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Biomedical subjects

R Hill

Publications and source records attributed to R Hill.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Effects of sodium intake on lactation and Na levels in body fluids of Blackface ewes.

1. A low-sodium diet was given to Blackface ewes over two reproductive seasons; the diet provided 3-7 mmol Na daily, except for the period of lactation, when Na intake was increased to around 11 mmol/d. The diet of the control ewes was supplemented with sodium chloride to provide the recommended allowance of about ten times the level in the experimental low-Na diet. 2. Milk production was assessed during the first 2 months of lactation from incremental changes in the live weight of lambs during controlled sucking periods. Na and potassium were determined in milk and also in plasma, saliva and urine. 3. Neither yield nor concentration of Na and K in milk was affected by the level of Na in the diet. These results were supported by the similarity in live-weight gain of lambs in both years regardless of diet. 4. Plasma Na and K concentrations were not affected by the level of dietary Na. Na concentration in saliva and urine was significantly lower in the treated than in the control ewes, and K concentration in saliva was significantly higher.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Interstitial pneumonitis following autologous bone marrow transplantation.

The incidence of interstitial pneumonitis (IP) was reviewed in 70 consecutive patients who received autologous marrow transplants for hematologic malignancies. All patients were treated with total-body irradiation (TBI), with or without other chemotherapeutic agents. Seven patients (10%) developed IP, 3 were due to cytomegalovirus, 1 due to Pneumomcystis carinii, and 3 of unknown cause (idiopathic). Risk factors for developing IP were increasing age and a prior history of irradiation to the chest. The use of methotrexate posttransplant did not increase the incidence of IP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Excretion of dicarboxylic and omega-1 hydroxy fatty acids by low birth weight infants fed with medium-chain triglycerides.

The effects of feeding a commercial formula containing increased amounts of medium-chain fatty acids on the urinary excretions of C6-C10 moncarboxylic, dicarboxylic, and omega-1 hydroxy acids were studied in 13 growing preterm infants of mean birth weight 1.42 kg in a randomized double-blind cross-over clinical trial. Infants were allocated to two sequential feeding regimes of 5 days each, during the last 3 days of which urine was collected and analysed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry. The two feeding regimes consisted of high energy and protein-containing formulas specially designed for growing low birth weight infants. In one diet the triglyceride component consisted of 46% medium-chain (C8-C10) and 54% long-chain fatty acid residues: in the other it consisted of 4% medium-chain and 96% fatty acid residues. The infants were randomized so that six infants were fed first with the medium-chain predominant formula and seven were fed first with the long-chain predominant formula. There were significant differences in the urinary excretions of octanoate, sebacate, suberate, adipate, 7-hydroxyoctanoate, and 5-hydroxyhexanoate; these substances appearing in much greater quantities in the urine during the period in which medium-chain triglycerides were predominant in the formula. The significance of this organic aciduria, which accounted for 0.7% of the dietary intake of medium-chain triglycerides, remains to be established.

Dicarboxylic Acids↗
PubMed1986

Partial purification of thrombopoietin using lectin chromatography.

Thrombopoietin (TPO) was partially purified from the plasma of thrombocytopenic rabbits by ammonium sulfate fractionation and lectin chromatography. Thrombopoietic activity was measured with an in vivo assay that measures platelet production by the incorporation of 75Se-selenomethionine (75SeM) into newly forming platelets in mice. Thrombopoietin was precipitated from rabbit plasma by an ammonium sulfate saturation of 60%-80%. The ammonium sulfate precipitate was further fractionated by application to a column of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) bound to agarose. The biological activity was eluted from the WGA column with 0.2 M N-acetylglucosamine. The minimum dose that stimulated thrombopoiesis was decreased 1000-fold to 1.3 microgram/g body weight by this first lectin step. The biological activity eluted from the WGA column was then applied to a column of concanavalin A (ConA) bound to agarose and eluted with 0.1 M alpha-methylmannose. The ConA step produced an additional two-fold increase in specific activity and decreased the minimum dose to 0.65 microgram/g body weight. Stimulation of thrombopoiesis was not associated with an increased peripheral platelet count. Although the purification scheme presented provided a 7000-fold increase in specific activity compared to plasma from thrombocytopenic rabbits, analysis of the WGA and ConA fractions by gel-permeation high-performance liquid chromatography (GP-HPLC) and SDS-PAGE indicated that many proteins were still present at this stage of the purification procedure.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Pharmacology of harmalan (1-methyl-3,4-dihydro-beta-carboline).

