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M H Lewis

Publications and source records attributed to M H Lewis.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Serum effects confound the neuroleptic radioreceptor assay.

The neuroleptic radioreceptor assay (NRRA) is used widely to monitor total neuroleptic-like activity (NLA) in patients taking one or more antipsychotic drugs. The original report of Creese and Snyder (1) stated that serum alone caused a small effect on binding which was negligible compared to normal daily variations in the assay. Conversely, in studies with striata from rat or cow brain, we found that sera from healthy, drug free volunteers, when used at 50 microL/1 mL assay volume, caused marked inhibition of binding. Although any sample of serum causes reproducible inhibition with a given preparation of bovine or rat striatal membranes, the effects of various serum samples may differ markedly when several striatal membrane preparations are compared. Moreover, samples taken from people at different times may also vary, although less than the interindividual differences. Despite this variance, the slopes of log-logit plots were equal to 1 either in the presence or absence of serum. Because of the differences in the interaction of individual sera with different membrane preparations, it is difficult to compensate accurately for this serum effect by simply including control serum in the standard curve. Thus, the use of the NRRA as a quantitative tool in the clinical pharmacology of neuroleptics may be limited by this non-specific effect of serum, and this finding may offer one explanation for some of the inconsistencies found in comparing the NRRA with direct analytical methods.

Animals↗

Error analysis of the double-integral method for calculating brain blood perfusion from inert gas clearance data.

A single-photon dynamic computer-assisted tomograph (DSPECT) has been built and is currently being used to evaluate regional cerebral blood perfusion in patients and volunteers. A computer simulation of the system was created to analyze the effects of data collection, Poisson noise, attenuation compensation, and the reconstruction technique now employed in the DSPECT. Several methods of attenuation compensation were used to generate perfusion images from both ideal and noisy data. The results indicate that the mean perfusion is calculated to within 10.4% accuracy for all perfusion rates in a region of interest if attenuation correction is used. Without attenuation correction, perfusions are underestimated by as much as 27%. The three correctors tested have different effects on the calculated perfusion value, depending on the location of the region of interest in the picture. The algorithm introduces random noise that is proportional to both the random error in the input data and the perfusion rate. Air-curve delay errors result in inaccuracies in the final perfusion picture that are proportional to perfusion rate. Physiological values (0.8-1.5) of the partition coefficient cause overestimation of both gray (0-34%) and white (7-67%) matter perfusion values. Compton scatter and collimator effects were not addressed in this study.

Brain↗

Thioridazine and the neuroleptic radioreceptor assay.

When the neuroleptic radioreceptor assay (NRRA) has been used to monitor total neuroleptic-like activity (NLA) in the blood of patients taking thioridazine, the NLA values obtained from the NRRA are much lower than values calculated in the same sample by measuring the actual concentrations of parent drug and active metabolites and multiplying these values by the relative potency of each compound. The present report demonstrates that in the NRRA for thioridazine or its active metabolites, the normal displacement of [3H]-spiperone from striatal membranes by thioridazine is altered in the presence of sera. The inclusion of serum (50 microliter/ml) distorts the sigmoidal displacement curves, such the resulting log-logit (or Hill) slope is markedly decreased. Similar serum-induced changes in the log-logit slope are seen for two active metabolites of thioridazine, but not for chlorpromazine or haloperidol. As a consequence, when one of these latter drugs is used as a standard, the NRRA substantially underestimates the actual NLA (chlorpromazine equivalents) values for patients treated with thioridazine. Moreover, because of differences in the magnitude of the effect with serum from different individuals, it is not possible to control completely for this effect. Thus, these data reconcile discrepancies that have been reported for data from the NRRA versus that from direct analytical measurements, and demonstrate that the use of the NRRA as a quantitative tool in the clinical pharmacology of thioridazine may lead to erroneous estimations of active drug and metabolites in the blood.

Animals↗

Influence of cholecystokinin on central monoaminergic pathways.

Dopamine (DA) and cholecystokinin octapeptide carboxy-terminal (CCK-8) have been found to coexist in some mesolimbic neurons. The present investigation was undertaken in order to study the biochemical and behavioral interactions between CCK-8 and some central monoaminergic pathways. The action of the sulfated form of CCK-8 (10 micrograms/10 microliter intracerebroventricularly) on DA turnover in nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercles and corpus striatum of the rat was determined after DA synthesis inhibition with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (250 mg/kg i.p.). Also, CCK-8 action (1-30 micrograms intracisternally) on DA synthesis was assessed by measuring accumulation of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) after DOPA-decarboxylase inhibition with NSD-1015 (m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine, 100 mg/kg i.p.). The contents of DA and its main metabolites, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid, together with serotonin and its main metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), were measured in different brain areas after direct injection of CCK-8 into the ventral tegmental area (A10) or nucleus accumbens. Further, the effect of CCK-8 on amphetamine-induced locomotion and apomorphine-induced stereotypies was studied along with changes in spontaneous locomotion and rearing after CCK-8 injection into the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. No consistent statistically significant effects of CCK-8 on biochemical or behavioral assessments on measures of DA function were observed. However, injection of high doses of CCK-8 into the ventral tegmental area significantly decreased levels of 5-HIAA in the nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercles and striatum.

Amphetamine↗

N-oxides of phenothiazine antipsychotics: effects on in vivo and in vitro estimates of dopaminergic function.

