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Biomedical subjects

F S Messiha

Publications and source records attributed to F S Messiha.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Comparison of lithium and haloperidol therapy in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.

Three patients suffering from Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome were initially treated with haloperidol. Depressive side effects and symptom breakthrough necessitated the search for another agent. The efficacy of lithium carbonate in treating stereotyped hyperkinetic behavior (such as is seen in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome) prompted the evaluation of lithium carbonate. An objective behavioral observation technique, clinical ratings and the patient's subjective reports were used to systematically record the response to treatment during the entire course of the study. Initially blood plasma Li+ levels in the 0.5 to 0.6 mEq/L range were obtained and these correlated with reduced frequency, as well as intensity, of involuntary motor acts (tics) and sounds. When the Li+ blood levels had stabilized at 0.8 to 0.9 mEq/L the major tics and involuntary sounds cleared dramatically. The patients experienced no side effects and have been followed for several months without recurrence of the original symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Possible mechanism of adverse reaction following levodopa plus benserazide treatment.

1 Rats treated for seven days with seryl-trihydroxybenzylhydrazine (benserazide), and inhibitor of peripheral aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (500 mg/kg, daily, i.p.) alone or in combination with L-DOPA methylester (500 mg/kg, daily, i.p.) for seven days showed a moderate but significant decrease of liver aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), without accompanying change in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, compared with saline-treated controls. 2 Administration of L-DOPA methylester (500 mg/kg, daily, i.p.) alone for seven days had little effect on liver ADH or ALDH. 3. The combined treatment might be conducive to the in vivo formation of L-DOPA-derived tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives which might be implicated in L-DOPA produced adverse effects.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1977

Voluntary ethanol drinking by the RAT: effects of 2-aminoethylisothiouronium Salt, a modifier of NAD:NADH and norelegnine, a beta-carboline derivative.

Voluntary intake of ethanol solution (ETOH) was decreased in rats administered 2-aminoethylisothiouronium bromide hydrobromide (AET), an agent reported to alter NAD:NADH ratios in rat liver. Repeated administration of same dose of AET to ETOH-naive rats produced a significant inhibition of liver aldehyde dehydrogenase. Ethanol intake was decreased in rats given noreleagnine (NLG), a beta-carbone derivative reported to inhibit monoamine oxidase. Repeated administration of NLG exerted a significant inhibitory effect on liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity. It is concluded that the observed reduction of ethanol under AET which inhibits liver aldehyde dehydrogenase may reflect an antabuse-like reaction and the reduction of ethanol intake under NLG may be due, in part, to a build-up of alcohol in the blood and brain through inhibition of ethanol metabolism. The results are discussed in reference to the possible mechanism of action underlying voluntary intake of ethanol in rats, implicating alteration of NAD:NADH ratios in the biochemical processes underlying alcohol intake of rats.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1976

Alkali metal ions and ethanol narcosis in mice.

The effect of an equimolar dose of LiCl, RbCl or CsCl on the depressant action of ethanol (ETOH) was studied as a function of duration of ETOH-mediated narcosis in mice. The alkali metal ions were administered acutely or semi-chronically prior to the administration of a narcotic dose of ETOH. Semi-chronic treatment with RbCl or CsCl resulted in decreased duration of ETOH-mediated narcosis, which was persistent for 5 days after discontinued administration of RbCl and CsCl. Conversely, a prolongation of ETOH-produced narcosis in Li-treated mice occured only when ETOH was shortly administered after sub-chronic regiments of LiCl. Semi-chronic treatment with an equimolar dose of LiCl, RbCl or CsCl produced little changes in the specific activities of liver alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase. It is concluded that both Rb+ and Cs+ possess antidepressant properties and might be useful agents in negating the depressant action of ETOH and/or some of its toxic manifestations.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1976

A study of endogenous dopamine metabolism in Gilles de la Tourette's disease.

This longitudinal, blind study of Gilles de la Tourette's disease in a 44 year old male patient who was nonresponsive to Haloperidol therapy indicates that dopamine excretion is related to clinical response. An increased urinary excretion of dopamine and some of its metabolites was associated with the failure of Haloperidol therapy. Imipramine, administered to treat the patients' depressive mood that emerged in the course of treatment, decreased the urinary excretion of dopamine and moderately alleviated the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome. The results suggest that monitering urinary dopamine and 3-methoxytyramine excretion in Tourette's disease may predict the clinical response to pharmacotherapy, and that a dopaminergic mechanism may be associated with this type of motor hyperkinesia.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1976

Distribution and retention of exogenously administered alkali metal ions in the mouse brain.

A pharmacokinetic study of the distribution and retention profiles of Li+, Rb+ and Cs+ in the brain and blood was performed in male mice given single (acute) or repeated (semi-chronic) injections of the respective chloride salt solutions. The concentration of Li+ in whole brain and in cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus, diencephalon, brain stem and cerebellum were similar after acute and semichronic LiCl treatment. In contrast, semi-chronic RbCl and CsCl treatment resulted in greater accumulation of Rb+ and Cs+ in brain compared to the levels obtained after acute administration. The Li+ concentration in brain declined to negligible amounts at 48 hr after termination of acute or semi-chronic LiCl administration, while the Rb+ and Cs+ concentration in the brain remained elevated for up to 6 days after termination of semi-chronic treatment. Differences in the distribution and retention patterns of Li+, Rb+ and Cs+ also were observed in the brain regions examined. In the blood, the concentration of Li+ reached a peak soon after LiCl administration and then progressively declined while Rb+ and Cs+ concentrations showed a biphasic course with the highest levels obtained 48 hr after administration of the salt solutions. It is suggested that the differences observed in the pharmacokinetics of Li+ compared to Rb+ and Cs+ in the brain might be related to their duration of actions.

Animals↗