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Biomedical subjects

O Beck

Publications and source records attributed to O Beck.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Determination of urinary 5-hydroxytryptophol by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the routine determination of elevated urinary levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL) is described. Urine samples were treated with beta-glucuronidase, and 5-HTOL was isolated by solid-phase extraction on a small Sephadex G-10 column prior to injection onto an isocratically eluted C18 reversed-phase column. Detection of 5-HTOL was performed electrochemically at +0.60 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The limit of detection was ca. 0.05 microM, and the intra-assay coefficients of variation were below 6% with urine samples containing 0.2 and 2.1 microM 5-HTOL and a standard solution of 2.0 microM (n = 5). The recovery of 5-HTOL after the sample clean-up procedure was close to 100%. A good correlation (r2 = 0.97; n = 12) was obtained between the present method and a sensitive and specific gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method. The total (free plus conjugated) 5-HTOL levels in urine were normally below 0.2 microM, but after an acute dose of alcohol they increased to 0.5-15 microM.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Pharmacokinetics of ketotifen after oral administration to healthy male subjects.

The pharmacokinetics of 2 mg ketotifen from four different oral dosage forms were examined in two randomized, balanced cross-over studies. Forty healthy male subjects participated. Each of 20 subjects received two capsule formulations and each of the other 20 subjects received two syrup formulations. Ketotifen concentrations in plasma were determined by a modified GC-MS method. The limit of quantitation was 40 pg ml-1. Inter-day precision and accuracy calculated from quality control samples were 16.3 per cent (-1.9 per cent), 19.8 per cent (+4.5 per cent) and 23.6 per cent (+5.9 per cent) at plasma concentration levels of 86 (n = 18), 215 (n = 19) and 343 (n = 18) pg ml-1, respectively. Ketotifen was rapidly absorbed from all dosage forms reaching Cmax in the order of 400 pg ml-1 after the syrup formulations and 300 pg ml-1 after the capsule formulations within 2 to 4 h. The syrup formulations showed a significantly more rapid rate of absorption as assessed by Tmax. No significant differences in extent of absorption between dosage forms were observed. The terminal elimination half-life of ketotifen varied between subjects from 7 to 27 hours with a mean of about 12 h. The minor pharmacokinetic difference between dosage forms observed in this study is unlikely to be of clinical significance.

Administration, Oral

Urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid and 5-hydroxytryptophol after oral loading with serotonin.

The urinary excretion patterns of the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) metabolites 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) and 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL) were examined after ingestion of bananas, a food rich in 5-HT. The bananas contained on an average 25 micrograms 5-HT/g pulp. Both urinary 5-HIAA and 5-HTOL increased markedly (15- to 30-fold) shortly after eating 3-4 bananas, with the highest concentrations found in urine specimens collected after 2-4 h, and did not return to normal until after 8-10 h. The excretion of 5-HIAA increased from a control mean value of 3.9 mg/24 h to 12.7 mg/24 h, when conventional diets were supplemented with 3-4 bananas. The corresponding results for 5-HTOL were 16.8 micrograms/24 h and 60.7 micrograms/24 h, respectively. Of the banana-derived 5-HT ingested, 60-80% was recovered in the urine as 5-HIAA and only 0.3-0.5% as 5-HTOL. However, since both the time-course and relative increase in 5-HTOL was similar to that of 5-HIAA, there was no effect on the urinary 5-HTOL to 5-HIAA ratio. By contrast, acute alcohol consumption produced a considerable elevation of this ratio.

Administration, Oral

Segregation of the fragile X mutation from an affected male to his normal daughter.

