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Biomedical subjects

E Gabriel

Publications and source records attributed to E Gabriel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Effects on crops of irrigation with treated municipal wastewaters.

The fertilizing potential of treated municipal wastewater (oxidation ditch) and crop sanitary acceptability for direct human consumption were evaluated in Mendoza, Argentina. Two experiments were performed on a pilot plot planted with garlic (1998) and onions (1999) using furrow irrigation with three types of water in 10 random blocks: treated effluent (2.5 x 10(3) MPN Escherichia coli/100 ml, 3 helminth eggs/l, and Salmonella (positive); and well water (free of microorganisms), with and without fertilizer. Two responses were evaluated: (1) crop yield, and (2) crop microbiological quality for human consumption at different times after harvest. Crop yields were compared using Variance analysis. Crops' sanitary acceptability was assessed using a two-class sampling program for Salmonella (n=10; c=0), and a three-class program for E. coli (n=5, c=2, M=10(3) and m=10 MPN/g) as proposed by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) for fresh vegetables. Wastewater irrigation acted as well water with fertilizer, increasing garlic and onion yields by 10% and 15%, respectively, compared to irrigation with well water with no fertilizer. Wastewater-irrigated garlic reached sanitary acceptability 90 days after harvest, once attached roots and soil were removed. Onions, which were cleaned immediately after harvest, met this qualification earlier than garlic (55 days). Neither the wastewater-irrigated crops nor the control crops were microbiologically acceptable for consumption raw at harvest.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed1999

No increased incidence of Alzheimer's disease in elderly schizophrenics.

There is currently controversy as to the morphological basis of cognitive impairment in elderly schizophrenics. In contrast to previous findings, recent studies have found no increased frequency of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in elderly schizophrenics. We examined 99 consecutive autopsy cases of patients over the age of 55 years from a psychiatric hospital who met the DSM-III-R and ICD.10 criteria for schizophrenia (mean age 69.5 +/- 8.25 years; mean duration of illness 35.15 +/- 10.1 years), 56% showing moderate to severe dementia. All brains were blindly reviewed for evidence of AD using CERAD criteria and Braak staging of neuritic AD lesions. "Definite" AD (CERAD C, Braak stage V) was seen in 2 cases aged 56 and 67 years, respectively [2% of total or 1/68 (1.4%) of those over age 65]. "Probable" AD (CERAD B, Braak stages IV-V) were seen in 5 cases aged 71-89 years (mean 79 years; 5% of total or 7.3% of those over age 65), and 1 case each with multiple cerebral infarcts and with Parkinson's disease pathology. In addition, 2 females aged 82 and 89 years, respectively, revealed senile dementia with tangles (NIA, CERAD negative; Braak stage IV), 1 with hippocampal sclerosis. The total incidence of definite and probable AD in this cohort was 7.1% or 8.7% for those over age 65. This is in line with other recent studies showing that the frequency of AD in elderly schizophrenics may be equal or even less than in the general population. The reasons for this negative association and the basis of cognitive deficits in elderly schizophrenics--those with dementia usually showing significantly lower brain weight--await further elucidation.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[Influence of bioactive glasses on the respiratory burst metabolism of polymorphonuclear neutrophils].

BACKGROUND: Bio-glasses are bioactive materials used to coat implants. The immunological reaction to wear particles from such coatings has hardly been investigated. The generation of reactive oxygen species by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) on phagocytosis of particles might elicit further immune reactions. METHODS: The production of reactive oxygen species was investigated in whole blood in the form of chemiluminescence using the probes luminol and lucigenin. RESULTS: Bioglass particles stimulated PMN to generate free radicals as a function of the bioactivity of the composition. This activation was significantly reduced by prior soaking of the particles. Extracts of the bioactive glasses also inhibited the liberation of free radicals upon the stimulus opsonized zymosan. CONCLUSION: Our results show that despite the proven good biocompatibility of bioactive glasses, further in vivo checks in the early stages of the reaction are needed.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1998

[Psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine].

Starting from a sketch of the basic view points from which the topic will be elucidated, the author focuses on the different logics of psychiatry and psychotherapies. The connections between the topic and the somatopsychosocial model, the intercorrelation of psycho-genetic interpretative models and indication for psychotherapy indicate an approach which is oriented towards the disordered person (and not the disorder). This concept is compared with the often used definition of psychotherapy by Strotzka. The dependence of the concept on traditions in psychiatry (Krafft-Ebing, Jaspers, Kretschmer, E. Bleuler, and M. Bleuler) and its consistency with modern multiaxial diagnostic systems (Frances et al.) are stressed. Finally the border to psychotherapeutic medicine outside psychiatry, both in theory and practice, is stressed.

