PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M J Schuster

Publications and source records attributed to M J Schuster.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

[Complications of liver cirrhosis: portal hypertension, gastroesophageal varices and ascites].

Patients with cirrhosis of the liver are at high risk of a large variety of complications. Especially the development of portal hypertension, followed by gastroesophageal varicosis and ascites are potentially life threatening problems. In the treatment of gastroesophageal varicosis primary prophylaxis to prevent a first bleeding episode, acute therapy for bleeding varices, and secondary prophylaxis to prevent patients from rebleeding have to be considered. While treating patients with ascites the high frequency of side effects induced by diuretics has to be taken into account. In addition, the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis must not be missed. Hepatorenal syndrome, a typical complication of advanced cirrhosis is especially difficult to treat and is considered an indication for liver transplantation.

Adult↗

[Helicobacter pylori. Update 2002].

Helicobacter pylori infection has been recognized as the most important pathogenetic principal of peptic ulcer disease, atrophic gastritis, gastric adenocarcinoma and MALT lymphoma. At the moment efforts are made to clarify it's role in functional dyspepsia, and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. The complex interactions between H. pylori infection and NSAIDs is another field of ongoing research. Diagnosis and eradication therapy are standardized. Established indications are peptic ulcer disease, low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma, early gastric cancer treated by mucosal resection and partial gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Atrophic gastritis, known to be a precancerous lesion, as well as first degree relatives of patients with gastric cancer is another widely accepted indication for eradication therapy. The recommended eradication regimens combine a proton pump inhibitor with clarithromycin and either amoxicillin or metronidazole--for a week.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Dopamine receptor modulation of noradrenaline release by carmoxirole in human cortical kidney slices.

The effect of the dopamine D2-receptor agonist carmoxirole on noradrenaline release was investigated in human and rat cortical kidney slices. After preincubation with 3H-noradrenaline, the slices were electrically stimulated at 5 Hz in superfusion chambers, and the stimulation-induced (S-I) outflow of radioactivity was taken as the index of noradrenaline release. In human but not in rat cortical kidney slices, carmoxirole (0.03 microM) inhibited the S-I outflow of radioactivity. Carmoxirole (0.3 microM) also failed to inhibit the S-I outflow of radioactivity from human kidney slices. When alpha-adrenoceptors were blocked by the non-selective alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine (1 microM), carmoxirole (0.03 microM, 0.3 microM) inhibited S-I outflow to a similar extent. The inhibitory effect of carmoxirole (0.03 microM) was prevented by the D2-receptor antagonist (-)-sulpiride (10 microM) but not by the D1-receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (1 microM) in human kidney slices. Phentolamine (1 microM) by itself induced a five-fold greater enhancement of the S-I outflow of radioactivity in rat than in human cortical kidney slices. The data suggest that activation of prejunctional D2-receptors by carmoxirole inhibits noradrenaline release from human renal sympathetic nerves. Carmoxirole in higher concentrations (0.3 microM) blocks inhibitory prejunctional alpha-autoreceptors, which seems to mask the inhibitory D2-receptor mediated effect. The different effects of phentolamine and carmoxirole in human and rat kidney may indicate a difference of the prejunctional alpha-autoreceptor mechanism in the two species.

Animals↗

Dopamine DA2-receptor activation inhibits noradrenaline release in human kidney slices.

Dopamine receptor modulation of noradrenaline release from renal sympathetic nerves was investigated. Human kidney slices were incubated with 3H-noradrenaline, placed into superfusion chambers between two platinum electrodes and field-stimulated at 5 Hz. The slices accumulated radioactivity. Pretreatment of the kidney slices with 6-hydroxy-dopamine (1.2 mM) prior to the 3H-noradrenaline incubation reduced the accumulation of radioactivity. The stimulation induced (S-I) outflow of radioactivity was mainly composed of intact 3H-noradrenaline. The sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (1 microM), 6-hydroxy-dopamine pretreatment and omission of calcium from the superfusion solution abolished S-I outflow of radioactivity. The DA1-receptor agonist fenoldopam (SKF 82526; 0.01 and 0.1 microM) did not alter but fenoldopam (1 microM) increased S-I outflow of radioactivity. However, in the presence of either the non-selective alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine (1 microM) or the selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan (1 microM) fenoldopam (1 microM) had no effect. The DA2-receptor agonist quinpirole (LY 171555; 1 microM) inhibited S-I outflow of radioactivity, an effect blocked by the selective DA2-receptor antagonists S(-)-sulpiride (10 microM) and domperidone (0.3 microM) but unaltered either by the DA1-receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (1 microM) or by phentolamine (1 microM). The alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist UK 14304 (0.1 microM) inhibited S-I outflow of radioactivity, and this effect was blocked by phentolamine (1 microM) and idazoxan (1 microM) but unaltered by S(-)-sulpiride (10 microM). Phentolamine and idazoxan, in contrast to S(-)-sulpiride, domperidone and SCH 23390, enhanced S-I outflow of radioactivity by themselves.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗

Activation of beta 2-adrenoceptors by isoprenaline and adrenaline enhances noradrenaline release in cortical kidney slices of young spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The aim of the present study was to investigate beta-adrenoceptor modulation of noradrenaline release from sympathetic nerves in superfused cortical kidney slices of 4-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched controls (WKY). After preincubation with 3H-noradrenaline the kidney slices were electrically stimulated in superfusion chambers. The stimulation induced (S-I) outflow of radioactivity was mainly composed of unmetabolized 3H-noradrenaline in both strains and thus taken as an index of noradrenaline release. There was a frequency-dependent (1.25-20 Hz) increase in the S-I outflow of radioactivity. At all stimulation frequencies tested S-I outflow of radioactivity was similar or even slightly lower in SHR than in WKY kidney slices in either the absence or presence of cocaine (10 mumol/l). The non-selective beta-adrenoceptor agonists isoprenaline (0.1 mumol/l) and adrenaline (0.01 and 0.1 mumol/l) enhanced S-I outflow of radioactivity. The facilitatory effects of isoprenaline (0.1 mumol/l) and adrenaline (0.1 mumol/l) were blocked by the selective beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118551 (0.1 mumol/l) but not by the selective beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist atenolol (0.3 mumol/l). The cell-permeable cAMP analogue 8-bromo-cAMP (300 mumol/l) enhanced S-I outflow of radioactivity to a similar extent in both SHR and WKY kidney slices. A combination of 8-bromo-cAMP (300 mumol/l) and adrenaline (0.1 mumol/l) did not enhance S-I outflow of radioactivity to a greater extent than 8-bromo cAMP (300 mumol/l) alone in both strains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Modulation of noradrenaline release from rat cortical kidney slices: effects of angiotensin I and II.

Rat kidney slices were incubated with [3H]-noradrenaline and placed into a superfusion chamber between two platinum electrodes. The kidney slices accumulated and stored radioactivity. In kidney slices taken from rats whose sympathetic nerve terminals were destroyed by pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine accumulation of radioactivity was abolished. The alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan (0.1-1 microM) enhanced but tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 microM) or omission of calcium from the superfusion solution abolished the stimulation induced (S-I) outflow of radioactivity. Angiotensin (A) I (3-300 nM) and AII (1-100 nM) enhanced S-I outflow of radioactivity. The effect of AI was markedly attenuated by the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril (3 microM) and that of AII was blocked by the AII receptor antagonist saralasin (1 microM). These results suggest that the kidney slice preparation is a valid technique to study modulation of renal noradrenaline release. Endogenous noradrenaline released from sympathetic nerves in rat kidney slices activates prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors to inhibit its own release. AII, which can also be formed locally from AI in these kidney slices, activates prejunctional AII receptors to facilitate renal noradrenaline release.

Angiotensin I↗

Multicomponent DNA carrier with a vesicular stomatitis virus G-peptide greatly enhances liver-targeted gene expression in mice.

Genes can be targeted to hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo by the use of asialoorosomucoid-polylysine conjugates. After systemic application, this nonviral vector is recognized by highly selective asialoglycoprotein (AsGP) receptors on the sinusoidal liver cell membrane and is taken up via receptor-mediated endocytosis. As most of the DNA is rapidly transferred to lysosomes where it is degraded, transfection efficiency is low and gene expression transient. To address this problem, we incorporated a pH-dependent synthetic hemolytic peptide derived of the G-protein of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) into the gene transfer system, to increase endosomal escape of internalized DNA. The multicomponent carrier binds DNA in a nondamaging way, is still recognized by the AsGP receptor, and is targeted to the liver in vivo. Injection of DNA complexes containing a luciferase marker gene resulted in luciferase expression of 29 000 pg/g liver which corresponded to an increase of a factor of 10(3) overexpression after injection of DNA complexes without endosomolytic peptide. Furthermore, the amount of intact transgene within isolated liver cell nuclei was increased by a factor of 10(1)-10(2) by the use of the multicomponent carriers. These results demonstrate that incorporation of a hemolytic peptide into a nonviral vector can greatly increase gene expression while retaining cell type targetability in vivo.

Animals↗