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Biomedical subjects

J Weissgarten

Publications and source records attributed to J Weissgarten.

86 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Levamisole circumvents inhibition of lymphocyte activation imposed by uremic serum.

Uremic serum inhibits thymidine incorporation of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes originating in normal individuals. In this study the effect of levamisole on such inhibition was investigated. Preincubation with a wide range of levamisole concentrations resulted in complete prevention of the inhibitory effect imposed by uremic serum on thymidine incorporation. We would like to suggest that uremic serum possibly inhibits thymidine incorporation of normal lymphocytes by imposing an abnormal cyclic GMP/cyclic AMP intracellular ratio, and that levamisole may restore this ratio to normal.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Symptomatic renal artery stenosis superimposed on chronic glomerulonephritis.

We present two patients with proved chronic glomerulonephritis who had severe refractory hypertension and chronic renal failure. In both patients normal-sized kidneys were demonstrated in addition to vascular bruits and Grade III hypertensive retinopathy. These findings raised the suspicion of an etiological condition other than chronic glomerulonephritis underlying the hypertension and renal failure. Renal angiography revealed bilateral severe renal artery stenosis. In both cases renal revascularization was followed by a drop in blood pressure to normal or near normal levels. In selected cases with severe hypertension and chronic renal failure, renal artery stenosis should be considered, despite the coexistence of chronic glomerulonephritis.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1985

Congenital afibrinogenemia: an unusual case.

We describe a congenitally afibrinogenemic young man who experienced massive spontaneous bleeding episodes at unusual sites, including the thigh muscles, lung and brain. Each of these life-threatening episodes raised theoretical and critical practical problems. A large local hematoma was responsible for an accelerated consumption of fibrinogen, which was relieved following evacuation. It is unusual for an afibrinogenemic patient to survive a number of potentially lethal bleeding episodes.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Biopsy proven evolution of post streptococcal glomerulonephritis to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis of a post infectious type.

A 15 year old boy with chronic impetigo was admitted with severe acute oliguric renal failure requiring temporary dialytic treatment. Renal biopsy revealed typical diffuse and proliferative glomerulonephritis of the poststreptococcal type. Subsequently high temperature developed with flank pains at the biopsy site, concomitantly with deterioration of renal function. On exploration, a sterile perirenal hematoma was found and a wedge renal biopsy revealed crescentic rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis of the post infectious type. Deterioration to end stage renal failure occurred within a few months. Although universally accepted, biopsy proven evolution from diffuse proliferative and exudative glomerulonephritis to crescentic form of post streptococcal glomerulonephritis has been rarely reported.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Breast mycobacterial infection in a haemodialysis patient.

Mycobacterial infection is relatively common among patients maintained on haemodialysis and may present in uncommon locations and acquire an unusual course. We present a patient in whom a breast mass was found to be caused by primary mycobacterial infection. This is to our knowledge the first report on breast mycobacterial infection in a haemodialysis patient.

Breast Diseases↗
PubMed1981

Effect of uremic serum on E-rosette formation of normal lymphocytes modulated by levamisole.

The number of E-rosette forming cells of lymphocytes from healthy subjects was determined under various experimental conditions. Sera from 16 chronic hemodialysis patients were incubated with lymphocytes from 16 matched normal subjects. The effect of levamisole on this combination was studied. Uremic serum markedly inhibited E-rosette formation of normal lymphocytes. Pretreatment with levamisole completely prevented this effect, whereas levamisole treatment following incubation with uremic serum resulted in a partial correction of the E-rosette formation. The hypothesis best fitting these results is that a factor present in uremic serum blocks sheep red cell receptors on normal lymphocytes; levamisole, having a greater affinity for these receptors, prevents or partially corrects the effect of the blockade.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Type II diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and zinc metabolism.

Zinc status was assessed in patients with type II diabetes mellitus and congestive heart failure (CHF). Three groups of patients were enrolled into the study: Group 1: 15 patients with type II diabetes mellitus and CHF; Group 2: 20 patients with isolated type II diabetes mellitus; and Group 3: nine patients with isolated CHF. Twenty-four-hour urine was measured for creatinine, protein, and zinc, and blood was drawn for creatinine, proteins, liver enzymes, hemoglobin A1c, and zinc. Insulin treatment and hemoglobin A1c were comparable in the diabetic patients of groups 1 and 2, but group 1 was also treated with captopril and diuretics like the CHF patients of group 3. Plasma zinc levels were statistically similar in all three groups, but urinary zinc excretion (mumol/24 h) and urinary zinc: creatinine (mumol/mmol) ratio were significantly higher in the type II diabetics and CHF group (27.2 +/- 1.5; 1.69 +/- 0.6, respectively) compared to the diabetic patients alone (19.4 +/- 0.76; 0.97 +/- 0.3, respectively) and the CHF patients (9.7 +/- 0.3; 0.62 +/- 0.3, respectively). and the CHF patients (9.7 +/- 0.3; 0.62 +/- 0.3, respectively). Patients with type II diabetes mellitus and CHF were treated with higher doses of captopril than the CHF patients (56.25 +/- 24 mg vs 18.8 +/- 11 mg P < 0.05). Thus, patients with type II diabetes mellitus and CHF excrete larger amounts of zinc, which may eventually lead to zinc deficiency.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacokinetics of intraperitoneal piperacillin/tazobactam in patients on peritoneal dialysis with and without pseudomonas peritonitis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetics of intraperitoneal (IP) administration of the antibiotic combination piperacillin/tazobactam (PIP/TAZ) to patients on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) with and without pseudomonas peritonitis. DESIGN: Open-labeled study. SETTING: The study was carried out in the CAPD unit of Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six patients participated in the study, 4 had pseudomonas peritonitis, all were given an IP loading dose of 4 g/0.5 g PIP/TAZ. Twenty-four hours after the initial dose, a maintenance dose of 0.5 g/0.0625 g PIP/TAZ was administered with each dialysate exchange for a period of 1 week. The patients without peritonitis received only the loading dose. High performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the concentrations of PIPITAZ in plasma obtained at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 360, 480, 600, 720, and 1440 minutes after administration. Samples of the dialysate fluid for determination of PIP/TAZ concentration were collected at 6,10,14, 24, and 72, 120, and 168 hours. RESULTS: After the loading dose, the highest plasma PIP concentration (Cmax) was 51.6 t 21.25 Lig/mL and appeared at 1.5 = 0.45 hours (t,,a). During the maintenance period plasma PIP concentration was 5.2 t 4.75 Lg/mL. Tazobactam was detected in the plasma of 1 patient only. The concentration of TAZ in the dialysate fluid during the maintenance period was 2.3 t 0.5 ig/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Piperacillin administered IP at 4 g reached plasma concentrations comparable to intravenous administration and considered therapeutic (above the MIC90 for Pseudomonas aeruginosa) in CAPD patients with or without peritonitis. The maintenance dose, however, should be augmented. Tazobactam could not be detected in the plasma of most patients and the therapeutic implications of IP administration of TAZ cannot be directly correlated to intravenous administration.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between renal mass and atrial natriuretic peptide release. 1. Paradoxical effect of unilateral nephrectomy on serum atrial natriuretic peptide in rats.

