Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

L Field

Publications and source records attributed to L Field.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Outbreak of illness due to volatilized asphalt coming from a malfunctioning fluorescent lighting fixture.

We investigated an outbreak of headache, eye irritation, sore throat, nasal congestion, and nausea in an office complex, ongoing for three months and regularly resolved upon leaving the building. Investigation suggested that the etiology of the illness was malfunctioning fluorescent light ballasts , which overheated and resulted in melting and volatilization of contained asphalt . Correction of the problem resulted in almost complete disappearance of symptoms within two weeks.

Eye Diseases

Possible assignment of a dominant retinitis pigmentosa gene to chromosome 1.

A genetic linkage study, performed on a large family with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RP), demonstrated that the RP gene may be linked to the Rh locus, known to be on the short arm of human chromosome 1. Linkage studies on RP along with other studies, can help to more accurately classify these disease entities. Localizing the RP gene locus has the potential for allowing the early diagnosis of individuals at risk.

Chromosomes, Human, 1-3

Sequences at the 3' ends of yeast viral dsRNAs: proposed transcriptase and replicase initiation sites.

ScV is a double-stranded RNA virus of yeast consisting of two separately encapsidated dsRNAs (L and M). ScV-1 and ScV-2 are two dsRNA viruses present in two different yeast killer strains, K1 and K2. Our 3' end sequence analysis shows that the two sets of viral dsRNAs from ScV-1 and ScV-2 are very similar. Consensus sequences for transcriptase and replicase initiation are proposed. A stem and loop structure with a 3' terminal AUGC sequence, like that of several plant virus plus strand RNAs, is present at the putative replicase initiation site of one of the yeast viral RNA plus strands.

Base Sequence

Lymphocyte surface poisons: disulfides and thiolsulfonates.

Eight disulfides (I-VIII) and a thiolsulfonate (IX) were promising blocking agents of lymphocytes in graft-versus-host reactions (GvHR) without comensurate intracellular effects. The blocking effects were assayed through inhibition of the local GvHR after parental lymphocytes had been incubated with agents at suitable concentrations and then inoculated into F1 hybrid offspring. The intracellular effects were assessed beforehand by measuring the inhibition of [6-3H]thymidine incorporation by lymphocytes in the presence of a wide range of concentrations of agents. Concentration levels which induced no greater than approx. 50% inhibition of the [6-3H] thymidine incorporation were considered to reflect sufficiently small intracellular effects and were used for the subsequent GvHR comparisons. Cellular survival always was 90% or more for the GvHR tests (unless stated otherwise), even when inhibition of thymidine incorporation was as high as 50%; hence the thymidine data are useful not only as guides for dose levels in the GvHR but also as leads to new agents that may show immunosuppressive or anti-leukemic activity through intracellular effects. Structural specificity of the active compounds as cell-surface poisons is evidenced by little or no activity (less than 30% inhibition of GvHR) of 28 other disulfides, 2 trisulfides, 2 Bunte salts, and 8 other thiolsulfonates. Active agents may owe this function to replacement of the H of SH in cell-surface thiol receptors by an SR group. Glutathione did not significantly inactivate agents, probably because the products of reaction also are active disulfides. When two agents (III, IX) were given orally or intraperitoneally to F1 hybrid recipients of untreated parental cells, doses of 10--15 mg/kg produced a GvHR inhibition of 17--53%.

Animals

Dose-response studies of penicillamine and related compounds in reducing skin--tensile strength of rats.

Penicillamine (I) and certain related compounds are known to reduce the skin tensile strength (sts) of rat dorsal skin when they are given in the diet. This effect seems significant to studies of the biochemistry of collagen and of diseases of collagen, perhaps including the arthritides. The reduction of sts appears to be caused by diminution of collagen crosslinking. The effects of several such compounds were studied after intraperitoneal (ip) injection, in order to determine structure-activity relationships divorced from possible anorexic or gastrointestinal complications seen after oral dosing, and to examine the relation of ip dose to response. A cyclopentyl analog (II) of I was at least as active as I, showing that structural variants of I can be active when given ip. A dimethylthiazolidine (V) and a zinc chelate (III, rather toxic) of I were nearly as active as I, showing that probable in vivo precursors of I can be obtained that will be active when given ip. The disulfide of I and a zinc chelate of cysteine were inactive. Maximum response for several compounds seemed to occur at intermediate dose levels, with larger or smaller doses affording less sts reduction.

Animals

Biologically oriented organic sulfur chemistry. 15. Organic disulfides and related substances. 41. Inhibition of the fungal pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum by some organic disulfides.

