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L L Hwang

Publications and source records attributed to L L Hwang.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Selective antagonism to succinylcholine-induced depolarization by alpha-bungarotoxin with respect to the mode of action of depolarizing agents.

1. The interactions of alpha-bungarotoxin or tubocurarine with the neuromuscular block and endplate depolarization induced by succinylcholine (SCh) in the phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparation of mice were studied in order to elucidate the role of depolarization by SCh in the neuromuscular blockade. 2. The SCh concentrations required to depress the indirect twitch response by 20% and the evoked endplate potential in cut muscle preparations by 80% were 10 microm and 6 microM, respectively, while only 2 microM SCh was needed to induce maximal endplate depolarization from -80 mV to about -60 mV. 3. SCh blocked the neuromuscular transmission synergistically with either alpha-bungarotoxin or tubocurarine. There was an initial partial reversal of the neuromuscular inhibition caused by tubocurarine, but not that by alpha-bungarotoxin. 4. alpha-Bungarotoxin (0.025 microM) antagonized SCh (10 microM)-induced depolarization more effectively than it depressed miniature endplate potentials and the antagonism was insurmountable by increasing SCh concentration. By contrast, tubocurarine preferentially depressed miniature endplate potentials and antagonized SCh-depolarization competitively. 5. The above difference was attributed to the irreversible nature of alpha-bungarotoxin binding to acetylcholine receptors, to the slow diffusion of the toxin molecule into the synaptic cleft and thus to the more rapid binding with perijunctional receptors compared with junctional ones. 6. It is concluded that the sustained depolarization of the endplate by SCh results largely from an action on the perijunctional receptor in mice and, unlike cats, the neuromuscular block by SCh is not due to the depolarization per se but rather to a direct attenuation of endplate potential.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Nicardipine inhibits axon conduction but causes dual changes of acetylcholine release in the mouse motor nerve.

The effects of nicardipine, a dihydropyridine Ca2(+)-channel antagonist, on neuromuscular transmission and impulse-evoked release of acetylcholine were compared with those of nifedipine. In the isolated mouse phrenic nerve diaphragm, nicardipine (50 microM), but not nifedipine (100 microM), induced neuromuscular block, fade of tetanic contraction, and dropout or all-or-none block of end-plate potentials. Nicardipine had no significant effect on the resting membrane potential and the amplitude of miniature end-plate potentials but increased the frequency and caused the appearance of large size miniature potentials. The quantal contents of evoked end-plate potentials were increased. In the presence of tubocurarine, however, nicardipine depressed the amplitude of end-plate potentials. The compound nerve action potential was also decreased. It is concluded that nicardipine blocks neuromuscular transmission by acting on Na+ channels and inhibits axonal conduction. Nicardipine appeared to affect the evoked release of acetylcholine by dual mechanisms, i.e., an enhancement presumably by an agonist action on Ca2+ channels, like Bay K 8644 and nifedipine, and inhibition by an effect on Na+ channels, like verapamil and diltiazem. In contrast with its inactivity on the amplitude of miniature end-plate potentials, depolarization of the end plate in response to succinylcholine was greatly depressed. The contractile response of baby chick biventer cervicis muscle to exogenous acetylcholine was noncompetitively antagonized by nicardipine (10 microM), but was unaffected by nifedipine (30 microM). These results may implicate that nicardipine blocks the postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor channel by enhancing receptor desensitization or by a use-dependent effect.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1987

Persistence of hepatitis B viral antigens in Culex quinquefasciatus.

Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were fed on or inoculated with blood or serum positive for hepatitis B viral antigens and pools of mosquitoes were tested by radioimmunoassay daily for 3 weeks after exposure to detect the viral antigens. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detectable up to 3 weeks, while hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) persisted only for 3 days in mosquitoes after feeding on hepatitis B viral antigens-positive blood. Mosquitoes inoculated with serum were HBsAg-positive for 3 weeks and HBeAg positive for 4 days after inoculation. These results suggest that biological multiplication of hepatitis B virus did not occur in these mosquitoes. The possibility of mechanical transmission of hepatitis B antigens by mosquitoes is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Technetium-sulfur colloid.

The chemistry of the technetium-sulfur colloid produced by the reaction of sodium thiosulfate with acid was investigated. A commercial kit was duplicated, and analyses of elemental sulfur, bisulfite and residual thiosulfate were carried out. The colloidal dispersions were filtered through Nuclepore graded membranes, and the percentages of sulfur and of 99mTc in the various filtrates were determined. In all cases--with varying acid, thiosulfate and time of incubation--there was a rough agreement between the two percentages for particles 0.4 micron in diameter or more. However, for small particles (less than 0.1 micron) there was virtually no sulfur, but there was an appreciable percentage of technetium. It was concluded that the technetium sulfide nuclei formed first, and that the supersaturated sulfur deposited in part on them and in part on its own nuclei. It was found that raising the pH of the preparation to weakly alkaline values and reheating the solution dissolved most of the deposited sulfur by the reaction with sulfite to form thiosulfate, leaving much smaller, virtually sulfur-free technetium sulfide particles. Such a preparation was found to be as efficient as the technetium-antimony sulfide colloid for lymphograms in dogs. Potassium trithionate, K2S3O6, used in place of sodium thiosulfate, produced small Tc-S colloid particles with less sulfur than the conventional thiosulfate-acid system.

Animals↗