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Biomedical subjects

E Schneider

Publications and source records attributed to E Schneider.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Cost of beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents for ocular hypertension.

We compared the cost per drop and cost per year of therapy for five commercially available ocular beta-blockers (Timoptic, Betagan, Betoptic, Betoptic S, and Optipranolol) based on retail prices in Philadelphia, Pa; New Orleans, La; and San Francisco, Calif. Variations in bottle volumes and drop size combined to yield up to a 48% differential in number of drops per bottle. Average retail price variations were 28% within brands (between pharmacies), 29% between brands, and 29% between regions. Yearly costs were consistently less with larger bottles. Factoring drops-per-bottle, cost of brand, and cost by pharmacy, the cost of a year's supply of beta-blocker in 5-mL bottles in the least expensive region (New Orleans) ranged from $52.25 for Optipranolol to $278.91 for Betagan (534% of the price for Optipranolol). The marked differential in yearly cost among antiglaucoma medications should perhaps be a factor in the recommendations made by physicians and health-care providers.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

A new ultrasensitive bioluminogenic enzyme substrate for beta-galactosidase.

A derivative of D-luciferin, D-luciferin-O-beta-galactoside, was synthesized and used as highly sensitive substrate for beta-galactosidase. The substrate was physicochemically characterized. Enzymatic cleavage of the new compound by beta-galactosidase was demonstrated and kinetic constants Km, Vmax, kcat and kcat/Km have been determined. The compound has been proved to be a highly sensitive substrate for beta-galactosidase, permitting a limit of detection of 3.7 x 10(-19) mol of enzyme per assay.

Chemical Phenomena

Cerebral atrophy in Parkinson's disease--represented in CT.

To clarify the importance of brain atrophy in relation to the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, 173 patients were examined by computed tomography (CT). In 51.4% of the CT findings, brain atrophy was considered to be pathological. Statistically significant relations of age and sex were found with regard to the extent and localization of brain atrophy. Cortical atrophy also showed a significant dependence on duration of disease. Linear measurements at the lateral ventricles and the third ventricle lead us to assume that brain atrophy in Parkinson's patients is more prevalent than in normal patients within the scope of age involution.

Adult

The course of brain atrophy in Parkinson's disease.

In 110 parkinsonian patients (53 men, 57 woman) aged 38--81 years, computer-tomographic follow-up investigations were done to assess the development of brain atrophy. The control examinations were done after an average of 28 months. At that time an increase in brain atrophic changes of different localization could be observed in 23% of the patients. In addition, it could be demonstrated that the increase in pathologic CT findings is to be observed especially in patients with higher age, a more marked impairment in psycho-organic capacity, more pronounced handicaps in the fine-motorial performances at the beginning of the study. From the neuroradiological point of view, patients with more marked pathologic CT findings upon the first examination, be these ventricular enlargement and/or cortical atrophy, more often showed a progression of brain atrophy.

Adult

[Thrombangiitis obliterans: diagnosis and therapy in light of new immunological findings].

Thrombangiitis obliterans, a segmental, multilocal, inflammatory disease of the small and medium-sized arteries and veins, is characterized by the relatively juvenile onset of the disease, the peripheral localization of the arterial occlusions and by phlebitis saltans. Other diagnostic criteria are the absence of risk factors typical of atherosclerosis (except smoking), strictly localized occlusion on angiography, phasic clinical course, and exclusion of either collagen disease or essential thrombocytosis. A possible immunopathogenesis for the disease is increasingly favored. In our own study of 33 patients the complement factor C4 was increased in 54.6%, the antielastin antibodies were found at a titre of 1:8 in 57.1% and the immuncomplexes in 23.3%. In only 1 case was the histocompatibility antigen HLA B 12 absent. In view of these immunologic findings and also the fact that phlebitis saltans as a symptom of the disease can be suppressed by salicylates and corticosteroids, but not by anticoagulants, the following therapy is proposed: high doses of acetylsalicylic acid during the acute stage of the illness, or, if this regimen fails, a trial with corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents.

Adult

[Thallium 201 myocardial scintigraphy. Clinical use and value].

Thallium-201 exercise myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, a new, non-invasive screening method, serves to visualize stress-induced ischemic regions and scarred tissue. As compared to the exercise electrocardiogram, the method shows higher sensitivity and specificity in detecting coronary artery disease. Moreover, it makes it possible to localize the predominant defects. Even though myocardial scintigraphy cannot replace coronary arteriography in establishing the precise morphologic situation of the coronary arteries, it is of help in deciding whether an arteriogram should be carried out or not. Thus, important indications for myocardial stress scintigraphy are atypical chest pain and an abnormal electrocardiogram without pain. Furthermore, the method is useful for evaluating patients with uninterpretable electrocardiograms during exercise, and in assessing the outcome of coronary artery bypass surgery.

Coronary Artery Bypass

Immunological and reconstitution studies on the adenosine triphosphatase complex from Rhodospirillum rubrum.

Studies on restoration of membrane-bound adenosinetriphosphatase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) from Rhodospirillum rubrum show that the delta-subunit is capable of binding to the F1 factor or to the F0 moiety of the F0-F1 ATPase complex. This subunit is thus likely involved in linking the F0 and F1 factor. During solubilization of the oligomycin-sensitive F0-F1 ATPase complex with Triton X-100 the detergent becomes specifically associated with the lipophilic F0 part of the enzyme complex. Crossed immunoelectrophoresis, agglutination tests, and kinetic studies with anti-F1 ATPase antibodies reveal a reaction of immunological identity of membrane-bound ATPase, F0-F1 ATPase, and F1 ATPase.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

Cerebral atrophy and long-term response to levodopa in Parkinson's disease.