Forecasting↗
PubMed1994

Iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and calcium in postmortem brain tissue from schizophrenic patients.

The regional distribution of iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and calcium in postmortem brain of schizophrenic patients was compared with that of matched controls. In none of the brain regions investigated (caudate nucleus, hippocampus, amygdala, cortex, corpus mamillare, gyrus cinguli, and hypothalamus) were significant differences observed between these two groups. In the total group, region-specific differences were found for iron, copper, zinc, and calcium, but not for magnesium. Gender differences were observed only for zinc. There was no correlation between a neuroleptic-free period before death and the content of any of the metals investigated, except for a positive correlation between copper in the hippocampus and a neuroleptic-free period. The results of the present study suggest that there are no profound differences in the content of iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and calcium in postmortem brains between controls and schizophrenic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Fulvic acid supplementation and selenium deficiency disturb the structural integrity of mouse skeletal tissue. An animal model to study the molecular defects of Kashin-Beck disease.

High concentrations of fulvic acid and selenium deficiency are the main causative factors of Kashin-Beck disease, an endemic, chronic and degenerative osteoarticular disorder found in China. In the search for an animal model of this disease, mice were exposed to these pathogenetic conditions for two generations and the collagen types from skin, bone and cartilage were analysed. The growth of the treated mice was slightly retarded, and the rate of reproduction was lower in animals maintained on a fulvic acid-supplemented and/or selenium-deficient diet. Irregular bone formation was seen by radiography and morphometry. Biochemical analysis indicated that lysine residues in collagen I from bone and in collagen II from cartilage were overmodified. The values of Hyl/(Hyl+Lys) in bone collagen alpha 1(I) chains from treated mice were about 0.434-0.484, i.e. substantially higher than that of the control (0.277). The values of this parameter for collagen II were 0.482 for control and 0.546-0.566 for treated mice. The melting temperature of collagen I from bones of treated mice was 1 degrees C lower than that of control collagen, indicating decreased thermal stability. The breakage point of the tibiae of treated mice occurred at a lower preload force than for controls, suggesting that the overmodified and thermally less stable collagen molecules are causally related to a lower mechanical strength of bones.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Predicting course and outcome in delusional psychoses.

Eighty-four of 90 patients with delusional syndromes of different nosological attribution underwent a 7-year follow-up. From 179 items covering the whole spectrum of psychiatric description of index examination, 20 were found to be statistically significant in predicting different aspects of course and outcome by stepwise discriminant analysis. Course and outcome were defined by 6 criteria (course of illness, course of delusion, development of deficiency, length of inpatient care, adequate activity and social adjustment) encompassing separate (but only partly independent) aspects of a disorder. In contrast to the literature, clinical and psychopathological variables have major prognostic weight for different psychopathological as well as psychosocial aspects of outcome. Ten of the 20 significant items cover psychopathology, 4 pre-index course, 3 precipating events, 2 data from childhood, and 1 premorbid personality. Our results stress the importance of sensitive data collection and a clear separation of different outcome variables.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Why do the results of follow-up studies in delusional disorders differ?

In this paper 4 studies on the course of delusional disorders of midlife, partly diagnosed as 'late schizophrenias' in the sense of M. Bleuler, published up to the 70s and 3 studies on the same topic which were published in the 80s, all European, are analysed with regard to differences in their results in order to find out factors operating on these differences and to propose standards to be followed in such studies. Four such factors are stressed: different follow-up times leading to different rates of loss of probands by death, unreliable use of diagnostic terms and, probably more influential, unreliable use of terms describing the course, and different preconditions of the recruiting process by differences in the care systems the probands are collected in. Four conclusions are derived from this finding: the need for comprehensive and valid information, for reliable use of terms describing the course, for information about the care system the patients come from as an important precondition of the process of recruiting probands, and probably for the further development of a 'language' for the description of course.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Temporal stability of diagnostic criteria for functional psychoses. Results from the Vienna follow-up study.