Although it is known that N-oxidation is a major route for the metabolism of tertiary amine drugs in humans, the extent to which N-oxide (NO) metabolites of clinically used phenothiazine antipsychotics contribute to the neuropharmacology of the parent drug has been uncertain. After direct lateral ventricular injection of rats, both fluphenazine-NO and trifluoperazine-NO (piperazinyl-4-NO) had significant antidopaminergic activity as shown by their antagonism of amphetamine-induced locomotion and, to a lesser extent, of apomorphine-induced stereotypy. In vitro, fluphenazine-NO and trifluoperazine-NO inhibited both [3H]spiperone binding to rat striatal membranes and dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in striatal homogenates. Conversely, chlorpromazine (CPZ)-NO (side-chain oxide) did not have significant antidopaminergic activity in either in vitro test, nor did it block amphetamine or apomorphine-induced behavior when centrally administered. These latter results were surprising because it had been reported that CPZ-NO had significant antidopaminergic activity when administered by i.p. injection. In our experiments, i.p. administration of CPZ-NO or CPZ resulted in increased concentrations in brain of the acidic metabolites of dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid. However, for CPZ-NO, this was shown to occur concomitantly with the peripheral conversion of the NO back to the parent drug. This suggests that although CPZ-NO does not itself have antidopaminergic properties, it may be readily converted to CPZ or other active species that contribute to pharmacological responses. These data suggest that the NOs of the phenothiazines may contribute to the neuropharmacological actions of antipsychotic drugs via several mechanisms, and underscore the necessity of correlating metabolic and neuropharmacological data.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Secretin enhances [14C]erythritol clearance in unanesthetized dogs.

To determine the effect of secretin infusion on clearance of inert markers into bile, unanesthetized dogs fitted with Thomas cannulas received continuous infusions of [14C]erythritol and [3H]inulin throughout study. Taurocholic acid administered sequentially at 9.0, 20.0, and 40.0 mumol/min enhanced [14C]erythritol clearance, and GIH secretin (3 units/min) administered along with TCA (40.0 mumol/min) increased [14C]erythritol clearance from 4.9 +/- 1.2 ml/10 min to 6.8 +/- 1.3 ml/10 min (P less than 0.001), but simultaneously measured [3H]inulin clearance was unaltered. Secretin alone also increased [14C]erythritol clearance but did not alter [3H]inulin clearance. The increase in [14C]erythritol clearance per unit increase in bile flow was less during secretin infusion than TCA. Thus, secretin increases [14C]erythritol transport through restricted channels, probably distal to the canaliculi. [14C]Erythritol may not be an accurate marker for canalicular bile flow in dogs during secretin infusion.

Animals↗

Effect of somatostatin on determinants of bile flow in unanesthetized dogs.

Seven dogs each underwent cholecystectomy, ligation of the accessory pancreatic duct, and insertion of a Thomas duodenal cannula opposite the ampulla of Vater. After full recovery, bile secretions were studied in the unanesthetized dogs by opening the cannula and placing a ureteric catheter through the papilla into the common bile duct. All animals received, throughout study, constant infusions of taurocholic acid to replace losses caused by interruption of the enterohepatic circulation and 14 C-erythritol for measurement of erythritol clearance. After bile flow stabilized somatostatin 800 ng/kg/minute was infused for 100 minutes and bile flow declined from 3.0 +/- 0.7 ml/10 minutes (SD) to 1.19 +/- 0.47 ml/10 minutes (p less than 0.001) and 14C-erythritol clearance fell from 3.6 +/- 1.14 to 1.77 +/- 0.43 ml/10 minutes (p less than 0.001). Bile salt output was unchanged, indicating that somatostatin inhibited bile salt-independent canalicular flow (BSICF). In other experiments animals underwent intraduodenal acidification which resulted in a marked increase in bile flow. Somatostatin infusion again causes a sharp fall in bile flow (p less than 0.05) suggesting that somatostatin also inhibited ductular flow. Infusion of somatostatin did not inhibit choleresis produced by exogenous secretin administration. Thus, somatostatin inhibits 1) ductular flow by inhibiting secretin release and 2) BSICF by a direct effect or by decreasing the release of hormones which induce canalicular flow.

Animals↗

Attenuation compensation in single-photon emission tomography: a comparative evaluation.

Attenuation of photons in single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) makes three-dimensional reconstruction of unknown radioactivity distributions a mathematically intractable problem. Approaches to approximate SPECT reconstruction range from ignoring the effect of photon attenuation to incorporating assumed attenuation coefficients into an iterative reconstruction procedure. We have developed a computer-based simulation method to assess the relative effectiveness of attenuation compensation procedures. The method was used to study four procedures for myocardial SPECT using an infarct-avid radiopharmaceutical, Tc-99m stannous pyrophosphate. Reconstructions were evaluated by two criteria: overall (sum-of-squares) accuracy, and accuracy of lesion sizing. For moderate- to high-contrast studies there were no significant differences among the reconstructions by either evaluation criterion; for low contrast ratios the iterative method produced lower sum-of-squares criterion; for low contrast ratios the iterative method produced lower sum-of-squares error. We conclude that the additional expense of the iterative method is not justified under the conditions of this study. The approach used here is a convenient tool for evaluating specific SPECT reconstruction alternatives.

Humans↗

Exogenous gastrin in rhesus monkeys. The effect of 50% distal small-bowel resection on its rate of disappearance.

The rate of disappearance from the circulation of exogenous heptadecapeptide gastrin was studied before and after 50% distal small-bowel resection in four rhesus monkeys. For each study, venous blood samples were drawn during, and at frequent intervals after, a one-hour peripheral venous infusion of synthetic human gastrin 1 given at a constant rate within the range of 0.4 to 2.4 microgram/hr/kg of body weight. The rate of disappearance of infused gastrin was not affected by small-bowel resection (mean half-time before operation, 2.50 minutes; mean half-time after operation, 2.47 minutes). These data indicate that in the rhesus monkey, the rate of catabolism of exogenous gastrin is not decreased after distal small-bowel resection, and indicate that other mechanisms are responsible for the hypergastrinemia and gastric acid hypersecretion observed in this animal model.

Animals↗