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Biomedical subjects

J Stephenson

Publications and source records attributed to J Stephenson.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Characterization of a novel non-peptide vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist (OPC-21268) in the rat.

A non-peptide, orally effective, vasopressin (AVP) V1 receptor antagonist 1-(1-[4-(3-acetylaminopropoxy) benzoyl]-4-piperidyl)-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone (OPC-21268) has recently been described. This paper reports the in-vitro and in-vivo characterization of OPC-21268 binding to vasopressin receptors in rat liver and kidney. OPC-21268 caused a concentration-dependent displacement of the selective V1 receptor antagonist radioligand, 125I-labelled [d(CH2)5,sarcosine7]AVP to V1 receptors in both rat liver and kidney medulla membranes. The concentration of OPC-21268 that displaced 50% of specific AVP binding (IC50) was 40 +/- 3 nmol/l for liver V1 and 15 +/- 2 nmol/l for kidney V1 receptors (mean +/- S.E.M.; n = 3). OPC-21268 had little effect on the selective V2 antagonist radioligand [3H]desGly-NH2(9)]d(CH2)5,D-Ile2,Ile4] AVP binding to V2 receptors in renal medulla membranes (IC50 > 0.1 mmol/l). After oral administration to rats, OPC-21268 was an effective V1 antagonist in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Binding kinetic studies showed that OPC-21268 acted as a competitive antagonist at the liver V1 receptor in vitro and in vivo, in addition to its in-vitro competitive effects at the renal V1 receptor. OPC-21268 shows promise as an orally active V1 antagonist.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Myelodysplastic syndromes: from morphology to molecular biology. Part I. Classification, natural history and cell biology of myelodysplasia.

The myelodysplastic syndromes are a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic disorders predominantly affecting the elderly. Patients frequently develop acute leukemia, but the majority suffer from the consequences of bone marrow failure. The underlying acquired genetic abnormality is the inadequate production of dysplastic and poorly functional cells resulting from defective differentiation and premature cell death of the abnormal hematopoietic clone. Although the pathogenesis is unknown, recent evidence suggests that a sequence of DNA lesions leads to alteration of the cellular function, emergence and consequent evolution of the premalignant clone.

Humans↗
PubMed1993

Myelodysplastic syndromes: from morphology to molecular biology. Part II. The molecular genetics of myelodysplasia.

Most studies of the clonal origin of the underlying lesion(s) and all investigations using X-inactivation, have concluded that the myelodysplastic syndromes arise from a multipotent stem cell. Non-random chromosomal abnormalities, particularly deletions of 5q and 7q, are common, most notably in therapy related MDS. Progression to AML is also frequently accompanied by increased genomic instability as evidenced by the emergence of multiple karyotypic abnormalities. While some evidence hints at the presence of tumour suppressor genes on chromosomes 5, 7, 20 and 12, no such genes have yet been identified. The search for point mutations in known oncogenes has concentrated on two oncogenes RAS and c-FMS. Point mutation frequency generating active forms of RAS oncogenes is approximately 40% in MDS overall, up to 80% in studies of CMML. 60% of all MDS RAS mutation involves a G to A transition, producing a substitution of aspartate for glycine at a frequency of 50% (of total ras mutants). RAS mutation is associated with progression to AML, although the presence of a RAS point mutation alone is neither necessary nor sufficient for leukaemic transformation. Mutation of c-FMS is also more common in CMML in comparison to other MDS subtypes and, as yet, point mutation potentiating the response of the receptor to CSF-1 (codon 969) has been found more frequently than point mutation resulting in permanently activated receptor (codon 301). However, recent work has identified additional mutations which produce transforming proteins, and mutation rates at these sites may be relevant in MDS.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Distribution of CCK binding sites in the human hippocampal formation and their alteration in schizophrenia: a post-mortem autoradiographic study.

