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Biomedical subjects

H R Ochs

Publications and source records attributed to H R Ochs.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Reduced quinidine clearance in elderly persons.

The influence of age on quinidine pharmacokinetics was assessed in 22 healthy male and female volunteers; 14 of the subjects were young (aged 23 to 34 years) and 8 elderly (aged 60 to 69 years). All subjects received 180 to 300 mg of quinidine base by constant rate intravenous infusion over 10 to 15 minutes. The concentration of total and unbound quinidine in multiple serum samples and in urine collected within 48 hours after the administration of quinidine qas determined with spectrophotofluorometric assay. Mean kinetic values for total quinidine in the young subjects were: elimination half-life (t 1/2 beta), 7.3 hours; total volume of distribution (Vd), 2.39 liters/kg; total clearance, 4.04 ml/min per kg; renal clearance 1.43 ml/min per kg; and percent unbound, 24.6 In the elderly subjects, the values for Vd (2.18 liters/kg) and percent unbound (28.2) did not differ significantly from these values in the young subjects. However, in the elderly subjects t 1/2 beta was significantly longer (9.7 hours, P less than 0.05) and total quinidine clearance significantly less (2.64 ml/min per kg, P less than 0.005) than in the young subjects. Renal clearance of quinidine in the elderly was also significantly less (0.99 ml/min per kg, P less than 0.05) than in the young and was associated with lower rates of creatinine clearance in the elderly (r = 0.66). Reduced clearance of quinidine and prolongation of its elimination half-life could predispose to toxicity in the elderly unless the dose were appropriately adjusted.

Adult↗

[The clinical significance of plasma glycoside concentrations in patients with cardiac pacemakers (author's transl)].

308 digitalized out-patients with artificial cardiac pacemakers were explored for signs of glycoside toxicity with simultaneous determination of digoxin plasma levels 12 hours after the last dose. The incidence of different side effects commonly attributed to overdigitalization did not allow prediction of toxic plasma levels. 55% of all glycoside levels were within the therapeutic range, 34% were below 0.7 ng/ml and only 11% above 2.0 ng/ml. With the most commonly prescribed maintenance doses of the glycosides used (digoxin 0.5 mg, beta-acetyldigoxin 0.4 mg, beta-methyldigoxin 0.2 mg, lanatosid C 1.0 mg) therapeutic plasma levels were reached regularly in 60-65% of the patients. A significant correlation existed between plasma glycoside concentrations and renal function as well as age, but glycoside concentrations could not be correlated with the age of the patients. There were no indications for interactions of the different glycosides prescribed with diuretics or oral antidiabetics.

Adult↗

Reversal of advanced digitoxin toxicity and modification of pharmacokinetics by specific antibodies and Fab fragments.

The effects of Fab fragments of high-affinity specific antibodies have been studied in a canine experimental model of lethal digitoxin toxicity. Selected antiserum from sheep immunized and boosted with a digoxin-serum albumin conjugate contained antibodies that cross-reacted with digitoxin with an average intrinsic association constant of 1.4 x 10(10) M(-1) as determined by equilibrium dialysis. Rapid second-order association kinetics (k(f) = 3.7 x 10(6) M(-1) per s) and slow dissociation kinetics (k(r) = 1.9 x 10(-4) per s) were documented for the antibody-digitoxin complex. Eight dogs given 0.5 mg/kg digitoxin intravenously developed ventricular tachycardia after 23+/-4 (SEM) min. Control nonspecific Fab fragments were then given. All animals died an average of 101+/-36 min after digitoxin administration. Another eight dogs given the same digitoxin dose similarly developed ventricular tachycardia after 28+/-3 min. This group then received a molar equivalent dose of specific Fab fragments intravenously over 3 min, followed by a 30-min infusion of one-third of the initial dose. All dogs survived. Conducted sinus beats reappeared 18+/-4 min after initial Fab infusion, and stable normal sinus rhythm was present at 54+/-16 min. Plasma total digitoxin concentrations increased threefold during the hour after initial Fab infusion, while plasma free digitoxin concentration decreased to less than 0.1 ng/ml. Effects on digitoxin pharmacokinetics of these Fab fragments and the antibody population from which they were derived were further investigated in a primate species. Unlike common laboratory animals previously studied, the rhesus monkey was found to have a prolonged elimination half-life, estimated at 135 and 118 h by radioimmunoassay and [(3)H]digitoxin measurements, respectively, similar to man and thus providing a clinically relevant experimental model. Intravenous administration of 2 mol of specific Fab fragments per mole of digitoxin 6 h after 0.2 mg of digitoxin produced a rapid 4.3-fold increase in plasma total digitoxin concentration followed by a rapid fall (t((1/2)) 4 h) accompanied by a 14-fold enhancement of urinary digitoxin excretion over control values during the 6-h period after Fab was given. Analytical studies were consistent with increased excretion of native digitoxin rather than metabolites, and the glycoside was found in equilibrium dialysis studies to be excreted in the urine in Fab-bound form. Administration of 2 mol of specific antibody binding sites per mole of digitoxin as intact IgG caused a greater and more prolonged increase in plasma total digitoxin concentration, peaking 13-fold above control levels. In contrast to the effects of Fab, however, specific IgG reduced the rate of urinary digitoxin excretion substantially below control values. We conclude that Fab fragments of antibodies with high affinity for digitoxin are capable of rapid reversal of advanced, otherwise lethal digitoxin toxicity, and are capable of reducing the plasma half-life and accelerating urinary excretion of digitoxin.

