Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

V Marks

Publications and source records attributed to V Marks.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

The effect of abolition of the endogenous corticosteroid rhythm on the circadian variation in methotrexate toxicity in the rat.

Monitoring of indices of haematological, renal and hepatic toxicity in rats after a single i.v. bolus of methotrexate has shown that they vary with the time of day at which the drug is administered. Maximum toxicity occurs after administration at 0600 h. Further experimentation has shown that the amount of corticosteroid present in the blood has a profound effect on the toxicity of methotrexate in the rat. If the endogenous production of corticosterone is suppressed by treatment with dexamethasone the toxicity of methotrexate is markedly increased at whatever clock time it is administered. However, if constantly high plasma levels are achieved by giving supplementary corticosterone methotrexate toxicity is diminished regardless of what time it is given. Since the timing of maximum methotrexate toxicity corresponds to the circadian nadir of endogenous plasma corticosterone concentration in the rat the possibility that it might be related to corticosterone production must be considered. Whether this phenomenon occurs in man and has any clinical relevance has yet to be investigated.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Blood glucose and plasma insulin responses to fat-free milk and low-lactose fat-free milk in young type 1 diabetics.

The blood glucose and plasma insulin responses to test milk samples were studied in eight insulin-dependent diabetics. After an overnight fast, the subjects (aged 20-45 years) were given a breakfast containing two Weetabix biscuits (20 g carbohydrate) with 500 ml of either regular (S) fat-free milk (25 g lactose) or 500 ml of a new low-lactose (D) fat-free milk (3.75 g lactose and 4.25 g fructose). The regular morning insulin dose was omitted. Mean basal plasma glucose level was slightly higher before S milk (11.4 vs. 10.1 mmol/l). The peak increment in plasma glucose was higher in S milk (9.4 vs. 6.6 mmol/l). The rise was 83% above basal (S) vs. 65% (D). Although the final mean plasma glucose concentration was not significantly higher 3 h after S milk compared with D milk (17.9 vs. 14.3 mmol/l) the incremental area under the plasma glucose curve was much greater (p less than 0.001) with S milk than with D milk (1266 +/- 295 units vs. 909 +/- 242 units). No galactose was detectable in any sample and there was no difference in plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate levels. The results suggest that the low-lactose fat-free milk (D) may be suitable for diabetic diets and weight reducing diets due to the lower contribution of energy. The results suggest that fat-free milk does not exert a fast action on blood glucose concentration and therefore fat-free milk and especially low-lactose fat-free milk may also prove to be suitable for diabetic diets.

Adult↗

Human monoclonal antibodies to thyroid antigens derived by hybridization of lymphocytes from a diabetic patient.

Human monoclonal antibodies to human endocrine cells have been obtained following the generation of immunoglobulin-secreting interspecies lymphocyte hybridomas. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from an adult patient presenting with acute onset, Type I, diabetes mellitus were fused in vitro with mouse myeloma cells of the NS1 cell line. Initial selection of resulting hybridomas was made by their ability to proliferate in HAT medium. Those hybridomas secreting human immunoglobulins were identified by radioimmunoassay and, thereafter, cloned at frequent intervals to ensure continued antibody production. Human monoclonal antibodies selected in this manner are being employed to identify those epitopes which are common antigenic targets during initial stages of autoimmune-mediated diabetes mellitus and associated multiple endocrinopathies. Of these antibodies, one (HML 3.22) recognizes an epitope present on the human TSH receptor and a second (HML 3.21) identifies a component of thyroglobulin. The potential value of human monoclonal antibodies as probes for analyzing autoimmune-mediated endocrine diseases is discussed.

Animals↗

Metabolic effects and secretory properties of a radiation-induced transplantable rat insulinoma.

