Document Nexv0gGMLywEB256kQp4y7NQy

FILE NAME: Synkoloid (SYN) DATE: 1975 S Y N 022 DOC#: SYN022 D O CU M EN T D ESCRIPTIO N : Medical Journal article on asbestos in wallboard finishing compounds  ; : //fO~S/ / y ? 7 p ) 1180 CAREER SCIENTISTS -- HEALTH RESEARCH COUNCIL N ew Evidence {or Hypertension in Man aSteroid H orinone Capable of Producing M. I. N e w , M.D., P. H. S a e n c e r , L. S. L e v in e , M.D.* a n o R. E. P e t e r s o n , M.D.* Department 0fP ed iatrics and Medicine Cornell Uni v erity Medical College New York. N.Y. The hypothesis that a steroid can pro* duce hypertension in man was tested in an lS-ycar-oId male with dexamcthasonc*supprcssiblc hypertension. Reinvest iga lion after six years of little or no treatment demonstrated that the hypertension and mild liypcraldosteronism were decreased promptly by a small dose of dexamtha sone. During dexamthasone treatment when aldosterone secretion was suppressed to less than normal and the patient was normotensive, steroids were given by con stant infusion in an attempt to reproduce the hypertension of the dexamthasone-free state. Hypertension was not caused by ftve days of aldosterone (A) 18-hydroxy ( 18O il) dcsoxy corticosterone (DOC) at 1 mg./day, or DOC at 30 mg./day. llow - ever, X a + retention and K + loss was observed during infusion of A and DOC. Hypertension was produced within flve days during infusion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (A C T H ) or oral metyrapone. The hypertensive effect of the metyrapone was eliminated by the additional treatment with aminoglutcthimide. These studies sug gest that an ACTH-dependent steroid other than A , 18-OH DOC or DOC niay be tlie cause of the hypertension in this patient. The aminoglutcthimide data sug gest that the cause is a steroid and the metyrapone studies suggest that that steroid is an 11 dcsoxysteroid. Urine and blood col lected under A CTH stimulation and metyraponc treatment arc rich sources from which we may characterize this hormone. Occupational and CommunityAsbestos Exposure from Wallboard Finishing Compounds W i l l i a m J. N ic h o l s o n , Ph.D., A. R o h l , Ph.D.,* S. A. F i s c h h e i n , M.D.* a n d I. J. S e l ik o e f , M.D. Environmental Sciences Laboratory Department of Community Medicine , The Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York / New York. N.Y. The primary purpose of this investiga tion is to evaluate the working procedures and the occupational exposure to asbestos of men engaged full-time in applying and finishing tape and spackle at the joints of wallboard in the construction industry in New York City. The extent of the exposure to asbestos of others in the construction industry who may work in the same ares and to the community at large from the use of spackle by * dwelling owners and others also will be ascertained. Personal air samples were taken in the breathing me of drywall construction workers and Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med. Juki JUh a p . -n COUNCIL '/ ( icing L e v i n e , M.D.* t and K + loss was sion of A and DOC. produced within five of adrenocorticotropic oc oral metyrapone. ct of the metyrapone additional treatment e. These studies sugH-dependent steroid DOC, or DOC may hypertension in this itethlmide data sug$ a steroid and the {rest that that steroid Urine and blood col* imulatioa and mety- rich sources from rise this hormone. e from SCH HE IN , M.D.* York * the construction in the same area d large from the Ihng owners and rft lined. Personal In the breathing :*u workers and ^>.N.y.Acad.Md. CAREER SCIENTISTS -- HEALTH RESEARCH COUNCIL I I 8 I in adjacent areas where other building trades employees were working. In 60% of the personal samples the threshold lim it value ( T L Y ) set by the National Occu pational Safety and Health A ct of five fibers greater than 5 jlni liter was exceeded. These concentrations are only suggestive of the total exposure to asbestos, since a comparison of as bestos fiber counts of identical samples shows that for every fiber visible by light microscopy, there are perhaps from 200 to 1,000 fibers thi at can onl*v be seen bv dectron microscopy. The significance is two fold: all of the asbestos is respirable and, secondly, it is undetected and unmeasured by existing methods of industrial hygiene surveillance. Ten samples of the most com monly used taping and spackling compounds on dry walls were analyzed in the lab oratory by optical microscopy, x-ray pow- dcr di(Traction, and electron microscopy in order to determine the minerals present, with particular attention given to the quantitative determination of asbestos min erals. Nine contained various amounts of lencghtrhysopteirlc maislbliestos; four of the 10 samples contained quartz as a major constituent and two others also contained talc. A simi lar analysis of consumer spackling com pounds showed that three contained from 0 to 10% chrysotilc. In a companion study, clinical examinations have been undertaken of 09 workers specializing in taping, two thirds of whom have had at least 10 years exposure. X -ray abnormalities were found in 37 of 03 films (50% of the workers). Our preliminary findings suggest that as bestos disease is an important hazard in this trade and that appropriate control measures are required. Influence of Am ino Acids on the Formation o f intermediates of the y-G luw nyl Cycle i\l. O rLOWSKI, M.D., AND S. W lL K * Department o riiarntacoloKy The Mount Sinai School o M edicine o the City Univenity of New York- New York. N.Y. Intermediates of the 7-glutamyI cycle, pyrrolidonc carboxylate and 7-glutamyl amino acids, were determined in tissues of mice by a new gas chromatographic pro cedure coupled with electron capture detec tion. Administration of L-a-nminobutvrnte and also certain other amino acids that are utilized in the reaction which is catalyzed by 7-glutamyl cysteine synthetase led to the accumulation of their 7-glutamvl de rivatives and also pyrrolidonc carboxylatc. This accumulation could be blocked by the administration of L-mcthiomnc-R, S-sulfoximine, an inhibitor of 7-glutamvl cystciw synthetase. No accumulatinn of pyr rolidonc cnrboxvlate was observed after the administration of cysteine itself. The sep arate administration of several protein amino acids did not affect the levels of pyrrolidonc curboxylate; however, the for mation-of small amounts of the respective 7-glutamvl amino acids was observed in the kidney. A significant accumulation of pyrrolidonc carboxylatc was obtained after the administration of a mixture containing nil of the natural protein amino acids. These experiments demonstrate the exist ence of two separate pathways for the for mation of 7-glutnmyl amino acids and pyr rolidonc carboxylatc. One of these involves the synthesis of glutathione and apparently operates under a strict metabolic control mechanism. The other pathway involves the degradation of glutathione mediated by membrane-bound 7-giutamy! transpeptidase and is probably associated with the func tion of this enzyme In the transport of amino acid. , Voi. 51, No. 10, November 1975 - i