In 92 parkinsonian patients (42 men, 50 women) aged from 37-79 years (mean 62.8) the impact of cerebral atrophy as assessed by computed tomography on the course of the clinical symptomatology under levodopa during a period of 1 to 5 years was investigated. It could be shown that patients suffering from medium to severe degrees of atrophy-independent of its special location--have a less favorable response than those with normal CT findings. The data do not allow a definite decision whether cortical artrophy or ventricular enlargement are of major importance. At any rate, the width of the third ventricle seems to have no influence on the course of the clinical symptoms. After 3 years of levodopa treatment a dissociation between cerebral atrophy and therapeutic effectiveness can be observed.

Adult

The significance of cerebral atrophy for the symptomatology of Parkinson's disease.

Hitherto published results on the impact of brain atrophy on the neurological and psychopathological sympion of this problem without risk of complications. We investigated 173 parkinsonian patients (89 men, 84 women) aged 37--83 years. Besides CT in all patients a standardized neurological and psychopathological investigation was carried out, including psychological tests, intelligence, personality structure, fine motor performance and visual reaction times. The investigations revealed pronounced correlations between CT-findings and more severe clinical symptomatology and a corresponding impairment in daily activities in the levodopa-treated and particularly in the untreated group, above all when there was a combination of cortical atrophy and ventricular enlargement. The same was true for fine motor performance and simple and complex reaction times. These functions were more impaired in patients with brain atrophy, irrespective of its localisation, whether cortical atrophy or ventricular enlargement. In contrast, no statistically significant relationship between the different parameters of brain atrophy and intelligence could be found. Considering cortical atrophy as a specific sign in Parkinson's disease -- our results are in favour of this assumption -- and ventricular enlargement more related to increasing age, parkinsonism is influenced by extranigral lesions inherent in the disease and dependent on increasing age.

Adult

Circulatory pattern and duration of action of naloxone in dogs with and without opioid pretreatment.

We investigated the circulatory pattern of naloxone reversal after high-dose fentanyl infusion in dogs. Within 1 min there was a sudden decrease in total peripheral resistance with a concomitant increase in stroke volume index. All other parameters changed back in direction of pre-fentanyl values in various degrees with peak effects in about 3-7 min. The persistency of reversal was different for individual parameters, but 20 min after injection of naloxone almost all changes induced by antagonisation of narcotic activity had returned to pre naloxone levels. In a control series with animals not pretreated with opioid, naloxone was shown to have no specific pharmacologic action of its own.

Animals

Properties of the F0F1 ATPase complex from Rhodospirillum rubrum chromatophores, solubilized by Triton X-100.

1. A cold-stable oligomycin-sensitive F0F1 ATPase complex from chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum FR 1 was solubilized by Triton X-100 and purified by gel filtration. 2. The F0F1 complex is resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis into 14 polypeptides with approximate molecular weights in the range of 58000--6800; five of these polypeptides are derived from the F1 moiety of the complex which carries the catalytic centers of the enzyme. 3. The purified F0F1 complex is homogeneous according to analytical ultracentrifugation and isoelectric focusing. 4. The molecular weight as determined by gel filtration is about 480 000 +/- 30 000. S020,w is 1.45 +/- 0.1 S and the pI is 5.4. 5. The amino acid composition of the F0F1 complex is compared with the data obtained for the F1 moiety of the enzyme. 6. Quantitative data on the sensitivity to N,N'-dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide as well as kinetic parameters, regarding substrate specificity and dependence of ATPase activity on divalent cations, are reported.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

Translation and mRNA decay.

Degradation of messenger RNA from the lactose operon (lac mRNA) was measured during the inhibition of protein synthesis by chloramphenicol (CM) or of translation-initiation by kasugamycin (KAS). With increasing CM concentration mRNA decay becomes slower, but there is no direct proportionality between rates of chemical decay and polypeptide synthesis. During exponential growth lac mRNA is cleaved endonucleolytically (Blundell and Kennell, 1974). At a CM concentration which completely inhibits all polypeptide synthesis this cleavage is blocked. In contrast, if only the initiation of translation is blocked by addition of KAS, the cleavage rate as well as the rate of chemical decay are increased significantly without delay. These faster rates do not result from immediate degradation of the lengthening stretch of ribosome-free proximal message, since the full-length size is present and the same discrete message sizes are generated during inhibition. These results suggest that neither ribosomes nor translation play an active role in the degradative process. Rather, targets can be protected by the proximity of a ribosome, and without nearly ribosomes the probability of cleavage becomes very high. During normal growth there is a certain probability that any message is in such a vulnerable state, and the fraction of vulnerable molecules determines the inactivation rate of that species.

Aminoglycosides

[The influence of MIF (melanocyte-stimulating hormone-release inhibiting factor) on psychomotor function and mood in parkinsonian patients. Preliminary report (author's transl)].

In 12 parkinsonian patients aged from 40--76 years the L-dopa-potentiating effect of MIF was investigated using a doubleblind crossover design. MIF was given i.v. in a dose of 200 mg. The following psychological tests were carried out 4 times after the injection of MIF at hourly intervals: Purdue pegboard, Minnesota-Rate of manipulation test, 2-key-tapping, simple and complex reaction time and a state of well-being scale. The results revealed a marked effect on finger dexterity, drive and complex reaction time. That means MIF does not only lead to an improvement of psychomotor performance but also of cognitive functions. In contrast thereto the influence on the state of well-being was less impressive.

Adult