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Biomedical subjects

M Higuchi

Publications and source records attributed to M Higuchi.

At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

[Raised plasma-prolactin levels in essential hypertension: index of reduced hypothalamic dopaminergic activity (author's transl)].

Serial measurements of plasma-prolactin concentration (HPr) and plasma-renin activity (PRA) at 30-min intervals were made in 19 male patients with essential hypertension and in 8 normotensive subjects. HPr was markedly higher in the hypertensive patients than in the normotensive controls. Patients with reduced plasma-renin activity and only slightly elevated HPr-levels showed lower urinary sodium excretion, but a more pronouced 24-h natriuretic response to i.v. furosemide than patients with normal renin and very high HPr-levels. Six patients were treated with the dopaminergic agonist bromocriptine. The drug induced a significant blood pressure reduction in five patients and normalised pressure in two patients. The data do not indicate a role for prolactin in sustaining hypertension via renal salt retaining mechanisms. It is suggested that the raised HPr-levels represent an index of altered central nervous function, characterized by reduced hypothalamic activity. The blood pressure-lowering effect of the dopaminergic agonist bromocriptine fits with the hypothesis that reduced hypothalamic dopaminergic activity might be a factor in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Hyperprolactinaemia and antihypertensive effect of bromocriptine in essential hypertension. Identification of abnormal central dopamine control.

Plasma-prolactin concentration was up to four times higher in male patients with essential hypertension than in normotensive controls. Oral administration of bromocriptine, a dopaminergic agonist, suppressed plasma-prolactin and lowered arterial pressure. It is proposed that in the hypertensive patients the raised prolactin levels reflect a defect in central dopamine control which is normalised by bromocriptine. The antihypertensive effect of bromocriptine suggests that the dopaminergic system is involved in blood-pressure regulation and that reduced central dopaminergic activity may be a factor in the maintenance of essential hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Bacteriophage deoxyribonucleic acid-induced mutation of Streptococcus mutans.

A cariogenic strain, Streptococcus mutans PK 1, has been demonstrated to have prophage by observation of phage particles with an electron microscope and by induction with mitomycin C. The phage particles could not be detected in a mutant strain which lost the characteristic adhesive nature on glass surfaces and exhibited diminished ability to synthesize insoluble polysaccharide. By infecting the mutant cells with the phages or with free phage deoxyribonucleic acid isolated from the parent strain of S. mutans PK1, the mutant cells were transformed to the cariogenic strain with adhesive nature. The transformants retained the general characteristics of S. mutans PK 1, but in addition all transformants showed a new character; namely, the transformant cell could produce ammonia from arginine, whereas neither the parent nor mutant strains of S. mutans PK 1 had such a property;

Ammonia↗
PubMed1977

Transfection of Streptococcus sanguis by phage deoxyribonucleic acid isolated from Streptococcus mutans.

Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10556 cells were infected with free phage DNA of S, mutans strain PK 1. Two transformants were isolated which made colonies with large mucoid forms on mitis-salivarius agar. Both transformants had an increased ability to synthesize insoluble glucan and showed an adhesive nature on glass surfaces. These characteristics of the transformants bear a resemblance to S. mutans. These transformants had many physiological characteristics by which they could be recognized as S. sanguis. However, they resembled S. salivarius in forming a large amount of soluble fructan. Furthermore, the transformant cells did not produce ammonia from arginine, whereas their parent cells did.

Bacteriolysis↗
PubMed1976

Renin, aldosterone and arterial pressure responses to acute beta-adrenergic receptor blockage in hypertensive patients.

The effect of acute (intravenous) beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol or pindolol on arterial pressure (BP), plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma concentration of aldosterone (PA) was evaluated in 20 essential hypertensive men. BP, PRA and PA were determined during continuous recumbency over-night (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) every 30 min. Two groups of patients were observed. Patients of group 1 exhibited a characteristic day-night rhythm of PRA with low values before midnight and large increases early in the morning. Conversely, no rhythm and very low PRA values were observed in patients of group II. BP was higher in group II than in group I. In group I following intravenous propranolol or pindolol, BP fell within minutes and levels as well as rhythms of PRA were converted to those of group II without treatment. In group II day-night profiles of PRA and BP remained unchanged. Rhythm and concentration of PA in the two groups were not influenced by either drug. In 4 patients of group I infusion of angiotensin II inhibitor did not lower BP. The observations suggest that in the two groups dissimilarities in rhythms of PRA as well as in BP responses to beta-blockade may reflect differences in neuro-adrenergic tone.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Acute and long-term studies of the mechanisms of action of beta-blocking drugs in lowering blood pressure.