Harmalan is presumably formed in vivo as an intermediate product of the biosynthesis of harman as well as tetrahydroharman. The pharmacological effects of harmalan as well as its affinity towards benzodiazepine, 5-HT2 and tryptamine binding sites were investigated in the present study. Harmalan induced clonic convulsions which were antagonized by diazepam. Receptor binding experiments as well as combined treatments with antagonists point to an interaction which involves neither benzodiazepine nor 5HT2 receptor sites but rather tryptamine binding sites. Good agreement was found between the potency of harmalan to increase spontaneous motor activity and the affinity to the tryptamine binding sites when compared with the effects of tryptamine in both tests. In the light-dark-chamber test for predicting anxiolytic effects of drugs, harmalan elicited opposite effects to diazepam. The results of combined treatment also suggested an interaction of both compounds not involving benzodiazepine receptors. Tryptamine binding sites seemed to play no role since the amine was inactive under these conditions. Thus, harmalan induces several tryptamine agonistic effects and others not involving tryptamine binding sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Development of a prosthetic venous valve.

The pathology of thrombophlebitis primarily results from the obliteration of venous valves in the lower extremities. The objective of this study was to develop a prosthetic venous valve that could be implanted in the human femoral system to ameliorate the deleterious effects of thrombophlebitis. Prosthetic venous valves were produced from two materials: Pellethane valves were fabricated from a dip-casting process; umbilical vein valves were produced by a fixation process. The valves were evaluated as implants within the external jugular veins of 10 research dogs. Each animal was implanted with one Pellethane valve in one external jugular vein and one umbilical vein venous valve in the contralateral jugular vein. Each valve was positioned over a stainless-steel cylinder that had been implanted into the jugular veins in such a manner that there existed no blood-cylinder interaction. Patency of the valves was determined by X-ray venography at 24, 48, and 72 h and at 5 and 8 days postoperatively. All of the umbilical vein venous valves were occluded by the end of 48 h, whereas two of the Pellethane venous valves remained patent for at least 5 days but were occluded at 8 days. The results of this study suggest the possibility of success of Pellethane valve implants in the venous circulation and indicate future directions for study.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The retention of 59Fe and 65Zn by preruminant lambs given milk-substitutes based on either casein or soya-bean-protein isolate.

Eight newborn lambs were given milk-substitutes based on casein (n 4) or a soya-bean-protein isolate (n 4). On the morning before a 10 d collection period, the milk-substitutes were supplemented with 59Fe as ferric chloride and 65Zn as zinc chloride. Faeces and urine were collected daily and determinations of 59Fe and 65Zn were made on these separately. During a second 10 d period the dosing procedure and collection were repeated but the diet of each lamb was reversed. Mean retention of 59Fe in lambs given the casein diet was 0.50 (SE 0.12) and in those given the soya-bean-protein diet 0.06 (SE 0.05). There were large variations among animals but the treatment effect was significant at P less than 0.05. Retention of 65Zn was significantly greater than that of 59Fe for all lambs but the effect of dietary treatment was similar to that for Fe. 65Zn retention values for casein and soya-bean-protein diets were 0.84 (SE 0.06) and 0.52 (SE 0.03) respectively, and the difference was significant at P less than 0.01. There were only very small amounts of 59Fe and 65Zn in urine, representing 0.002-0.003 of the dose.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Autologous marrow transplantation in patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in first remission.

Thirteen patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia underwent autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) following high doses of cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation while in first complete remission. After marrow infusion four patients received human leukocyte interferon and nine received intravenous methotrexate. One patient died on day 16 of septicemia associated with severe gastrointestinal toxicity. In the remaining 12 patients the median day of achieving a circulating granulocyte level of 500/mm3 was 29 (range 15-94 days). Eight of 12 evaluable patients achieved a sustained platelet count of 20,000/mm3 or greater in a median of 44 days (range 12-116 days) and four patients did not achieve this level before death on days 116-396. One patient died on day 116 of interstitial pneumonitis secondary to cytomegalovirus. Eight patients relapsed 58-365 days after AMBT (median 335 days), and all have died. Three patients are alive and well without relapse 26-50 months after ABMT. This study demonstrated that poor engraftment was a frequent complication of ABMT when early posttransplant cytotoxic therapy was attempted. Relapse of leukemia and the number of long-term survivors in this small group of patients was not different from that expected following conventional therapy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Changing knives a wasteful and unnecessary ritual.

