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Biomedical subjects

R Fuller

Publications and source records attributed to R Fuller.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Influence of dietary lactose on the gut flora of chicks.

1. The gut microflora of chicks fed on a purified diet containing 300 g lactose plus 300 g starch/kg was compared with that of control birds receiving a diet containing 600 g starch/kg. 2. In 14-d-old conventional chicks, lactose in the diet decreased the incidence of lactobacilli and clostridia in the caecal contents, although when presenting lactose-fed chicks the counts of lactobacilli exceeded those of control chicks. 3. High counts of Proteus sp. were present in the caeca of control birds but they were completely suppressed in conventional birds fed on the lactose diet. In vitro tests showed that this inhibition was partially due to Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis. 4. The growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus was inhibited by lactose when gnotobiotic chicks were monoassociated but not when polyassociated. The protective effect was shown in vitro to be due to L. salivarius. 5. The pH was markedly lowered in the caecum of conventional and polyassociated chicks receiving dietary lactose. Of the strains used in gnotobiotic experiments E. coli, S. faecalis and L. salivarius produced the lowest pH values in the caeca.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Furosemide kinetics in patients with hepatic cirrhosis with ascites.

Furosemide, 20 mg, was given intravenously as a bolus to seven patients with cirrhotic ascites and a 10-mg intravenous bolus dose was given to three normal subjects. Furosemide concentrations were measured by a specific high-performance liquid chromatographic analytic method. The median plasma elimination half-life (t1/2), volume of distribution at a steady state (VdSS), and VDarea of furosemide were 0.70 hr, 91 ml/kg, and 119 ml/kg in normal subjects. In the cirrhotic patients elimination t1/2 and Vd at steady state doubled and the Vdarea of furosemide was almost double that of the normal. There were no differences in plasma clearance or renal and nonrenal clearance between patients and controls, but five of the seven patients had lower renal clearances than controls. The water and sodium response to furosemide was directly related to the urinary furosemide excretion rate. We identified a subset of cirrhotic patients who responded poorly (125 ml/hr urinary output in the first 4 hr after furosemide compared to 300 ml/hr in the other patients and 400 ml/hr in the controls) to furosemide. These "poor responders" had the lowest renal clearance of furosemide and the lowest urinary furosemide excretion rates. Our data indicate that furosemide kinetics are altered in patients with cirrhotic ascites and lack of response in a subset of these patients is due to lack of delivery of furosemide to the renal site of its action.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The gut microflora and the uptake of glucose from the small intestine of the chick.

1. Chicks whose growth rate had been depressed either by a fully conventional flora or by association with a bile acid deconjugating strain of Streptococcus faecium and/or a filterable agent from chicken droppings showed no significant reduction in uptake of 3-0-methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose compared with germ-free birds. 2. Association with a microflora increased the weight of the gut per unit length.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Attachment of Streptococcus faecium, to the duodenal epithelium of the chicken and its importance in colonization of the small intestine.

The counts of Streptococcus faecium SY1 in the duodenums of gnotobiotic chicks exceeded the counts in their crops, indicating that multiplication was occurring in the anterior small intestine. This growth was related to adhesion to the gut wall which could be demonstrated by viable counts of macerated washed duodenal tissue. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that adhesion occurred in restricted areas on the surface of the villus, and transmission studies showed the presence of a thick extracellular layer on the bacterium. Attachment of S. faecium SY1 was confirmed in vitro by using chicken duodenal brush borders. The washings, produced during the preparation of the brush borders, increased the number of S. faecium adhering to the brush borders. This enhancing effect was due to the presence of trypsin in the duodenal washings. However, the effect was not dependent on the enzymatic activity of the trypsin molecule. The initial adhesion was not prevented by pretreatment of the brush borders with soy bean trypsin inhibitor. There were, therefore, two adhesion systems operating, only one of which was dependent on trypsin. Pretreatment of brush borders with trypsin digested them, but they remained intact in the presence of S. faecium SY1, indicating that the enzymatic activity was being inhibited. This effect was specific for the adhering strain of S. faecium SY1; the nonadhering S. faecium strain CRS23 and an adhering strain of Lactobacillus sp. were inactive, as was strain SY1 when adhesion was prevented by including sodium periodate in the test system. The colonizations of the gut by strains of S. faecium of differing adhesive abilities were compared. The nonadhering strain CRS23 showed reduced ability to colonize the duodenum, but the penicillin-resistant mutant of S. faecium SY1, which had reduced adhesive ability but could still attach to a lesser degree, was able to colonize the duodenum as efficiently as the parent strain.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1980

Ecology of Streptococcus faecium bacteriophage in chicken gut.

The interaction in the chick gut between Streptococcus faecium and its phage was examined. In conventional chicks, large numbers of S. faecium and phage were found in the cecum and smaller numbers were found in the anterior gut. In gnotobiotic chicks associated with S. faecium SY1 and its phage, there was no marked effect on bacterial numbers, but resistance to the phage rapidly developed. Depression of chick growth caused by S. faecium strain SY1 was partially reversed by its phage.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1979

The aetiology of diarrhoea in pigs weaned at two days of age.

