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Biomedical subjects

M A Miller

Publications and source records attributed to M A Miller.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources

Response of dairy cows to high doses of a sustained-release bovine somatotropin administered during two lactations. 2. Health and reproduction.

Eighty-two lactating Holstein cows in their first, second, or third lactation received either one, three, or five concurrent i.m. injections of a unit dose (.6 g) of zinc methionyl bST (sometribove) or five doses of the vehicle. Injections were given at 14-d intervals from 60 +/- 3 d postpartum until the end of lactation or necropsy. Thirty-eight animals were continued on treatment for a 2nd yr. Sometribove did not affect the incidence of ketosis, milk fever, tetany, or pneumonia. Digestive disorders, primarily cows going off feed, were increased by bST during yr 1 only. The incidence of lameness was increased by bST in some time frames because of an increase in the 3.0-g bST group. Lameness was not associated with treatment-specific histopathologic changes or with abnormalities in cartilage or bone. Reproductive health generally was unaffected by treatment, but delayed conception and increased incidence of abortion were noted. Incidence of cystic ovaries was unaffected by bST. Pregnancy rates were decreased during the 100-d breeding interval of yr 1 but not during the 215-d interval of yr 2. The incidence of clinical mastitis was increased by bST, primarily at the 3.0-g dose. During the 2-yr study, 0, 3, 3, and 2 cows died or became moribund on 0, .6, 1.8, and 3.0 g of bST, respectively. Health issues identified for further evaluation included lameness and clinical mastitis for the 3.0-g group and early removal from the herd and decreased reproductive performance for all bST groups. Bovine somatotropin caused no treatment-specific toxic effects in dairy cows even at 3.0 g every 14 d.

Animals↗

Long-term effects of sometribove in lactating cows during a fourth consecutive lactation of treatment: insulin and somatotropin responses to glucose infusion.

The effect of sometribove (USAN, methionyl bST) on the endocrine pancreas and blood bST concentrations was investigated in 6 control and 6 treated Friesian cows, averaging 111 and 118 d postpartum in their fourth lactation of treatment. Each lactation the treated cows received sometribove injections (500 mg) every 2 wk (injection cycle) starting 60 +/- 3 d postpartum, increasing milk yield 3.3, 5.9, 1.9, and 4.2 kg/d in lactations 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. On d 8 of a fourth lactation injection cycle, blood was sampled for 390 min, starting 30 min before an intravenous glucose infusion (100 mg/kg) over a 20-min period. Preinfusion concentrations of glucose, insulin, and bST were elevated in sometribove-treated cows versus controls: 82.1 versus 74.4 mg/dl, 28.1 versus 19.7 microIU/ml, and 4.6 versus .9 ng/ml, respectively. Glucose infusion resulted in a rapid increase in blood glucose and insulin concentrations, followed by a sharp decline to preinfusion values across both treatments, resulting in similar net area under the curves for glucose and insulin. Blood bST concentrations remained unchanged. This study supports the concept that sometribove increases milk yield in dairy cows by chronically influencing homeorhetic mechanisms.

Animals↗

Effect of high doses of a sustained-release bovine somatotropin on antibody formation in dairy cows.

Eighty-two lactating Holstein cows received either one, three, or five concurrent, intramuscular injections of a unit dose (.6 g) of zinc methionyl bST (some-tribove) or five doses of the vehicle. Injections were administered at 14-d intervals from 60 d postpartum until the end of lactation or necropsy. Thirty-eight cows continued on the same treatment for a 2nd yr. Blood bST antibodies developed within the first 7 wk of treatment, and the number of cows with anti-bST binding generally declined with time. Thirteen out of 59 cows receiving bST developed binding activity > 25% (positives) during the 1st yr. At the .6-g dose level, no binding was detected after wk 15. Seven of the 13 positive cows were among the group randomly selected to continue on study during yr 2. In the 2nd yr, only 2 out of 24 bST-treated cows were positive. Binding activity was associated with the IgG fraction in serum. Binding capacities of antibodies ranged from .625 to 3.04 mg of bST/L, and affinities ranged from 1.14 x 10(8) to 3.14 x 10(8) L/mol. Cows considered to be clinically positive had performance similar to those of their herdmates having binding < 25%. No evidence of a pathologic effect of antibodies existed in treated cows, their calves, or fetuses. The presence of anti-bST antibodies did not affect milk production of the cow or growth of the calves conceived during bST treatment.

