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Biomedical subjects

M Brewster

Publications and source records attributed to M Brewster.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Trying times.

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Adaptation, Psychological

Chronic weight loss in lean and obese rats with a brain-enhanced chemical delivery system for estradiol.

Studies were undertaken to determine the effects on body weight and food intake of a chemical delivery system which preferentially delivers estradiol (E2) to the brain and there serves as a source for the sustained release of the steroid. We injected intravenously various doses of this estradiol-chemical delivery system (E2-CDS), E2-valerate (E2-VAL) or the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) vehicle to young lean male rats and monitored body weight and 24 hr food intake for 39 days postinjection. E2-VAL caused a transient reduction in food intake and body weight gain. By contrast, a single injection of E2-CDS caused a chronic, dose-dependent reduction in the rate of body weight gain. In these lean rats, the duration of reduced body weight gain was not correlated with the observed transient reduction in food intake. In aged, obese male rats, E2-CDS caused a marked and chronic dose-dependent reduction in body weight. In contrast to lean rats, E2-CDS caused a long-term reduction in food intake in obese rats. To evaluate the importance of the E2-CDS-induced reduction in food intake in the observed persistent weight loss in obese rats, E2-CDS was administered to a group of obese rats and a second group which received the DMSO vehicle was pair-fed an equivalent amount of food daily. The resulting weight loss in both groups was equivalent. These results show that the enhanced delivery of E2 to the brain with the E2-CDS causes sustained reduction in the rate of body weight gain in lean rats and persistent weight loss in obese animals.

Animals

Method for measuring the duration of inhibition of angiotensin I-converting enzyme in vivo.

The spontaneously hypertensive rat, either pithed or anesthetized with urethane, responds to intravenous injections of angiotensin I (A1) and angiotensin II (AII) with pressor responses. These responses vary with time, but the ratio of the responses to AI and AII is constant throughout 4.5 hr. This criterion was used to determine the degree and the duration of effect of captopril. At low (30 micro g/kg iv) and high (3mg/kg iv) doses, it selectively reduces the pressor response to AI, so reducing the AI/AII ratio. The rate of recovery is initially rapid followed by a prolonged slower phase. The degree (maximum 65%) and the duration of inhibition are directly related to the dose of the inhibitor.

Anesthesia

Biological properties of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor cilazapril.

Cilazapril is the monoethyl ester prodrug form of a potent, specific. long-acting antihypertensive inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). The biochemical and pharmacological properties of this compound have been compared with those of captopril and enalapril. In all test systems, cilazapril was the most potent and the longest acting. The active diacid of cilazapril was more potent than the corresponding diacid of enalapril in inhibiting the cleavage of angiotensin I and of Hip-His-Leu by ACE in vitro, in antagonising the angiotensin I-induced contractions of the isolated ileum of the guinea pig, in potentiating the vasodepressor responses to bradykinin, and in reducing the angiotensin I-induced rise in blood pressure of the rat. Parent drug absorption and diacid bioavailability in the rat were higher than for enalapril, and the inhibition of plasma ACE of longer duration. Single doses of cilazapril were more potent than enalapril in lowering the blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and two-kidney renal hypertensive rats. On repeated daily oral dosing to SHR, both compounds had a cumulative antihypertensive effect. The acute antihypertensive effect was enhanced by simultaneous treatment with hydrochlorothiazide.

Angiotensin I

Effects of peroxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids on mitochondrial function and structure: pathogenetic implications for Reye's syndrome.

Linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, is a constituent of margosa oil which has been implicated as a cause of Reye's syndrome (RS) in infants. Increased concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids have been found in sera from patients with RS. Isolated rat liver mitochondria exposed to the peroxidized (but not unperoxidized) methyl esters of linoleic (C18:2) or linolenic (C18:3) acids showed decreases in state 3 and uncoupled respiratory rates and in respiratory control and ADP/O ratios. In addition, they caused mitochondrial swelling as demonstrated spectrophotometrically. Between the two, the peroxidized methyl ester of linolenic acid was more toxic and was capable of inducing high amplitude swelling ultrastructurally similar to that seen in the hepatocytes of RS victims. The ability of rat liver mitochondria to oxidize glutamate was inversely related to the peroxide concentration in the medium. This accords with the reports of reduced glutamic dehydrogenase activities in the livers of both patients with Reye's syndrome and rats treated with margosa oil.

Animals

Fanconi syndrome in a patient with a variant of isovaleric acidemia.

Fanconi syndrome with proximal renal tubular acidosis is caused by a variety of anatomic, functional and metabolic disorders. We report a patient with a variant of isovaleric acidosis who developed proximal tubular acidosis. This patient was able to acidify the urine during metabolic acidosis, developed a hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, and needed 24 mEq/kg/day of bicarbonate to maintain normal serum bicarbonate. She had a FE Bicarbonate of 12 +/- 4% during bicarbonate infusion. Isovaleric acidosis may be another toxic cause of proximal RTA.

Acidosis