Cleansing the world of the germ of laziness: hygiene, sanitation, and the Javanese population in Suriname / Limpando o mundo do germe da preguiça: higiene, saneamento e população javanesa no Suriname

In 1915 the Rockefeller Foundation took its hookworm eradication campaign to Suriname, but was soon disappointed because of opposition from its main target group: the Javanese. Moreover, authorities and planters objected to the construction of latrines because of the costs and their belief that the Javanese were “unhygienic”. In describing the labor migration from Java to Suriname, I show that this “lack of hygiene” was closely related to the system’s organization. I argue that uncleanliness was the consequence of harmful socio-economic and ecological conditions. Secondly I suggest that even though the Foundation did not manage to cleanse Suriname of hookworm, its educational efforts, its emphasis on prevention, and its training of local health workers probably had more impact than Rockefeller officials thought.

Em 1915, a Fundação Rockefeller levou sua campanha de erradicação da ancilostomíase ao Suriname, logo sofrendo a oposição de seu principal alvo, os javaneses. Autoridades e proprietários rurais também reagiram à instalação de latrinas devido aos custos implicados e à crença de que os javaneses eram “anti-higiênicos”. Ao descrever a migração de trabalhadores de Java para o Suriname, mostro que a “falta de higiene” ligava-se à organização do sistema. Argumento que a sujeira era consequência de condições ecológicas e socioeconômicas danosas. Sugiro ainda que, embora a Fundação não tenha livrado o Suriname da anciolostomíase, seus esforços educacionais, sua ênfase na prevenção e o treinamento de profissionais de saúde locais tiveram maior impacto do que o imaginado pelos funcionários da agência norte-americana.

Validation of a conscious rat model for the discovery of novel agents that inhibit gastric acid secretion.

Identification of novel drug molecules requires the extensive evaluation in vitro and in vivo. Following in vitro evaluation it is necessary to efficiently screen numerous novel molecules in vivo using relatively simple methodology that requires small numbers of animals, is rapid to perform, and provides results that can definitely discriminate potential candidates for further investigation. Herein, we describe the results of three standard compounds (omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor; cimetidine, an histamine H(2) receptor antagonist; and AR-H047108, a potassium competitive acid blocker) in the rat aspiration model (under both basal and stimulated conditions), and compared the effects with those in the pyloric ligation model with a view to comparing the results in terms of sensitivity, robustness and simplicity of the methodology. In the aspiration model, drug or vehicle was administered orally 1 h prior to administration of pentagastrin or dimaprit. Ten minutes later 0.9% NaCl was administered orally and immediately recovered by aspiration. In the pyloric ligation model, drugs or vehicle were administered orally 2 h before ligation in a volume of 10 ml/kg. For each model, the volume of each sample was measured and the acidity was determined. In the aspiration model under basal acid secretion or following stimulation with pentagastrin omeprazole, cimetidine and AR-H047108 produced dose related inhibition of acidity. Omeprazole and cimetidine inhibited acid secretion following stimulation with dimaprit. In the pyloric ligation model omeprazole, cimetidine and AR-H047108 inhibited acid secretion. The profile of each of 3 inhibitors of acid secretion exhibited similar effects irrespective of the degree of stimulation (dimaprit, pentagastrin or pyloric ligation). Thus, based on these robust effects and ease of methodology we would recommend the use of the rat aspiration model with pentagastrin stimulation of gastric acid secretion as the primary in vivo methodology to screen novel inhibitors of acid secretion.

Effects of activation of central nervous histamine receptors in cardiovascular regulation; studies in H(1) and H(2) receptor gene knockout mice.

To elucidate the central roles of histamine receptors in cardiovascular regulatory system, systolic, mean, and diastolic blood pressures (BPs) and heart rate (HR) were examined in conscious H(1) receptor gene knockout (H(1)KO) mice, H(2) receptor gene knockout (H(2)KO) mice, H(1) and H(2) receptor gene double knockout (DKO) mice, and their respective control mice by the tail-cuff system. Histamine, histamine-trifluoromethyl-toluidine derivative (HTMT, an H(1) agonist), dimaprit (an H(2) agonist), and immepip (an H(3) agonist) were intrathecally administered to these KO mice and control mice. Basal BPs and HR were not different among these three KO mice and their control or wild-type mice. Intrathecal administration of histamine significantly increased BPs and decreased HR in control mice. The increases in BPs were produced by histamine in H(1)KO and H(2)KO mice and by HTMT and dimaprit in C57BL mice. The pressor responses by HTMT and dimaprit in C57BL mice were greater than those by histamine in H(1)KO and H(2)KO mice, although the same decreases in HR were induced by histamine in C57BL and H(1)KO mice and by dimaprit in C57BL mice. The selective stimulation of H(3) receptors by immepip produced a consistent decrease in BPs in control mice. These results obtained with the exogenous selective agonists of three histamine receptors suggest that the pressor responses to histamine are mediated through the stimulation of both H(1) and H(2) receptors, whereas the atropine-sensitive decrease in heart rate is mainly due to H(2) receptors which activate the vagal output to the heart.

