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Biomedical subjects

K I Baghurst

Publications and source records attributed to K I Baghurst.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Diet, other lifestyle factors and HDL cholesterol in a population of Australian male service recruits.

The association between dietary and other factors and plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration was examined cross-sectionally and longitudinally in a sample (n = 530) of Australian male service recruits (mean age 21 years) involved in a nine-week induction training program. The findings suggest that diet may make an independent contribution to HDL cholesterol, equal in importance to alcohol, smoking, fitness and obesity--previously identified as being important. Water and carbohydrate consumption showed a negative cross-sectional association with HDL cholesterol on multivariate analysis. The negative association for carbohydrates was also observed longitudinally. Less consistent associations for saturated fat and for total energy intake were also observed. When the relationship between dietary factors and the HDL cholesterol/cholesterol ratio was examined the most important dietary factor appeared to be saturated fat, which was negatively associated with this ratio. No consistent association was observed for any of the 67 individual foods examined.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Alcohol consumption and blood pressure in a group of young Australian males.

Several studies have suggested that regular consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with hypertension. Recent studies, however, have implied tht whilst moderate or high ingestion of alcohol may be detrimental, a threshold exists for alcohol consumption below which alcohol may even exert a beneficial effect. As part of a larger study of a male, service population (average age 23 years) undergoing an initial training course of ten weeks duration, we measured both blood pressure and alcohol consumption in 350 men at entry and/or exit from the course. Alcohol intake was assessed using a supervised, self-administered dietary questionnaire which included two pre-tested measures of alcohol consumption. High alcohol consumption in these young men was not related to elevated systolic or diastolic blood pressure; neither was the recently reported lowering of blood pressure in low alcohol consumers compared to non-drinkers, apparent in this young population. The lack of relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure in this predominantly young group suggests that the relationship, if there is one, between these two factors only becomes clinically obvious either with longer exposure to alcohol, or in an older age group in whom the mechanism of control of blood pressure may already be somewhat compromised by other age-related physiological changes which are not readily measurable.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Foetal thyroidectomy and brain development in the sheep.

Sheep foetuses were surgically thyroidectomized at 50-60 days gestation, when thyroid function begins, and the pregnancy was then allowed to continue until 90, 120 or 150 days (term). At these times the foetuses were removed by caesarean delivery, exsanguinated, weighed and dissected. The central nervous system was divided--cerebral hemispheres, brain stem, cerebellum and spinal cord for subsequent analysis. Comparison was made with sham operations on seven foetuses. Thyroidectomy led to a fall in body weight (24.7%) and brain weight (11.7%) at 120 days and 150 days, 31.1% and 24.5% respectively. The hemispheres showed the greatest change and the cerebellum the least. DNA and protein contents were reduced in the hemispheres and cerebellum at 150 days, while in the brain stem and spinal cord the DNA content was not significantly affected. Protein content was, however, reduced indicating a reduced cell size, but not a reduced cell number as in the other two regions. Somatic changes included reduced wool growth, delayed osseous development in the limbs (X-ray assessment) a reduced heart weight (39.1%) and an increased pituitary weight (48.1%). The thyroidectomized lambs failed to survive for more than a few hours after birth or caesarean delivery at 150 days. The findings indicate significant effects of foetal thyroidectomy on brain development in the sheep late in pregnancy along with other evidence of foetal hypothyroidism.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Foetal brain development in the sheep.

The pattern of normal foetal brain development has been described for the Merino sheep. Controlled flock matings were used and foetuses removed by hysterotomy at 40, 54, 67, 81, 90, 95, 109, 121 and 150 days of gestation. Lambs at 7 days after birth and adults were also studied. The CNS was dissected, separated and weighed as four segments--cerebral hemispheres, brain stem, cerebellum and spinal cord. Determinations of DNA, RNA, protein, cholesterol and water content were subsequently carried out on each segment. Brain weight increased from 0.264 g (40 days) to 52.74 g at 150 days. The ratio to body weight decreased from 6.7% (40 days) to 1.5% (150 days). DNA increased more rapidly from 40 to 90 days in the cerebral hemispheres and brain stem than in the cerebellum and spinal cord and this increase preceded the main increase in weight. Increases in cholesterol and decreases in water content were also more marked in the cerebral hemispheres and brain stem. Increase in brain weight occurred in two phases, one up to 90 days followed by a more rapid and larger increase after 90 days which continued to birth. These two phases appear to reflect an increase in neuroblast multiplication followed by neuroglial multiplication and myelination respectively. At birth, brain weight had reached 50% of adult size, the cerebral hemispheres 52% of adult size, the cerebellum 40% and spinal cord 40%. The relative maturity of the brain at birth justifies the classification of the sheep as a prenatal brain developer.

Animals↗