When pigs are weaned at two days of age large numbers of Excherichia coli appear in the anterior gut and the incidence of diarrhoea rises. The two phenomena do not appear to be directly related because the strains of E coli isolated are not serotypes previously found to be associated with neonatal pig scouring. Representative strains of the non-enteropathogenic serotypes did not produce enterotoxin and did not adhere to small intestine brush borders. Moreover when antibiotics were fed to eliminate E coli from the gut, the pigs still scoured. Rotavirus was detected in the gut contents and gut epithelium of scouring pigs and a bacteria-free filtrate of gut contents produced diarrhoea when administered to germ-free pigs. It is suggested that rotavirus may be one of the causes of the scouring seen shortly after weaning pigs at two days of age.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Bacteria associated with the gastric epithelium of neonatal pigs.

Light and electron microscopy showed lactobacilli and, to a lesser degree, streptococci to be closely associated with the squamous area of the pig stomach known as the pars esophagea. Several different types of extracellular layers were seen on bacteria attached to the epithelial surface. The total number of bacteria per square centimeter did not change with age up to 10 days, and there was no effect of weaning at 2 days. Lactobacillus fermentum, L. salivarius, and Streptococcus salivarius were isolated more frequently from sucking pigs than from those that were early weaned, whereas the reverse was true of L. acidophilus and S. bovis. All isolates recovered from washed macerated pars esophagea adhered to pig esophageal epithelial cells when tested in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Failure of glucagon in the treatment of alcoholic pancreatitis.

Glucagon has been claimed to be an effective treatment for pancreatitis, but the studies reporting this were either uncontrolled or did not use concurrent controls, and none were double blind. To evaluate the efficacy of glucagon for alcohol-related pancreatitis, we performed a controlled, randomized, double blind study. Twenty-six patients with pancreatitis associated with alcohol ingestion received either glucagon or placebo in addition to intravenous fluids, nasogastric suction, and meperidine as needed. There were no statistically significant differences between the group which received glucagon and the group which did not in any of 12 parameters which included symptoms, signs, laboratory tests, and requests for analgesia. We conclude that glucagon in addition to conventional therapy is no better for the treatment of alcoholic pancreatitis than conventional therapy alone.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1977

The importance of Lactobacilli in maintaining normal microbial balance in the crop.

1. The effect of lactobacilli on Escherichia coli has been examined in vitro and in chicken crop in vivo. 2. Inhibition of E. coli was dependent on the presence of sufficient numbers of lactobacilli. 3. In a standard test some lactobacilli were bacteriostatic and one was bactericidal. The bacteriostasis was due to the low pH produced by these strains but bactericidal activity could not be accounted for by pH alone. 4. In gnotobiotic animals the bactericidal strain was no more inhibitory for E. coli than was a bacteriostatic strain.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Changes in the microflora and physiology of the anterior intestinal tract of pigs weaned at 2 days, with special reference to the pathogenesis of diarrhea.

The gastrointestinal microflora and gastric physiology of piglets weaned at 2 days was compared with that of piglets allowed to continue sucking the sow. Although there was a significantly higher count of Escherichia coli in the stomach, duodenum, and jejunum of the early-weaned compared with sow-reared pigs, these differences were not detectable in samples from the ileum. There were no quantitative differences in lactobacilli and in streptococci between the two treatments. Lactobacillus fermentum, L. acidophilus, Streptococcus salivarius, S. bovis, and related biotypes were isolated from both groups of pigs. L. fermentum and S. salivarius were isolated more frequently from sow-reared piglets. The weight of digesta in the stomach was greater in weaned than in sucking pigs and was even greater in scouring weaned pigs, suggesting that in scouring pigs there may be gastric stasis. The gastric pH was higher in the weaned pigs at 4 days of age, but gradually decreased up to 10 days, during which time the lactic acid concentration rose. In weaned pigs there was a highly significant negative correlation between pH and lactic acid concentration in the stomach digesta, and also a positive correlation between pH and number of E. coli. These correlations suggest that lactic acid, from bacterial fermentation, is the major component in the regulation of gastric pH in weaned pigs. Three of twenty sucking pigs, but none of the weaned pigs, were secreting HCl (chloride concentration > 3 mg/g, pH < 3.5). In sucking pigs there was an inverse relationship between the chloride and lactic acid concentrations in the digesta. In weaned scouring pigs there was a nonsignificant increase in pepsin concentration in the stomach tissue. There was a threefold increase in the total proteolytic activity of the stomach tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Nature of the determinant responsible for the adhesion of lactobacilli to chicken crop epithelial cells.

Using an in vitro method, some factors affecting the attachment of a strain of lactobacillus to chicken crop epithelial cells have been studied. Time of contact beyond 10 min, pH value, age or growth temperature of the bacterial culture, or nature of the energy source in the growth medium had little or no effect on attachment. Heating to 100 degrees C for 10 min, or treatment with EDTA or surface active compounds was also without effect. Treatment with sodium periodate markedly decreased adhesion, proteolytic enzymes had a smaller effect but wheat germ lipase was completely inactive. The pronounced inhibition of adhesion by periodate suggested the invovement of carbohydrate. However, enzymes known to attack carbohydrate substrates were inactive in reducing adhesion. Concanavalin A, which binds specifically to certain sugar residues, reduced attachment. It is suggested that these concanavalin A receptors on the lactobacillus are responsible for its attachment to crop epithelial cells.

Adsorption↗