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Biomedical subjects

M Kennedy

Publications and source records attributed to M Kennedy.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Quantitation of morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide, and morphine-6-glucuronide in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

An original, sensitive, and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay was developed for the quantitation of morphine and its two major metabolites, morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G), in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in rat plasma, using hydromorphone as the internal standard. Solid-phase extraction was used to separate morphine and its glucuronide metabolites from plasma constituents. Extraction efficiencies of morphine, M3G, and M6G from human plasma samples (0.5 ml) were 84, 87, and 88%, respectively. Extraction efficiencies of morphine, M3G, and M6G did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between human plasma and CSF or rat plasma. Morphine, M3G, M6G, and hydromorphone were separated on a 10 mu C8 Resolve radially compressed cartridge using a mobile phase comprising methanol:acetonitrile:phosphate buffer, (0.0125M pH 7.5; 10:10:80), in which 11 mg/L of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (cetrimide) was dissolved. Quantitation was achieved using a single electrochemical detector at ambient temperature (23 degrees C). Standard curves were linear over the ranges 0.020-2.190, 0.027-2.709, and 0.027-0.542 microM for morphine, M3G, and M6G, respectively. Lower limits of detection for morphine, M3G, and M6G in human plasma and CSF samples (0.5 ml) were 0.020, 0.027, and 0.027 microM, respectively. Corresponding lower limits of detection in rat plasma (0.1 ml) were 0.102, 0.135, and 0.135 microM, respectively. Intraassay precision for low and high concentrations of morphine, M3G, and M6G were < 23 and < 8% respectively. Similarly, interassay accuracy for low and medium concentrations of morphine, M3G, and M6G were < 17% and were < 9% for high concentrations.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Melanoma-derived interleukin 6 inhibits in vivo melanoma growth.

Malignant melanomas are capable of producing a wide range of cytokines with multiple biologic functions, including interleukin 6 (IL-6). We have observed an inverse relationship between IL-6 production of three B16-derived murine melanoma cell lines (NP133, HFH18, and HFH(M)) and the tumorigenicity of these melanoma cells in syngeneic mice. To further test the effect of IL-6 on melanoma growth, a non-IL-6-producing murine B16-derived melanoma cell line (HFH18) was transfected with a murine IL-6 expression vector, resulting in stable transfectants (HFH18/IL-6(+)) that expressed significant amounts of IL-6 mRNA and secreted high levels of bioactive IL-6. Syngeneic C57BL/6 mice inoculated subcutaneously with HFH18/IL-6(+) cells developed tumors that reached a final mean diameter of less than half the size of tumors that developed in mice inoculated with either HFH18 parental or HFH18 cells transfected with the IL-6 cDNA in the non-coding 3'-5' orientation (HFH18/IL-6(-) cells). In addition, mice bearing IL-6-producing HFH18/IL-6(+) tumors survived twice as long as mice bearing HFH18 parental or HFH18/IL-6(-) tumors. The specificity of melanoma growth inhibition by IL-6 was confirmed by the reversal of the slow-growing phenotype of HFH18/IL-6(+) cells by local peritumoral administration of neutralizing alpha-murine IL-6 antibody. IL-6-producing melanoma cells exerted a growth-inhibitory effect on distant parental tumors in a dose-dependent manner. The growth of HFH18/IL-6(+) melanomas was also decreased in nude mice, suggesting that melanoma-derived IL-6 may mediate this anti-tumor effect independently of a normal host B- and T-cell immune response. Thus, melanoma-derived IL-6 exerts a significant inhibitory effect on cutaneous melanoma growth and progression. These results indicate that melanoma cytokines may have a profound effect on tumor pathogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Brown bowel syndrome occurring in coeliac disease in the west of Ireland.

Brown bowel syndrome is the name applied to a brown discoloration of the intestine. This is due to lipofuscin deposition in intestinal smooth muscle and occurs in association with malabsorption. Three cases occurring in a coeliac registry of 559 patients are described. One patient presented with acute massive bleeding per rectum, and two were diagnosed at autopsy. The syndrome may be accompanied by vitamin E deficiency and neurologic dysfunction. Two patients had evidence of peripheral neuropathy, and one had low vitamin E levels. Concomitant vitamin D deficiency was present. Fat-soluble vitamin malabsorption, especially if there is a poor response to a gluten-free diet or neuropathy, might alert the clinician to the possibility of brown-bowel syndrome and suggests careful search for lipofuscin in biopsy material, using special histologic techniques.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Strategies to support breastfeeding. Discarding myths and outdated advice.

