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Biomedical subjects

S Long

Publications and source records attributed to S Long.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Reversal of sleep-induced hypoventilation and chronic respiratory failure by nocturnal negative pressure ventilation in patients with restrictive ventilatory impairment.

The efficacy of negative pressure ventilation (NPV) in alleviating sleep-induced reductions in alveolar ventilation and in producing long-term clinical benefits was studied in 5 patients (54 +/- 8 yr of age; mean +/- SD) with chronic respiratory failure secondary to restrictive ventilatory impairment (VC, 40 +/- 14% predicted; TLC, 72 +/- 18% predicted; FEV1/FVC, 89 +/- 15%). In control sleep studies, arterial O2 saturation decreased from 81 +/- 6% during wakefulness to 79 +/- 1% during non-REM sleep and to 67 +/- 3% during REM sleep, and transcutaneous PCO2 increased from 80 +/- 16 mm Hg during wakefulness and non-REM sleep to 87 +/- 16 mm Hg during REM sleep. Nocturnal NPV in a cuirass ventilator improved baseline ventilation during wakefulness and prevented deterioration of alveolar ventilation during sleep. Upper airway obstruction during sleep induced by NPV was successfully managed with either a tricyclic medication or nasal CPAP. After 8 wk of nocturnal NPV, all patients felt considerably better. Daytime resting arterial PCO2 decreased from 56 +/- 2 to 46 +/- 3 mm Hg (p less than 0.05) and PO2 increased from 51 +/- 9 to 70 +/- 10 mm Hg (NS). Four patients have continued NPV at home on a regular basis and have returned to full-time employment. We conclude that nocturnal NPV is an effective method of preventing sleep-induced reductions in alveolar ventilation and a practical method of long-term management of patients with nonobstructive chronic respiratory failure.

Carbon Dioxide↗

Assisting ventilation in respiratory failure by negative pressure ventilation and by rocking bed.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of acute ventilation by rocking bed (RB) and by negative-pressure ventilator (NPV) on arterial oxygenation and carbon dioxide tension in seven patients in whom respiratory failure (PaCO2 [+/- SD], 64 +/- 4 mm Hg; PaO2, 54 +/- 10 mm Hg) was consequent on nonobstructive ventilatory impairment. The increase in SaO2 (percent above baseline, 5 percent RB and 6 percent NPV) was similar for both methods, but a greater fall in PCO2 (percentage change in PCO2, 3 percent RB; 15 percent NPV; p less than 0.05) was observed during NPV. Diaphragmatic and accessory muscle electrical activity was markedly reduced during NPV but remained unchanged or increased on RB. Asynchronous breathing was frequently observed with RB but only rarely with NPV. These preliminary results suggest that effective mechanical ventilatory support could be achieved with either RB or NPV. However, their long-term effects as compared with those of positive-pressure ventilation remain to be explored.

Beds↗

2-Fluoro-oestradiol does not cause uterine refractoriness but inhibits oestradiol-induced implantation in rats.

An intravenous injection of 2-fluoro-oestradiol simultaneously with an implantation-inducing dose of oestradiol reduced the number of implantation sites in delayed implanting hypophysectomized rats maintained with progesterone. Administration of 2-fluoro-oestradiol 1 h before or after oestradiol had no effect. Furthermore, injection of as much as 500 ng 2-fluoro-oestradiol 48 h before administration of oestradiol failed to have any effect upon implantation, i.e. failure to block implantation was correlated with failure to induce the uterine refractory state. These results suggest that conversion of primary oestrogens to catechol oestrogens could be important for implantation as well as for the induction of the oestrogen refractory state in the uterus.

Animals↗

Teaching computation/shopping skills to mentally retarded adults.

Three moderately/mildly retarded adults, ranging in age from 32 to 53 years, were trained in adaptive community skills. Behaviors identified for intervention (computational and shopping skills) were the same for all three clients. Assessment followed a multiple-baseline design across skills for each subject. The subjects were assessed in a classroom and in grocery stores in the community. Following baseline, treatment was provided that involved instructions, performance feedback, social reinforcement, in-vivo modeling, self-evaluation, and social and tangible reinforcement. Gains on both computational and shopping skills were stable or decreased during baseline, but rapid and dramatic improvements occurred soon after treatment began. Skills generalized to other stores, and these gains were maintained at a 2-month follow-up. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Blebs and hematomas in the lips of CL/Fr and A/J mice.

Newborn-CL/Fr mice have +/- 20% frequency of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CLP) depending on environment. However, examination of early fetal development from days 12 to 15 disclosed an increased number of hematomas or fluid-filled blebs in the regions of maxillary process fusion. The earliest stages do not appear to involve the blood supply directly but separate the epithelium from underlying mesenchyme by clear blebs. Similar defects were found in untreated A/J mice. These findings suggest that osmotic and hemodynamic abnormalities may be part of the mechanism of cleft lip formation in these related strains and that these defects may result from a biochemical defect of the connective tissue matrix in regions of process fusion.