The metabolic effects and secretory properties of a radiation-induced transplantable insulinoma were examined in 16-17 week old NEDH rats. Subcutaneous subscapular implantation of tumour fragments resulted in hyperphagia, increased body weight gain, marked hyperinsulinaemia and severe hypoglycaemia, with the resulting death of the recipient by 27 days. Ultimate tumour size was 2.1 +/- 0.4 g (mean +/- SEM). At 3 days after transplantation, plasma glucose and insulin responses to intraperitoneal glucose, insulin, arginine and adrenaline were similar to control rats. At 20 days, plasma glucose concentrations of insulinoma-bearing rats remained low throughout glucose tolerance tests, and insulin responsiveness to glucose stimulation was absent. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose produced only a small rise of glucose concentrations in tumour-bearing rats. Insulin sensitivity was not appreciably impaired at 20 days despite severe hyperinsulinaemia and hypoglycaemia. The ability of adrenaline and propranolol to suppress plasma insulin and raise plasma glucose concentrations was also retained. At 20 days, glucagon evoked a marked plasma insulin response with no change in plasma glucose concentrations. In contrast, arginine and glibenclamide failed to stimulate insulin above high basal concentrations.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

Effects of cytotoxic drugs and inhibitors of insulin secretion on a serially transplantable rat insulinoma and cultured rat insulinoma cells.

The effects of cytotoxic drugs and inhibitors of insulin secretion were examined in vivo in rats with a radiation-induced transplantable insulinoma, and in vitro using cultured rat insulinoma cells and the derived RINm5F insulin-secreting cell line. Administration of diazoxide to insulinoma-bearing rats resulted in a transient decrease of plasma insulin with a temporary rise of glucose concentrations. Mannoheptulose and somatostatin failed to affect the marked hyperinsulinaemia and hypoglycaemia. Streptozotocin produced a rapid and sustained decrease of insulin concentrations in insulinoma-bearing rats, accompanied by a progressive elevation of plasma glucose. Administration of alloxan failed to affect circulating insulin or glucose concentrations. In vitro, streptozotocin and alloxan exerted approximately equipotent time-dependent and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects on insulinoma cells and RINm5F cells as established by cell staining with trypan blue. The cytotoxic actions of both drugs were decreased by agents believed to scavenge free radicals or to act as inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase. The results suggest that the cytotoxic actions of streptozotocin and alloxan on rat insulinoma cells and RINm5F cells are mediated by the generation of hydroxyl free radicals and DNA strand breaks. The ineffectiveness of alloxan in insulinoma-bearing rats probably reflects the high rate of decomposition of the drug in vivo.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

Defective regulation of insulin release and transmembrane Ca2+ fluxes by human islet cell tumours.

Regulation of insulin release and transmembrane Ca2+ fluxes was examined using pieces of 3 benign medullary-type insulinomas removed from the pancreas of female patients at surgery. Immunocytochemical staining confirmed the presence of insulin-containing cells with no demonstrable glucagon, somatostatin or pancreatic polypeptide. After 3 days of culture in RPMI-1640, tumour pieces released 11-158 mg insulin kg-1 dry wt during acute 60 min incubations with the concomitant uptake of 2-47 mmol 45Ca kg-1 into the intracellular lanthanum-nondisplaceable pool. At 2.56 mM Ca2+, glucose alone or in combination with glyceraldehyde, mannoheptulose or diazoxide did not modify insulin release or 45Ca uptake. Theophylline significantly increased insulin release from 2 tumours with a small stimulatory effect on the third. A depolarising concentration of K+ enhanced insulin release from one tumour but this was not associated with an increase of 45Ca uptake. Calcium antagonists, (verapamil, D-600 and trifluoroperazine) and calcium ionophores (A23187 and Br-X537A) failed to modify insulin release or 45Ca uptake by each of the two tumours tested. Evaluation of 45Ca efflux from one tumour confirmed the unresponsiveness to glucose, K+, verapamil and A23187. Prolonged culture of 2 tumours for up to 16 days was associated with the gradual decline of insulin release to a steady output of 2-15 ng 24 h-1. Addition of verapamil to the cultures inhibited insulin output from one tumour, but mannoheptulose or diazoxide were without effect. The results indicate that inappropriate insulin release from these 3 benign medullary-type insulinomas is associated with disturbances in the regulation of transmembrane Ca2+ fluxes.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

Immunoreactive C-peptide in spontaneous syndromes of obesity and diabetes in mice.

