3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Reticuloendothelial ferritin messenger RNA in inflammatory states(1989) Lapinsky, Stephen. E.Ferritin is an iron storage protein, made up of heavy (H) and light (L) subunits. Ferritin synthesis is regulated at a post transcriptional level by iron, which induces a redistribution of ferritin mRNA from a free cytoplasmic pool to polyribosomes. Inflammatory states influence iron metabolism, causing a decrease in serum iron levels associated with an increase in reticuloendothelial ferritin synthesis and iron storage.Item Iron Metabolism: a series of publications on various aspects of iron metabolism.(1964-10) Bothwell, T. H.ffiy interest in iron metabolism was initially aroused in 1948 by a young patient with idiopathic haemochromatosis who was admitted to Professor Elliott*© ward while I was serving my medical internship, With the support of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research it was possible to carry out radioisotopic studies on this patient and over the next four years a number of other subjects with the same disease ware investigated. As the study continued, attention was also directed to the siderosis which is so common in adult Bantu, and to the Iron overload which results from the administration of repeated blood transfusions to subjects with refractory anaemias.Item Aspects of iron metabolism - factors affecting iron absorption(1983) Bezwoda, Werner, RobertThe investigations which make up the body of this thesis touch on various aspects of iron absorption. Although many of the factors governing iron absorption have been elucidated specific problems remain to be defined in greater detail. The aim of these investigations was therefore to define more fully some of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of dietary iron absorptionItem A randomised double-blind, multicentre parallel group study to compare the tolerability and efficacy of moclobemide administered in three different dosage regimens in depressed outpatients in psychiatric practice(1995) Dr Vukovic, Karen Margaret-AnnMoclobemide is a reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor. It is a short acting antidepressant, and previously studies were done comparing 300 to 600 mg dosages administered three times daily. Data on a twice daily dosage schedule is limited. This study compares the efficacy and tolerability of Moclobemide 150 mg twice daily as compared to two different three times a day schedules with total daily dosages of 300 to 450 mg respectively. Thirty one adult outpatients with major depressive disorder (as defined by DSM-IIIR) were included in this trial. It was controlled in a randomised double-blind manner. All treatments were found to be effective and no clinically significant differences between treatments could be demonstrated in this respect. Group 3 (150 mg b.d.) was found to be slightly more effective than the other two groups. Moclobemide was found to be effective at all dosage regimens with respect to treating co-morbid symptoms of anxiety and agitation. There were no differences between the groups with respect to type and frequency of adverse events. Overall tolerability was found to be good in all the treatment groups. Since the twice daily dosage is more convenient, it has been suggested that compliance will be enhanced on this regimen. The treatment response rates obtained confirm this conclusion.Item A study of some aspects of the metabolism of fatty acids by the human red blood cell in health and disease, with special reference to diabetes mellitus(1962-11) Mendelsohn, DennisThe awakening of an appreciation of the importance of biochemistry to medical science in recent years has prompted the clinical chemist to study and explain disease mechanisms in terms of fundamental cellular metabolism. However these efforts have been considerably hampered by obvious difficulties involved in obtaining suitable tissues for experimental purposes. Most of our rather meagre understanding of the underlying mechanisms causing metabolic diseases in the human subject has been obtained by absolute chemical analysis of the body fluids of which it is probably true to say that the blood ( either whole blood or serum ) has been the most extensively studied. It is becoming increasingly apparent however, that this type of approach does not offer a satisfactory explanation for the disturbed metabolic reactions in certain diseasesItem The effect of vitamin D3 status on vitamin D3 metabolism and distribution of metabolites(1994-08) Rabinowitz, LeslieThis dissertation discusses the results of a group of experimental studies performed on chickens to show the effects of vitamin D status on vitamin D metabolism and the distribution of its metabolites in various organs. The chick was chosen as the experimental animal ( Norman 1990a as its vitamin D status can be easily manipulated and it appears that its vitamin D metabolism is similar to that in man.Item Effects of dietary supplementation with pure natural honey on metabolism in growing Sprague-Dawley rats.