Animals↗

Compliance with disulfiram treatment of alcoholism.

One hundred twenty-four men were randomly assigned to receive disulfiram with a riboflavin marker or riboflavin alone. During a one year follow-up urine specimens were collected at each visit and analyzed for riboflavin. There was a strong relationship between excellent attendance and infrequent drinking. For subjects taking disulfiram there was a high correlation between a subject submitting 15 or more positive urines during follow-up and infrequent drinking. For the disulfiram patients there was also a strong relationship between continuous usage of disulfiram and infrequent drinking. However, the correlation between percentage of urine specimens positive for the riboflavin marker and infrequent drinking was slight. This occurred because a person who was drinking tended to return for follow-up only when he was not drinking and thus submitted only a few specimens of which the majority were positive. We conclude that (1) excellent attendance, (2) submission of a large number of positive urines and (3) a period of continuous compliance to the disulfiram regimen were highly associated with infrequent drinking.

Adult↗

The role of urinary precipitates in the excretion of electrolytes and urate in the domestic fowl.

1. In order to quantify losses of Na and K associated with precipitate fractions in semi-solid avian urines, Na, K, uric acid and urates (UA + U) and inulin were measured in plasma, in whole ureteral urine, and in urinary precipitates of hens. Ten animals were used, five fed a control commercial poultry meal (Diet A) and five maintained on a high protein, low-Na feed (Diet B). 2. In ureteral urines from hens on Diet A, dried precipitate accounted for 5.6% of the total whole urine weight, on the average. UA + U constituted about two-thirds of the precipitates' weight and 80% of the total excreted UA + U load of 97.4 mM. The average molar fractions, [Na]/[UA + U] and [K]/[UA + U], in precipitates were in the range 0.1-0.2; and the Na and K lost in these fractions were 12.8 mequiv and 9.6 mequiv, respectively, per 1 whole urine. These losses represent 9% and 23% of total Na and K excretion. 3. Diet B was used to accentuate potential cation loss in precipitates if obligatory binding of K and especially Na were to occur in precipitates. Urinary [UA + U] in whole urine rose to 146 mM of which 95% was found in precipitates. The average molar fraction [Na]/[UA + U], however, fell to 0.06 and that of [K]/[UA + U] to 0.08. Renal loss of Na was 8.5 mequiv and of K was 11.5 mequiv per 1 whole urine. 4. These experiments reveal that significant but minor fractions of excreted Na and K are associated with precipitates of avian urine, although the loss is insignificant compared to that reported in starlings (Braun, 1978). They further indicate that the Na/inulin clearance ratio, based on measurements in whole urine and plasma, adequately reflects fractional excretion which, on Diet A, was 1.8% of the filtered load and, on the Na-poor Diet B, less than 0.1%. These values place the Na-reabsorbing abilities of these birds easily within the range reported for ureotelic vertebrates and suggest that uricotelism does not impose a major renal salt loss in birds.

Animals↗

Renal acid excretion in the domestic fowl.

1. In order to assess the role of uricotelism in net renal acid excretion, blood and ureteral urine samples were collected from five hens fed a commercial poultry feed (Diet A) and five hens fed a protein-rich, Na-poor feed (Diet B). All samples were analysed for pH, PCO2, ammonium, phosphate, uric acid and urates (UA + U) and inulin. 2. On Diet A, average pH in venous blood was 7.42, while urinary pH (pHu) ranged from 4.74 to 7.25. At average pHu (6.10), uric acid accounted for 52% of total acid excreted, H2PO4 for 20% and NH4 for 28%. Net acid excretion in ureteral urine was 345 muequiv h-1 kg body weight-1, or 5-10 times that observed in ureotelic vertebrates (amphibians and mammals). 3. The relative contributions of these urinary buffers to net renal acid excretion changed with pHu. Significant negative correlations exist between pHu and both total phosphate and ammonium excretion rates (P less than 0.001). Excretion rates of (UA + U) showed a positive correlation (P less than 0.05) with pHu. 4. Feeding on Diet B revealed the homeostatic power of the avian kidney. Blood pH and PCO2 were not changed relative to values in hens fed the control diet while striking increases in excretion rates of all urinary buffers (except HCO3) were observed. Average pHu fell to 5.12, and the average net renal acid excretion rate doubled.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

Acid-base balance and urinary acidification in birds.

This essay will treat, first, the defended parameters of acid-base status in avian blood and their modification under conditions pertinent to the life of birds, and, second, urinary acidification and its role in maintenance of acid-base balance. Of the two topics, urinary acidification is of particular interest to the author, has received less sustained attention experimentally and has been infrequently reviewed (Sykes, 1971), so it will receive attention here. The reports cited in the essay concern primarily adult birds outside periods of egg-laying.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

A study of ultrastructure of egg shell of Schistosoma japonicum. I. Transmission electron microscopic observation of S. japonicum egg.

