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Biomedical subjects

K Brandt

Publications and source records attributed to K Brandt.

87 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Hyaluronate-binding by proteoglycans. Comparison of mildly and severely osteoarthritic regions of human femoral cartilage.

The ability of proteoglycans from hip cartilage of a patient with osteoarthritis to bind hyaluronic acid was examined. Proteoglycans from areas showing severe morphologic changes of the disease showed no interaction with hyaluronic acid in vitro. Moreover, fractions which normally contain aggregated proteoglycans were no larger in hydrodynamic size than disaggregated proteoglycans, suggesting that the proteoglycans from these regions were not aggregated in vivo. Proteoglycans from less extensively diseased areas, in contrast, underwent aggregation in vitro and appeared to have been aggregated by tissue hyaluronic acid in vivo. The results suggest that the progressive morphologic changes of osteorthritis are associated with progressive defects in proteoglycan aggregation due, at least in part, to impaired ability of the proteoglycans to interact with hyaluronic acid.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Effects of aspartame in young persons during weight reduction.

Given the potential use of a low-calorie sweetener during weight reduction, a toxicity study of chronic aspartame ingestion was conducted. Particular attention was given to possible long-term effects of aspartame on the fuel hormonal alterations characteristically caused by weight reduction. As a group mean age was 19.3 yr, body weight was 164.6 lb, and mean height was 65.4 in. Subjects were an average of 33% in excess of ideal body weight. The aspartame dose was 2.7 g/day and was compared on a double-blind randomized basis with a lactose placebo. Both materials were given in gelatin capsules. An average of 6.9 +/- 1.5 lb was lost by the aspartame group during the 13-wk study on a calculated 1,000-calorie diet. The placebo group lost 4.5 +/- 1.2 lb (no significant difference between the two groups). After an overnight fast, reductions in glucose and immunoreactive insulin were seen in both groups, while rising trends in immunoreactive glucagon were observed. These changes are all characteristic of calorie restriction. In no instance was there a detectable effect of the ingested aspartame. No meaningful effect of weight reduction or aspartame was seen on plasma triglyceride and cholesterol, nor on any other parameter of hematologic, hepatic, or renal function that was measured. Similarly, side effects were equally distributed between asparatame and placebo.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of diphosphonates on glycosaminoglycan synthesis and proteoglycan aggregation in normal adult articular cartilage.

The effects of disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate (EHDP) and disodium dichloromethylene diphosphonate (Cl2MDP) on glycosaminoglycan synthesis and macromolecular organization of proteoglycans have been examined in normal adult canine cartilage. One to 500 micron of either compound produced reversible inhibition of glycosaminoglycan synthesis to about 70% of control levels, whereas lower concentrations had no effect. Based on Sephadex G-200 chromatography, the average hydrodynamic size of glycosaminoglycans in diphosphonate-treated cartilage was similar to that of those in control cartilage. In most cases proteoglycan aggregates from diphosphonate-treated cartilage were smaller in hydrodynamic size than those from control cartilage, as judged by Sepharose 2B elution profiles. The size of purified proteoglycan subunits, obtained after dissociation of the aggregates with 4 M guanidinium chloride or after incubation of the aggregates with hyaluronic acid beta1 leads to 3 hydrolase, was not affected by the diphosphonates. Furthermore, proteoglycans from diphosphonate-treated cartilage did not interact in vitro with hyaluronic acid, suggesting that diminished proteoglycan aggregation may have resulted from an abnormality in the hyaluronate-binding region of the proteoglycan core protein.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antimicrobial therapy of febrile children with malignancies and possible sepsis.