200 first admissions with functional psychoses were interviewed with PSE and rated simultaneously according to different diagnostic criteria (ICD-9, RDC, DSM-III, St. Louis, Taylor, Vienna Research Criteria). At follow-up 7 years later 186 patients could be traced and a course diagnosis was applied to each patient. Temporal stability of diagnostic criteria was calculated for ICD-9, RDC and DSM-III by stability coefficient and kappa values and was used as a criterion for validity. Schizophrenia and affective disorder display considerable stability over time, no matter whether one uses ICD-9, RDC or DSM-III. The data for schizoaffective disorder are less impressive, the stability coefficient is much higher for schizoaffective bipolar than for schizoaffective depressive patients.

Family↗
PubMed1990

Clinicopathological analysis of dementia disorders in the elderly.

The relative incidence of the major types of dementia disorders and the agreement rates between clinical and pathological diagnosis were analysed in consecutive autopsy series of 675 demented subjects from 3 hospitals (mean age 79.5 years, SD 9.6). Clinical assessment followed the DSM-III and ICD-9-NA criteria and NINCDS/ADRDA criteria for probable Alzheimer disease (AD) (McKhann et al. 1984), histological criteria for the diagnosis of AD those of the NIH/AARP Work Group (Khachaturian 1985) using a 4-degree rating scale for plaques and tangles in neocortex and hippocampus (Morris et al. 1988), and the criteria by Tierney et al. (1988) for 'pure' AD. Vascular dementia (MID) and other disorders were diagnosed according to current pathologic criteria. Clinical diagnosis of AD/SDAT was made in 59.2%, of MID in 21.7%, of mixed AD + MID in 3.1%, and of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other disorders in 16%. At autopsy, 76.7% fulfilled histological criteria for AD/SDAT, but only 60% were 'pure' forms, while 8.2% had additional features of PD and 7.9% coexisting vascular lesions indicating mixed SDAT + MID. 15.7% were MID with no or very little AD pathology, 7.4% other CNS disorders. 0.3% of the brains showed no abnormality beyond age-related changes. AD/SDAT had its highest incidence in a psychiatric population, MID and PD + SDAT in general and geriatric hospital cohorts. The overall coincidence rates for clinical and pathological diagnosis of AD/SDAT were 85.2%, for MIX and MID 60.5-61.9%, but only 51% for PD-PD/AD. These data and the results of other recent studies emphasize the need for more appropriate clinical and pathological criteria in the diagnosis of the dementias.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Are there differences in the course of delusional disorders in different periods of time?

The results of two follow-up studies on delusional disorders of midlife of probands who fell ill in different periods of time with different access to treatment (modern pharmacotherapy not developed - developed) are compared with each other. The frequencies of uniform versus polymorphous and episodic versus chronic course did not differ in the two studies. These data suggest that the form of course belongs to the natural history of the disorder. The authors stress the importance of developing differentiated prognostic instruments, mainly in order to ameliorate prognostic hypotheses as a basis for rational therapeutic interventions.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1989

3H-spiperone binding sites in post-mortem brains from schizophrenic patients: relationship to neuroleptic drug treatment, abnormal movements, and positive symptoms.

In post-mortem putamen samples from 27 schizophrenics and 27 controls D2 receptors were measured by Scatchard analysis using 3H-spiperone as a ligand. Maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) and apparent dissociation constant (KD) were significantly increased only in patients in whom neuroleptic medication had been given within a three-month period before death. When the neuroleptic medication had been withdrawn at least 3 month before death, there was a slight, but not significant, reduction in Bmax values and unchanged KD values. Withdrawal of neuroleptic drugs was followed by a normalization of the KD values within 2 weeks and a slower reduction of Bmax values. There were 6 schizophrenic patients with mainly positive schizophrenic symptoms and 17 patients with mainly negative symptoms; positive schizophrenic symptoms were not related to higher Bmax values. There was no difference in 3H-spiperone binding between patients with and without movement disorders (tardive dyskinesia or extrapyramidal symptoms).

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Position of affective symptomatology in the course of delusional psychoses.

