PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Oldfield

Publications and source records attributed to M Oldfield.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Mechanisms of diabetic vasculopathy: an overview.

Diabetes is commonly associated with both microvascular and macrovascular complications. These vascular complications are accelerated in the context of systemic hypertension. During the past few years the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for diabetic vascular complications have begun to be clarified. It appears that both metabolic and hemodynamic factors interact to stimulate the expression of cytokines and growth factors in the various vascular trees. Overexpression of the prosclerotic cytokine transforming growth factor-beta has been observed in glomeruli and tubules from the diabetic kidney. In the retina the angiogenic cytokine vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor R-2 are increased in experimental diabetes. These changes in growth factors are viewed to be responsible for the extracellular matrix accumulation in the diabetic kidney and new vessel formation in the diabetic retina. Changes in cytokines have also been observed at other vascular sites including the mesenteric vascular tree. Vasoactive hormones, such as angiotensin II and endothelin, are potent stimulators of cytokines with recent studies showing that inhibitors of these vasoactive hormone pathways may confer organ protection in diabetes by inhibition of growth factor expression. Glucose-dependent factors, such as the formation of advanced glycation end products that interact with specific receptors and lead to overexpression of a range of cytokines, may play an important role in diabetic vascular complications including atherosclerosis. It is likely that the effects of inhibitors of this pathway such as aminoguanidine on cytokine production may play a pivotal role in mediating the renal, retinal, and vasoprotective effects observed with this agent in experimental diabetes. It is anticipated that the advent of specific inhibitors of cytokine formation or action will provide new approaches for the prevention and treatment of diabetic vascular complications.

Diabetes Mellitus↗
PubMed1998

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with steroid-responsive parkinsonism and post-hemiplegic dystonia.

A young male patient who presented with steroid-responsive parkinsonism, hemiplegia, thrombocytopaenia and systemic illness who was subsequently diagnosed to have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is described. He later developed post-hemiplegic dystonia. Thalamic lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are demonstrated. Clinical features and neuropathology of central nervous system lupus are discussed. This is the first report of SLE presenting with Parkinsonism, and the first to demonstrate anatomically-relevant MRI lesions in Parkinsonism associated with SLE.Copyright Lippincott-Raven Publishers

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Who has nightmares? The personality of the lifelong nightmare sufferer.

Twelve lifelong nightmare sufferers, 12 vivid dreamers who had no nightmares, and 12 persons who had neither nightmares nor vivid dreams were studied in a series of structured interviews, psychological tests, and other tests. The group with nightmares had significantly higher scores on the "psychotic" side of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory profile than the other two groups, scored higher on a "boundary deficit" score of the Rorschach test, and had more first- and second-degree relatives with nightmares, psychological problems, and psychiatric hospitalization. There were no significant differences between the groups with vivid and nonvivid dreams. On interview, the frequent nightmare sufferers were a group of sensitive, open persons who had features of the "schizophrenic spectrum disorders," but who also had artistic and creative tendencies and interests, in contrast to the other groups. These results confirm and extend our previous findings in a group of 38 frequent nightmare sufferers.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Vulnerability to schizophrenia. Prediction of adult schizophrenia using childhood information.

Forty years ago, Glueck and Glueck studied a group of Boston Inner city children to discover factors relating to delinquency. Detailed information was obtained on 1,000 boys aged 10 to 17 years, 500 "delinquents" and 500 "nondelinquent controls." In follow-up studies of this group, we have found that 24 have a diagnosis of adult schizophrenia. We matched these 24 with 48, who had a nonschizophrenic outcome, on the basis of IQ, ethnicity, age at interview, and original Glueck grouping (delinquent or control). The 72 childhood records were then examined on a blind basis by Independent raters looking for predetermined "indicators of vulnerability to schizophrenia." The total indicator scores were able to differentiate schizophrenic outcome from nonschizophrenic outcome at highly significant levels. A number of the individual indicators were likewise able to predict outcome. Prediction was improved when subjects with the lowest IQs (less than 85) were excluded from consideration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Psychological effects of dopamine beta-hydroxylase inhibition: a failure to replicate.

In a previous investigation of whether reduced dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) might play a role in schizophrenia, we studied the effects of DBH inhibition for a few hours in normal subjects. This initial study showed positive effects, i.e., unusual subjective psychological reports confirmed by psychiatric rating scales, in subjects given the DBH inhibitor fusaric acid. The present study attempted to replicate these findings using a more detailed battery of tests and an additional control situation. Each subject underwent the following four treatment conditions at 1-week intervals: fusaric acid plus L-dopa; L-dopa alone; d-amphetamine; placebo. The present results did not confirm those of the first study. A few interesting results were found that were chiefly attributable to amphetamine effects. No effect could be definitely attributed to fusaric acid.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Protein profile of the myelin membrane of the fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus.

Integral membrane protein composition of the myelin membrane from normal and vitamin B12-deficient fruit bats has been compared with that of the rat. Purified myelin from the fruit bat shows only one basic protein which co-migrates with the large basic protein of the rat, and thus presents a pattern similar to that of the guinea pig. No gross differences were seen in the protein patterns from normal and vitamin B12-deficient animals. Bats between 4-10 days and 10-20 days post partum were also investigated.

Aging↗
PubMed1981

A preliminary study of the personality of the nightmare sufferer: relationship to schizophrenia and creativity?

Through psychiatric interviews and psychological tests the authors studied 38 adults who reported experiencing at least one nightmare per week. Nearly all of the subjects had a lifelong history of frequent nightmares. Four of the subjects met DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, 9 met the criteria for borderline personality, and 6 met the criteria for schizotypal personality. The others had no specific diagnosis, and none of the subjects had a diagnosis of typical neurosis. Many had mentally ill relatives. Most had artistic interests and talents. These nightmare sufferers may be seen as unusually vulnerable, with a potential for mental illness--especially schizophrenia--as well as a potential for artistic achievement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Effect of ethanol and acetaldehyde on membrane-bound enzymes in rat brain.

The acute effects of ethanol on the nervous system are thought to be associated with disturbance of neural membrane function. In the present study the effects of ethanol, its immediate metabolite, acetyldehyde, and tertiary butanol which is not further metabolized to an aldehyde, on selected membrane-bound enzymes were examined in vitro in rat brain. The enzymes included acetylcholinesterase, succinate dehydrogenase, Na+K+-ATPase and cytochrome c oxidase. At concentrations ranging from 0.07 - 2% w/v (15 - 435 mM) ethanol did not produce significant inhibition of any of the enzymes tested. On the other hand acetaldehyde at concentrations ranging from 0.01 - 0.5% w/v (2 - 114 mM) showed marked inhibition of all the abovementioned enzymes except acetylcholinesterase. The responses of the various enzymes to tertiary butanol were intermediate between those obtained with ethanol and acetaldehyde. Further studies are in progress to evaluate the significance of these findings to the understanding of alcohol intoxication, tolerance and dependence in man.

Acetaldehyde↗