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Biomedical subjects

R J Phillips

Publications and source records attributed to R J Phillips.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Effect of local infusion of ouabain on human forearm vascular resistance and on response to potassium, verapamil and sodium nitroprusside.

The effect of local infusion of ouabain into the forearm vascular bed has been examined in 15 normotensive male volunteers in an attempt to define the nature of the functional abnormalities of the resistance vessels in primary hypertension. Ouabain and other drugs were infused into the brachial artery and forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography. Infusion of ouabain at 2 micrograms/min for 1 h caused a 26% reduction in forearm blood flow with a small rise in systemic arterial pressure; the increase in vascular resistance was unaffected by prior treatment with phentolamine. After infusion of ouabain the dilator response to potassium was reduced by 33% but the responses to verapamil and sodium nitroprusside were unchanged. The results show that acute depression of sodium pump activity by ouabain reproduces the increased resting resistance and impaired response to potassium that are seen in hypertension. It does not reproduce the relative enhancement of responsiveness to verapamil that is also observed in the resistance vessels of patients with hypertension and this abnormality must have some other cause.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Effect of treatment with chlorthalidone and atenolol on response to dilator agents in the forearm resistance vessels of men with primary hypertension.

The forearm resistance vessels of men with primary hypertension respond to verapamil with a greater than normal dilatation relative to that induced by sodium nitroprusside. We have examined the effect on this functional abnormality of treatment with chlorthalidone (50 mg daily in 16 patients) and atenolol (100 mg daily in eight patients and 200 mg daily in two). The responsiveness of the forearm resistance vessels to local intra-arterial infusion of verapamil and sodium nitroprusside was assessed before treatment and again after a minimum of 1 month of drug therapy. Forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography. Chlorthalidone induced significant reductions in calculated mean arterial pressure, which fell from 135 +/- 4 to 117 +/- 4 mm Hg, and the dilator response to verapamil at 5 micrograms/min, which was reduced from 2.4 +/- 0.2 to 1.5 +/- 0.2 ml min-1 100 ml-1 forearm; the response to sodium nitroprusside at 3.2 micrograms/min was not significantly changed. Atenolol induced significant reductions in mean arterial pressure, which fell from 134 +/- 6 to 123 +/- 6 mm Hg, heart rate which fell from 72 +/- 3 to 55 +/- 2 beats/min, and response to verapamil at 5 micrograms/min which fell from 2.7 +/- 0.2 to 2.1 +/- 0.2 ml min-1 100 ml-1 forearm; the response to sodium nitroprusside was not significantly changed. Both drugs caused reversion towards normal of the relative enhancement of responsiveness to verapamil that was present before treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Use of an inversion to test for induced X-linked lethals in mice.

A long X-chromosomal inversion in the mouse was used to suppress crossing-over and thereby to scan 85% of the X-chromosome, or 5% of the genome, for recessive lethal mutations induced by radiation. After a fractionated absorbed dose of 500 + 500 rad X-rays 24 h apart to spermatogonia, 2/536 irradiated and 0/529 control X-chromosomes carried a confirmed lethal. This corresponds to a rate for recessive lethals of 1.9 x 10(-6)/rad/X-chromosome for single exposures (allowing for the enhancing effect of fractionation). This is believed to be the first demonstration of the induction of transmissible X-linked lethals in mammals. The results are consistent with previous findings by other methods and indicate the relatively low rate of induction of lethals and the value of inversions in detecting them.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Why is lower case better? Some data from a search task.

Words set in capital letters are less legible than in lower case when reading text, searching for newspaper headlines, or finding a name on a map. The difference is usually attributed to the distinctive shape of lower case words, but lower case setting also emphasises capital letters at the start of sentences and for proper names. In the experiment reported here people searched for names on a map-like display. Names set entirely in lower case (eg, southampton) took significantly longer to find than those set in small capitals with a large initial capital (eg, Southampton) and so, for this task, emphasis given to the initial letter is clearly more important than word shape. This calls into doubt the world shape explanation in other contexts.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1979

Dose-response curves for radiation-induced gene mutations in mouse oocytes and their interpretation.

Previous work, in which female mice had been given fractionated doses of 20 X 10 rad X-rays, had confirmed and extended Russell's observations that the dose-response relationship for specific-locus mutations in mature-mouse oocytes is curved at low doses. The present work was intended to study the relationship at relatively high doses. Adult female mice were given doses of 200, 400 or 600 rad x-rays at 52 or 72 rad/min, and mated immediately. Offspring conceived in the first 7 days (i.e. using oocytes which were mature at time of treatment) were scored for specific-locus mutations. The data indicate that the departure from linearity of the dose-response curve is marginally significant at the 5% level. A quadratic dose-response curve (y = c + aD + bD2) and a square-law relationship (y = c + bD2) both give a good fit to the data. Both curves fit data of other authors obtained at low doses or dose-rates. These results could be interpreted either in terms of dose-dependent repair phenomena, or by considering specific-locus mutations as two-track events. In view of knowledge of other phenomena concerning mutation and cell killing in mouse oocytes, such as the variation in sensitivity of different cell stages, the interpretation in terms of repair phenomena is preferred.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Recognition of upright and inverted faces: a correlational study.

An investigation of ninety-five university admission candidates failed to replicate the finding by Yin of a negative correlation between the ability to recognise upright and inverted faces. A zero correlation was obtained when unknown faces were both learned and recognised upside down, but when well-known faces were presented normally and upside down for identification, a significant positive correlation appeared. Rock has suggested that inverted faces are difficult to recognise because they overtax a mechanism for correcting disoriented stimuli. This explanation satisfactorily accounts for the data with the proviso that, when inverted faces are to be remembered, the best strategy is not to attempt to correct their orientation, but to learn isolated features of the face. This describes the data more parsimoniously than Yin's face-specific mechanism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Searching for names in two city street maps.

Two experiments investigated the speed with which names could be found on maps from two London street atlases. Differences in grid referencing between the maps accounted for large differences in search times. However, small statistically significant differences were still present when grid references were not being used, and these cannot be explained in terms of map scale, nor in terms of greater familiarity with the faster map. Several design differences could have contributed to this effect and it is likely that the use of lower case type on the faster map was an important factor. Implications for the map designer are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1975

Specific locus mutation rates after repeated small radiation doses to mouse oocytes.

When female mice were given a dose of 20 X 20 rad X-rays, the specific locus mutation rate among offspring conceived up to 7 weeks after the end of treatment was 1/39887 or 0.18-10(-7)/rad/locus, whereas when the same total dose of 200 rad was given in a single exposure the mutation rate was 9/34813 or 1.85-10(-7)/rad/locus. The lower mutation rate after the 20 X 10 rad dose was obtained whether the total or 200 rad was given over a period of 5 days or 4 weeks, and if only young conceived in the first 20 days, rather than 7 weeks, were considered. It is suggested that each 10 rad fraction had the same small effect, and hence that these results confirm and extend RUSSELL's previous finding that the dose-response relationship for specific locus muations in females is curved.

Animals↗