Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Rizk

Publications and source records attributed to M Rizk.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Alterations in rat epidermis provoked by chronic vitamin D deficiency.

Long-term effects of vitamin D deficiency on epidermis were studied using histometric techniques, [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA (labeling index), estimation of epidermal acid phosphatase activity, and one-dimensional gel electrophoresis of keratin proteins. The decrease in epidermal thickness due to a reduced number of granular cell layers and a lower level of epidermal acid phosphatase activity were observed in vitamin D-deficient rats. The number of nuclei in the basal layer was increased. No changes in labeled index due to chronic vitamin D deficiency or to 'single injection of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol to vitamin D-deficient rats were observed. A comparative study of the keratin composition revealed differences in the keratin polypeptide pattern: vitamin D-deficient epidermis specifically lacked two low-molecular-weight components and presented several quantitative differences among other keratin polypeptides. The changes in epidermal morphology and metabolism that took place with vitamin D deficiency were independent of plasma calcium levels because similar modifications were present in vitamin D-deficient but normocalcemic rats (fed a diet rich in calcium and supplemented with lactose). These findings suggest that vitamin D may be one of the important factors for maintaining normal epidermal structure and metabolism through an effect on cell differentiation and formation of granular cell layers. They offer the possibility of using epidermal modification as an additional marker of vitamin D deficiency.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1983

Skin calcium-binding protein: distribution in other tissues.

The distribution of epidermal calcium-binding protein was examined in rat tissues using immunodiffusion and immunofluorescence techniques to investigate its possible physiological role. Epidermal calcium-binding protein was demonstrated in the basal proliferative cell layer of all Malpighian epithelia and related tissues (epidermis, sebaceous glands, cornea, esophagus, and vagina) as well as in ependyma of brain and in the epithelia of the lens. No immunoreactivity for epidermal calcium-binding protein was found in other tissues including dermis, muscle, cartilage, blood vessels, nerve tissue, liver, endocrine glands, urogenital tract, and intestinal and respiratory epithelium. The presence of a protein immunologically indistinguishable from epidermal calcium-binding protein in proliferative cells suggests that it may be involved in the control of calcium-dependent processes perhaps related to mechanical damage and continued proliferation.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Vitamin D nutrition increases skin tyrosinase response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

The influence of vitamin D nutrition on melanogenesis in skin induced by UV radiation was studied in pigmented adult rats. Melanogenesis, assessed by the activity of skin tyrosinase (radiometric assay), was studied in vitamin-D-deficient and vitamin-D-fed rats exposed to UV (0.1 J/cm2, 290-320 nm). The tyrosinase activity in skin was not significantly changed by vitamin D treatment alone. In contrast, the induction of tyrosinase activity provoked by UV radiation was greater in vitamin-D-fed than in vitamin-D-deficient rats. The increase in skin tyrosinase activity in response to UV was preceded by an increase in skin cAMP levels. This rise in cAMP was greater in vitamin-D-treated rats than in vitamin-D-deficient rats. The pretreatment of rats with phosphodiesterase inhibitor potentiated the effect of vitamin D on skin tyrosinase activity. The low serum calcium levels in the vitamin-D-deficient group were evidently not responsible for the lower UV induction of skin tyrosinase activity because the vitamin-D-deficient rats with normal serum calcium levels (supplemented with 20% lactose and 2% calcium in the diet) were also unable to show maximal induction of skin tyrosinase activity in response to UV radiation requires the presence of adequate vitamin D. cAMP may be involved in the mediation of this effect. The relationship observed between the vitamin D status of animals and tyrosinase activity of skin could provide an effective feed-back control for protection against UV and vitamin D intoxication.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1981

Local acriflavine: a new therapy for rhinoscleroma.

Fifty patients with rhinoscleroma have been studied clinically, histopathologically and bacteriologically before, during and after the local application of acriflavin solution, in different concentrations, over an eight-week period. The results have been encouraging. Local acriflavine solution, in a concentration of 2 per cent, has been shown to be an effective and safe remedy for rhinoscleroma.

Acridines↗
PubMed1981

Conversion of 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and deuterated 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine to alcoholic metabolites of catecholamines in rat brain.

We have investigated the effects of 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and its deuterated analogue on the concentrations of alcoholic metabolites of catecholamines in rat brain by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring. Whole brain concentrations of the two neutral norepinephrine metabolites, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) and 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DHPG), were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner by a single intraperitoneal injection of L-DOPA. Both MHPG and DHPG, as well as the corresponding dopamine metabolites, reached a maximum 1 h after injection. Brain MHPG and DHPG concentrations were elevated by 78 and 134%, respectively, 1 h after injection of 150 mg/kg L-DOPA. Analyses of discrete brain regions revealed that concentrations of the norepinephrine metabolites were elevated uniformly in all regions, except that MHPG showed a greater increase in the cerebellum than in other regions. The latter result appeared to be explained by the finding that 52% of the total MHPG in the cerebellum was unconjugated (compared to 15% in the whole brain). L-DOPA caused a proportionately greater increase in free MHPG than in total MHPG in the cerebellum and brain stem. By using deuterated L-DOPA in place of L-DOPA and measuring both the deuterated and nondeuterated norepinephrine metabolites, we demonstrated that virtually all of the increases in MHPG and DHPG were due to the conversion of the exogenous L-DOPA to norepinephrine. Thus, the effects of norepinephrine metabolism need to be considered in attempts to understand clinical and behavioral effects of L-DOPA.

3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethanol↗