PBu is often considered part of the dorsolateral basilar pons. It appears from our material, however, that the organization of PBu afferent and efferent connections is different from that of the adjacent basilar pons, and arguments for considering the PBu a separate precerebellar nucleus are presented.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1977

The primary structure of a non-histone chromosomal protein.

The primary structure of the calf thymus non-histone chromosomal protein HMG-17 has been determined. The sequence was determined mainly from data provided by the peptides obtained by cleavage with staphylococcal protease. Additional information was obtained from peptides produced by cleavage with trypsin and alpha-protease (from Crotalus atrox venom) and by partial acid hydrolysis. The protein is 89 amino acid residues in length, and has molecular weight of 9247. The N-terminal two-thirds of the molecule is highly basic, 22 of the first 58 residues being lysine or arginine, whereas only seven residues are aspartic or glutamic acid residues. In contrast, the C-terminal region of the molecule has an overall negative charge, only four of the last 31 residues being basic, whereas seven aspartic and glutamic acid residues are present. The protein is also characterised by a region of high density of proline residues, there being six proline residues between residues 31 and 40. A region of 19 residues sequence similarity with the trout-specific histone, H6, is noted together with some smaller regions of sequence similarity with histones H1 and H5.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1977

An analog of enkephalin having prolonged opiate-like effects in vivo.

Intraventricular administration of the enkephalin analog, [D-Ala2]-metenkephalin, induces profound and long-lasting analgesia, as well as other opiate-like behavioral effects in the rat. This analgesia was highly dose dependent, of much greater magnitude, and about 30 times longer lasting than that produced by the naturally occurring peptide, methionine-enkephalin. The behavioral effects of the [D-Ala2] analog could be completely reversed by the opiate antagonist, naloxone, suggesting that these effects were mediated by opiate receptors. Systemic administration of naloxone alone resulted in a significant increase in pain sensitivity. These findings support the view that endogenous opiate systems may play an important role in modulating pain sensitivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Congenital hip disease in a Cree-Ojibwa population: a retrospective study.

Retrospective study of data from annual surveys and hospital records over 23 years confirmed the 1950 report of a high prevalence of congenital hip disease (CHD) in the Cree-Ojibwa population of Island Lake, Man. Annual ascertainment rates ranged from 35 to 600 cases per 1000 live births; 5-year rates for dislocation or subluxation were the highest reported for any population. The minimally declining rates of CHD may reflect upgrading in criteria for hip abnormality as well as decreasing isolation and increasing outbreeding of the population. The preponderance of females (female:male ratio, 1.90:1) was low compared with that found in other studies. For all diagnoses bilateral hip involvement exceeded unilateral in frequency; laterality differences were not significant when the sexes were studied separately. Function in everyday activities was impaired little.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Endorphin analogs with potent and long-lasting analgesic effects.

The analgesic effects of intracerebroventricular administration of alpha, gamma, and beta-endorphin and their D-Ala2-analogs were examined in the rat using the tail-flick test. Analgesia was produced by all substances. The actions of D-Ala2-alpha and -beta-endorphin were considerably greater than the parent forms, whereas D-Ala2-gamma-endorphin was approximately equivalent to the parent compound. The marked analgesia was dose dependent and prolonged for all analogs. Since these effects were reversed by the opiate antagonist naloxone, it was concluded that opiate receptors mediate the action of these analogs. It is suggested that these analogs may be useful in behavioral tests when a longer duration of action is desirable.

Analgesics↗
PubMed1977

Maintenance of the functional state of isolated rat liver by hypothermic perfusion with an erythrocyte-free medium.

Isolated rat liver was studied before, during, and after hypothermic perfusion at 5 C for 24, 48, or 72 hr with an acellular perfusate consisting of 7% bovine serum albumin in Kreb-Ringer buffer containing glucose, penicillin, and streptomycin. Bile production ceased at 5 C but resumed when the temperature was raised to 35 C. The rate of flow and the total amount produced was unaffected by 24 hr of hypothermia but decreased when the cooling period was extended to 48 and 72 hr. The data of other workers was used to show a correlation between bile flow and oxygen consumption by the liver. Cooling also caused the release of potassium into the perfusate but it was quickly reaccumulated after rewarming; however, the extent and rate of reaccumulation decreased as the cooling period increased, as did the ability of the livers to retain the ion. Urea synthesis did not cease after cooling and after rewarming, the rate of synthesis increased as the period of hypothermia was lengthened. The maximum concentration of urea in the perfusate was found when rewarmed livers had produced 200 mumol of urea but at this point, control livers had produced 280 mumol. The concentration of glucose in the perfusate of livers maintained at 35 C showed peaks at 2 and 9 to 10 hr after the start of perfusion. After cooling for 24 hr these peaks arose at 2 and 7 hr after rewarming, but with 48 hr of hypothermia, these peaks were higher and appeared at 2 and 4 hr. When the cooling period was extended to 72 hr, only a single peak was seen 2 hr after rewarming. These results suggest that rat liver can be cooled to 5 C for 24 hr with little effect on its functional characteristics but a marked decline becomes apparent when the cooling period is extended beyond 24 hr. None of the livers studied was transplanted after perfusion and it remains to be seen how the functional tests conducted in vitro correlate with the ability of the livers to support life.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

A comparison of the amino-terminal sequences of two calf-thymus chromatin non-histone proteins.