Lack of teaching about breastfeeding in nursing and medical schools has resulted in mothers receiving inconsistent and inaccurate advice from health care professionals. New community programs can help breastfeeding families through parent-baby information telephone lines and breastfeeding support drop-in groups. Physicians and nurses can help breastfeeding mothers by keeping up-to-date and giving consistent information.

Bottle Feeding↗
PubMed1993

Expression of a gene encoding a unique protein-tyrosine kinase within specific fetal- and adult-derived hematopoietic lineages.

A gene encoding a unique protein-tyrosine kinase was isolated by PCR from undifferentiated embryonic stem (ES) cells. The gene, Emsk (embryonic stem cell kinase), is expressed in a number of different lymphoid and myeloid hematopoietic lineages and has been shown to be identical to the recently isolated focal adhesion-associated kinase gene (Fadk). Within the nonlymphoid lineages analyzed, Emsk/Fadk was found to be expressed in primitive and definitive erythroid cells but not in mast cells or macrophages. All CD5+ (B-1a) B cells tested, as well as freshly isolated conventional (B-2) B cells, expressed readily detectable levels of Emsk/Fadk. Within the T-cell lineage, Emsk/Fadk was expressed in V gamma 5 gamma/delta cells as well as in immature alpha/beta cells found within the thymus. As the alpha/beta T-cell population matures and exits the thymus, expression of Emsk/Fadk appears to be down regulated. The expression pattern outlined here suggests a role for Emsk/Fadk in multiple stages of hematopoietic development and raises the possibility that the kinase encoded by this gene has a broader spectrum of activities than was initially suggested.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Regulation of rat hepatic lipase by the composition of monomolecular films of lipid.

The regulation of hepatic lipase (HL) by the lipid composition of monomolecular substrate films was examined using a monolayer technique at constant surface pressure. HL-catalyzed hydrolysis of triacylglycerol, a poor substrate for HL in pure monomolecular films, was activated by diradylglycerol and its phosphorylated derivatives in mixed films containing 10 mol % triacylglycerol. When triacylglycerol was progressively diluted with dialkylglycerol, triacylglycerol hydrolysis by HL was maximal between 90 and 98 mol % dialkylglycerol. The best activators, dialkylphosphatidic acid and dialkylphosphatidylethanolamine, increased triacylglycerol hydrolysis 13-14-fold, and the enhancement of HL-catalyzed triacylglycerol hydrolysis by the activator lipids was inversely related to the average mean molecular area of the mixed films. The hydrolysis of 5 mol % triacylglycerol in mixed films that also contained phosphatidylcholine and 0-20 mol % cholesterol was inhibited approximately 80% when the concentration of cholesterol was 10-13 mol %. Interestingly, between 15 and 17 mol % cholesterol the hydrolysis rate was restored to about 50% of the uninhibited rate, but at 20 mol % cholesterol this value decreased back to 80% inhibition of hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine in mixed films with 0-20 mol % cholesterol decreased approximately 30% in films containing 10-12 mol % cholesterol. However, at 15 mol % cholesterol the hydrolysis rate was restored to the same level observed for a pure phosphatidylethanolamine film. This enhancement of HL activity occurred at about the same cholesterol concentration as the restoration of triacylglycerol hydrolysis observed for the triacylglycerol/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol films.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

HIV infection in drug and alcohol practice.

The injecting of illicit drugs frequently involves the sharing of injection equipment and a risk of HIV transmission. Injecting drug use at any time since 1980 should be considered a high-risk activity and users should be advised to have HIV testing. Recognition of this important lifestyle clue is more likely to occur if the doctor has evolved a practical approach to the possibility of illicit drug use.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1993

Chronic aphasia subsequent to striato-capsular and thalamic lesions in the left hemisphere.

The language abilities of a group of seven chronic aphasics with vascular lesions centered on the striato-capsular region and thalamus of the left hemisphere were described. A range of severity and types of chronic language disorder were documented through assessment using a battery of standardized language tests. The most common language disorder documented was a naming impairment of varying degrees of severity, exhibited by six of the seven cases. The majority of subjects made predominantly semantic errors in the naming task; however, each subject produced a variety of error types and there was no pattern of errors characteristic of the group. The language data obtained were used to evaluate previously developed models of the role of the subcortical structures in naming functions.

Adult↗