Serial serum atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) determinations were performed in 15 uninephrectomized Charles River rats and in 15 sham-operated control animals during the 60 days following surgery. In a second group of 7 control and 7 uninephrectomized animals, housed in metabolism cages, serum ANP, body weight, 24-hour urine volume, osmolality and sodium excretion were serially measured. In a third group of uninephrectomized and control rats the effect of acute salt loading 24 h, 6 and 60 days after surgery on serum ANP was studied. No significant changes in ANP levels were observed during the 60 days following surgery in control animals. In the uninephrectomized animals a sharp drop in basal ANP levels was evident 24 and 48 h after surgery, but increased levels of serum ANP were seen from day 6 to 28. Thereafter ANP returned to baseline levels for the rest of the study period. Urinary sodium excretion decreased in the nephrectomized animals on days 1 and 2 following surgery. No such change was seen in the control animals during the same period. Body weight, 24-hour urine volume and urine osmolality were not statistically different in the nephrectomized vs. control rats at any time and remained constant in each group throughout the experimental period. Central venous pressure (CVP) did not change significantly in both groups 24 h and 6 days following surgery. CVP rose similarly in both groups immediately following saline loading and returned to preload levels 1 h later.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between renal mass and atrial natriuretic peptide release. 2. Acute effects of various degrees of renal damage on atrial natriuretic peptide release in rats.

We studied basal serum atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels and the response to acute salt loading in rats with different grades of functional renal mass reduction. The six groups of rats studied included 2 controls, i.e. unoperated (n = 12) and sham-operated (n = 24) groups. Each of the 4 experimental groups (n = 24 in each) underwent one of the following procedures: bilateral nephrectomy; unilateral nephrectomy; bilateral ureteral ligation; unilateral ureteral ligation. Basal ANP was assessed in the intact controls and operated groups 4, 8, 16 and 24 h after surgery. In addition, ANP was determined in the sham-operated controls and in the experimental groups 1 h following acute intravenous saline loading performed 4 h after surgery with central venous pressure monitoring. Basal ANP dropped significantly following bilateral nephrectomy but was not significantly altered after unilateral nephrectomy or the two modalities of ureteral ligation. In all 4 experimental groups ANP failed to rise after saline loading. We conclude that substantial renal damage results in early impairment in ANP secretion suggesting the existence of a renal physiological stimulus controlling ANP release by cardiac atria.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nephrectomy enhances interleukin 6 secretion by interleukin 1-stimulated mesangial cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Kidney mesangial cells are capable of producing and responding to interleukin 6 (IL-6) . In experimental glomerulonephritis mesangial cell proliferation correlates with increased IL-6 production. To investigate the involvement of IL-6 in post-nephrectomy compensatory hypertrophy, we studied the capacity of mesangial cells from single remaining kidneys to secrete IL-6 in culture. METHODS: Mesangial cells were obtained from uni-nephrectomized or sham-nephrectomized Charles River rats. Cell cultures were maintained for 8 days in DMEM/FI2HAM medium supplemented with IL-1 of interferon (IFN). IL6 production was measured using an IL-6-dependent B9 human hybridoma cell line. RESULTS: IL-6 production by mesangial cells from normal kidneys was significantly enhanced by IL-1, compared to unstimulated cells (p<0.01), and the increase was significantly greater in mesangial cells from a single remaining kidney (p<0.01). All cultures grown in control medium or with addition of IFN produced similar amounts of IL-6. CONCLUSION: Mesangial cells from single remaining kidneys in culture maintain an exaggerated capacity to produce IL-6 in response to IL-1. IL-6 was reported to enhance or inhibit mesangial cell proliferation in vitro. We suggest that the local over production of IL-6 by a single remaining kidney may play a role in regulating a sequence of physiological events in compensatory renal growth, initially stimulating mesangial cell proliferation and later blunting the process.

Animals↗