Immunoreactive C-peptide was evaluated in the plasma and pancreas of Aston ob/ob and C57BL/KsJ db/db mice in relation to disturbances in pancreatic B-cell function. At 18-24 weeks of age, ob/ob and db/db mice displayed hyperglycaemia (1.6 and 3.8 fold increases respectively) and hyperinsulinaemia (10.8 and 5.1 fold increases respectively) despite a similar pancreatic insulin content to their respective non-diabetic lean control mice. Immunoreactive C-peptide concentrations in the plasma and pancreas of the mutants corresponded with the degree of hyperinsulinaemia and pancreatic insulin content, and the insulin: C-peptide molar ratios in both mutants were similar to lean controls. In ob/ob mice parenteral glucose administration decreased plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations, despite markedly raised glucose concentrations. However, administration of a low dose of insulin (5 U/kg) to lean mice and much higher doses of insulin (50 and 120 U/kg) to ob/ob mice markedly decreased plasma glucose and C-peptide concentrations. When the rate and extent of insulin-induced glucose suppression observed in ob/ob mice was mimicked in lean mice, an almost complete (95%) inhibition of C-peptide was achieved compared with a 57% decrease in the ob/ob mutant. Injection of ob/ob mice with glucose to counter the insulin-induced hypoglycaemia failed to affect the fall of C-peptide concentrations. The data suggest that the metabolic processing of insulin and C-peptide are undisturbed in obese-diabetic mice, and that the impaired suppression of circulating C-peptide by insulin-hypoglycaemia in ob/ob mice predominantly reflects impaired feedback inhibition by insulin.

Animals↗

Sex hormones, insulin, lipids, and prevalent ischemic heart disease.

The relations between estradiol, testosterone, insulin, lipids, and prevalent ischemic heart disease were examined using the cross-sectional data from the Caerphilly Heart Disease Study, a cohort of 2,512 men (aged 45-59 years) surveyed between 1978 and 1982. Endogenous levels of estradiol were associated directly with high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (r = 0.106, p less than 0.001), but this relation was removed after adjustment for testosterone and insulin levels. Estradiol was not associated with prevalent ischemic heart disease. Endogenous levels of testosterone were associated directly with HDL cholesterol (r = 0.148, p less than 0.001) and inversely with triglyceride (r = -0.217, p less than 0.001). Persons with prevalent ischemic heart disease had significantly lower testosterone levels than persons without ischemic heart disease (mean levels 20.9 vs. 22.0 nmol/liter, p less than 0.01). These relations were confounded by associations with insulin. The associations between testosterone and the lipids persist after adjusting for body mass index, age, and insulin. The association between testosterone and prevalent ischemic heart disease was reduced after adjusting for insulin and/or triglyceride levels. The results suggest that insulin and testosterone may have an interdependent regulatory effect on lipid metabolism. The effect of testosterone on ischemic heart disease appears to be primarily mediated through its association with insulin. Future work on sex hormones and ischemic heart disease will need to account for the effects of insulin.

Blood Pressure↗

Post-traumatic diabetes insipidus combined with primary polydipsia.

We describe a case of diabetes insipidus after head injury in which thirst persisted despite treatment with DDAVP and normal plasma osmolality. Symptoms were only completely relieved when plasma osmolality was below 270 mosmol/kg. We believe that this might have been due to hypothalamic injury causing resetting of the thirst osmostat. To our knowledge, this type of primary polydipsia has not been described before in association with diabetes insipidus following head injury.

Adult↗

Defective diurnal changes of food intake, plasma glucose and insulin in rats with a transplantable islet cell tumour.

Subcutaneous implantation of small fragments of a radiation-induced transplantable rat insulinoma into the subscapular region of 16- to 17-week-old male NEDH rats resulted, over a 22-day period, in the progressive development of marked hyperinsulinaemia and severe hypoglycaemia, despite a compensatory increase in food intake. Diurnal changes were examined at 3-hourly intervals for 24 h in control rats and tumour-bearing rats at 20-21 days after transplantation. The control animals exhibited distinct diurnal changes of food intake, glucose and insulin concentrations. Food intake was greatest between 17.00 and 23.00 h; plasma insulin was greatest between 20.00 and 23.00 h, and plasma glucose was raised at 20.00, 02.00 and 05.00 h, compared with the other times. In contrast, insulinoma-bearing rats displayed no diurnal changes other than a small decrease in food intake between 05.00 and 11.00 h. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were significantly different from control rats at all times, and food intake was significantly increased between 23.00 and 17.00 h. These observations demonstrate that the transplantable insulinoma not only causes hyperinsulinaemia and hypoglycaemia but results in hyperphagia and defective diurnal changes of food intake, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. Interruption of nutrient intake by withdrawal of food for 6 h exacerbated the hypoglycaemia of insulinoma-bearing rats leading to coma.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

Comparison of horseradish peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase-labelled antibodies in enzyme immunoassays.

