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Biomedical subjects

P Albert

Publications and source records attributed to P Albert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Post partum blues: depressive disease or pseudoneurasthenic syndrome.

Depressive mood disorders following childbirth can be quantified with self-rating and observer-rating scales. During two months, in the period from November 1989 to March 1990, women admitted to the obstetric unit of the University of Würzburg were examined on days 3 and 5 post-partum with the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression, the Montgomery-Asberg-Depression-Rating-Scale and the Befindlichkeits-Scale by von Zerssen. Results reveal that during the early puerperium, scores on these scales rarely reach the same severity as in major depressive disorder. The clinical picture is no different from emotional-hyperaesthetic hyposthenia following other kinds of physical illness such as endocrine disorders.

Adult

Extraperitoneal endoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection vs. laparoscopic lymph node dissection in the staging of prostatic and bladder carcinoma.

Eighteen patients undergoing laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy were compared with eighteen patients undergoing lymph node dissection performed via a totally extraperitoneal approach called extraperitoneal endoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection. Operative time, nodal yield, and hospital stays were essentially the same in both groups. However, the laparoscopic approach had a greater incidence of morbidity, leading the authors to adopt a totally extra-peritoneal endoscopic approach to pelvic lymph node dissection. Advantages of using an extraperitoneal approach are presented.

Aged

Extraperitoneal endoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

The endoscopic extraperitoneal hernioplasty as reported in this study is a similar repair to that achieved by the conventional preperitoneal repair as described by Stoffa, Nyhus, and Rignault. However, this new repair is completed via a totally extraperitoneal approach. Thus, it eliminates all early and late complications related to the violation of the peritoneal cavity as proposed by other intraperitoneal laparoscopic approaches to hernia repair. This report demonstrates the safety and feasibility of this procedure while offering the patient the advantages of a minimally invasive surgical procedure which can be performed under regional anesthesia.

Adult

Extraperitoneal endoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection.

Laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy has been found to be efficacious in the staging of genitourinary cancers. Technological advances in endoscopic instrumentation have allowed an extraperitoneal approach to be performed. Presented are two patients who underwent an extraperitoneal endoscopic lymph node dissection as a staging procedure for prostatic carcinoma. Technical aspects of the procedure and advantages relative to the laparoscopic intraperitoneal approach are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma

Evidence of endogenous regulatory function of transforming growth factor-beta 1 in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). Administration of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been shown to inhibit EAE. In this study, the possible role of endogenous TGF-beta in the regulation of relapsing EAE produced by the transfer of myelin basic protein-specific T cell lines was assessed. Although TGF-beta is not present in the normal CNS, this cytokine was detected by immunohistology in areas of central nervous system inflammation in both acute and chronic disease. The administration of anti-TGF-beta at the disease onset led to a worsening of the clinical course of EAE and more extensive pathological lesions. These findings provide direct evidence for a role of endogenous TGF-beta in the remissions seen in chronic relapsing EAE.

Animals

Neutralizing antibodies against HTLV-I in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) patients and asymptomatic carriers.

We tested serum specimens from patients with HAM/TSP and asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers from endemic areas of Japan, Jamaica, Colombia, and Chile for neutralizing antibodies against HTLV-I. The data suggest a trend for neutralizing activity to be found more frequently in the sera from HAM/TSP patients than in sera from asymptomatic carriers. The result of this study emphasizes the importance of determining biologic properties of the envelope glycoprotein of HTLV-I.

Carrier State

[Continuous pulsatile subcutaneous gonadotropin stimulation in polycystic ovary syndrome: a therapeutic alternative].

In order to improve the ovarian response to exogenous gonadotropins and to reduce the risk of the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and of multiple pregnancies, human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) was administered by continuous pulsatile subcutaneous (s.c.) infusion via a portable pump. The effectiveness of pulsatile hMG treatment was first demonstrated in a control group comprising 7 females with regular ovulatory cycles, who underwent gonadotropin ovarian superovulation and subsequent IVF/GIFT procedures for tubal or male factor. All pulsatile s.c. hMG cycles were ovulatory and one clinical pregnancy was achieved. In this group, ovarian response was similar following intramuscular (i.m.) and pulsatile s.c. hMG therapy, with a marked reduction of preovulatory serum levels of oestradiol in the pulsatile s.c. hMG cycles. In a prospective study, 11 patients with overt polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) who failed to ovulate in response to clomiphene, received i.m. hMG ovarian superovulation treatment in 19 cycles and pulsatile s.c. hMG in 21 cycles. Following i.m. hMG treatment, only 10 cycles were ovulatory; 7 cycles had to be cancelled for impending ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Following pulsatile s.c. hMG treatment, 15 cycles were ovulatory, only 3 treatment cycles had to be disrupted for multifollicular ovarian response. Both modes of treatment were similar in terms of requirement of hMG ampoules, number of preovulatory follicles, preovulatory serum levels of oestradiol and duration of the preovulatory oestradiol rise. The total duration of hMG treatment was significantly increased following pulsatile s.c. hMG. It is concluded, that in overt PCO syndrome, continuous pulsatile s.c. administration of hMG is an effective method to induce follicular maturation and to achieve ovulations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Differential coupling of dopaminergic D2 receptors expressed in different cell types. Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis in LtK- fibroblasts, hyperpolarization, and cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration decrease in GH4C1 cells.

