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Biomedical subjects

K Kostial

Publications and source records attributed to K Kostial.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Toxicologic studies of emissions from coal gasification process. I. Subchronic feeding studies.

The increasing use of new sources of energy may result in additional contamination of the human environment with inorganic and organic pollutants which are not yet adequately investigated with regard to their potential impact on human health. However, some evidence exists that several trace inorganic and organic contaminants found in coal processing residues may constitute potential health problems. Therefore, the comparative biological hazards of solid wastes and effluents from a Lurgi coal gasification plant were initially evaluated using acute and chronic feeding experiments in male and female rats. In the subchronic experiment, six-week old animals were fed diets wih various levels of ash (slag) additive (0.5%, 1%, and 5%) for period of 16 weeks. Following exposure, blood samples were taken and 22-hour urine samples were collected. Livers and kidneys, and testicles in males, were taken for trace element analysis or histologic examination. The urinary values, erythrocyte and leucocyte count, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, and concentration of trace elements in exposed animals were determined. The addition of ash (slag) to the diet in concentrations much higher than expected in conditions of environmental contamination had no measurable health effects. Although these initial results obtained in relatively short-term experiments cannot be directly extrapolated to human health effects, particularly not for carcinogenic assessment, there is an indication that exposure to solid wastes from the coal gasification plant may not be toxic.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Bioavailability of lead in rats fed "human" diets.

The bioavailability of lead was studied in rats fed various baby foods (Babymix-turkey, Babymix-vegetables, Frutolino-fruit, Frutamix-bananas, Babyron-S-26, Truefood), cow's milk, bread, liver and standard rat diet. Lead absorption was determined by measuring the whole body retention of 203Pb 6 days after a single oral application. Highest absorption values ranging from 17 to 20% were obtained in animals fed cow's milk and fruit foods. Rats on other "human" diets absorbed between 3 and 8% of the radioactive lead dose. Only in animals on rat diet lead absorption was below 1%. It is concluded that rats fed "human" diets show absorption values similar to those in humans. This might indicate that the bioavailability of lead is primarily dependent on dietary habits. This experimental model, if confirmed by further work, might be useful for obtaining preliminary data on the bioavailability of metals from various foods.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Effect of milk on mercury absorption and gut retention in rats.

The retention of 203Hg was studied six days after a single oral or intraperitoneal administration to six week old female albino rats fed rat's diet or milk. After oral administration rats on milk diet had a two times higher retention of mercury in the gut-free carcass and a 23 times higher retention in the gut than animals on rat's diet. Changes in diet had very little influence on mercury retention after intraperitoneal administration. The higher gut and carcass rentions of mercury in animals on milk diet could be prevented or reduced by transferring rats from milk diet to rat's diet several days after an oral dose of mercury. These results might be relevant for interpreting high gut and carcass retention after oral administration of some metals in suckling and changes which occur at weaning.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Bone status and fracture rates in two regions of Yugoslavia.

Bone status and fracture rates were evaluated in two Yugoslav populations with very different dietary habits. In district A (Podravina) the daily calcium intake was about twice that in district B (Istra). There were similar but smaller differences in the intakes of other nutrients. In district B metacarpal cortical width was reduced in all age groups of both sexes but the difference tended to decrease with age. The proximal femur fracture rate was higher in district B than district A but there was no difference between the forearm fracture rates in the two districts. Our results confirm that bone mass at any age is clearly the result of age and sex and most probably other genetically determined factors but also show that this expression is nutrition related. The data suggest that nutrition (in particular the calcium intake) is an important determinant of bone mass in young adults but seems to have little effect on age-related bone loss in either males or females. The main determinant of cortical bone mass in the elderly seems to be the cortical bone mass in middle life. The proximal femur fractures of old people reflect declining cortical bone mass but the distal forearm fractures of middle-aged women are unrelated to cortical bone mass or nutritional status.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Influence of some factors on cadmium pharmacokinetics and toxicity.

