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Biomedical subjects

M Franklin

Publications and source records attributed to M Franklin.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

The contribution of soil adhesion to radiocaesium uptake by leafy vegetables.

The Goiânia accident, Brazil, was used as an opportunity to quantify the contributions of different mechanisms, in particular mass loading, leading to caesium uptake by leafy vegetables in a semi-urban environment contaminated with 137Cs. Soil splash contributions of 70-90% were quantified for lettuce and 50-60% for green cole. Soil mass loadings of 130 and 340 mg.g-1 were estimated for lettuce and 120 and 150 mg.g-1 for green cole. The results call attention to the potential significant contribution of the soil splash to radionuclide uptake by plants which have the edible plant parts near the soil surface (within 30-40 cm) and low root uptake factors. For radiological assessment purposes it could also be necessary to consider the contamination of crops by this mechanism.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1994

The effects of administration of mCPP on psychological, cognitive, cardiovascular, hormonal and MHPG measurements in human volunteers.

m-Chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) is a metabolite of the antidepressant trazodone which has been widely used in psychopharmacology research as a probe of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) function. However, in addition to binding at 5-HT receptors it also binds strongly to alpha 2-adrenoceptors, and it is conceivable that some of the physical and psychological symptoms previously reported following mCPP infusion are due to effects upon central noradrenergic neurotransmitter function. In this double-blind placebo-controlled balanced-crossover study in 12 healthy male volunteers we have examined the effects of infusion of mCPP (0.08 mg/kg over 2 min) on symptoms of anxiety, cognitive performance, pulse and blood pressure, and plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, prolactin, growth hormone, and the noradrenaline metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycerol (MHPG). The results confirm previous findings that in humans mCPP causes significant increases in the symptoms of anxiety, and in the plasma concentrations of cortisol, prolactin and growth hormone. In addition, our results demonstrate that mCPP causes no significant changes in cognitive performance, in pulse or systolic blood pressure, or in the plasma concentration of MHPG. Since pulse, systolic blood pressure and MHPG plasma concentrations all to some degree reflect central noradrenergic activity, we believe it unlikely that the psychological and hormonal effects of mCPP are due primarily to effects on noradrenergic neurotransmission. Further studies to address this specific issue are needed, however, before firm conclusions can be reached.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1993

Ritanserin attenuates anorectic, endocrine and thermic responses to d-fenfluramine in human volunteers.

This study investigated the role of the 5-HT2/1C receptor antagonist ritanserin on d-fenfluramine (d-FF) induced changes in food intake, prolactin (PRL) secretion and oral temperature in 12 healthy male volunteers. The study was double blind and placebo controlled. Food intake was measured using an automated food dispenser. d-FF (30 mg) significantly reduced fat intake. While ritanserin (5 mg) had no effect when given alone it abolished the d-FF induced reduction in fat intake. In addition, ritanserin abolished the d-FF induced rise in PRL and oral temperature. The results suggest that 5-HT2 or 5-HT1C receptors mediate the effects of d-fenfluramine on appetite, prolactin secretion and temperature in humans.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Cloning and expression of a human ATP-citrate lyase cDNA.

A full-length cDNA clone of 4.3 kb encoding the human ATP-citrate lyase enzyme has been isolated by screening a human cDNA library with the recently isolated rat ATP-citrate lyase cDNA clone [Elshourbagy et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 1430]. Nucleic-acid sequence data indicate that the cDNA contains the complete coding region for the enzyme, which is 1105 amino acids in length with a calculated molecular mass of 121,419 Da. Comparison of the human and rat ATP-citrate lyase cDNA sequences reveals 96.3% amino acid identity throughout the entire sequence. Further sequence analysis identified the His765 catalytic phosphorylation site, the ATP-binding site, as well as the CoA binding site. The human ATP-citrate lyase cDNA clone was subcloned into a mammalian expression vector for expression in African green monkey kidney cells (COS) and Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) cells. Transfected COS cells expressed detectable levels of an enzymatically active recombinant ATP-citrate lyase enzyme. Stable, amplified expression of ATP-citrate lyase in CHO cells as achieved by using coamplification with dihydrofolate reductase. Resistant cells expressed high levels of enzymatically active ATP-citrate lyase (3 pg/cell/d). Site-specific mutagenesis of His765----Ala diminishes the catalytic activity of the expressed ATP-citrate lyase protein. Since catalysis of ATP-citrate lyase is postulated to involve the formation of phosphohistidine, these results are consistent with the pattern of earlier observations of the significance of the histidine residue in catalysis of the human ATP-citrate lyase.