Blockade of histamine H2 receptors of the periaqueductal gray and inferior colliculus induces fear-like behaviors.

Electrical and chemical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter (dPAG) and the inferior colliculus (IC) induces escape behavior, usually accompanied by autonomic responses and antinociception. Recently, we presented evidence for a tonic inhibitory control exerted by H(2) histamine receptors on defensive behaviors generated in these midbrain tectum sites. Since treatments of these areas that elicit the defensive behavior repertoire frequently also have anxiogenic effects, we here used the elevated plus-maze (EPM) test for assessing the effects of microinjections of histamine (5-40 nmol), dimaprit (5-10 nmol) and ranitidine (10-30 nmol) into either dPAG or IC, which have a relative abundance of histamine-containing cells and histaminergic receptors. Dimaprit is an agonist and ranitidine is an antagonist of H(2) histamine receptors. Immediately after the injections, the animals were submitted to the EPM test. Whereas dPAG injections of dimaprit had no behavioral effects, histamine (40 nmol) caused a significant reduction in exploratory activity. On the other hand, ranitidine alone or following saline had aversive-like effects in both structures, i.e. reduced open arm, but not closed arm, entries. This pattern is usually interpreted as representing an anxiogenic effect. These effects were more pronounced after injection into dPAG than into IC. Freezing, the most prominent effect produced by ranitidine, was significantly inhibited by histamine as well as dimaprit. Thus, H(2) receptor blockade has fear-like action in the midbrain tectum with predominance in the dPAG. Such an action can be understood as a concomitant of defensive behavior, which has been shown to be a consequence of H(2) receptor antagonism in both dPAG and IC. The functional significance of the different effects of H(2) receptor blockade in dPAG and IC is discussed in the light of the probable distinct roles of these structures in the organization of defensive behavior.

Involvement of H2-receptors in the mechanism of analgesic action of Tyr-MIF-1.

The antinociceptive effects of H2-agents cimetidine (CIM) and dimaprit (DMP) as well as their effects on the Tyr-MIF-1-evoked analgesia have been studied after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration in rats. In the paw-pressure (PP) test Tyr-MIF-1 (1 mg/kg), CIM (50 and 100mg/kg) and DMP (5 and 10mg/kg) induced analgesia. Injected before DMP, naloxone (NAL) and CIM diminished or completely prevented the pain-relieving effect of H2-agonist DMP. The antinociceptive effect of Tyr-MIF-1 has been potentiated by DMP dose-dependently. CIM (50mg/kg) decreased the antinociceptive action of the combination Tyr-MIF-1 + DMP, while CIM (100mg/kg) expressed a weaker inhibitory effect on it. The data obtained clearly show that H2-receptor activation is involved in the mechanism of the Tyr-MIF-1 antinociceptive action.

Endogenous central histamine-induced reversal of critical haemorrhagic hypotension in rats--studies with histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor SKF 91488.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Activation of the histaminergic system is associated with mobilisation of compensatory mechanisms in response to the action of stimuli which disturb homeostasis. Therefore, the effects of endogenous histamine in central cardiovascular regulation were studied in a rat model of irreversible haemorrhagic hypotension. MATERIAL: Cardiovascular parameters were measured in 66 and central histamine concentrations in 12 male Wistar rats anaesthetised with ketamine/xylazine. TREATMENT: Haemorrhage-shocked rats with mean arterial pressure (MAP) 20-25 mmHg were injected intracerebroventricularly (icv) with histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor SKF 91488 after icv pre-treatment with H, H2 and H3 histamine receptor antagonists--chlorpheniramine (100 nmol), ranitidine (200 nmol) and thioperamide (100 nmol), respectively, or saline. METHODS: Arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) changes were monitored within 2 h after icv treatment, or to death if it occurred earlier. Histamine concentrations were measured using enzyme immunoassay. ANOVA followed by a test of Neuman-Keules, and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the results. RESULTS: SKF 91488 produced dose-dependent, significantly higher compared to normovolaemic animals, increases in MAP and HR with the improvement in survival rates. The action of SKF 91488 (100 microg) was associated with an increase in endogenous histamine concentrations in the cerebral cortex (1.19 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.21 nmol/g; p < 0.05), hypothalamus (5.62 +/- 0.68 vs. 4.18 +/- 0.45 nmol/g; p < 0.01) and medulla oblongata (0.53 +/- 0.17 vs. 0.29 +/- 0.05 nmol/g; p < 0.05) in comparison to saline-treated animals. SKF 91488-induced effects were inhibited by chlorpheniramine, whereas neither ranitidine nor thioperamide influenced the action. CONCLUSION: Endogenous central histamine, after SKF 91488 treatment, via activation of H, receptors produces reversal of hypotension, with improvement in the survival rate at 2 h after treatment, in rats subjected to critical haemorrhagic hypovolaemia.

Effects of two histamine-N-methyltransferase inhibitors, SKF 91488 and BW 301 U, in rodent antinociception.

