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Biomedical subjects

S Matz

Publications and source records attributed to S Matz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The slip resistance of common footwear materials measured with two slipmeters.

The slip resistance of 16 commonly used footwear materials was measured with the Brungraber Mark II and the English XL on 3 floor surfaces under surface conditions of dry, wet, oily and oily wet. Three samples were used for each material combination and surface condition. The results of a one way ANOVA analysis indicated that the differences among different samples were statistically significant for a large number of material combinations and surface conditions. The results indicated that the ranking of materials based on their slip resistance values depends highly on the slipmeters, floor surfaces and surface conditions. For contaminated surfaces including wet, oily and oily wet surfaces, the slip resistance obtained with the English XL was usually higher than that measured with the Brungraber Mark II. The correlation coefficients between the slip resistance obtained with these two slipmeters calculated for different surface conditions indicated a strong correlation with statistical significance.

Analysis of Variance↗

Clinical management and the duration of disability for work-related low back pain.

Clinical practice guidelines recommend a conservative approach to management of acute low back pain (LBP). The present study sought to determine whether health care utilization and the physician's initial management of work-related LBP were associated with disability duration. Clinical management information was obtained for 98 randomly selected, workers' compensation claimants with acute, uncomplicated, disabling work-related LBP. Length of disability was based on indemnity (wage replacement) payments. Disability was significantly associated with increased utilization of specialty referrals (P = 0.013) and provider visits (P < 0.001), use of magnetic resonance imaging (P = 0.003), and use of opioids for more than 7 days (P = 0.013). Effects of early diagnostic imaging (first 30 days of care) on length of disability were observed (P = 0.001). Patients whose treatment course did not involve extended opioid use and early diagnostic testing were 3.78 times more likely (95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 8.9) to have gone off disability status by the end of the study. The nature of the association between these initial clinical management aspects and LBP disability duration merits further exploration.

Absenteeism↗

Methotrexate-induced leukoencephalopathy is treatable with high-dose folinic acid: a case report and analysis of the literature.

An episode of leukoencephalopathy is reported in a 13-year-old girl who, after standard radiotherapy for a posterior fossa medulloblastoma, received 8 treatments with a protocol containing a 4-hour infusion of 500 mg/m2 methotrexate and 12 mg intrathecal methotrexate. The leukoencephalopathy, documented clinically and by CT and EEG, cleared after 2350 mg of leucovorin (citrovorum factor, folinic acid) was given in addition to the 135 mg given as part of the therapy. A review of the literature suggests that leukoencephalopathy may be prevented by high doses of leucovorin and can be treated by high doses, if lower doses were used initially. When high dose leucovorin was not used, residual neurological damage is not unusual.

Adolescent↗

Passage of somatostatin analogue across human and mouse skin.

Recent studies have documented beneficial effects of the somatostatin analogue, SMS 201-995 (hereafter referred to as SMS), when administered subcutaneously to patients with a variety of disorders. Since SMS is a small peptide, we tested the ability of two penetrant enhancers--dimethylsulfoxide and N-decylmethylsulfoxide (C10MS)--to promote transcutaneous passage of SMS. Samples of skin from human cadavers and hairless mice were tested in a static diffusion chamber. Application of SMS in conjunction with 1% C10MS resulted in rapid transdermal passage of SMS. These data were confirmed for hairless mouse skin in experiments with a modified diffusion chamber having continuous flow-through of receptor fluid in the subdermal reservoir. In this system, the cumulative amount of SMS that permeated hairless mouse skin was 20 micrograms/cm2/24 hours. Topical application of SMS with C10MS beneath a patch to mice confirmed in vitro data. Topical application of 10 micrograms of SMS resulted in plasma SMS levels of greater than 8,000 pg/ml within 2 hours. We conclude that SMS will cross both human and mouse skin, with a clinically significant flux, when administered topically with C10MS. The data support the feasibility of in vivo human trials of topical SMS therapy.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

Spontaneous postpartum regression of pituitary mass with return of function.