The use of two knives for making a surgical incision is a deeply ingrained practice of British surgery and a postal survey of the theatre superintendents in the South-West Thames Region revealed that out of 143 surgeons all but one use this technique. Therefore we undertook a bacteriological study of the knife blades used on a general surgical unit. This showed that under normal conditions pathogenic organisms do not contaminate the knife blade and are not carried into the wound by it. The use of only one knife to make an incision does not increase the incidence of wound infection. A survey of the world literature confirms these findings. The wasteful and unnecessary ritual of using two knives to make an incision through normal skin has no theoretical, scientific or clinical basis and can be discontinued.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1984

The voluntary food intake by growing pigs of diets containing 'treated' rapeseed meals or extracts of rapeseed meal.

The intake by growing pigs of a diet containing British rapeseed meal (Brsm) extracted once with water was greater than that of a similar diet containing untreated Brsm, and a diet containing Brsm extracted twice with water was eaten more readily than one containing Brsm extracted once with water. Treatment of Brsm with slaked lime increased slightly its acceptability by growing pigs. The addition of a water extract of Brsm to a soya-bean meal (Sbm) diet reduced voluntary intake compared with the voluntary intake of the same Sbm diet with water added. Addition to the diet of a water extract passed through an anion exchange column increased food intake but if a cation exchange column was used there was no effect on intake. Treated rapeseed meals and extracts were analysed for glucosinolates, sinapine and tannins; the results indicated that glucosinolates rather than sinapine or tannin were associated with low feed intake.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1984

Energy needs and nutritional rehabilitation in undernourished adolescents and young adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

The energy needs, nutritional status and body composition of 6 undernourished adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis (3 male and 3 female) were studied prior to and following a 12 day period of refeeding. Nutritional rehabilitation was attempted with continuous naso-gastric feeding of an elemental diet. The energy needs of the patients were shown to be 25-80% higher than in healthy individuals of the same age, sex and size. Lean body mass as judged by measurement of total body potassium and nitrogen was relatively well preserved, but there was significant wasting of adipose tissue. During the short period of refeeding, body weight, fat and potassium all increased significantly, while fat free body mass and total body nitrogen did not change. A model is proposed for the aetiology of undernutrition in the adolescent and young adult cystic with deteriorating lung function. Based on this model and the finding of the short-term N/G refeeding program described in this paper, we have embarked on a long-term supplementation study in malnourished CF patients who do not respond to dietary counselling and oral supplementation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Demonstration of carcinoembryonic antigen in bone marrow from patients with carcinoma.

Primary and secondary tumour and bone marrow trephine biopsies from 20 patients with carcinomas were stained for carcinoembryonic antigen by the three stage immunoperoxidase method. Six marrow biopsies contained tumour deposits, five of which were positive for carcinoembryonic antigen. A further five marrow biopsies contained single carcinoembryonic antigen positive cells of uncertain origin. Carcinoembryonic antigen staining may be a useful adjunct to conventional histology in the diagnosis of marrow metastases.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1984

Impaired opsonophagocytosis of serotypes Ib and II of group B streptococci as compared with serotypes Ia and III: role of the alternative pathway of complement in opsonisation of serotype III of group B streptococci.

Using the technique of phagocytic chemiluminescence, we have shown that serotypes Ib and II of group B streptococci are resistant to opsonophagocytosis. The resistant strains became susceptible to opsonophagocytosis by trypsin treatment, but neuraminidase had no effect. Several studies have failed to define a significant role for the alternative pathway of complement in opsonisation of group B streptococci. By simple chelation and heat inactivation studies, we have shown that the alternative pathway of complement is activated by serotype III of group B streptococci.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Immune complexes in ovarian cancer: association between IgM class complexes and antinuclear autoantibodies in ascitic fluid.

Samples of ascitic fluid from patients with ovarian cancer were analyzed for autoantibodies to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens and for immune complexes (ICs) detectable by the Clq deviation and polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation (either IgG or IgM class) assays. The predominant autoantibody was antinuclear (ANA); this was detected in 29 of 58 samples (59% showing the homogeneous and 41% the speckled pattern). The antibody was not reactive to saline extractable nuclear antigens. A strong association between this autoantibody and the PEG-precipitated IgM class ICs was shown, suggesting the possible participation of this autoantibody in IgM class ICs formation. The lack of association between C1q-reactive and IgG class ICs and the autoantibodies indicates that the IgG class ICs may be more related to the tumor.

Adult↗