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Biomedical subjects

M Franklin

Publications and source records attributed to M Franklin.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Sensitive gas-chromatographic determination of fluphenazine in human plasma.

We describe a method for quantitative determination of fluphenazine in human plasma, based on gas chromatography of its trimethylsilyl derivative and the use of a structurally similar internal standard. We determined its concentrations in plasma of four patients who were receiving the drug intramuscularly as its decanoate, in doses ranging from 12.5 to 250 mg; the concentrations in the plasma of these patients ranged from 0.25 to 11.8 microgram/liter. The precision (CV) of the method over the range 2 to 17 microgram/liter was 6.8% when fluphenazine was extracted from 5 ml of plasma. Of 18 other drugs tested, only thioridazine and the cis and trans forms of flupenthixol interfere with the determination.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Accurate, rapid measurement of the fraction of unbound estradiol and progesterone in small volumes of undiluted serum at 37 degrees C by miniature steady-state gel filtration.

A method is described for the accurate, rapid measurement of the unbound fractions of estradiol and of progesterone in small volumes of plasma or serum at 37 degrees C by a miniature method of steady-state gel filtration. There is minimal perturbation of the equilibrium between bound and free hormone and no derived kinetic parameters are required. The method has been used to measure the unbound fraction of progesterone in plasma from women during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and of estradiol in sera of developing female rats.

Animals↗

Multiple syringe inoculator for agar plates.

The design and operation of a manually operated multiple syringe inoculator was described. Either 9 or 21 inoculations of constant volume could be made simultaneously. Up to 100 plates could be inoculated in 15 min with excellent reproducibility. No contact occurred between the inoculating needles and the agar surface. Construction was simple and inexpensive, with minimal maintenance.

Journal Article↗

Plasma levels of estrogen, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone following castration and estradiol implant.

Plasma levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and estrogen were studied serially in 20 patients before and after hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Ten patients received an implant of estradiol-17 beta (100 mg) at the time of operation. Ten patients who did not receive an implant acted as controls. Patients recorded the severity of vasomotor symptoms before and after hysterectomy. In those patients who did not receive an implant, plasma estrogen levels fell from a mean preoperative level of 18.1 +/- 10.4 ng/100 ml to 8.7 +/- 1.4 ng/100 ml by 24 hours after oophorectomy and they remained in this range for the 6 months of the study. No significant change in the plasma estrogen level was noted after oophorectomy in those patients who received an implant. The implant prevented the rise in gonadotropin levels and the appearance of vasomotor symptoms seen in those patients who underwent oophorectomy without an implant. Insertion of an implant into oophorectomized patients caused the plasma estrogen level to return to premenopausal levels within 2 weeks and the gonadotropin levels to premenopausal values within 6 weeks. Hot flashes were alleviated within 2 to 6 days. The usefulness of this type of therapy in preventing the appearance of vasomotor symptoms at the time of oophorectomy in premenopausal patients is confirmed.

Adult↗

Hormonal changes and mood in the puerperium.

This investigation is an attempt to test the common supposition that postpartum emotional disturbance is related to hormone changes. A group of 27 normal pregnant women were assessed three times before delivery and sixteen times in the six weeks following delivery. During the first two interviews baseline data on personality and other personal variables were obtained. On each occasion blood was taken and three measures of clinical status and mood were completed. Plasma LH, FSH, total oestrogen and progesterone results are presented in detail and the results of prolactin assays mentioned more briefly. An attempt to correlate hormone findings and clinical findings is described. This failed to produce any strong evidence that hormones are related to mood at this time, although hormone changes were correlated weakly with a few specific symptoms. Some of the unexpected clinical findings and technical difficulties of the study are discussed, with special reference to possible further research in this area.

Affective Symptoms↗

Effect of breast-feeding on pituitary-ovarian function after childbirth.

Pituitary and ovarian function at the end of pregnancy and during the first six weeks after delivery was investigated serially in women who fully breast-fed their infants and in women who did not. In the women who did not breast-feed the plasma prolactin level decreased rapidly and from the third day after delivery was significantly lower than in the breast-feeding mothers, reaching the normal range of the menstrual cycle by the third week of the puerperium. In the breast-feeding mothers the plasma prolactin was still raised six weeks after delivery. The levels of FSH in both groups were identical and increased over the third week of the puerperium. Plasma oestrogen fell steeply in both groups during the first two weeks after delivery. In the breast-feeding mothers plasma oestrogen remained depressed but increased in the non-lactating women, reflecting follicular development in the ovary in response to FSH; the plasma oestrogen levels were significantly higher in the non-lactating women from the 17th day of the puerperium onwards. These findings support the concept that in breast-feeding women prolactin delays the return of ovulation by inhibiting the ovarian response to FSH stimulation.

Breast Feeding↗

Pituitary sensitivity to 50 micro g LH/FSH-RH in subjects with anorexia nervosa in acute and recovery stages.

Gonadotrophic output was measured in response to a 50-mug dose of luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone-releasing hormone (LH/FSH-RH) in subjects with anorexia nervosa. A diminished response was found in subjects of low body weight, and in some a response occurred with increments of plasma FSH greater than those of LH. With restoration of body weight the response to the releasing factor was similar to that usually observed in healthy men and women.

