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C Russ

Publications and source records attributed to C Russ.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Apolipoprotein E: depressive illness, depressive symptoms, and Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) epsilon 4 and epsilon 2 alleles may influence the age of onset of depressive illness. Depressive illness of late onset is also a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and there is some evidence that the ApoE epsilon 2 allele is associated with depressive symptomatology in AD. Depressive symptomatology in AD may thus share common genetic risk factors with late-onset depressive illness. METHODS: The frequency of the epsilon 2 and epsilon 4 alleles of ApoE and their effects on age of onset of disease in three independent groups of subjects, with depressive illness, with AD, and controls, were compared in a defined population from Southeast London. RESULTS: The frequency of the ApoE epsilon 2 allele was significantly lower in the depressive illness group compared with the control group and was associated with a later mean age at onset. Subjects with depressive symptomatology in AD had a higher frequency of the ApoE epsilon 2 allele and had a significantly later age of onset of depressive illness compared with the nondepressed AD group. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the ApoE epsilon 2 allele in AD is found to be highly associated with depressive symptomatology, and it is proposed that this subgroup represents the presence of delayed depressive illness and that there are common genetic risk factors between AD and depressive illness.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1998

[Diagnosis of herpetic uveitis and keratouveitis].

BACKGROUND: In epithelial viral keratitis as in viral retinitis, the diagnosis is made on the basis of typical clinical findings. A laboratory confirmation is achieved in over 80% using routine laboratory methods. In contrast, it is almost impossible to confirm the diagnosis of stromal herpetic keratitis in vivo using the currently available laboratory methods. Nothing is known about the situation in cases of viral anterior uveitis. METHODS: Of 52 patients with granulomatous anterior uveitis, 31 were diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings as active herpetic uveitis (group 1), 14 as active granulomatous uveitis of unknown origin (group 2), and 7 had inactive disease after quietening down of herpetic uveitis (group 3). From all patients, aqueous humor was collected at the time of diagnosis and processed for viral culture, Herpes antigen ELISA, and amplification of viral DNA of HSV-1 and VZV. RESULTS: Viral growth in culture was found in only one case in group 3. In this group, viral antigen or viral DNA were detected in no case. Herpes antigen was found in 5/31 cases (16%) in group 1 and in 1/11 cases (9%) in group 2, and viral DNA was found in 8/31 cases from group 1 (5x HSV-1 and 3x VZV) and in 5/14 cases (31%) from group 2. After combination of antigen detection and DNA amplification, the presence of virus was confirmed in 14/45 cases (29%). CONCLUSION: Virus culture has not proven useful in the diagnosis of viral anterior segment disease. Despite their high overall sensitivity, neither antigen ELISA nor the amplification of viral DNA proved sensitive enough to establish a viral etiology. Nevertheless, a laboratory confirmation should be attempted in granulomatous uveitis of unknown origin after preclusion of an underlying systemic disease because of the consequences of a diagnosis of viral anterior segment disease for treatment and prognosis.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of UW versus HTK solution for myocardial protection in heart transplantation.

In order to evaluate the protective effect of University of Wisconsin (UW) solution in heart transplantation, a retrospective comparative study with histidine-tryptophane-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution was initiated. In group I, we included 160 patients with HTK preservation, while group II consisted of 50 patients who had their transplant protected with UW solution. All patients received standard quadruple drug therapy for immunosuppression. The average ischaemic time of the donor hearts in group I was 142+/-44 min, ranging from 83 to 235 min. Acute immediate perioperative graft failure occurred in six cases (3.8%). Statistical analysis including the chi-square test, revealed a significant increase in the incidence of acute perioperative graft failure when compared with duration of ischaemic time (P < 0.01). Within the first 30 postoperative days, 24 patients died (15% early mortality). The same statistical correlation was evident between the incidence of early mortality and duration of graft ischaemic time. The 30-day and 6-month survival rates were 81% and 78%, respectively. The average ischemic time of the donor hearts in group II was 193+/-50 min ranging from 100 to 360 min, which was significantly longer in comparison with the group I (P < 0.05). Acute perioperative graft failure occurred once (2%); the patient was retransplanted successfully. Five patients died within the first 30 postoperative days (10% early mortality). There was no correlation between length of ischaemic time and incidence of acute graft failure or early mortality. The 30-day and 6-month survival rates were 90% and 88%, respectively and, thus, better when compared with group I. In both groups similar results were achieved with regard to postoperative NYHA status of the patients and incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. Myocardial preservation with HTK solution showed satisfying results as long as the ischaemic time did not exceed 4 h. The early functional results achieved with UW graft protection were excellent, even with ischaemic times longer than 4 h and not depending on lenght of ischaemic period.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1993

Myocardial preservation using HTK solution for heart transplantation. A multicenter study.