Animals↗

Choline levels in human peritoneal dialysate.

The average free choline level was determined to be 14 M in peritoneal dialysates and 22 M in plasma of thirty patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Daily choline loss via dialysate averaged 129 moles with 32 moles choline lost per dwell. Daily choline loss via the dialysate was positively correlated with plasma choline concentrations. Choline levels in dialysate during CAPD exceed plasma levels of choline (9 M) in healthy individuals.

Choline↗

Decline of vasopressin immunoreactivity and mRNA levels in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis following castration.

Vasopressinergic (VP) neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) of the rat are regulated by gonadal steroids. Gonadectomy causes the projections of the BNST to lose their VP immunoreactivity gradually over a period lasting more than 2 months. Here we have compared the rate of decline of VP mRNA and VP immunoreactivity in the BNST of adult male rats following castration. In experiment 1, the peak number of VP-immunoreactive cells and the level of VP gene expression were compared in sham-operated controls and at 1, 3, or 8 weeks postcastration. The number of VP-immunoreactive cells was not decreased at 1 week postcastration but was significantly reduced (p less than 0.0001) at 3 and 8 weeks postcastration. VP gene expression declined more rapidly, and both the total number of labeled cells (p less than 0.0001) and the average number of grains per cell (p less than 0.01) were significantly reduced by 1 week postcastration. No VP-expressing cells were detectable at 3 or 8 weeks. The difference in the rate of decline in the number of cells labeled by the two techniques following castration did not appear to be due to colchicine pretreatment. In experiment 2, VP mRNA in the BNST was compared in sham-operated controls or at 1, 3, or 7 d postcastration. A significant decrease (p less than 0.01) in the average number of grains per cell was detectable by just 1 d following castration, and the number of labeled cells was significantly reduced (p less than 0.001) by 3 d postcastration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Efficacy of ibuprofen in pediatric patients with fever.

We studied the efficacy of ibuprofen in 56 infants and children (age 0.5-12 years) with rectal temperature greater than or equal to 38.3 degrees C, using a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled design. Ibuprofen liquid was given as a single dose, 5 mg/kg to 18 patients (group I) and 10 mg/kg to 18 patients (group II); placebo was administered to 20 patients (group III). Temperature and vital signs were measured every 0.5-1.0 hours for 8 hours. Multiple blood samples were also collected over this period; ibuprofen plasma concentrations were measured by HPLC. The mean temperature was 38.3 degrees C in group I, 38.1 degrees C in group II, and 38.9 degrees C in group III during 8 hours after drug or placebo administration. The temperature was significantly lower in group I vs III (ibuprofen 5 mg/kg vs placebo) (p less than 0.0005), and group II vs III (ibuprofen 10 mg/kg vs placebo) (p less than 0.0001). The temperature was also markedly different for patients in group I vs II (ibuprofen 5 mg/kg vs ibuprofen 10 mg/kg) between 4 and 8 hours after the dose (p less than 0.01). The duration of action was longer for ibuprofen 10 mg/kg than 5 mg/kg. The mean maximum decrease from baseline temperature was 1.3 degrees C, 1.8 degrees C and 0.8 degrees C for group I, II and III, respectively. The maximum reduction in temperature occurred at 3-4 hours in the ibuprofen groups, and at 7 hours in the placebo group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Body Temperature↗

Pharmacokinetic interactions of zidovudine and methadone in intravenous drug-using patients with HIV infection.