We report here a family in which the fragile X mutation segregates from an affected grandfather through his normal daughter to an affected grandson. The grandson shows clinical and cytogenetic expression of fragile X syndrome due to a full mutation (large methylated insertion) in the fragile X gene (FMR-1). The mother shows a premutation (small unmethylated insertion) in her FMR-1 gene as the sole manifestation of the fragile X syndrome. The grandfather expresses the fragile X syndrome at the clinical and cytogenetic level, whereas he is mosaic for a methylated full mutation and an unmethylated premutation. The absence of expression of the fragile X mutation when transmitted through an expressing male might present further evidence for genomic imprinting of the FMR-1 gene. Alternatively, it is possible that the grandfather transmitted his premutation to his daughter due to germline mosaicism with both the premutation and the full mutation present in his sperm.

Adult

Urinary 5-hydroxytryptophol: a possible marker of recent alcohol consumption.

Urinary 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL) is currently being evaluated as a marker of recent alcohol consumption. To compensate for urinary dilution, the molar ratio between 5-HTOL and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) is used. The 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratio showed a satisfactory degree of individual stability when it was followed in a group of teetotallers for 1 month. The mean value of 5-HTOL/5-HIAA in a group of 69 persons abstaining from alcohol was 7.6 (pmoles 5-HTOL/nmoles 5-HIAA). Ninety-seven percent had values ranging from 4 to 17, with no value exceeding 20. A group of healthy volunteers were tested 12 hr after alcohol consumption and showed a dose-dependent and statistically significant elevation in the 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratio. Four regular alcohol consumers who were followed during a period of 3 months of drinking had elevated values of the 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratio in 60% of their urine samples. The present study indicates that urinary 5-HTOL/5-HIAA is a sensitive and reliable marker of recent alcohol consumption. We propose that a 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratio greater than 20 (pmoles/nmoles) can be used to indicate recent alcohol consumption. This limit gives a low frequency of false positives; the statistical probability of having a value greater than 20 during abstinence from alcohol was calculated to be less than 0.001.

Adult

Effect of phenylpropanolamine on incontinence in children with neurogenic bladders. A double-blind crossover study.

In children with myelodysplasia and a low-level spinal cord lesion (low lumbar-sacral), detrusor hyperactivity together with dyssynergic urethral function forms the main pathophysiological basis for incontinence. Pharmacological treatment of incontinence due to neurogenic bladder dysfunction has been tried, mainly with anticholinergics and alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists. In this study, the effects of the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist phenylpropanolamine on urodynamic parameters and incontinence were investigated in 10 patients. Effects on incontinence were evaluated in a double-blind crossover trial. Plasma concentrations of phenylpropanolamine were measured by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Phenylpropanolamine reduced detrusor hyperactivity and improved continence, but the effect was not so pronounced as to make the patients continent.

Adolescent

Detection of benzodiazepine intake in therapeutic doses by immunoanalysis of urine: two techniques evaluated and modified for improved performance.

We evaluated the EMIT (enzyme-multiplied immuno technique) and FPIA (fluorescence polarization immunoassay) urine screening systems for detection of benzodiazepine intake. Healthy male volunteers were given single oral therapeutic doses of alprazolam (2 mg), chlordiazepoxide (25 mg), flunitrazepam (1 mg), lorazepam (3.75 mg), nitrazepam (5 mg), and triazolam (0.25 mg), after which urine was collected for the next 32 h. The EMIT method failed to detect the intake of flunitrazepam, lorazepam, and nitrazepam. FPIA did not detect the intake of chlordiazepoxide, flunitrazepam, lorazepam, nitrazepam, and triazolam. Modification of the EMIT method to include enzymatic hydrolysis did not significantly alter the results obtained with this method. A modification of the FPIA method to include enzymatic hydrolysis and a lower cutoff value improved the results considerably, so that we reliably detected all studied substances but flunitrazepam. We conclude that (a) both EMIT and FPIA techniques, when used as intended by the manufacturers, are unreliable for the detection of intake of therapeutic doses of these benzodiazepines, and (b) the described modification of the FPIA should provide a much improved tool for detection of benzodiazepine intake.