The N-terminal sequences of two calf-thymus non-histone chromosomal proteins, HMG-1 and HMG-2, are compared. Both N-terminal sequences are basic, and differ at only one position. This contrasts with the C-terminal portion of HMG-1 which we have previously shown to be high in acidic residues. There is no obvious sequence homology with any of the known sequences of the histones.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1977

Selectivity of blocking agents for pre-and postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors.

1. Low frequency (0.1 Hz) electrical stimulation of the rat isolated vas deferens produced regular contractions that were inhibited by low concentrations of clonidine. 2. The inhibition of the vas deferens produced by clonidine was presynaptic in origin and involved alpha-adrenoceptors. 3. Presynaptic alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist activity was assessed by studying the effects of increasing concentrations of the antagonists on cumulative clonidine dose-response curves on the stimulated vas deferens. 4. Postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist activity was assessed by comparison of control cumulative noradrenaline dose-response curves with those in the presence of increasing concentrations of antagonists in the rat anococcygeus muscle. 5. The results indicate that yohimbine and phentolamine are more potent in blocking presynaptic than postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors. Phenoxybenzamine and prazosin block postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors preferentially. 6. The findings support the view that presynaptic and postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors differ in their sensitivity to alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1977

Sleep and hibernation in ground squirrels (Citellus spp): electrophysiological observations.

Electroencephalogram (EEG), electrooculogram, electromyogram, and electrocardiogram were recorded from ground squirrels (Citellus beldingi and C. lateralis) during the summer and also during the hibernation season. Summer recordings revealed that the animals spent an average of 66% of the 24-h period asleep (49% of the 12-h light period and 84% of the 12-h dark period); 19% of the total sleep time (TST) consisted of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and 81% of TST consisted of slow-wave sleep (SWS). Recordings obtained during the hibernation season showed that hibernation was entered through sleep, but the distribution of sleep states was different than in euthermic sleep. During the early entrance when brain temperature (Tbr) was between 35 and 25 degrees C, the animals were asleep 88% of the time, but only 10% of the TST was spent in REM sleep. The EEG amplitude declined with decreased Tbr so that classical sleep stages could not be identified below a Tbr of 25 degrees C. The frequency of the EEG increased as Tbr decreased; but activity in the 0-4 cycles/s band occupied the majority of the record even at a Tbr of 10 degrees C. Below a Tbr of 10 degrees C the EEG was isoelectric except for intermittent bursts of spindles. It was concluded from these and other results that the entrance into hibernation represents an extension of the thermoregulatory adjustments that occur during SWS.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

An assessment of some of the methods available for the determination of molecular weights of proteins as applied to aspartate aminotransferase from pig heart.

The isopotential specific volume of cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase from pig heart was found to be 0.763 ml g-1 whereas the value of the apparent specific volume obtained by summation of contributions from each type of amino acid in the protein is 0.735 ml g-1. Use of the experimentally determined isopotential specific volume largely abolishes the discrepancy between a previously reported value of the molecular weight of the native (dimeric) enzyme and that of the enzyme subunit obtained from its primary structure (46300). A new non-empirical method based on quantitative N-terminal analysis involving radioisotope dilution is described for the determination of subunit molecular weight of proteins. The method is capable of considerable accuracy and sensitivity. Some of the methods available for the determination of molecular weights ans subunit compositions of proteins are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1976

The similarity between the primary structures of two non-histone chromosomal proteins.

A comparison has been made of two non-histone chromosomal proteins, high-mobility-group proteins 1 and 2. Peptides produced from the two proteins by various chemical and enzymic cleavages have been compared by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and peptide mapping. In addition the cysteine content, C-terminal sequences and amide content have been determined for both proteins. The results obtained, together with previous results, show that high-mobility-group proteins 1 and 2 have closely related primary structures, although obviously being different molecules. When analysed by isoelectric focusing both proteins exhibit complex banding patterns. In the case of high-mobility-group protein 1, this could be caused by aggregation, but with high-mobility-group protein 2 there are four distinctive subfractions focusing between pH 7.8 and 8.9.

Amides↗