Dopaminergic D2 receptors are widely regarded as typical inhibitory receptors, as they both inhibit adenylyl cyclase and decrease the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) by activating K+ channels. A D2 receptor has recently been cloned (Bunzow, J. R., Van Tol, H. H. M., Grandy, D. K., Albert, P., Salon, J., Christie, M. D., Machida, C. A., Neve, K. A., and Civelli, O. (1988) Nature 336, 783-787) and expressed in two different cell lines, pituitary GH4C1 cells and Ltk- fibroblasts, where it has been shown to induce inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. We have investigated the additional effector systems coupled to this receptor. The responses observed in the two cells lines, which express similar levels of receptors (0.5-1 x 10(5)/cell), were surprisingly different. In GH4C1 cells D2 receptors failed to affect phosphoinositide hydrolysis and induced a decrease of [Ca2+]i. This latter effect appears to be mediated by hyperpolarization, most likely due to the activation of K+ channels. In striking contrast, in Ltk- fibroblasts the D2 receptor induced a rapid stimulation of inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate (+73% at 15 s) followed by the other inositol phosphates, and an immediate increase of [Ca2+]i due to both Ca2+ mobilization from internal stores and influx from the extracellular medium. In both GH4C1 and Ltk- cells, the D2 receptor response was mediated by G protein(s) sensitive to pertussis toxin. The increases of inositol trisphosphate and [Ca2+]i observed in Ltk- cells required dopamine concentrations only slightly higher than those inhibiting adenylyl cyclase (EG50 = 25, 29, and 11 nM, respectively) and were comparable in magnitude to the responses induced by the endogenous stimulatory receptor agonists, thrombin and ATP. The results demonstrate that in certain cells D2 receptors are efficiently coupled to the stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis. The nature of receptor responses appears therefore to depend on the specific properties not only of the receptor molecule but also of the cell type in which it is expressed.

Adenosine Triphosphate

A study on the venous drainage of 150 cerebral arteriovenous malformations as related to haemorrhagic risks and size of the lesion.

In this paper we study the venous drainage of 150 cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM), correlating the number of efferent veins with the symptoms of clinical onset and with the size of the lesions. Statistical analysis demonstrates that those AVM's which in the angiograms show only one draining vein have a high risk of haemorrhage. As the number of drainage veins increases, this bleeding risk decreases, becoming quite low in angiomas with multiple drainage veins, which we denominate "medusa-head angiomas". Statistics also demonstrate that small angiomas (less than 2 centimeter on diameter) usually have only one drainage vein, thus carrying a high risk of haemorrhage. As their size increase, so do the number of veins, and the possibility of haemorrhage decreases.

Adolescent

Prednisolone promotes the secretion of progesterone and oestradiol by luteinised granulosa cells independent of human chorionic gonadotropin.

An in vitro model based on luteinised granulosa cells gained during an in vitro fertilisation programme examines the question of whether prednisolone, and thus glucocorticoids in general, are capable of exerting an influence on the secretion of oestradiol and progesterone. It can be demonstrated that prednisolone leads to dosage-dependent increases in the concentration of both steroids, even independently of concurrent stimulation by human chorionic gonadotropin. A similar mechanism for aromatase activity of human adipose cells is suggested.

Chorionic Gonadotropin

[Personal experience in monitoring examination of intracranial pressure].

In our Department of Neurosurgery, during the last two years, we have measured the intracranial pressure (IPC) with an extradural transducer, in cases of head trauma, subarachnoid haemorrhages, pseudotumor cerebri, dilated ventricles and microcephalies. We remark the importance of the continuous measuring of the ICP and its value in relation with the use of hyperosmolar solutions in the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of this patients.

Adult