Pharmacokinetic parameters for methadone and zidovudine (ZDV), alone and in combination, were determined in 14 HIV-infected individuals including nine former intravenous drug users (IVDU) who were receiving methadone maintenance therapy. The serum levels of methadone were measured prior to and after initiation of ZDV treatment, with each patient serving as his or her own control. Concurrent administration of ZDV did not alter either the peak methadone concentration or the area under the methadone concentration-time curve (AUC). Serum and urine ZDV and ZDV-glucuronide concentrations were measured by both high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and radioimmunoassay (RIA), and pharmacokinetic parameters determined at least twice in each of nine methadone-maintained former IVDU patients initiating ZDV therapy. These parameters were compared to those for ZDV in a group of five control patients who were neither receiving methadone nor had a history of i.v. drug use. The serum ZDV levels were significantly higher in the methadone patients, with a 43% increase (p less than 0.05) over the mean AUC of 7.68 microM h observed in the control patients. Furthermore the methadone patients could be divided into two groups based on their ZDV AUC: four patients whose ZDV AUC averaged twofold higher than the control group, and five patients whose ZDV AUC were equal to control. No significant differences were found between the control and methadone groups for ZDV bioavailability or Tmax, serum half-life, glucuronidation, or urinary excretion. Methadone also did not affect ZDV glucuronidation in an in vitro assay using human hepatic microsomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Contraception outside North America: options and popular choices.

Recent data indicate that worldwide contraceptive use has reached about 50%. Effective contraceptive methods are being used by increasing numbers of women; sterilization is the most widely used method in the world. In this chapter, sociocultural influences on contraceptive choice are reviewed for selected developed countries and developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Demographers predict that fertility control will remain a world problem for many years to come.

Adolescent↗

Conformational change and histidine control of heme chemistry in cytochrome c peroxidase: resonance Raman evidence from Leu-52 and Gly-181 mutants of cytochrome c peroxidase.

Resonance Raman (RR) spectra are reported for Fe(III), Fe(II), and Fe(II)CO forms of site-directed mutants of the cytochrome c peroxidase variant CCP(MI), cloned in Escherichia coli. The Fe(II) form is five-coordinate (5-c) and high-spin at low pH, but it is six-coordinate (6-c) and low-spin at high pH except when the distal His-52 residue is replaced with Leu, showing the sixth ligand to be the His-52 imidazole. Although the Leu-52 mutant stays 5-c, it does undergo an alkaline transition, as revealed by upshifts and broadening of bands assigned to vinyl C = C stretching (1620 cm-1) and C beta-vinyl bending (402 cm-1). Similar changes are seen for CCP(MI) and other mutants. Thus the alkaline transition induces a conformational change that affects the vinyl groups, probably through changes in their orientation, and that permits the His-52 imidazole to bind the Fe. The RR band arising from the stretching of the proximal Fe(II)-imidazole bond contains components at ca. 235 and 245 cm-1 for CCP(MI), which are believed to reflect a double well potential for the H-bond between the proximal His-175 imidazole and the Asp-235 carboxylate group. Loss of this H-bond by mutation of Asp-235 to Asn results in the loss of these two bands and their replacement by a single band at 205 cm-1. Although the Fe(II)-imidazole stretching mode cannot be observed in the 6-c alkaline form of the enzyme, the sixth ligand in the alkaline form of CCP(MI) is photolabile, and the status of the Fe(II)-imidazole bond can be determined in the resulting 5-c-photoproduct. For CCP(MI) at alkaline pH, the conformation change induces an increase in the 235/245-cm-1 ratio, reflecting a perturbation of the H-bond potential. In the His-52----Leu mutant, a 205-cm-1 band appears along with the 235/245-cm-1 doublet at alkaline pH, indicating partial loss of the proximal H-bond due to the distal alteration. The effect of mutations that perturb the H-bonding network that extends from the distal to the proximal side of the heme is more dramatic: at alkaline pH, His-181----Gly, Arg-48----Leu, and Trp-51----Phe mutants show an Fe(II)-imidazole stretching mode at 205 cm-1 exclusively, indicating complete loss of the proximal Asp-235-His-175 H-bond.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Alkenes↗

Compound I radical in site-directed mutants of cytochrome c peroxidase as probed by electron paramagnetic resonance and electron-nuclear double resonance.

