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Biomedical subjects

L Levine

Publications and source records attributed to L Levine.

401 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Diphtheria immunity in Massachusetts--a study of three urban patient populations.

To determine the status of diphtheria immunity among our patients, we measured diphtheria antitoxin levels in three separate patient populations. The technique used was toxin neutralization in rabbit skin, which allowed us to evaluate the immune status of individual patients. We studied an emergency room population, a sampling of inpatients from an urban teaching hospital, and a group of older patients from a chronic care hospital. Overall, approximately 80% of patients had adequate diphtheria antitoxin levels in their serum. However, two subgroups emerged with lower levels, with potential nonimmunity. These were certain young patients, either foreign born or with a potentially "immunocompromising disorder," and the elderly chronically ill. We conclude that while overall diphtheria immunity in our patients appears adequate, subgroups with increased risks do exist and immunization for these subgroups should be undertaken.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Contribution of prostaglandins to the antihypertensive action of captopril in essential hypertension.

To determine whether prostaglandins contribute to the depressor response to the converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, we measured the plasma prostaglandin levels by radioimmunoassy before and after captopril administration, and then examined the effect of prostaglandin synthetase inhibition on captopril's antihypertensive effect. When a single oral captopril dose (25-100 mg) was given to 31 sodium-restricted patients with essential hypertension, the levels of the stable transformation product of prostacyclin remained unmeasurable and that of thromboxane A2 did not change, while the metabolite of PGE2 (PGE-M) increased by 53% (34 +/- 4pg/ml pre-captopril, 52 +/- 5 pg/ml after; p less than 0.001). As expected, blood pressure (BP) and angiotension II (AII levels fell, and kinin levels rose (all changes p less than 0.001). We then blocked prostaglandin synthesis in 18 of these subjects for 24 hours with either indomethacin (n = 10) or aspirin (n = 8) before repeating the captopril dose, to assess the importance of these PGE-M increments. The PGE-M responses to captopril were effectively blocked in nine of 10 subjects receiving indomethacin and four of eight receiving aspirin. In these 13 patients, the depressor response to captopril was significantly blunted (-20 +/- 3mm Hg pre-synthetase inhibition vs - 13 +/- 2 mm Hg post; p less than 0.05). When these agents did not block the PGE-M response to captopril, the BP response was also unchanged (-15 +/- 4mm Hg pre, -18 +/- 5mm Hg post). Neither indomethacin nor aspirin changed the AII or kinin responses to captopril. We conclude that the prostaglandins may be important mediators of captopril's antihypertensive effect in the sodium-restricted state.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of unilateral common carotid artery occlusion on levels of prostaglandins D2, F2 alpha and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha in gerbil brain.

The concentrations of the arachidonic acid metabolites, PGD2, PGF2 alpha and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, were measured in the cerebral hemispheres of gerbils subjected to unilateral carotid occlusion. Approximately 37 percent of the animals with occlusion had symptoms of cerebral ischemia. In those animals PGD2 and PGF2 alpha levels were elevated in both hemispheres. The levels of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha increased only slightly. There was no change of prostaglandin levels in asymptomatic animals. Indomethacin inhibited the increase in the levels of these arachidonic acid metabolites but did not alter brain swelling as judged by a decrease in specific gravity after 6 hours occlusion.

Animals↗