Cadmium metabolism in the young and in conditions of dietary contamination with ash from coal gasification were investigated. The experiments were performed in adult rats which received ash in the diet (5%) and/or cadmium in drinking water (100 ppm) over a period of five weeks and in sucklings whose mothers were given the same treatment throughout pregnancy and lactation. In pharmacokinetic studies, (115m)Cd was administered orally or intraperitoneally to determine the intestinal absorption, retention, and distribution. Cadmium toxicity (LD(50)) was determined in different age groups of animals treated with ash for five weeks before a single oral or intraperitoneal administration of cadmium chloride. After intraperitoneal administration, (115m)Cd body retention decreased with age and was independent of the dietary treatment. Sucklings had a higher retention in the blood, carcass, and gut than adults. After oral administration, sucklings had a much higher body retention than adults regardless of the dietary treatment of their mothers. Cadmium toxicity was also independent of the dietary treatment. Most striking was a very high oral toxicity of cadmium in sucklings. It is concluded that the young might be at a special risk at the same level of environmental cadmium exposure because of the high oral cadmium toxicity at this age which is most probably due to a high cadmium retention in the gut. It is also concluded that the mixture of elements contained in ash is not likely to influence cadmium metabolism and toxicity in conditions of dietary exposure.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1978

Lead and cadmium in hair as an indicator of body burden in rats of different age.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether hair values of lead and cadmium can be used as an indicator of the body burden of these metals in different age groups. The experiments were performed on rats aged 2 and 18 weeks, which received 203Pb and 115mCd by intraperitoneal injection. The whole body retention and the retention of these radioisotopes in the hair (including the skin) was determined 7 days later. Younger animals showed a higher retention in the whole body and hair of radioactive lead and cadmium. The hair values when expressed as the percentage of the whole body retention were for 203Pb the same in young and adult rats but for 115mCd they were 2 to 3 times higher in young animals than in adults. It is concluded that lead hair values are a good indicator of the total body burden in both age groups. However, the cadmium body burden of young animals would be greatly overestimated if based on hair values only. This findings might be relevant for interpreting results of hair concentrations of lead and cadmium in children.

Aging↗
PubMed1978

Influence of age on metal metabolism and toxicity.

The metabolism and toxicity of lead, cadmium, mercury, and manganese in the postnatal period was studied in rats. Absorption, whole body retention, and organ distribution of 203Pb, 115mCd, 203Hg, and 54Mn were determined after oral and parenteral administration of these radioisotopes. The acute oral toxicity (LD50) was determined after a single application of metal chlorides. The results obtained in sucklings show a very high intestinal absorption of all metals which is partly attributed to milk diet; a higher whole body retention, higher blood levels and a much higher accumulation in the brain; and a higher oral toxicity. These results indicate age specific differences in the pharmacokinetics of metals in sucklings. It seems reasonable to consider the early neonatal age as a critical period for metal accumulation and therefore for metal toxicity. The results are interpreted on the basis of current concepts of developmental physiology and pharmacology and suggestions for future research trends are made.

Aging↗
PubMed1977

Determination of oxytetracycline induced fluorescence and autofluorescence as an indicator of age and sex differences in rat femur.

Simple and rapid methods for the determination and detection of autofluorescence and oxytetracycline (OTC) induced fluorescence in powdered and intact bone (without previous chemical extraction of the antibiotic) were used to estimate age and sex related differences in the rat femur. The autofluorescence always had collagen characteristics; it increased with age and was not sex dependent. The intensity of OTC induced fluorescence decreased with age, being higher in males than in females. In the oldest animals, however a slight increase in the fluorescence intensity was observed, and sex differences disappeared. The spectrofluorometric measurements of intact femora indicate a higher OTC retention on the bone surface of young animals and adult males but not in adult females. The results indicate that the determination of OTC retention in the bone using our quantitative fluorometric method and the detection of OTC deposition at bone surface using a spectrofluorometric technique can be a sensitive and inexpensive tool for experimental studies of bone changes in physiological and pathological conditions.

Age Determination by Skeleton↗