The reaction of ferric cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae with peroxide produces compound I, characterized by both an oxyferryl iron center and a protein-based free radical. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal of the CcP compound I radical can be resolved into a broad majority component which accounts for approximately 90% of the spin intensity and a narrow minority component which accounts for approximately 10% of the integrated spin intensity [Hori, H., & Yonetani, T. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 3549-3555]. It was shown previously that the broad component of the compound I radical signal is eliminated by mutation of Trp-191 to Phe [Scholes, C. P., Liu, Y., Fishel, L. F., Farnum, M. F., Mauro, J. M., & Kraut, J. (1989) Isr. J. Chem. 29, 85-92]. The present work probed the effect of mutations in the vicinity of this residue by EPR and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR). These mutations were obtained from a plasmid-encoded form of S. cerevisiae expressed in Escherichia coli [Fishel, L. A., Villafranca, J. E., Mauro, J. M., & Kraut, J. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 351-360]. The EPR line shape and ENDOR signals of the compound I radical were perturbed only by mutations that alter Trp-191 or residues in its immediate vicinity: namely, Met-230 and Met-231, which have sulfur atoms within 4 A of the indole ring, and Asp-235, which forms a hydrogen bond with the indole nitrogen of Trp-191. Mutations of other potential oxidizable sites (tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine, and cysteine) did not alter the EPR line shapes of the compound I radical, although the integrated spin intensities were weaker in some of these mutants. Mutations at Met-230 and/or -231 perturbed the EPR line shapes of the compound I radical signal but did not eliminate it. ENDOR of these two methionine mutants showed alteration to the hyperfine couplings of several strongly coupled protons, which are characteristic of the majority compound I radical electronic structure, and a change in weaker hyperfine couplings, which suggests a different orientation of the radical with respect to its surroundings in the presence of these methionine mutations. Besides the Trp-191----Phe mutation, only the Asp-235----Asn mutation eliminated the broad component of the compound I signal. Loss of the broad compound I EPR signal coincides with both the loss of the Asp----Trp-191 hydrogen-bonding interaction and alteration of the position of the indole ring of Trp-191.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of a variant of human T-lymphotropic virus type I isolated from a healthy member of a remote, recently contacted group in Papua New Guinea.

We report the characterization of a variant of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) isolated from an interleukin 2-dependent, CD8+ T-cell line derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a healthy member of a remote, recently contacted hunter-horticulturalist group (Hagahai) in Madang province of Papua New Guinea. Antigenic characterization of this variant, designated PNG-1, by immunofluorescence, indicated no expression of gag-encoded proteins p19 and p24 (even after incubation with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine), using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against HTLV-I gag gene products. Virus-specific proteins of 15, 19, 46, 53, and 61/68 kDa were demonstrated by Western blot analysis, using sera from patients with serologically and/or virologically confirmed HTLV-I myeloneuropathy, sera from HTLV-I-infected rabbits, and antibodies prepared against the C terminus of the major envelope glycoprotein gp46. Restriction endonuclease maps of PNG-1 proviral DNA differed from that of a prototype strain of HTLV-I (MT-2), but, as verified by polymerase chain reaction, PNG-1 was definitely HTLV-I, not HTLV-II. Nucleotide sequencing and further molecular genetic studies of this variant may provide insights into the origin and evolution of HTLV-I.

Cells, Cultured↗

Haloperidol rapidly increases the number of neurotensin mRNA-expressing neurons in neostriatum of the rat brain.

The effects of an acute low dose of haloperidol on neurotensin mRNA-containing cells in rat forebrain was studied using in situ hybridization histochemistry. Within 1 h of a single dose of haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg) a nearly 3-fold increase in the number of cells that express the neurotensin/neuromedin N-encoding mRNA was observed in the dorsolateral striatum. However, the number of hybridization-positive cells did not appear to be affected in the nucleus accumbens, or the septal nuclei following treatment with the neuroleptic.

Animals↗

Acute and sustained changes in sodium balance during nifedipine treatment in essential hypertension.