A 37-year-old woman undergoing endocrine evaluation during her seventh pregnancy because of headaches, weakness, and hyponatremia was found to have central hypoadrenalism and hypothyroidism. Computed tomography showed a pituitary mass with suprasellar extension but her visual fields were intact. She was treated conservatively with hydrocortisone acetate and levothyroxine sodium until 38 weeks of gestation, when healthy twins were delivered by cesarean section. A few months later, her pituitary function improved, with a significant increase in the adrenocorticotropic hormone level, normal values of basal thyroid-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, and gonadotropins and of their functional reserves, and only a slight elevation in the prolactin level. A repeated computed tomographic scan showed disappearance of the pituitary mass.

Adult↗

Successful non-neurotoxic therapy (without radiation) of a multifocal primary brain lymphoma with a methotrexate, vincristine, and BCNU protocol (DEMOB).

A 3.5-year-old boy with a multifocal primary lymphoma of the brain was treated successfully without neurotoxicity with a treatment regimen that did not include radiation. The protocol of Dexacort (dexamethasone), methotrexate, Oncovin (vincristine), and BCNU (carmustine) (DEMOB), which was developed with the use of MTX pharmacokinetic studies, was given over 7.5 months, and resulted in tumor disappearance on computerized tomography scans and marked improvement in clinical status. The patient remains in good health 3 years after diagnosis (March 1985).

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Hercon technology for transdermal delivery of drugs.

The Hercon controlled drug delivery technology is based on a multi-layered laminated polymeric structure, in which a layer of vinyl chloride copolymer or terpolymer containing the drug is sandwiched between two or more layers of polymeric films. The drug is released from the device at a controlled rate by a process of diffusion through the reservoir and one of the outer layers, which can function as a rate controlling membrane. This basic technology has been successfully utilized for the development and commercialization of Nitroglycerin Transdermal System (NTS, Bolar Pharmaceutical Co., Inc). In vitro and in vivo investigations of transdermal delivery of different other drugs from the Hercon polymeric devices have indicated the feasibility of using this system to meet a variety of therapeutic needs.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

Periosteal ganglion: a cause of cortical bone erosion.

Three cases of periosteal ganglia of long bones are presented. These lesions are produced by mucoid degeneration and cyst formation of the periosteum to produce external cortical erosion and reactive periosteal new bone. They are not associated with a soft tissue ganglion or an intraosseous lesion. They may radiologically mimic other periosteal lesions or soft tissue neoplasms which erode bone.

Adult↗

cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein phosphorylation in developing rat lung.

Protein kinase activity that is dependent on 3',5'-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP-PK), [3H]cAMP binding, and cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation were identified and partially characterized in cytosolic preparations of rat lung from day 18 of gestation to adulthood. Major cAMP-dependent phosphoproteins in lung preparations were compared to those in cytosol from purified Type II epithelial cells. Both Type I and Type II regulatory subunits of cAMP-PK were identified in fetal and adult lung. Inhibition of specific [3H]cAMP binding to lung cytosol (to the regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase) followed the order of potency: cAMP greater than cGMP; adenosine, ADP, and ATP were inactive. Scatchard plots of saturation experiments with [3H]cAMP and lung cytosol were linear. Dissociation constant (KD) for cAMP binding was approximately 2-3 nM, and did not change significantly with age. In contrast, binding capacity varied significantly during development and age-related changes in binding capacity were associated with similar changes in cAMP-dependent histone kinase activity. Both [3H]cAMP binding and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity decreased slightly before birth, reached maximal activity during the suckling period, and decreased in adulthood. cAMP enhanced histone kinase activity in rat lung cytosol at all ages studied, from day 18 of gestation to adulthood. cAMP also specifically enhanced phosphorylation of several endogenous cytosolic proteins that were identified by autoradiography after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Major proteins whose phosphorylation was selectively enhanced by cAMP or inhibited by protein kinase inhibitor were approximately Mr = 260,000, 240,000, 97,000, 56,000, 44,000, and 28,000.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

beta-Adrenergic receptors and catecholamine sensitive adenylate cyclase in developing rat ventricular myocardium: effect of thyroid status.