In an extension of promising inhibitory results in vitro against Histoplasma capsulatum, correlated earlier using substituent constants developed by regression analysis with 77 disulfides, one symmetrical and 14 unsymmetrical disulfides were prepared (3--17). About half were active in vitro against H. capsulatum (and one against Candida albicans). Groups that seemed most to lead to promising inhibition among the unsymmetrical disulfides were o-HO2CC6H4, (CH2)4SO2Na, Me2NC(S), p-ClC6H4, and perhaps p-CH3C6H4; the first two also might be used to increase solubility. Earlier inhibitory promise of the morpholino group did not materialize. None of the group 3--17 was significantly active in vivo. The unsymmetrical disulfides were prepared by reaction of thiols with sulfenyl chlorides or with acyclic or cyclic thiosulfonates. Two six-membered heterocyclic disulfides (5 and 6) were prepared by a novel cyclization, in which carbon disulfide reacted with an (N-alkylamino)ethyl Bunte salt, followed by ring closure; an explanation is suggested for formation of a thiazoline when the N-alkyl group is absent. One of the disulfides disproportionated with astonishing ease (31; 0.3--1 h at 25 degrees C).

Amphotericin B

Some immunological effects of penicillamine.

Immunological effects of D- and D,L-penicillamine (PA) were studied in efforts to develop assays for synthetic D or D,L analogs and to contribute to the understanding of the mechanism(s) of action of D-PA in rheumatoid arthritis. At the highest doses tolerated by mice, D,L-PA did not significantly inhibit the development of haemagglutinating antibodies in vivo. In studies in vitro with T lymphocytes, D-PA at 1 mM concentration inhibited both concanavalin A- and phytohaemagglutinin-induced transformation as assayed by [3H]thymidine incorporation, but D-PA concentrations of 5 mM were required to inhibit concanavalin A-induced amino acid uptake. No effect of D-PA was observed either on the induction of cytotoxic T cells or on the attack of specifically sensitized T cells on target cells. It is of interest that D-PA at 1 mM concentration did inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced transformation, which predominately stimulates B lymphocytes. The effects of PA on the induced transformation of T and B cells deserve further attention for studies with analogs of PA.

Animals

Biologically oriented organic sulfur chemistry. 14. Antiinflammatory properties of some aryl sulfides, sulfoxides, and sulfones.

To extend earlier work, to examine the possibility that certain sulfoxides might serve as counterparts of amines in receptor-site interactions, and to add to the little information available about sulfoxides in medicinal chemistry, sulfoxides were prepared of the general structure XArS(O)C6H4(CHR)nCO2H, together with the sulfides and some of the sulfones. The products were evaluated as antiinflammatory agents by carrageenan-edema inhibition and uv-erythema inhibition. Four of the compounds had activity roughly comparable to aspirin or phenylbutazone in one or the other of these assays (2a-c, 3b). Sulfoxides did not seem especially promising as a class and usually were less active than the corresponding sulfides. The two most interesting compounds in these assays, o-(phenylthio)phenylacetic acid (2b) and its sulfoxide 3b, had no significant activity in adjuvant arthritis. Hydrogen-bonding effects are indicated in certain of the acids by their absence in the corresponding esters.

Animals

Organic disulfides and related substances. 38. Some disulfide and trisulfide sulfinate salts as antiradiation drugs.

The trisulfide disulfinate [Na32S(CH2)4S]2S (2) is an antiradiation drug which is atypical in having no nitrogen function. At low dose levels of 37.5 and 18.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally (ip), 2 protected respectively about 82 and 35% of lethally irradiated mice. By the oral route (po), 150 mg/kg of 2 protected about 73%, and 75 mg/kg protected about 20%. The LD50 either ip or po exceeded 900 mg/kg. Although a 2,3-diacetoxy analog 3 was inactive, cyclic disulfide and trisulfide sulfinate analogs showed promice. Among these, a sulfinate moiety is related to a di- or trisulfie moiety in the sense of 1,8 in a naphthyl system (4,5), 2,2' in a biphenyl system (6-9), and alpha,alpha' in an o-xylyl system (10,11). The 1,8-naphthyl disulfide sulfinate 4 was not tested biologically because a marked neighboring group effect of -SO2Na on -SS- caused rapid cyclization to the parent disulfide dioxide 14; the corresponding trisulfide 5 was more stable but only slightly protective. Other analogs lacking the coplanarity of 4 also were more stable. The biphenyl compounds 6 and 7 were quite active ip (e.g., 7 led to 90% survival at 4.6 mg/kg, with LD50 EQUALS 130 mg/kg, although protection with 6 and 7 at the doses given po was only fair). Dichloro counterparts 8 and 9 offered no advantages over 6 and 7. The xylylene compounds 10 and 11 were roughly comparable to each other by ip and op routes (e.g., given ip, 10 led to 93-100% survival at 75 mg/kg, with LD50 GREATER THAN 950 mg/kg; given po, 10 gave 100% survival at 60 mg/kg, with LD50 GREATER THAN 900 mg/kg). Compounds 7 and 11 join 2 as promising antiradiation drugs that lack the usual nitrogen function. The fact that sulfinate salts show activity, both ip and po, suggests that the -SO2Na moiety deserves more attention in medicinal chemistry. Hydration of sulfinate salts often made analytical characterization difficult. Confirmatory evidence for typical structures is given.

Administration, Oral