(2014-03-28) Ajibola, AbdulwahidThe excessive consumption of refined sugars mainly fructose is linked to metabolic dysfunction. The early introduction of refined sugars in the diets of children has resulted in an increased incidence of childhood metabolic dysfunction. There are conflicting reports on the gender susceptibility to developing metabolic dysfunction. Natural honey (NH) has been shown to have health benefits when included in the diet. The neonate is sensitive to dietary manipulations which can have long lasting effects. The short and long term effects of inclusion of NH in the diets of neonates were investigated in rat models. This was with a view to determine whether NH can substitute refined sugars such as cane syrup (GS), without adverse effects, and whether there were any gender differences in response to the dietary modification. In the long term study, 59 suckling Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed with either NHor GS-supplemented diets from age 7 (neonate) to 91 (adulthood) days. For the short term study to investigate the effects of NH in neonates, 69 SD pups were gavaged with NH or GS twice daily at 12-hour intervals and allowed to nurse freely in between from age 7 to 20 days. The rats in all groups were weighed daily during the period when they were gavaged and then twice weekly thereafter to assess body weight gain (BWG) over the study periods. The adult rats were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 13 weeks of age before termination. The rats’ growth was determined through their BWG and linear growth was assessed by measurements on the bones (femur and tibia) weight, length and density. Blood was collected for the assessment of clinical biochemistry and plasma markers of general health including the circulating metabolic substrates (glucose, triglycerides (TGs), free fatty acids (FFAs)); hormones (insulin, leptin); liver and renal functions were also obtained. Morphometric measurements (weight, lengths and histology) were also done on the abdominal viscera. Hepatic storage of metabolic substrates (glycogen and lipids) was determined. The analysis of the proximate composition of the NH and GS as well as the diets was performed with the Student’s t-test. A repeated measures two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferonni’s post hoc test was used to analyse the BWG and OGTT, while the other parameters were analysed by one-way ANOVA with Neuman-Keul’s post hoc test, and level of significance was set at p < 0.05. The matched diets were found to be isonitrogenous and isocalorific. Following the long term study, the NH fed rats showed tolerance to an oral glucose load. GS increased fasting blood glucose (FBG), TGs (p < 0.05), FFAs (p < 0.0001), visceral fat weight (p < 0.0001), and caused hypercholesterolemia, hyperinsulinemia, hepatomegaly and fatty liver in the males. NH increased intestinal villi growth and preserved the liver integrity in both males and females. Although, the GS-fed female rats did not suffer multiple risks of metabolic syndrome (MetS), there were high FBG concentration and hypercholesterolemia induced at low dose and metabolic dyslipidemia shown as high TG levels at high dose. These findings were contrary to the notion about the females having a lower susceptibility to developing metabolic syndrome than males. Some traditional rites include the feeding of honey to infants at birth, and there is evidence of the dietary inclusion of sugars in infant formulations. The need to evaluate the safety of honey consumption vis-à-vis refined sugars in children becomes imperative. Thus, after inducing metabolic syndrome in the rats through 12-week GS feeding, the effects of both diets on neonates were studied. In the neonates, there was no difference in all the parameters measured except the higher circulating non fasting FFAs (p < 0.0001) and hepatic storage of lipids (p < 0.001) in GS-fed than the NH-fed pups. Metabolic syndrome did not develop within the short term. NH was thus found to be a healthy source of dietary sugars, improved glycaemic control and metabolic profiles. The study underscored the differential effects of dietary treatments in male and female rodents. This pointed to the advantages of gender based comparative studies in biomedical research. The study confirmed the nutraceutical value of NH, and advocated for its consumption as a healthy substitute to refined sugars. The consumption of refined sugars by infants should be discouraged, and females should also be cautious in excessive sugar intake, as they can also be susceptible to the metabolic adverse health effects of artificial sweeteners.