We have previously reported that the histaminergic system is involved in the control of pain perception, and that substances able to enhance histamine brain levels, such as the histamine-N-methyltransferase inhibitor, metoprine, induce antinociception. In the present study, in order to corroborate the idea of inducing antinociception by inhibiting histamine catabolism, the effects of a noncompetitive histamine-N-methyltransferase inhibitor. SKF 91488, were studied in rodents by means of tests inducing three different kinds of noxious stimuli: thermal (mouse hot plate), chemical (mouse abdominal constrictions) and mechanical (rat paw pressure). The ability to react to noxious stimuli was assessed by the rota-rod test. In addition, a competitive inhibitor of the histamine catabolism enzyme, BW 301 U, was studied in the hot plate test. SKF 91488 (30, 50 and 100 micrograms per animal i.c.v.) raised dose-dependently the pain threshold in all three tests. To verify whether SKF 91488-induced antinociception is due to inhibition of histamine-N-methyltransferase, (R)-alpha-methylhistamine, described to block histamine release and synthesis by stimulating the histamine H3-autoreceptor and activating the negative feed-back mechanism, was used. When administered at doses which do not alter the pain threshold per se, 0.5 microgram per rat i.c.v. or 10 mg kg-1 i.p. in mice, (R)-alpha-methylhistamine was able to antagonize significantly the antinociceptive effect induced by 30 micrograms per animal i.c.v. of SKF 91488. BW 301 U (30 and 100 mg kg-1 i.p.) showed a dose-dependent, long-lasting antinociception, which was also antagonized by pretreatment with (R)-alpha-methylhistamine. The present data show that the antinociceptive effect previously described for metoprine is not restricted to this molecule, but is also shared by other histamine-N-methyl-transferase inhibitors. This generalization provides further evidence to the importance of the histaminergic system in pain control mechanisms.

Effect of histamine on haemorrhagic mucosal lesions is related to vascular permeability in rats: studies with histamine, H1-, H2- and H3-agonists and bradykinin.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that an early increase in vascular permeability is correlated with later gastric mucosal protection in the rat. METHODS: Histamine, its agonists (H1, H2, H3) and bradykinin, were either given subcutaneously or intragastrically before the intragastric administration of ethanol. The extravasation of intravenously injected 99mTc-glucoheptonate into the gastric wall and into the gastric contents was used as an indicator of increased permeability. Gastric haemorrhagic lesions where measured by computerized planimetry and ethanol absorption was determined by an ACA Clinical Analyzer. RESULTS: Histamine and bradykinin increased vascular permeability in the glandular stomach and provided significant gastroprotection, similar to H1-, H2- and H3-agonists, against ethanol-induced gastric haemorrhagic lesions. This gastroprotection was accompanied by low blood levels of ethanol, probably indicating decreased ethanol absorption and the creation of a histodilutional barrier in the stomach by histamine. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that an increase in vascular permeability dissipates the concentration, and may delay the absorption, of ethanol in gastric mucosa by creating a perivascular histodilutional barrier. Vascular injury, which is an early pathogenetic factor in the development of ethanol-induced gastric haemorrhagic erosions, may thus be prevented.

2-Thiazolylethylamine, a selective histamine H1 agonist, decreases seizure susceptibility in mice.

The effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of histamine and its selective agonists on electrically and pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions in mice were studied. The ICV administration of histamine decreased seizure susceptibility on electrically and pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions significantly and dose-dependently. The inhibitory effects of histamine were well antagonized by centrally acting histamine H1 antagonists such as pyrilamine (or mepyramine) and ketotifen, but not by a peripherally acting histamine H1 antagonist, astemizole, or a centrally acting H2 antagonist, zolantidine. The ICV administration of 2-thiazolylethylamine, a selective histamine H1 agonist, also decreased seizure susceptibility, which could be antagonized by centrally acting histamine H1 antagonists, whereas dimaprit, a selective histamine H2 agonist, did not affect seizure susceptibility. These findings strengthened the idea that the central histaminergic neuron system plays an inhibitory role in convulsions.

Histamine H2-receptor plays only a minor role in histamine-induced wheal response in the squirrel monkey and guinea pig.

We examined the contribution of the histamine H2-receptor to the histamine-induced wheal response in squirrel monkeys and guinea pigs. Intradermal injection of histamine, 2-pyridylethylamine (a selective H1-agonist), and dimaprit (a selective H2-agonist) dose-dependently induced the wheal response in squirrel monkeys and guinea pigs, although the reaction to dimaprit was much weaker than that to the other agonists. Chlorpheniramine dose-dependently depressed the wheal response in squirrel monkeys and guinea pigs at doses of 0.03-1 mg/kg and 0.03-3 mg/kg, p.o., respectively. However, famotidine, ranitidine and cimetidine had no effect at doses up to 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg, p.o. in guinea pigs and up to 1, 10 and 400 mg/kg, p.o. in squirrel monkeys, respectively. Cimetidine (3-300 mg/kg, p.o.) dose-dependently potentiated the inhibitory effects of chlorpheniramine (0.1 mg/kg, p.o.) in guinea pigs, but had no effects in squirrel monkeys. Famotidine and ranitidine did not alter the response to chlorpheniramine in either animal. These results suggest that the histamine H2-receptor plays only a minor role in the histamine-induced wheal response in squirrel monkeys and guinea pigs.