Bretschneider HTK solution is commonly used for myocardial preservation. In order to evaluate its protective effect for heart transplantation, a retrospective study was initiated in cooperation with Eurotransplant and five heart transplant centers. Seventy-six female and 524 male patients who underwent cardiac transplantations between 1981 and 1991 were included in this study. Using standardized questionnaires, donor and recipient laboratory data, immunosuppressive therapy and the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative organ function were documented. The average ischemic time of the donor hearts was 160 min, ranging from 75 min-304 min. Immediate postoperative graft failure was observed in 25 transplantations (4.2%). Within the first 30 days 71 organs (11.8%) failed. Using the chi2-test, a statistically significant increase of acute graft failure and early mortality was evident when they were correlated with the length of ischemic time (P = 0.01). In addition, a higher incidence of early graft failure was observed when the perfusion volume was less than 1500 ml. The 1- and 5-year survival rates were 72% and 63%, respectively. Organ preservation with HTK shows good results as long as the ischemic time does not exceed 4 h. The possibility that an increased perfusion volume allows longer ischemic times cannot be excluded with this study.

Cardioplegic Solutions↗
PubMed1991

[Association of arteriovenous and cavernous angioma of the head and neck area].

A 20-year-old man complained of pulse-synchronous noise in the ear and recurrent bleedings in the nose and throat region. From birth he had had an extensive haemangioma, black-blue with dark-red parts. It had been diagnosed as a cavernous haemangioma, part of a Sturge-Weber syndrome. An angiogram was performed before intended dermatological treatment of the disfiguring venous angioma. It demonstrated the capillary venous angioma (slow-flow angioma) in the lateral triangle of the neck, extending up to the skull base. In addition there was an arteriovenous angioma (high flow angioma) in the region of the clivus, which was supplied bilaterally largely by the ascending pharyngeal artery. The arteriovenous angioma also had connections to the outflow area of the capillary venous angioma. These findings and absence of ocular changes excluded Sturge-Weber syndrome. Because of the risk of life-threatening bleedings, the arteriovenous malformation was superselectively embolized by multiple injections of nonresorbable polyvinyl-alcohol particles via a microcatheter. This brought about the collapse of the cutaneous angiomatous spaces. This case demonstrates that external appearance indicating a capillary venous angioma is not reliable. Before treatment of this malformation a neuroradiological diagnosis should be undertaken.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Immunomodulation by cryosurgery in malignant melanoma].

Cryosurgery is a well-known, established method for the local destruction of tumor tissue by freezing. The assumption that, in addition to a physical and blood vascular phase, an immunological phase exists, has been discussed by many authors and tested using animal models. These results can only be transferred to humans in a limited sense. During the last year, we initiated a randomized study "Cryosurgery versus Conventional Surgery", whereby the peripheral blood and the normal skin from the areas surrounding the resection were compared. We were able to demonstrate in the peripheral blood of 8 cryosurgery patients a postoperative increase in the total and helper T-cells, HLA-DR-positive cells, and the ratio helper/suppressor T-cells in comparison to preoperative values. In the 8 patients treated with conventional surgery, these parameters decreased slightly or remained the same. The differences were highly significant (p = 0.001) to significant (p = 0.01). The results from the first 16 are patients studied presented and discussed here.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Apolipoprotein E genotype, vascular risk and early cognitive impairment in an African Caribbean population.

A reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) associated with the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele is reported in populations of African origin. In order to clarify possible reasons for this, we examined the association between APOE genotype and early cognitive impairment in a community-based African Caribbean UK population aged 55-75 years. APOE genotype was available for 202 participants, 57 (28%) of whom were classified as having relative cognitive impairment on a battery of neuropsychological tests. Cognitive impairment was negatively associated with epsilon2 and positively but more weakly associated with epsilon4. Effects of both alleles increased markedly after age 70. The effect of epsilon4 was increased in combination with hypertension, diabetes or lower educational attainment, but these factors did not influence epsilon2 effects. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels partially explained effects of epsilon2, but did not account for those of epsilon4. A reduced association between epsilon4 and later AD in populations of African origin is unlikely to be explained by reduced cognitive effects or by differential mortality. However, it may be accounted for by vascular comorbidity. The different patterns of association between epsilon2 and epsilon4 alleles suggest different pathways of effect.

Black or African American↗