The periodate method was found to be most effective for preparing horseradish peroxidase-sheep anti-human and horseradish peroxidase-donkey anti-mouse immunoglobulin (IgG) conjugates. The conjugates were improved by carrying out the oxidation of the enzyme at low pH. Anti-human and anti-mouse IgG-peroxidase conjugates (0.5 mg/mL IgG and 0.7 mg/mL IgG, respectively) were used at 1:15,000 and 1:8000 dilutions, respectively, in a sandwich ELISA to detect human and mouse IgG in buffer or in a growth medium containing 20% foetal calf serum. Using the peroxidase conjugates, it was possible to detect human and mouse IgG at concentrations as low as 1 ng/mL. The glutaraldehyde method was found to be much more effective than the periodate method for conjugating alkaline phosphatase to the antibodies. The optimum dilutions for anti/human and anti-mouse IgG-alkaline phosphatase conjugates (0.18 mg/mL IgG and 0.3 mg/mL IgG, respectively) in ELISA were 1:500 and 1:1000, respectively. The detection limit with alkaline phosphatase conjugates was 7 ng/ml for human IgG and 4 ng/ml for mouse IgG.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Insulin secretion in vivo and in vitro from transplantable NEDH rat insulinoma and derived clonal RINm5F cell line.

The function of clonal insulin-secreting RINm5F cells was compared with parent tumoural B-cells from radiation-induced NEDH rat insulinoma and a RINm5Fr cell line established following transplantation of RINm5F cells in NEDH rat. After 3 days culture, tumoural B-cells contained 156 micrograms insulin/10(6) cells and released 57-82 ng insulin/10(6) cells/h during acute incubations at 2.6 mM Ca2+. RINm5F cells contained 0.56 ng insulin/10(6) cells and released 62-181 pg insulin/10(6) cells/h. Unlike tumoural B-cells, secretion was stimulated 1.7-2.4-fold by 5 mM theophylline, 1 microM glucagon, 25 mM K+, or 7.6 mM Ca2+. Subscapular transplantation of cultured tumoural B-cells or RINm5F cells (2.8 X 10(7) cells/rat) resulted in an encapsulated tumour associated with progressive hyperinsulinaemia, hypoglycaemia and death by 28-46 days and 39-44 days respectively. A RINm5Fr cell line was established in culture from a 19 g tumour 20 days after transplantation. RINm5Fr cells contained 2.69 ng insulin/10(6) cells and released 385-1,017 pg insulin/10(6) cells/h (p less than 0.001 compared with RINm5F cells). Secretion was not augmented by glucose, but at 16.7 mM glucose it was stimulated 1.5-fold by 5 mM theophylline, 1.6-fold by 1 microM glucagon and inhibited 0.6-fold by somatostatin. At 5.6 mM glucose, secretion was stimulated 1.6-fold by 25 mM K+, 2.5-fold by 7.8 mM Ca2+, 2.1-fold by 20 microM A23187, 1.5-fold by 20 mM leucine and 1.4-fold by 100 microM tolbutamide. These data indicate fundamental differences between rat insulinoma cells and the derived RIN cell lines. Transplantation is a useful means to enhance the function of RINm5F cells.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

Determination of the urinary metabolites of caffeine and theophylline by high-performance liquid chromatography. A comparative study of a direct injection and an ion-pair extraction procedure.

Chromatographic separation of methylxanthine metabolites was achieved using a Hypersil octadecylsilane column with a simple concave gradient elution programme of 0-12.75% acetonitrile in 1% tetrahydrofuran, pH 4.8, and the eluted components were detected by monitoring their absorption at 280 nm. An extraction procedure involving the formation of an ion-pair complex was developed which gave significant improvements over previously described methods including a shorter chromatographic run of 20 min. A thorough comparison of this procedure with a more convenient alternative involving direct injection of diluted urine specimens showed that the latter analysis was adequate for the quantitation of the major urinary metabolites of caffeine and theophylline.

Caffeine↗