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Biomedical subjects

R B Godwin-Austen

Publications and source records attributed to R B Godwin-Austen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

An unusual neurological disorder of copper metabolism clinically resembling Wilson's disease but biochemically a distinct entity.

A patient with progressive neurological disease resembling Wilson's disease but in whom Kayser-Fleischer rings were absent, was given 67Cu and 64Cu, orally and intravenously, to measure the rate of absorption of copper using a convolution integral. The data show an abnormal distribution of body copper resulting in low copper concentrations in plasma, urine and liver but with an accumulation in the lower bowel probably due to a defect in mucosal transport. The importance of differentiating this condition from Wilson's disease is stressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Comparison of the effects of bromocriptine and levodopa in Parkinson's disease.

The effects of bromocriptine and levodopa were compared in a blind trial in 18 patients with Parkinson's disease. Optimal doses of the two drugs were given in identical capsules: there was no significant difference between the therapeutic effects. There were wide individual differences in response to the two drugs. Side effects were more common with bromocriptine because of side effects.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

The treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The treatment of Parkinson's disease is discussed. Levodopa is the most effective drug in this therapy. The place of other agents is discussed.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1975

Osteomalacia presenting as chorea.

A 16-year-old epileptic developed chorea. He had osteomalacia, hypocalcaemia, and hyperphosphataemia, which were due not to hypoparathyroidism but to vitamin D deficiency--itself secondary to longstanding dietary deficiency and anticonvulsant drug administration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Observations on radiation myelopathy.

Three cases of radiation myelopathy are reported. Corticosteroid therapy was associated with worth-while remissions in 2 patients. Two patients showed swelling of the spinal cord in myelograms and in one it extended below the irradiated part of the spinal cord. Demyelination of the dorsal white columns of the spinal cord unaccompanied by vascular abnormality was seen below the irradiated part of the cord. It is suggested that radiation damages the endothelial cell barrier of capillaries and arterioles after a latent interval. Proteinous oedema fluid spreads through the white matter from the capillaries and also into the arteriolar walls narrowing these vessels enough to cause local ischaemia and infarction. It is further suggested that apart from ischaemia and infarction myelin is also damaged by poor nutrition associated with oedema fluid, and that radiation damage to oligodendroglial cells is not the cause of this additional demyelination in patients with radiation myelopathy.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1971

Effect of age and arteriosclerosis on the response of Parkinsonian patients to levodopa.

Twenty-four patients with Parkinsonism were treated with levodopa for up to one year. Ten were aged under 65, 12 were aged 65 or over, and two were specifically included because they were considered to have arteriosclerotic Parkinsonism. These two patients showed no response to treatment. The 10 younger patients showed less clinical evidence of arteriosclerosis than the older ones, and responded significantly better to treatment with levodopa. Mean improvement was 61% in the younger group after 12 months' treatment and 28% in the older group. Improvement was greatest within three months of starting treatment. Abnormal movements which resulted from treatment with levodopa could be reduced with only slight loss of therapeutic benefit by the addition of tetrabenazine.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1971

Persistent phenothiazine dyskinesia treated with tetrabenazine.

Six patients with persistent phenothiazine dyskinesia were treated in a double-blind controlled trial with tetrabenazine 100 mg in divided dosage. In three patients the abnormal movements were abolished and in two others there was some improvement, but this was no greater than that achieved with the diazepam control. Tetrabenazine may be useful in the treatment of some patients with persistent phenothiazine dyskinesia.

Aged↗
PubMed1971

Incidence of side effects from levodopa during the introduction of treatment.

Twenty patients with Parkinsonism were investigated in order to establish whether the gradual introduction of treatment with levodopa allows a higher dose to be tolerated than can be achieved if treatment is introduced rapidly. No indication was obtained that slow introduction of treatment offers an advantage in maximum tolerated dose, and patients aged 65 and over responded similarly in this respect to those under 65. The maximum tolerated dose is slightly lower in the elderly patient. The incidence of the different side effects does not appear to be affected by the rate of increasing the dose of levodopa.

Aged↗
PubMed1971

The form and distribution of the surface evoked responses in cerebellar cortex from intercostal nerves in the cat.

1. The form and distribution of the cerebellar evoked responses to electrical stimulation of intercostal and other thoracic segmental nerves were investigated in anaesthetized cats.2. Low intensity stimulation (< 2 x nerve threshold) evoked short latency, low amplitude (< 20 muV), initially surface positive responses which could only be distinguished with certainty from the electrocorticogram with averaging.3. On the basis of experiments involving sectioning of afferent tracts it is concluded that intercostal evoked responses of less than 7.0 msec latency are conducted in dorsal spino-cerebellar, ventral spino-cerebellar and dorsal column (cuneo-cerebellar) pathways.4. The surface positive waves have a highly punctate distribution with a steep potential gradient extending over an area of about 1 mm diameter. It is postulated that these small fields represent activation of single or few mossy fibre inputs.5. Short latency responses to thoracic inputs were found only in the ipsilateral intermediate cortex and lateral margin of the vermis of the anterior lobe (lateral two thirds of Larsell's lobules IV and V of the accessible cortex). The responses were distributed throughout the fore and hind limb areas of the anterior lobe and no rostro-caudal or medio-lateral segmental organization was seen.6. It is suggested that the overlapping distribution of thoracic and fore and hind limb mossy fibre inputs within the cerebellar cortex provides an anatomical basis for the integration of information from the trunk and from the limbs.

Animals↗
PubMed1971

Kantamaneni BD, Curzon G:Comparison of benefit from L-dopa in Parkinsonism with increase of amine metabolites in the CSF.

Homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxy indole acetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations have been estimated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 16 and 18 patients respectively with Parkinsonism both before and during treatment with l-dopa. The rise of HVA correlated with dose of l-dopa. An increase of HVA concentration to less than 0·10 μg/ml. was associated with little or no clinical improvement. The five patients with the greatest increase of HVA concentration/g l-dopa showed little or no improvement from treatment and four of these patients had normal pre-treatment HVA and 5-HIAA. In those patients who responded well to l-dopa the CSF HVA/g l-dopa was intermediate between that of these two groups. It is suggested that change in HVA content of CSF during l-dopa treatment might be of value in the prediction of response to l-dopa.

Aged↗