Animals↗

[Relation between the degree of coronary artery sclerosis and collateral vessel formation (author's transl)].

A numerical index was developed for reproducible and comparative judgement of the degree of coronary sclerosis. This graded index method takes into account the amount of stenosis as well as its distance from the ostium. 152 selective coronary angiograms were evaluated by this method. There was a close correlation between the degree of sclerosis and collaterals; the index of 63 patients with collaterals was 3.5 times that of patients without collaterals. Anastomoses and collaterals showed typical localisations depending on the antomical position of stenoses. For the evaluation of the clinical importance of collaterals, a classification into one, two and three vessel disease is not adequate; the reduction in perfusion cannot be reliably estimated and should be judged by a more detailed index method.

Angiography↗

Evaluation of the hypothalamic-pituitary effects of digoxin.

Normally menstruating young female volunteers with no evidence of cardiovascular disease participated in a controlled study of digoxin effects on serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and prolactin levels in the basal state and after stimulation with thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). In the first study, subjects received oral digoxin, 0.5 mg daily, or matching placebo, on days 10 through 22 of a menstrual cycle, then crossed over to placebo or digoxin for days 10 through 22 of the next cycle. Basal serum TSH and prolactin on days 7 through 9 and 20 through 22 did not differ significantly between placebo and digoxin cycles. Levels of both hormones rose after a 200-micrograms intravenous dose of TRH given on days 8 and 21, but the response to TRH did not differ between placebo and digoxin cycles. In the second study, subjects received 0.5 mg intravenous digoxin daily for days 7 through 21 of a menstrual cycle. Basal serum TRH and prolactin did not change significantly in response to digoxin. The findings suggest that hormonal changes associated with digoxin therapy, if they exist, are more likely to reflect direct effects on the target organ rather than indirect effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.

Administration, Oral↗

Tissue distribution of diazepam and its metabolite desmethyldiazepam: a human autopsy study.

Concentrations of diazepam (DZ) and desmethyldiazepam (DMDZ) were determined quantitatively in the brain, skeletal muscle, heart, liver, lung, fat, adrenal gland, and kidney in 14 autopsied patients who had been treated with DZ or clorazepate (a DMDZ prodrug) during their hospital course. To facilitate interpatient comparisons, all tissue concentrations from the same patient were normalized as ratios to the concentration of DZ or DMDZ found in that patient's skeletal muscle. Tissue uptake ratios were not influenced by gender or chronicity of dosage. Distribution equilibrium was reached in at least two hours. Tissue uptake ratios differed considerably among tissues for DZ and DMDZ. Mean (+/- SE) DZ uptake ratio was highest for adrenal gland (12.1 +/- 5.9), liver (5.9 +/- 1.9), heart (4.3 +/- 1.0), and kidney (4.0 +/- 1.0), with lower values for lung (2.1 +/- 0.5), fat (2.2 +/- 0.4), and brain (1.9 +/- 0.4). Similar patterns were observed for DMDZ, except for significantly lower fat uptake. Extrapolating to an average body composition for a 70 kg man with 16% body fat, the largest fractions of total body stores of DZ would be found in muscle (42%), fat (35%), and liver (12%), with smaller stores in brain (4.3%), lung (3.3%), heart (1.7%), kidney (2.0%), and adrenal gland (0.24%).