Adolescent↗

Effect of long-term phenothiazine treatment on drug metabolism.

1 The half-life of plasma antipyrine was measured in twelve chronic schizophrenic patients during long-term phenothiazine treatment and again following 4-5 weeks on placebo. 2 The mean antipyrine half-life was low during phenothiazine administration (6.1 +/- 4.2 h), rising after withdrawal of drugs to the range reported for untreated subjects by other authors (9.5 +/- 4.2 h). The prolongation of antipyrine half-life following the drug-free period occurred in nine of twelve subjects and the difference was significant for the group at P less than 0.05. 3 The finding suggests that prolonged administration of phenothiazines stimulates the rate of drug metabolism.

Adult↗

Echocardiographic mitral systolic motion in left ventricular aneurysm.

An abnormal, convex systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve, somewhat similar to that seen in idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy) and occasionally in atrial septal defect, was found on the echocardiogram in 8 out of 9 patients with angiographically (7 patients) and/or clinically (2 patients) diagnosed left ventricular aneurysm secondary to myocardial infarction. The only patient whose echocardiogram failed to demonstrate convex systolic anterior motion was the only patient who had an inferior wall aneurysm; the rest of the group had anterior and/or apical aneurysms. In contrast to patients with typical idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, the convex systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve observed in our patients tended to 'peak' rather than 'plateau'. Through the basis for this abnormal septal motion in our patients is uncertain, alterations in left vantricular configuration, plus a relatively vigorously contracting posterior left ventricular wall in the presence of abnormal interventricular septal motion, are probable contributory factors. Though non specific, in the proper clinical and echocardiographic setting convex systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve may be another sign of left ventricular aneurysm.

Adult↗

Effect of growth temperature on the accumulation of glucose-oxidation products in Pseudomonas fluorescens.

The effect of the growth temperature, on the accumulation of glucose-oxidation products, was examined in aerated cultures with carbon excess in two strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens. At low growth temperatures (0 and 5 degrees C), 2-ketogluconate (KG) a-cumulated in the medium as the major oxidation product of glucose (up to 70%) before further metabolism. As the growth temperature was increased, the amount of 2-KG found to accumulate in the medium from glucose oxidation decreased. At a growth temperature of 20 degrees C, up to 25% of the glucose originally added accumulated in the medium as 2-KG. At the optimum growth temperature of 30 degrees C or above, no 2-KG was detected at any time during growth with glucose. Similar results were obtained when gluconate was used as the sole carbon and energy source. The results demonstrated a differential effect of growth temperature on the accumulation of oxidation products from glucose and gluconate. At low growth temperatures the major route for the catabolism of glucose and gluconate was the direct oxidative non-phosphorylated pathway.

Gluconates↗

Effect of temperature on the activity and synthesis of glucose-catabolizing enzymes in Pseudomonas fluorescens.

The activity of the enzymes of the oxidative non-phosphorylated pathway, glucose and gluconate dehydrogenases, were not significantly affected by changes in the assay temperature. Both enzymes demonstrated only a threefold difference in activity when compared at assay temperatures of 30 degrees C and 5 degrees C. In contrast, the enzymes involved in the direct phosphorylation and catabolism of glucose or its oxidation products, gluconate and 2-ketogluconate, exhibited a more pronounced response to decreasing assay temperatures. At least one enzyme in each pathway, involved in the direct phosphorylation and catabolism of glucose or 2-ketogluconate (2KG), demonstrated an eightfold decrease in activity with a decrease in assay temperature from 30 degrees C to 5 degrees C. A similar decrease in assay temperature resulted in a fivefold decrease in activity of the enzymes involved in the direct phosphorylation and catabolism of gluconate. The observed differential effect of temperature on the activity of the enzymes of glucose catabolism and on the accumulation of direct oxidation products during growth with glucose in P. fluorescens E-20 is discussed. Growth with glucose at 5 or 20 degrees C resulted in high induced levels of all glucose-catabolizing enzymes examined when compared with the levels of these same enzymes in pyruvate-grown cells. However, only low levels of glucose dehydrogenase were detected during growth at 30 degrees C with glucose, gluconate, or 2-KG. Similarly, only low levels of gluconate dehydrogenase were detected during growth with glucose at 30 degrees C, although a weak induction was observed during growth with gluconate or 2-KG at 30 degrees C. The levels of 2-KG kinase plus KPG reductase during growth at 30 degrees C were undetectable with glucose, weakly induced with gluconate, and fully induced with 2-KG. High induced levels of glucose dehydrogenase, gluconate dehydrogenase, and 2-KG kinase plus KPG reductase were present during growth at 20 degrees C with glucose or 2-KG. The low levels of glucose and gluconate dehydrogenases present at a growth temperature of 30 degrees C was not due to heat lability of the enzymes at this temperature. The low amounts of these two enzymes during growth with glucose at 30 degrees C probably prevented sufficient inducer(s) formation from glucose to allow induction of enzymes of 2-KG catabolism. The results demonstrated that temperature may regulate the pathways of glucose dissimilation by regulating, either directly or indirectly, the activity and synthesis of the enzymes involved in these pathways.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