The present study investigates the frequency, gender distribution, mode of appearance, and prognostic value of affective symptoms in a group of 90 patients with paranoid disorders of various etiologies (with the exception of marked organicity) who underwent a follow-up control. It appears that affective symptoms manifest more frequently than the brunt of delusional and hallucinatory ones, whereby the pronounced differences in gender (preponderance of females) that appear in acute states disappear in the course of the illnesses. Altogether, the frequency of affective symptoms diminishes just as that of delusions and hallucinations. Paranoic syndromes (simple delusional syndrome with a logically organized structure corresponding to the classical concept of paranoia) are characterized by a particularly frequent occurrence of dysphoric (irritable) mood, systematic and unsystematic paraphrenias by a depressive mood. Delusion subsided in all three delusional entities in about 50% of the cases; however, defect develops in unsystematic paraphrenias more often to a statistically highly significant degree than in the other two forms. Despite the expected low stability of affective symptoms over longer periods of time, the presence of affective syndromes has a high prognostic value, even in a population characterized primarily by the presence of a mood-incongruent delusion. The results of this investigation suggest that Jaspers' hierarchical principle, still important for many diagnostic systems, according to which the presence of delusions and hallucinations is considered to be pathognomonic for schizophrenia and takes priority over any affective ones, be abandoned. The consequence this would have for the theoretical basis of the diagnosis of endogenous psychoses is that apart from affective syndromes only schizophrenic nuclear symptoms would form the basis of nosological diagnosis, and so-called productive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations) would be construed as a superstructure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Continental viewpoints on the concept of reactive psychoses.

Although the Scandinavian concept of reactive psychoses relates to K. Jaspers and although Kretschmer described the prototype of a psychosis of psychogenic/reactive origin (Der sensitive Beziehungswahn), the concept is not so commonly used in German-speaking countries. Important reasons for this refusal may be (1) the sharp distinction between psychosis (which may be explained but not understood) and understandable reactions, which was stressed in rather influential German psychiatric schools in the middle of the century, and (2) the aim of stressing psychological understanding in a broad spectrum of psychiatric illnesses in the Swiss tradition, where the demarcation of particular reactive psychoses seemed to be superfluous. The development of modern concepts stressing the multidimensionality in the etiology of the main groups of psychiatric disorders was certainly influenced by the concept of reactive psychoses but passed it.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1987

Dysphoric mood in paranoid psychoses.

Many authors have stressed the particular affective behavior in paranoid psychoses, mainly its dysphoric pattern. In 1983, Berner formulated the dysphoric axial syndrome as a third type of the endogenomorphous cyclothymic axial syndrome. In this paper two points are examined: (1) The interrelation between dysphoric and depressive and/or manic affective disorders in paranoid psychoses, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, in order to test the hypothesis of their independence, and (2) the relation of dysphoric mood disorders in paranoid psychoses to their course, again in comparison with other types of affective symptoms. The paper is based on an empirical study by Gabriel in 1978 on the phenomenology and the course of paranoid psychoses.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗
PubMed1987

Biochemical aspects of dysphoria: case study for hypothesis generation.

Comparing the pattern of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid and homovanillic acid in five brain areas of one dysphoric patient to those of 3 depressed patients it seems that dysphoria biochemically is a state between depression and mania. Dynamically, dysphoria may possibly be seen as a behavioral correlate of a switch process between high and low turnover of neurotransmitters (rather high frequency in comparison to bipolar disorder with very low frequency). However, the biochemical data are obviously in agreement with psychiatric findings, i.e. that dysphoria in any case is an extremely labile state.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1986

Dietary vitamin E requirement for optimum immune responses in the rat.

Supplementation of diets with vitamin E has been shown to enhance immune responses in numerous animal models. However, these experiments have not investigated the dietary requirement of vitamin E for optimal T- and B-lymphocyte mitogen responses and compared this directly with the requirement for growth, maintenance of spleen-body weight ratios, platelet count as well as prevention of myopathy and red blood cell lysis. We have found that male weanling rats maintain normal rate of growth and spleen-body weight ratio when fed purified diets containing 7.5 mg/kg vitamin E. A level of 15 mg/kg was adequate to prevent myopathy, and 50 mg/kg was necessary for the prevention of red blood cell hemolysis. The dietary requirement for optimum T- and B-lymphocyte responses to mitogens was greater than 50 mg/kg and was significantly correlated with plasma vitamin E levels over a range of 0.04-18 micrograms/ml. Thus, the requirement for this index of immune system activity was higher than for the other functional parameters of vitamin E adequacy measured. Therefore, the immune system responds to changes in dietary vitamin E well before there are signs of frank vitamin deficiency.

Animals↗