Absorption↗

Quantitation of flurazepam and three metabolites by electron capture gas liquid chromatography.

Flurazepam and three of its metabolic products (desalkyl, hydroxyethyl, and aldehyde metabolites) can be simultaneously quantitated without derivatization by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. After addition of a suitable internal standard, unknown biological samples and calibration standards are extracted at neutral pH into benzene/isoamyl alcohol. The reconstituted extract is chromatographed at 275 degrees C with a 10% OV-101 liquid phase, which allows resolution of all 5 compounds. In some cases a 1% OV-225 liquid phase is used for quantitation of hydroxyethylflurazepam. The method is sufficiently sensitive and reproducible for use in clinical and experimental pharmacokinetic studies.

Adult↗

Metoprolol or propranolol does not alter the kinetics of procainamide.

Eight healthy volunteers received a single 500 mg intravenous dose of procainamide hydrochloride by 30-min infusion on three occasions in random sequence. The three modes of administration were (a) control, without concurrent drugs; (b) during coadministration of propranolol, 80 mg three times daily; and (c) during coadministration of metoprolol, 100 mg two times daily. Procainamide kinetics were determined from multiple serum concentrations measured by enzyme-multiplied immunoassay (EMIT) during 10 h after each dose. A metaproterenol infusion study verified a high degree of beta-blockade during trials 2 and 3. Mean procainamide half-life during the three trials (1.9, 2.2, and 2.3 h, respectively) tended to show prolongation during beta-blocker treatment, but the overall difference was of borderline significance (0.05 less than p less than 0.1). Total procainamide clearance (16.2, 14.1, and 13.7 ml/min/kg) did not differ significantly between the three trials, nor was there a significant change in area under the serum concentration curve for N-acetylprocainamide, the major metabolite. Thus the kinetics of procainamide in healthy persons are not importantly altered by typical therapeutic doses of two beta-adrenergic blockers.

Adult↗

Reduced distribution and clearance of acetaminophen in patients with congestive heart failure.

Acetaminophen is a widely prescribed analgesic/antipyretic metabolized by hepatic glucuronide and sulfate conjugation. Twelve patients, 30-66 years of age, with stable Class III or IV congestive heart failure (CHF) and 12 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and weight received single 650-mg intravenous doses of acetaminophen. Pharmacokinetic variables were determined from multiple plasma acetaminophen concentrations measured by liquid chromatography during 12 h after the dose. Compared with controls, mean total clearance of acetaminophen was reduced in CHF patients (3.56 vs. 4.59 ml/min/kg, p less than 0.025), indicating reduced biotransformation capacity in this disease. Volume of distribution was also significantly reduced in CHF patients (0.85 vs. 1.02 L/kg, p less than 0.05). Since elimination half-life depends on both volume of distribution and clearance (both of which were reduced), the half-life was similar between groups (2.87 vs. 2.34 h, NS). Thus, hepatic conjugation of acetaminophen is impaired in CHF. The finding may also apply to other drugs biotransformed by conjugation.

Acetaminophen↗

Effect of ketanserin on the kinetics of digoxin and digitoxin.

The influence of the serotonin antagonist ketanserin on the kinetics of digoxin and digitoxin were evaluated in healthy volunteers. Subjects received a single intravenous dose of digoxin (1.25 mg) or of digitoxin (1.0 mg) on two occasions: once in the control state, and again during treatment with ketanserin, 40 mg twice daily. Ketanserin caused a prolongation of digoxin elimination half-life (50 versus 40 h) and reduction in clearance (2.4 versus 3.7 ml/min/kg), but differences were not significant. For digitoxin, ketanserin caused a small but significant (p less than 0.005) increase in volume of distribution (0.89 versus 0.78 L/kg), but no significant effect on half-life (7.0 versus 6.8 days), or clearance (0.063 versus 0.059 ml/min/kg). Thus, ketanserin coadministration is not likely to alter steady-state concentrations of digoxin or digitoxin during clinical use of these two digitalis glycosides.

Adult↗