Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-211). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Not available / text

Purpose: Neuromuscular blocking agents are a common cause of hypersensitivity reactions during surgery. An allergy evaluation, including skin testing of these drugs prior to future surgeries, may help prevent life threatening reactions. Drug concentrations utilized for skin testing vary by country and institution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the stored stability of clinically relevant dilutions of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs), namely succinylcholine, atracurium, cisatracurium, rocuronium, pancuronium, and vecuronium, for skin prick/intradermal testing. Methods: Concentrations of NMBAs were monitored by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for a period of 14 days. Dilutions of NMBAs were prepared in saline by factors of 10x, 100x, 1,000x, 10,000x, and 100,000x, as sensitivity of the assay allowed. Diluted drug products were stored in a laboratory refrigerator until sampling. On sampling days, aliquots of each dilution were removed for analysis, and compared to a freshly prepared set of reference dilutions. Results: Acceptable potency of the stored preparations is defined as 90-110% of the initial drug concentration (versus a reference). All drugs were stable for at least 48 hours in the 1:10 dilution and for 24 hours in the 1:100 dilution. At higher dilution factors, the detectable amount of drug in the stored dilutions deteriorated rapidly, indicating that such preparations should be used immediately. Conclusion: With increasing dilution factors, the stability of these drugs in saline decreases, increasing deviation between samples and references. The most stable dilutions for each of the drugs tested were 10x and 100x.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1951. / Typescript (carbon copy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [82]-86).

Colloid displacement lithography is proving to be very effective in the designing of nanometer scale electronic devices. Precise control of the structure of matter at the nanometer scale has brought a revolutionary change in science and technology. The use of these nanometer scale devices ranges from the diagnosis of various diseases to cell repair to ultra strong materials. This research focused on optimizing the conditions for gold colloid particle adsorption for colloid displacement lithography, an expansion on gold colloid particle manipulation techniques using a scanned probe microscope. The system consists of a scrupulously cleaned glass surface that is coated with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and then with 5- or 10- nm gold colloid particles. The optimum conditions include the use of very low molecular weight PDDA (Avg MW <100,000 g/mol) or low molecular weight PDDA (Avg MW 100,000-200,000 g/mol) with an exposure time to the glass substrate of 120 to 150 minutes. This is then followed by a 24-hour exposure to the colloid solution. An atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to pattern the thus prepared colloid coated slides. In this work a variety of salts are used as potential blocking agents to prevent or modify the colloid adsorption. These include potassium iodide, potassium bromide, potassium chloride, sodium fluoride, sodiumsulfate, potassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium hydrogen phthalate, and sodium citrate. In summary, the following were found as a result of this work: The optimum conditions that lead to efficient patterning are: Low molecular weight PDDA with a coating time of 120 to 150 minutes. Exposure to 5-nm gold colloid for 24 hours The most interesting potential blocking agents are the phosphate, sulfate and citrate salts, as they show some potential for modifying the adsorption of the gold colloids on the PDDA. The dispersion of the colloid particles on the PDDA does not change when using the potential blocking agents compared to direct adsorption on the unmodified PDDA layer. The use of the potential blocking agents reduces the force required to pattern by a factor of 100 to 300.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2003. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Sensory transmission was studied in trigeminal root ganglia (TRG) of guinea pigs, using intracellular recording techniques. One approach was to examine in detail the effects of applications of different K⁺-channel blockers on the membrane voltage responses and outward currents of TRG neurons, in order to better understand the fundamental processes that affect their excitabilities and repetitive spike discharge. The second approach was to examine several endogenous substances for their effects on the excitabilities of TRG neurons. In addition, a strategy was developed for electrophysiological recording from neurons in human sympathetic ganglia. Successful investigations of these neurons revealed properties similar to certain reported characteristics of sympathetic neurons in experimental animals, including high (~29 MΩ input resistances, pharmacological sensitivity of spikes to the specific Na⁺-channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 µM) and to selective K⁺-channel blockers -- 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 1 mM) and tetraethylammonium (TEA, 10 mM). The investigations demonstrated the potential value of these in vitro preparations for studies of the human condition. The investigations in TRG neurons demonstrated that bath applications of TEA (0.1-10 mM) and 4-AP (0.05-5 mM) or Cs⁺ applied internally from the recording electrode, produced an increase in input resistance and a decrease threshold for spike generation in all neurons. Also, applications of 4-AP increased subthreshold oscillations of the membrane potential and enhanced the repetitive spike firing evoked by intracellular injections of current pulses, or elicited spontaneous firing. In contrast, TEA or Cs⁺ applications blocked the oscillations and the spike afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) without exaggerating repetitive discharge. These investigations suggestedthat several pharmacologically distinct K -currents contribute to the control of excitability in TRG neurons. Comparison of combined actions of 4-AP and TEA with those of Cs⁺, suggested that other ions in addition to K⁺ may contribute to postspike events. Single electrode voltage-clamp analyses revealed transient outward currents that were evoked at the termination of hyperpolarizing voltage commands from holding potentials near -40 mV. The activation was rapid (<5ms) and inactivation (T≃19 ms) complete at potentials within the activation range (-40 to -75 mV). During combined application of TTX (1 µM) and TEA (10 mM), fast activating, sustained currents (>1 s) were evoked by depolarizing commands from holding potentials near -70 mV. These currents were blocked completely by the additional applications of 4-AP (5 mM). Applications of TEA (0.1 mM to 10 mM) produced dose-dependent reductions of the transient outward currents. Applications of Cs⁺ also blocked the currents. However, administrations of 4-AP (0.05 to 5 mM) only slightly reduced these currents and high doses of muscarinic agonists had no effect. The high sensitivity to TEA, and not to 4-AP, suggest a fundamental distinction from similar currents observed previously in other neurons of vertebrates and invertebrates, and hence this transient outward current in TRG neurons, is termed I(T)- The kinetics of I(T) suggest its involvement in the spike AHPs. Therefore, blockade of I(T) by TEA may interfere indirectly with the re-activation of voltage-dependent Na⁺-channels, leading to decreases in repetitive discharge ability. The TEA-insensitive sustained outward current presumably has an inhibiting influence on repetitive discharge. Conditions that interfere with this current, such as blockade of K⁺-channels by 4-AP without a significant blockade of I(T), strongly favour the generation of repetitive discharge in TRG neurons. The investigations using electrical stimulation of axons revealed that changes in the resting potential could inhibit the invasion of spikes into the perikarya, or facilitate the generation of ectopic spike discharges. Applications of 4-AP (1 mM) facilitated the perikaryal invasion of spikes evoked by axonal stimulation, and also resulted in the appearance of fast (~10 ms) depolarizations that reached spike threshold in the absence of applied stimuli. These investigations provided direct evidence that the perikarya of sensory neurons are capable of spike generation, and suggest that this behavior may occur in normal or pathophysiological conditions. The most notable effects of autacoids were those of substance P and histamine, whereas bradykinin did not affect neuronal membrane properties. Applications of substance P in micromolar doses evoked large (up to 45 mV), reversible depolarizations in the majority of neurons, whereas histamine applications produced similar depolarizations only in a small portion of the TRG neurons. Increases in the repetitive discharge abilities of neurons were evident during substance P-induced depolarizations. Studies on the ionic mechanism of substance P action revealed that the peptide-applications resulted in activation of inward currents as well as blockade of outward currents. In addition, it was shown that Na⁺ and Mg²⁺ were involved in the mechanism of action. These findings represent the first demonstration of the profound actions of substance P on the perikaryal membranes of sensory neurons in mammals. The excitatory actions of this endogenous peptide also give rise to the possibility of physiological actions of substance P at multiple sites in the trigeminal system. / Medicine, Faculty of / Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of / Graduate