PURPOSE: To assess the changes in sodium excretion and sodium balance after initiation of nifedipine treatment and after withdrawal of nifedipine. PATIENTS: Eight patients with uncomplicated mild to moderate essential hypertension were entered in a single-blind, placebo-controlled study of 39 days' duration. METHODS: Two 7-day periods while on a fixed sodium intake of 150 mmol/day approximately 3 weeks apart. After 4 days of a placebo and fixed sodium intake, patients were given nifedipine GITS (gastrointestinal therapeutic system) once a day and carefully studied for the following 4 days. Thereafter, patients continued to receive nifedipine GITS, and approximately 3 weeks later they were studied again for a week while on a fixed sodium intake. Nifedipine administration was stopped and changes occurring after withdrawal were studied. RESULTS: Nifedipine caused a significant increase in sodium excretion with a cumulative loss of sodium of 38 mmol per subject within the first 4 days of treatment. The withdrawal of nifedipine treatment caused a significant decrease in sodium excretion and a cumulative retention of sodium of 42 mmol per subject within the first 4 days of withdrawal. CONCLUSION: Nifedipine causes an acute and a sustained reduction in sodium balance in patients with essential hypertension. This prolonged effect may contribute to the mechanism whereby nifedipine lowers blood pressure.

Aged↗

Familial occurrence of hypersensitivity to phenytoin.

PURPOSE: Therapy with anticonvulsants such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine can be complicated by severe hypersensitivity reactions. Previous work has suggested that the predisposition to such reactions is based on an inherited abnormality in the detoxification of reactive metabolites of the drugs. However, there are no reports of familial occurrence of the reactions in the literature. In the current study, we examined a family in which three siblings developed hypersensitivity reactions to phenytoin, confirming the inheritance of a predisposition to the reactions. Detoxification of reactive metabolites of the anticonvulsants was studied in cells from the patients and their siblings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three siblings from a family of 12 siblings developed hypersensitivity reactions to phenytoin characterized by fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, and anicteric hepatitis. All recovered completely after discontinuation of treatment. One sibling tolerated phenobarbital without toxic sequelae. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the three patients and five additional siblings who had never taken anticonvulsants were exposed to oxidative metabolites of phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine generated by a hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing system in vitro. The toxicity of metabolites in the cells from the siblings was compared with that in cells from control subjects. RESULTS: Cells from each of the patients who had experienced a hypersensitivity reaction exhibited increased toxicity from metabolites of phenytoin and carbamazepine, while the cellular response to metabolites of phenobarbital was within normal limits. Cells from four of the other siblings showed an abnormal response to phenytoin metabolites, while cells from the final sibling detoxified phenytoin metabolites normally. CONCLUSION: Our observations on the patients confirm the inherited nature of phenytoin hypersensitivity reactions in vivo. In vitro studies demonstrated abnormal metabolite detoxification in the patients and several of their siblings. The detoxification defect included metabolites of phenytoin and carbamazepine but not of phenobarbital. A family history of a drug hypersensitivity reaction should alert physicians to the probability of a markedly increased risk of an adverse reaction in family members. In vitro assays to confirm adverse reaction risks may ultimately be able to provide individualized risk assessment for patients who must take anticonvulsants.

Adult↗

RIA-linked microdialysis sampling in the awake rat: application to free-drug pharmacokinetics of hydrocortisone.

The purpose of this research was to combine microdialysis sampling techniques with a highly sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) to study the in vivo kinetic response of pharmacologically important substances. This technique allowed for a dense sampling regimen from an awake, free-roaming experimental animal with no loss of blood and with rapid analysis of the dialysate. An important methodological criterion for accurate quantitation of a test drug in the extracellular space was knowledge of the relative recovery of the sampling system at the time of experimentation. Accordingly, the factors which influenced the recovery of drug during dense in vivo microdialysis sampling were examined and an analytical technique was developed to measure the instantaneous recovery of drug from the extracellular space. This information was applied to in vivo (iv) sampling experiments on anaesthetized and awake, free-roaming rats following bolus and multiple long-term iv administrations of the highly protein bound steroid (i.e. greater than 90%), hydrocortisone-21-phosphate. These studies indicated that unbound hydrocortisone levels as determined by the RIA-linked microdialysis (RIALM) technique fluctuated rapidly between each 2-min sampling interval, but nevertheless decreased to predose endogenous concentrations in a first-order fashion (t1/2 = 17-29 min). The rapid fluctuations of unbound hydrocortisone may reflect real pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic phenomena, attributed, perhaps, to reequilibration of the unbound drug pool with proteins and tissues in the blood.

Animals↗