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Biomedical subjects

H Wiener

Publications and source records attributed to H Wiener.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Environment and inheritance: opposing forces?

High risk of schizophrenia requires high genetic predisposition to develop schizophrenia, plus an environmental trigger. A schizophrenic family environment is commonly believed to represent this trigger. The hypothesis is presented here that, on the contrary, a high predisposition to schizophrenia in significant others protects against overt illness. The trigger may be the predominance around the index individual of significant others with low predisposition to develop schizophrenia.

Female

Pharmacological properties of taglutimide, a new sedative-hypnotic drug.

2-[Bicyclo(2,2,1)heptane-2-endo-3-endo-dicarboximido]-glutarimide (taglutimide, K-2004) proved to be a new sedative-hypnotic drug which did not produce any toxic effects when administered orally to mice even at a very high dosage. Central-nervous depression was demonstrated by a reduction in spontaneous motor activity, potentiation of the central-depressant effect of pentobarbital, antagonism of the central-stimulant effect of amphetamine after oral administration and by narcotic activity after i.v. administration of the drug. Furthermore, oral administration of taglutimide potentiated the analgesic action of morphine without being effective on its own. Only weak potentiation of chlorpromazine-induced catalepsy, but not of reserpine-induced catalepsy was observed after taglutimide pretreatment. The drug influenced neither motor co-ordination nor the toxicity of ethanol. Taglutimide exhibited no anticonvulsant activity with respect to maximum electroshock or strychnine-induced seizures. No effect on heart rate or blood pressure was demonstrable after taglutimide treatment in conscious dogs.

Animals

Plasma level of the prodrug midodrine and its active metabolite in comparison with the alpha-mimetic action in dogs.

Midodrine, i.v. or orally administered, causes a prolonged elevation of blood pressure and a reduction in heart rate. These cardiovascular changes are not correlated to the plasma levels of the intact drug. On administration of either midodrine or its metabolite, ST-1059, formed by cleavage of the glycine residue, the elevation of blood pressure and the reduction in heart rate were significantly correlated to the plasma level of ST-1059. The results are in agreement with the assumption that the pressor activity of midodrine is mainly exerted by its metabolite ST-1059.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists

Specific increase in polyamine levels in chick embryo cells transformed by Rous sarcoma virus.

Chick embryo fibroblasts and chorioallantoic membranes of chick embryos infected with oncogenic or nononcogenic viruses were analyzed for polyamines. Nononcogenic viruses (influenze, Newcastle disease, or vaccinia virus) had no effect on the polyamine content of chorioallantoic membranes. Transformation of chorioallantoic membranes by a wild-type or temperature-sensitive mutant strain of Rous sarcoma virus under permissive conditions (37 degrees) caused a 2- to 4-fold increase in cellular spermidine and putrescine content. Only putrescine accumulated in chick embryo fibroblasts transformed by Rous sarcoma virus at 37 degrees. At the nonpermissive temperature (42 degrees), the temperature-sensitive mutant, unlike the wild-type strain, did not alter cellular morphology or polyamine content.

Allantois