A prospective study of 100 pediatric patients (2 months to 17 years of age) who had malignancies and fever was conducted. Gentamicin or netilmicin and a beta-lactam antibiotic were administered as initial empiric treatment. Before therapy profound granulocytopenia (fewer than 500 polymorphonuclear leukocytes/microliter) was present in 66% of children and persisted to the end of therapy in 42% of children. Of the 40 children with microbiologically documented infections, 38 (95%) responded to therapy. The aminoglycoside dosing regimen of 2 mg/kg/dose intravenously over 60 minutes every 6 hours produced antibiotic concentrations in serum of 5.8 +/- 0.3 microgram/ml at the end of the infusion in the netilmicin group and 1.5 +/- 0.1 microgram/ml 6 hours after the infusion and of 6.2 +/- 0.2 and 0.9 +/- 0.1 microgram/ml for the two time periods in the gentamicin group. The serum half-lives, volumes of distribution and the total body clearance rates were comparable for netilmicin and gentamicin. No accumulation of netilmicin or gentamicin was noted. Seven patients had renal compromise, five before institution of antibiotic therapy and two while on therapy. Four episodes of ototoxicity were not related to antibiotic therapy. Superinfection occurred in five children. The combination of either gentamicin or netilmicin with a beta-lactam antibiotic produced excellent results for episodes of fever in neutropenic children with cancer. In children with severe underlying disease and/or granulocytopenia, antibiotic combinations have achieved an optimal efficacy. Future emphasis should be placed on prevention, immunoregulation and nonbacterial pathogens.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Enteral feeding contamination: comparison of diluents and feeding bag usage.

This quasi-experimental study compared bacterial growth in enteral feeding solution in six Kangaroo feeding bags filled with enteral formula diluted with sterile water vs six of the same diluted with tap water. Feeding bags, which were on continuous pumps in patient-occupied rooms, were rinsed and refilled every 8 hours, and formula cultures were obtained at 0, 24, and 48 hr. Acceptability of cultures was based on published recommended standards. Low levels of nonpathogenic staphylococci were found in sterile water bags; high levels of bacilli and Gram negative rods were found in tap water bags. No significant differences were found in the relationship between type of formula diluent and outcomes. Type of water diluent and acceptability were not related. There was a systematic relationship between length of use and outcome; with both diluents, bags used over 24 hr became unacceptably contaminated. Further study with a larger sample is needed to determine the effects of using tap water rather than sterile water as diluent.

Bacteria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The physician-hospice partnership: expanding opportunities to improve end-of-life care.

People living with a life-limiting illness require expert medical care to control often debilitating symptoms. Beyond physical care issues, people at the end of life also need emotional and spiritual support for themselves and their loved ones. Hospices offer a range of services via an interdisciplinary team to meet the specialized needs of people at the end of life. This article will explore the physician-hospice partnership and the benefits to patients, family caregivers, and physicians when hospice care is accessed early in the dying process. Benefits of interdisciplinary, patient/family-directed care will be discussed. The range of palliative services being offered by many hospices will also be presented as a mechanism to increase access to end-of-life services for patients and family caregivers.

Health Care Costs↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of various combinations of DL-alpha-tocopherol and acetylsalicylic acid on adjuvant arthritis in the rat].

The influence of per os application of different combinations of DL-alpha-tocopherol (TOC) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASS) on adjuvant-induced arthritis was tested in male Wistar rats (body weight 227 +/- 18 g; 8 groups, n = 8). One group (control) was without adjuvans arthritis and received no treatment, another group was also not treated in spite of adjuvans arthritis. Further, six groups of adjuvans arthritis were treated with the following combinations: ASS/TOC (mg/kg BW/d each) 250/-, 250/250, 167/250, 83/250, 167/167 and 167/83. During the course of the experiment (21 d), body weights, food intake, and the swelling of injected and noninjected paws, and (at the end of the test period) relative weight of spleen and the albumin-globulin-ratio in plasma were recorded. With the ASS/TOC combination of 250 mg/kg BW each, the highest antiinflammatory effect could be reached, as compared with all treated groups. The reduction of acetylsalicylic acid does by one-third to 167 mg/kg BW in combination with 250 mg DL-alpha-tocopherol/kg BW seem to have the same antiphlogistic effect as acetylsalicylic acid alone at 250 mg/kg BW. This positive effect could be confirmed by the partially normalized relative spleen weight and albumin-globulin-ratio. The results allow the conclusion: --main antiphologistic effect of the combination is due to acetylsalicylic acid; --when combined with 250 mg DL-alpha-tocopherol/kg BW acetylsalicylic acid dosage can be reduced by one-third to 167 mg/kg BW and still have the same effect as ASS alone (250 mg/kg BW); --further reductions of ASS and/or DL-alpha-tocopherol dosage minimize the antiinflammatory effect.

Animals↗