The distribution of cholecystokinin binding sites has been visualized and quantified by quantitative autoradiography in the human hippocampus from post-mortem brains of 11 controls and 11 schizophrenics. CCK receptors were localized to subiculum and parahippocampal gyrus. In the cortical areas there was a particularly dense lamination of receptors. In the schizophrenic material a similar overall pattern was seen, but there were significant losses of receptors in CA1 subiculum and cortex. These findings confirm the distribution of CCK receptors in the retrohippocampal areas in man and also provide further support for earlier homogenate studies which have also shown a loss of CCK binding sites in schizophrenia. This effect was localized primarily to parahippocampal gyrus suggesting that CCK plays some role in the genesis of developmental abnormalities in this region.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Recent trends in diabetes mortality in England and Wales.

Trends in diabetes-related mortality in England and Wales between 1975-6 and 1985-6, and regional and ethnic differences in diabetes-related mortality in 1985-6, have been examined. Data from death certificates mentioning diabetes in 1975-6 were compared with those for 1985-6 for different age groups. Data for 1985-6 were also analysed for different regions of England and Wales, and for country of birth. Between 1975-6 and 1985-6, the age-standardized rate of mentioning diabetes rose by 2.7% (95% confidence interval 1.4%, 4.1%) in men of all ages, and fell by 11.7% (10.6, 12.8) in women of all ages. By contrast, the rate of mentioning diabetes in those below 45 years fell by 30.7% (23.0, 37.7) in men and by 26.7% (16.5, 35.6) in women. Deaths in which the underlying cause was ischaemic heart disease (IHD), and where diabetes was also mentioned on the death certificate, rose by 14.4% (11.5, 16.8) in men and did not change significantly in women of all ages, but fell by 18.4% (-35.1, +2.6) in men, and 23.5% (-49.1, +15.2) in women below age 45. This was less favourable than the trend in the general population, where IHD mortality fell by 9.7% in men and 8.3% in women of all ages, and by 31.1% (28.6, 33.5) in men and 40.5% (35.0, 45.5) in women under 45 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

The perspectives of mothers whose children are in special day classes for learning disabilities.

This article presents information about the attitudes and beliefs of mothers concerning their children in learning disabilities classes. Four mothers were interviewed over a 1-year period. Their comments about services provided by educational and mental health professionals indicated high levels of frustration and dissatisfaction. Parental expectations and perspectives differed from those of educators. Participants and educators were found to view learning disabilities differently.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Enhanced growth hormone responses to growth hormone releasing hormone in male type I diabetic patients.

In a previous paper we have demonstrated that growth hormone (GH) responses to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) are higher in premenopausal normal women than in age matched healthy men. As in type I diabetes mellitus various disturbances of GH secretion have been reported, the aim of our study was to assess the effect of sex on basal and GHRH stimulated GH secretion in type I diabetes mellitus. In 21 female and 23 male type I diabetic patients and 28 female and 30 male control subjects GH levels were measured before and after stimulation with GHRH (1 microgram/kg body weight i.v.) by radioimmunoassay. GH responses to GHRH were significantly higher in female than in male control subjects (p less than 0.02), whereas the GH levels following GHRH stimulation were similar in female and male type I diabetic patients. GH responses to GHRH were significantly higher in the male type I diabetic patients than in the male control subjects (p less than 0.001); in the female type I diabetic patients and the female control subjects, however, GH responses to GHRH were not statistically different. The absence of an effect of sex on GHRH stimulated GH responses in type I diabetes mellitus provides further evidence of an abnormal GH secretion in this disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Modulation of mannose receptor activity by proteolysis.

Macrophages express a receptor on the cell surface that functions to clear glycoproteins from the extracellular milieu. The activity of this receptor is sensitive to treatment with trypsin. In inflammatory situations, macrophages are activated and exposed to increased levels of extracellular proteases. Under these conditions, mannose receptor activity on the macrophages is diminished. We therefore decided to study the effects of trypsin treatment on the structure and activity of cell-associated and purified receptor that might contribute to the activation-associated receptor down-regulation. Trypsin treatment (1 microgram/ml for 3 h) resulted in the production of a 140 kDa, trypsin-resistant fragment from both intact cells and isolated receptor. This fragment was no longer able to bind ligand. The remaining 35 kDa fragment apparently is further degraded into smaller fragments, since no evidence of this domain was found on Coomassie Blue-stained gels. The 140 kDa fragment retained immunoreactivity and contained at least a portion of the iodinated tyrosine residues following surface labelling with Na125I. Neither calcium nor ligand protected the receptor from proteolysis. In addition, prior treatment with oxidants did not increase the susceptibility of the receptor to trypsin digestion. We conclude from these results that the macrophage mannose receptor is clipped by the serine protease trypsin at the cell surface, resulting in the release and further degradation of the binding domain, and the production of a membrane-associated 140 kDa fragment. This trypsin-mediated down-regulation of receptor activity might be important in controlling glycoprotein clearance during inflammation.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The molecular genetic analysis of haemophilia A; characterization of six partial deletions in the factor VIII gene.