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2006. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Orientador: Lea Rodrigues Simioni / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T12:36:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Camargo_ThiagoMagalhaes_M.pdf: 3717453 bytes, checksum: 7f1985b88491433917e7fdf3c88dbfc7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: A espécie Micrurus pyrrhocryptus, classificada anteriormente como subespécie da Micrurus frontalis, foi recentemente classificada como espécie plena baseada nas diferenças morfológicas. Esta serpente é especialmente encontrada no continente Sul Americano. No presente trabalho foram analisados os efeitos farmacológicos do veneno de M. pyrrhocryptus sob métodos para caracterização de efeitos neurotóxico e miotóxico em preparações biventer cervicis de pintainho (BCP) (0,5, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 e 50 µg/mL, n=6 para cada concentração) e nervo frênicodiafragma de camundongo (NFD) (1, 5, 10, 20, 30 e 50 µg/mL, n=6 para cada concentração). Também foram realizados estudos sobre a capacidade de neutralização do antiveneno específico e comercial. O veneno induziu um irreversível bloqueio neuromuscular (pós-sináptico, como demonstrado pela resposta contrátil sob estímulo de alta frequência - 50 Hz, n=6 em NFD), tempo e concentração-dependente em ambas as preparações (10 µg/mL induziu 50% de bloqueio neuromuscular em 22±3 min vs 62±4 min em BCP e NFD respectivamente, n=6 para cada preparação); as contraturas em resposta a adição exógena de KCl (20 mM) não foram afetadas significativamente depois da incubação com o veneno, bem como, a determinação da atividade de CK quando comparados com os valores controle (25,8±1,75 U/L vs 24,3±2,2 U/L) ou também com o registro da resposta contrátil em preparações curarizadas (n=6). O veneno apresentou um baixo valor de atividade fosfolipásica quando comparado com o veneno de Crotalus durissus terrificus em 37ºC. Nos testes de neutralização, os antivenenos específico e comercial foram eficientes, contra o efeito bloqueador neuromuscular induzido pelo veneno, quando usados na concentração recomendada pelo fabricante (1,5 mg de veneno para 1,0 mL de antiveneno). A análise histológica mostrou apenas uma discreta alteração mesmo quando usado em alta concentração (50 µg/mL - n=5; 3,5±0,8% em mamífero e 4,3±1,5% em ave vs 1,2±0,5% em mamífero e 1,1±0,7% em ave do controle, ambos p<0,05 em relação ao controle), corroborando com as características de outros venenos de Micrurus. A razão da potência do veneno vs sensibilidade de receptores colinérgicos presentes no sítio extra juncional da preparação do músculo biventer, foi demonstrada quando usado em baixa concentração (0,5 µg/mL) aboliu totalmente em 30 min a contratura induzida pela adição ACh exógena (110 µM). O conjunto dos resultados indica que o veneno de M. pyrrhocryptus causa bloqueio pós-sináptico envolvendo os receptores nicotínicos, como as ?- neurotoxinas, sem determinar alteração significativa na membrana da fibra muscular / Abstract: Micrurus pyrrhocryptus, originally known as a Micrurus frontalis subspecies, was recently classified as a species based on selected morphological features. It can be found in the South America. Only two studies are apparently available on its venom effects. Herein, pharmacological approaches were used to characterize the neurotoxic and myotoxic effects of M. pyrrhocryptus venom in chick biventer cervicis (BC, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 and 50 µg/mL, n=6 for each concentration) and mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparations (NFD, 1, 5, 10 and 50 µg/mL, n=6 for each concentration). In addition, studies on neutralization capacity of specific and commercial antivenom were performed. The venom induced an irreversible, time and concentrationdependent neuromuscular blockade (postsynaptic, as demonstrated by the high frequency twitch tension response - 50Hz, n=6 in NFD) in both preparations (10 µg/mL induced 50% neuromuscular blockade in 22±3 min vs 62±4 min in BC and NFD respectively, n=6 for each preparation); the contractures in response to exogenous KCl (20 mM) were not significant after venom incubation as well as the value of CK released when compared with control values (25.8±1.75 U/L vs 24.3±2.2 U/L) or also twitch tension record in curarized preparations (n=6). The venom showed a very low PLA2 activity when compared with c. d. terrificus venom at 37ºC. In neutralization test the specific and Brazilian commercial antielapidic serum were efficient when used in concentration recommended by the producer (1.5 of venom to 1.0 mL of antivenom). The histological analysis showed a mild myotoxic effect, even using high venom concentration (50 µg/mL - n=5, 3.5±0.8% in mammalian and 4.3±1.5% on avian vs 1.2±0.5% in mammalian and 1.1±0.7% in avian of control), corroborating characteristics of other Micrurus venoms). The ratio venom potency vs preparation sensitivity was shown when a concentration as low as 0.5 µg/mL totally abolished within only 30 min the contracture induced by the exogenously added ACh (110µM) to chick preparation. Altogether the results indicate that M. pyrrhocryptus venom has a postsynaptic blocking effect involving nicotinic receptors as does the ?-neurotoxins, and without any significant myotoxic effect / Mestrado / Mestre em Farmacologia