The present study was designed to describe the relationships among thyroid status, myocardial growth and myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in the developing rat ventricle. In normal rat myocardium the beta-adrenergic binding capacity (Bmax) for (-)-[3H] DHA decreased with increasing age and heart size. In order to determine the effect of thyroid status on ventricular growth characteristics and beta-adrenergic receptors, animals were rendered: (1) hypothyroid with propylthiouracil (PTU), (2) euthyroid with PTU and daily thyroxine (T4) replacement, (3) hyperthyroid for several days with daily thyroxine injections or (4) normal controls with sham saline injections. Growth characteristics were similar in euthyroid and normal rat myocardium; ventricular weight, protein and DNA content were similar at postnatal days 5, 15 and 28. Growth in hypothyroid pups was normal until postnatal day 14 at which time the heart weight and protein content were significantly lower than in normal or euthyroid pups, whereas the number of beta-adrenergic receptors was decreased in hypothyroid myocardium at all ages studied. On postnatal day 5 the (-)-[3H]DHA binding (Bmax) was 37 +/- 9 in hypothyroid myocardium compared to 63 +/- 8 fmole per mg protein mean +/- S.D. in euthyroid myocardium. The function of the beta-adrenergic receptors was also decreased in hypothyroid as compared to euthyroid or normal myocardium as demonstrated by a decrease in maximal catecholamine sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in myocardial membranes at 28 days of age. Treatment of hypothyroid or normal pups with T4 resulted in an increase in heart size, protein content and beta-adrenergic receptors. Ventricular DNA content, which describes hyperplastic growth, was not decreased in hypothyroid rats demonstrating that postnatal hypertrophic but not hyperplastic ventricular growth is dependent on thyroid hormone.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Computed tomography in intracranial supratentorial osteochondroma.

A case of a huge intracranial frontoparietal osteochondroma in a 20-year-old man is reported. The presenting symptoms were headache, vomiting, and blurred vision. Apart from papilledema, no other abnormal neurological signs were present. A specific preoperative diagnosis could not be reached from the information provided by plain skull films, angiography, and radionuclide scan. The findings on computed tomography were those of a high density mass interspersed with small foci of lower densities, producing a honeycomb appearance, and surrounded by deposits of nodular calcification. The postcontrast scan showed a moderate degree of enhancement with preservation of the precontrast honeycomb pattern. These particular features may enable a correct preoperative histological diagnosis to be offered with a high degree of probability.

Adult↗

Nasal visual field loss with intracranial lesions of the optic nerve pathways.

Five patients developed nasal visual field defects as a result of involvement of the intracranial portion of the optic nerves. The cause in each patient, respectively, was as follows: (1) dolichoectatic carotid arteries, (2) optochiasmatic arachnoiditis, (3) meningioma of the olfactory groove, (4) pituitary apoplexy, and (5) pituitary chromophobe adenoma. The common factor in these cases was probably impaired circulation in the prechiasmal arterial anastomotic network. The nasal visual field loss present in these cases was characterized by a pattern similar to that seen in glaucoma but with impairment of visual acuity. The superior nasal visual field was usually normal and the lower temporal visual field often defective.

Adenoma, Chromophobe↗

Congenital vascular malformation of spinal cord simulating diastematomyelia.

Diastematomyelia is usually caused by a midline bony, cartilaginous or fibrous spur. A case is presented with splitting of the spinal cord by a large arteriovenous malformation at the thoracolumbar junction. A hairy skin patch, kyphoscoliosis, vertebral anomalies and an arachnoidal cyst were found adjacent to the vascular and neural malformations.

Arteries↗