Adult

Chiral analysis of methadone in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method for the chiral high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of methadone in plasma has been developed. The method employed organic solvent extraction, enantiomeric separation on a Chiral AGP column, and ultraviolet absorption detection at 212 nm. The intra-day variation in the quantification of methadone enantiomers was less than 9% at the 100 ng/ml level, and the values obtained correlated well with those from a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method. Results from patients indicate inter- and intra-individual differences in the ratio between l- and d-methadone in plasma during therapy with racemic methadone. In one patient, a higher level of d-methadone in plasma was caused by both faster elimination and lower bioavailability of l-methadone.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Determination of urinary 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and direct sample injection.

A method for the routine quantitative determination of the major serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) in urine is described. 5-HIAA was analyzed without prior sample cleanup, using an automated high-performance liquid chromatography system with isocratic elution and electrochemical detection (+0.60 V versus a Ag/AgCl reference electrode). The urine samples were mixed with a solution of the internal standard (5-hydroxyindole-3-propionic acid) and centrifuged. The supernatant was transferred to sealed glass vials, and a 2-microliters aliquot was injected directly onto a C18 reversed-phase analytical column, using an automatic sample injector. Samples of urine could be stored for several months at -80 or at +7 degrees C for 2 days without loss of 5-HIAA. However, a gradual decline with time occurred in crude samples stored at room temperature or above, as well as in urine samples diluted with the mobile phase. The detector response was linear in the range of 0-65 mumol/l 5-HIAA, and the intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were about 5 and 7%, respectively (n = 10).

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Digoxin-verapamil interaction: reduction of biliary but not renal digoxin clearance in humans.

The interaction between digoxin and verapamil was studied in six patients (mean age +/- SD, 61 +/- 5 years) with chronic atrial fibrillation. The effects of adding verapamil (240 mg/day) on steady-state plasma concentrations and renal and biliary clearances of digoxin were studied in a crossover manner. The biliary clearance of digoxin was determined by a duodenal perfusion technique. Verapamil induced a 44% increase in steady-state plasma concentrations of digoxin, from 0.80 +/- 0.24 to 1.15 +/- 0.40 nmol/L (p less than 0.01). The biliary clearance of digoxin decreased by 43%, from 187 +/- 89 to 101 +/- 55 ml/min (p less than 0.05), in the presence of verapamil, whereas the renal clearance was unaffected (153 +/- 31 versus 173 +/- 51 ml/min; difference not significant). Our results indicate that the main inhibitory effect of verapamil on digoxin elimination is on the biliary route.

Bile

Trace analysis of methotrexate and 7-hydroxymethotrexate in human plasma and urine by a novel high-performance liquid chromatographic method.

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of methotrexate (MTX) and its metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate (7-OHMTX) in blood plasma and urine was developed. The method utilized a solid-phase extraction procedure (Certify II cartridges) for the simultaneous isolation of MTX and 7-OHMTX. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a C18 reversed-phase column with isocratic elution. The eluent was irradiated with UV light of 254 nm, which converted MTX and 7-OHMTX by photolytic oxidation to fluorescent products. The limits of detection of MTX and 7-OHMTX in plasma were approximately 0.2 and 1 nmol/L, respectively. The intraday variability in the quantitation of MTX and 7-OHMTX was less than 8% down to 1 nmol/L and 4.6 nmol/L, respectively. Both MTX and 7-OHMTX could be detected in plasma from a patient being treated for rheumatoid arthritis 1 week after the last dose (10 mg orally).

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Effects of clomipramine treatment on cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolites and platelet 3H-imipramine binding and serotonin uptake and concentration in major depressive disorder.