Ultrathin sections of egg shell of S. Japonicum were observed. The micropores and network of microcanals were first reported in egg shell of S. japonicum. Both the micropores and microcanals are lined by a membrane being continous with the inner layer of egg shell and filled with materials coming from inside of the egg. As in the egg of S. mansoni, the possibility of micropores and microcanals that may play an important role as natural channels in secreting materials such as soluble antigens and histolytic enzymes... etc., is discussed.

Animals↗

Renal electrolyte handling, acid-base status, and urinary acidification in Bufo marinus.

In hydrated toads reabsorption of 92% of filtered bicarbonate produces a urine of pH at 22 degrees C. Average blood-to-urine pH gradient is 0.8-0.9 U under these conditions but may reach 3-4 U. Net acid excretion rate in hydrated animals is approximately 30 mu eq . h-1 . kg-1. Flow-independent acid excretion is a negative nonlinear function of urinary pH and passes from positive to negative values in the range of normal urinary pH due to rapid rise in [HCO3-] and slower decline in [NH4+]. [H2PO4-] accounts for only 10-20% of buffer-bound acid excreted. Sulfate loading in Cl-restricted toads is without effect on blood pH but produces significant reduction in blood [Cl-]/[Na+] and in urinary pH, and increased urinary [K+] and net acid secretion rates relative to controls. These renal responses are diminished or absent during sulfate loading in Cl-rich toads. In both groups [Cl-] shows significant positive correlation with pH in sulfate-containing urines. These results are discussed in the context of the nonhomeostatic model of urinary acidification developed in mammals.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

Bicarbonate reabsorption and potassium handling in isolated perfused kidneys of Bufo marinus.

Average rates of bicarbonate reabsorption, normalized for glomerular filtration rates, rose linearly with perfusate [HCO3-] of 6-21 mM with a constant bicarbonate/creatinine clearance ratio of 0.06, similar to the in vivo value. Maximal rates of bicarbonate reabsorption occurred at 20-25 mM HCO3- perfusate. At 3 mM perfusate [K+], normalized rates of potassium reabsorption were constant from filtered perfusates mimicking metabolic acidosis, and from control perfusates; during perfusion with alkalotic Ringer solutions net potassium secretion was observed. Elevation of perfusate [K+] to 10 mM in alkalotic Ringer significantly decreased maximal rates of bicarbonate reabsorption. Overall, the pattern of bicarbonate reabsorption in toad kidneys perfused at 6-21 mM HCO3- was similar to that observed in acid-base disturbances of metabolic origin in mammals, while the pattern of potassium excretion showed significant differences in these two vertebrate classes.

Animals↗

Regulation of exoprotease production by temperature and oxygen in Vibrio alginolyticus.

The production of an extracellular collagenase and alkaline protease by Vibrio alginolyticus during stationary phase was inhibited by a temperature shift from 30 to 37 degrees C and by a lack of oxygen. The stability of the exoproteases was unaffected by incubation at 37 degrees C and aeration. The optimum growth temperature for the V. alginolyticus strain was 33.5 degrees C and there was no difference in the growth rate at 30 and 37 degrees C. Aeration enhanced the rate of growth of exponential phase cells. Temperature and oxygen did not affect the growth of stationary phase cells when the exoproteases were being produced. Macromolecular synthesis in stationary phase cells was not affected by temperature. There was no rapid release of the exoproteases after temperature shift down and chloramphenicol inhibited the production of the enzymes when added at time of temperature shift down from 37 to 30 degrees C. The regulation of exoprotease production by temperature and oxygen was specific and has implications regarding the ecology of V. alginolyticus. Cerulenin, quinacrine and O-phenanthroline inhibited the production of the exoproteases.

Cerulenin↗

Regulation of extracellular alkaline protease activity by histidine in a collagenolytic Vibrio alginolyticus strain.

Vibrio alginolyticus synthesized an inducible extracellular collagenase in a peptone medium during the stationary growth phase. These cultures also possessed extracellular alkaline serine protease activity. The alkaline protease activity did not require a specific inducer and it was produced in tryptone or minimal media. The collagenase was not produced in either the tryptone or minimal media. The alkaline protease activity was sensitive to catabolite repression by a number of carbon sources, including glucose, and by amino acids and ammonium ions. Cyclic AMP, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP did not relieve catabolite repression. Histidine and urocanic acid stimulated the production of alkaline protease activity in tryptone and minimal media. Other compounds associated with the histidine utilization (hut) pathway did not increase alkaline protease activity. Histidine reversed the repression of alkaline protease activity by glucose of (NH4)2SO4 in minimal medium. Histidine and the compounds associated with the hut pathway inhibited collagenase production.

Amino Acids↗