In a survey of 528 unrelated haemophilia A patients, six partial deletions of the factor VIII (FVIII) gene were detected by Southern blotting. These deletions were further mapped by a combination of Southern blotting and polymerase chain reaction amplification and found to vary in length between 4.7 kb and 57 kb. The frequency of detectable FVIII gene deletions (about 1%) frequency of detectable FVIII gene deletions (about 1%) is thus considerably lower than previously reported. Statistical analysis of currently available data did not provide any evidence for a deletion "'hotspot". Four of the six deletion patients reported here possessed inhibitors. Taken together with previous data, deletion of the FVIII gene was found to be associated with an approximately five-fold higher risk of developing inhibitors compared with other severe haemophiliacs without gene deletions.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1990

Correlation of electroencephalogram, respiration and movement in the Rett syndrome.

Day time video records of 14 girls with the Rett syndrome (RS) (6-17, mean 7 years) were analysed to correlate episodic abnormalities in respiration, movement and electroencephalograms (EEG). Records were compared with those of 12 healthy girls (6-18, median 14 years) who hyperventilated voluntarily. Three RS girls (6-7 years) had minimal respiratory dysrhythmia and showed no correlation between EEG respiration and movement. The other 11 RS girls (6-17 years) had severe awake respiratory dysrhythmia; 10 showing hyperventilation (with hypocapnia) which alternated with active expiratory apnoeic pauses and one with the latter only. All had periods of awake regular breathing with normal respiratory gases. In these girls EEG showed non-epileptic generalised slow activity some of which was paroxysmal. In the six youngest (6-10 years) of these 11 RS girls, non-epileptic paroxysms of EEG slow activity at 1 1/2-4 Hz occurred and were associated with periods of normal breathing and normal pCO2 levels whether girls were alert, drowsy or asleep, but were uncommon during episodes of hyperventilation (and hypocapnia). In four of these girls the EEG paroxysms occupied less than or equal to 1-3% of the time during periods of respiratory dysrhythmia (81 minutes) and 8-100% of the time during alert periods with normal breathing (29 minutes), p less than or equal to 0.001 for this difference. Short bursts of EEG slowing occasionally followed prolonged apnoeic pauses. In two cases brief partial complex seizures occurred. In five of these girls stereotypic movements exacerbated during episodes of respiratory dysrhythmia and reduced during normal breathing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of albumin excretion rate obtained with different times of collection.

This study was undertaken to assess the usefulness of different techniques for determination of albumin excretion rate (AER). Ninety patients with type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and 45 with type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, with AER/24 h of less than 200 micrograms/min, were included. All patients were free of major systemic complications of diabetes and overt kidney disease (mean serum creatinine 1.1 +/- 0.1 mg/dl, range 0.4-1.2 mg/dl). We compared timed day, night, and 24-h specimens, as well as timed spot specimens during water-induced diuresis. Most patients with type I (75 of 90) and type II (30 of 45) diabetes had AER less than 20 micrograms/min and showed significant differences in AER that were dependent on the collection time. Differences were diminished or absent with AER less than 20 micrograms/min. Sensitivity, specificity, and prediction rates of AER in different specimens were evaluated against 24-h AER. Use of albumin concentrations and albumin-creatinine ratios did not improve test performance in comparison with AER. Sampling time and the overall rate of AER influenced measurement of urinary albumin excretion. Day or 24-h AER is most useful to determine the presence of abnormal AER. AER and albumin concentration in spot samples are of limited use for initial screening and frequently require day or 24-h specimens of AER for confirmation. Day or 24-h AER should be used for long-term follow-up of the diabetic patient.

Adolescent↗