In an open study of 12 inpatients who met the DSM-III criteria for a major depressive episode, the effects of clomipramine (CI) on the monoamine metabolites 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl glycol (HMPG) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured simultaneously with the effects on 3H-imipramine binding, serotonin (5-HT) uptake and 5-HT concentration in platelets after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment. Drug (CI and desmethylclomipramine) plasma concentrations were determined. The concentrations of 5-HIAA and HMPG decreased substantially, and the concentration of HVA remained unchanged. There was also a large and significant reduction of the number of imipramine binding sites (Bmax) and of the platelet 5-HT concentration. The 5-HT uptake was not measurable after 3 weeks of treatment. None of the parameters changed significantly between weeks 3 and 6. There were no significant correlations between antidepressant effect (measured by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) and plasma drug concentrations, although a tendency to a significant correlation between antidepressant effect and CI was observed at 3 weeks. There were no significant intercorrelations between the different 5-HT parameters and no other significant correlations between the biochemical measures and clinical outcome.

Adult

Importance of creatinine analyses of urine when screening for abused drugs.

We report here a simple method involving urine creatine measurements for testing authenticity and reducing false-negative results in urine testing for drugs of abuse. Urinary creatinine in consecutive patient samples (n = 176) ranged between 0.1 and 31.9 mmol/L (mean 9.8 +/- SD 6.2) and the osmolality in these urines ranged between 49 and 1183 mOsm/kg (mean 595 +/- SD 276). With other consecutive samples in which creatinine was (arbitrarily chosen) less than 4.3 mmol/L (n = 85), the correlation with osmolality was lower. In 10 randomly selected urine samples from different patients, all "clean" for all drugs of abuse in initial immunological drug testing with approved methodology (in which creatinine was less than 4.3 mmol/L and osmolality was less than 200 mOsm/kg), five patients turned out to be drug positive after a simple concentration by volume. In a formerly heavy smoker of cannabis, the excretion of cannabinoids and creatinine was monitored for 93 days. The substances showed very good correlation throughout this period (r = 0.93, P less than 0.001), whereas simple measurements of cannabinoid concentrations would have falsely indicated several relapses of cannabis abuse. Urine samples used in drug-abuse testing should be tested for creatinine; if creatinine is less than 4.0 mmol/L, negative results for drugs may not be valid.

Cannabinoids

Immunological screening of benzodiazepines in urine: improved detection of oxazepam intake.

Immunological screening analysis of benzodiazepines in urine using the EMIT (enzyme multipled immuno-technique) and FPIA (fluorescence polarization immunoassay) techniques does not reliably detect the intake of therapeutic doses of oxazepam. In 23 patient urine samples, in which the presence of oxazepam could be verified chromatographically, only about 50% were detected as positive in the immunoassay systems. However, when the screening procedure was modified to include a simple step of hydrolysis of urine using the enzyme beta-glucuronidase to liberate conjugated oxazepam, improved detection of oxazepam intake was achieved. With EMIT 95% and with FPIA 100% of the samples were detected as positive. Since oxazepam arises in vivo also as a metabolite of other common benzodiazepines, the modification will most likely contribute to the generally improved detection of benzodiazepines.

Adult

Monitoring of plasma methadone: intercorrelation between immunoassay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Determination of plasma methadone is essential in connection with dose adjustments for patients participating in methadone maintenance programs. We successfully adapted the existing fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) kit intended for urinary methadone to plasma assays. A concentration interval of 50-900 ng/ml could be covered. The coefficient of variation was less than 7%, and the limit of detection below 50 ng/ml. The intercorrelation between the immunoassay and a specific gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method was studied in samples from 19 heroin addicts in methadone maintenance treatment. A total number of 97 plasma samples with a concentration range of 31-842 ng/ml were used. The slope and intercept of the regression line (CFPIA = 0.93 X CGC-MS + 15) was in good agreement with the theoretical relation (CFPIA = CGC-MS), with a coefficient of correlation of 0.978. The mean ratio, in quantitative result, between the techniques (CFPIA/CGC-MS) was 1.03 +/- 0.01 (SEM). We conclude that the immunoassay proposed in this study can be safely used in patients participating in methadone maintenance programs.

Adult