The antihypertensive effect of intravenous (acute) and oral (long-term) beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol or pindolol was evaluated in 46 male patients with either borderline (group I; 23 patients) or sustained (group II; 23 patients) essential hypertension. Arterial pressure, plasma renin activity and plasma concentration of aldosterone were determined during continuous recumbency overnight every 30 minutes before and after treatment. Patients of group I exhibited a marked variation of their recumbent plasma renin activity with relatively low values before midnight and large increases early in the morning. In contrast, low plasma renin activity values and only minimal fluctuations in renin were observed in patients of group II. Plasma renin activity had a consistent relationship with blood pressure both after acute (r = 0.79) and long-term (r = 0.4) beta-blockade. In four patients of group I, who had high plasma renin activity and had responded to intravenous propranolol, infusion of angiotensin II inhibitor did not lower pressure. In group I following beta-blockade, day-night profiles of renin were similar to those observed in group II before treatment. Thus in this latter subgroup, low renin profiles might reflect reduced beta-adrenergic activity. Acute as well as long-term beta-blockade consistently eliminated the day-night rhythm of plasma renin activity, but it did not change rhythm of plasma concentration of aldosterone. Plasma concentration of aldosterone was lower in group II but appeared to be inappropriately high relative to renin levels. These observations suggest that in hypertensive patients classified according to blood pressure and recumbent plasma renin activity profiles a significant relationship exists between changes in plasma renin activity and arterial pressure responses. Thus, patients with high renin levels respond better to treatment than patients with low renin levels. We conclude that in the patients studied, sympathetic nervous system activity mainly determined renin levels as well as antihypertensive effectiveness of the beta-blocking drugs.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1976

Incorporation of tritium into cell materials of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides from tritiated water in the medium under aerobic conditions.

When Rhodopseudomonas spheroides cells grown aerobically in the dark were incubated in medium containing tritiated water (THO), incorporation of T into the bacterial cell materials occurred under growth and no-growth conditions. The overall T incorporation under no-growth conditions was stimulated by vigorous aeration and was suppressed strongly in the presence of either 10(-3) M KCN or 0.3% HgCl2, indicating that the bulk of the incorporation might depend upon bacterial cell metabolism or respiration. 10 mug/ml chloramphenicol and 20 mug/ml rifamipicin slightly suppressed the T incorporation. The extent of T incorporation was proportional to the concentration of T in the medium. Accordingly, regardless of differences in the concentration of T in the medium, the maximum ratio of T content per hydrogen atom in the cell materials to that of THO in the medium was approximately 0.2 in non-growing cells and 0.5 in growing cells, whereas the value was 0.02-0.03 in cells incubated in medium containing KCN or HgCl2. The non-growing cells aerated in THO medium were lyophilized and fractionated by the modified method of Schneider. More than 40% of the total T incorporated into the cell materials was recovered in the cold PCA-soluble fraction, whereas the distribution of T into fractions solbule in ether-ethanol, hot PCA and alkali was 10 to 20% each. More than 75% of the T extracted in the cold PCA-soluble fraction was volatile. While the amounts of RNA and protein in the non-growing cells decreased on adding chloramphenicol or rifampicin, the distribution of T in these fractions did not change much. Our results on T incorporation into non-growing cells indicate that the major T incorporation into bacterial cell materials is independent of biosynthetic reactions using labeled precursors produced by the assimilation of T into metabolites, but presumably depends on energy-linked conformational changes of macromolecules.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1975

[Effects of 5-(3-tert-butylamino-2-hydroxy) propoxy-3,4-dihydrocarbostyril hydrochloride(OPC-1085) on coronary circulation and myocardial metabolism].

Effects of a new beta-adrenergic blocking agent, 5-(3-tert-butylamino-2-hydroxy) propoxy-3,4-dihydrocarbostyril hydrochloride (OPC-1085), on the coronary circulation and myocardial metabolism were investigated in anesthetized open-chest dogs and isolated perfused dog hearts. In anesthetized open-chest dogs, OPC-1085 antagonized the responses to isoproterenol of heart rate, Vmax, mean blood pressure, myocardial oxygen consumption, coronary blood flow and redox potential. The antagonistic potency of OPC-1085 was stronger than propranolol. OPC-1085 3 to 30 mug/kg caused appreciable decreases, but in doses of 100 to 1,000 mug/kg caused increases in heart rate and Vmax. The effect of OPC-1085 on max dp/dt was similar to that on Vmax. However, propranolol 3 to 3,000 mu-g/kg caused only decreases in heart rate, Vmax and max dp/dt. OPC-1085 3,10 mu-g/kg while propranolol 30, 100 mu-g/kg caused a fall in myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow. In isolated perfused hearts, intracoronary injection of OPC-1085 0.1 mg almost completely suppressed isoproterenol-induced augmentation of heart rate, myocardial contractile force and coronary blood flow and reduction of redox potential. OPC-1085 0.1 mg caused slight increases in heart rate, myocardial contractile force and myocardial oxygen consumption. It is concluded that OPC-1085 is a more potent beta-adrenergic blocking agent than propranolol and possesses a weak negative inotropic effect in doses of 3 to 30 mu-g/kg and a intrinsic sympathomimetic activity in doses of 100 to 1,000 mu-g/kg.

Animals↗