ATP Citrate (pro-S)-Lyase↗
PubMed1992

Laparoscopic colectomy.

Fifty-one laparoscopic colectomies were attempted at two institutions. The clinical results and methods are presented. Seven cases (14%) were converted to facilitated procedures, and four cases (8%) were converted to "open." Cases of cancer, diverticulitis, endometriosis, regional enteritis, villous adenomas, and sessile polyps were operated. Right, transverse, left, low anterior, and abdominoperineal colectomies were performed. Colotomies and wedge resections were also performed. Laparoscopic suturing was required in five cases of incomplete anastomosis by circular stapler (18%). Suturing was required in all right, transverse colectomies and colotomies. Operative time averaged 2.3 hours. Hospitalization averaged 4.6 days. Four patients had complications (8%), and one 95-year-old died of pneumonia (2%). Laparoscopic colectomies can be performed safely, but require two-handed laparoscopic coordination, as well as suturing and knot-tying skills.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Human papillomavirus identified by nucleic acid hybridization in concomitant nasal and genital papillomas.

Presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) as the etiologic agent in nearly all upper respiratory tract recurrent papillomas is well-established. The technique of nucleic acid hybridization now allows specific typing of HPV with a high degree of accuracy. This article reports a series of nine consecutive patients treated for nasal papillomas over the past 9 years. Eight of these patients had a personal history of genital papillomas (seven patients) or exposure (one patient). With the use of in situ hybridization and autoradiographic technique on paraffin-embedded tissue sections, HPV RNA type 6/11 was expressed in eight of nine nasal papillomas, and corresponding HPV types were also found in the two cases with which concurrent anogenital papilloma tissue was also available for analysis. Human papillomavirus RNA types 16 and 18 were not detected in any of the specimens. Signals of HPV messenger RNA type 6/11 were stronger in the fungiform areas than in the inverted areas of papillomas.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A simplified approach of assessing adult chronic energy deficiency.

Body mass index (BMI) in conjunction with indices of energy turnover, e.g. physical activity levels (PAL), was recently proposed for classifying adult chronic energy deficiency (CED). Three deprived populations in Africa and Asia were chosen to assess the classification system. Repeated monitoring showed that the combined indicator was affected by instability in PALs and produced implausible discontinuities in the prevalence of different grades of CED. The use of BMI alone produced coherent data with changing BMI distributions, and only 5% of the population would have been wrongly classified as being malnourished, because of being thin but active. The risk of misclassification would be even smaller for populations with BMI distribution shifted towards the right. The prevalence of CED was consistently related within each country to indices of socio-economic status. Yet in Zimbabwe 18% of women and 6% of men had Grade I obesity compared with 11% and 14%, respectively, with CED. Less than 1% Indian and Ethiopian adults were obese but 61% of women and 70% of men were classified as CED in India and 57% and 50%, respectively, in Ethiopia. We propose that adult BMI alone is sufficient to provide important new insights into the problems of food availability and its control in less developed countries.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Inhibition of myoblast differentiation by lack of zinc.

The impact of restricted zinc availability on myoblast differentiation was investigated. Lack of zinc prevented myoblast fusion and the increase in muscle-specific creatine kinase activity. The depression of activity of creatine kinase in the zinc-deficient cultures was accompanied by a similar decrease in the concentration of creatine kinase mRNA and was apparent even when fusion of the myoblasts was inhibited by cytochalasin B. Thus zinc appears to be necessary for the expression of creatine kinase during myoblast differentiation.

Animals↗