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Biomedical subjects

A Weiner

Publications and source records attributed to A Weiner.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Iris pigmentation and extent of disease in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the extent of disease in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) varies with iris pigmentation. METHODS: The authors assessed visual function and macular appearance in the fellow eye or both eyes of 132 white patients with unilateral neovascular AMD. All patients had a visual acuity of 20/60 or better in the fellow eye. Eighty-nine of the patients were coded as having light irides (blue, green, or hazel) and 43 were coded as having dark irides (brown); the two groups of patients had comparable mean ages. RESULTS: By the Mann-Whitney test for differences in mean rank, fellow eyes with light irides showed a marginally worse visual acuity (P = .156) but significantly more visual field impairment by letter recognition perimetry (P = .011) and the macular threshold test of the Humphrey Field Analyzer (P = .043), and more retinal pigment epithelial atrophy (P = .017) and focal areas of hyperpigmentation (P = .002) than fellow eyes with dark irides. For eyes with a choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM), those with light irides had significantly lower visual acuities (P = .006) and larger scars (P = .006) than eyes with dark irides. In addition, extent of disease in the eye with a CNVM was positively correlated with extent of disease in the fellow eye for most comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that light iris pigmentation is associated with more extensive retinal disease in patients with unilateral neovascular AMD. Furthermore, in such patients, those with worse disease in the eye with a CNVM may tend to have more extensive atrophic disease in the fellow eye.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) circulates as a population of different but closely related genomes: quasispecies nature of HCV genome distribution.

Sequencing of multiple recombinant clones generated from polymerase chain reaction-amplified products demonstrated that the degree of heterogeneity of two well-conserved regions of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome within individual plasma samples from a single patient was consistent with a quasispecies structure of HCV genomic RNA. About half of circulating RNA molecules were identical, while the remaining consisted of a spectrum of mutants differing from each other in one to four nucleotides. Mutant sequence diversity ranged from silent mutations to appearance of in-frame stop codons and included both conservative and nonconservative amino acid substitutions. From the relative proportion of essentially defective sequences, we estimated that most circulating particles should contain defective genomes. These observations might have important implications in the physiopathology of HCV infection and underline the need for a population-based approach when one is analyzing HCV genomes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Hydroxychloroquine retinopathy.

We analyzed ocular findings from two patients (aged 49 and 60 years) with hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil, Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, Division of Sterling Drug, Inc., New York, New York) retinopathy. Both patients were treated for systemic lupus erythematosus; one patient was treated with 400 to 800 mg of hydroxychloroquine per day (6.1 to 12.2 mg/kg of body weight/day) over a ten-year period. Cumulative doses were 1,788 and 2,920 g, respectively. Neither patient had ever been treated with chloroquine. One patient complained of glare and difficulty in adjusting to changes in illumination, whereas the other was asymptomatic. Both had bilateral visual acuities of 20/25, pericentral scotomata, and increased final dark-adapted rod thresholds in the two retinal areas that were tested. Fullfield electroretinograms were reduced and delayed, and focal cone electroretinography showed abnormal foveal responses as well. Ophthalmoscopy and fluorescein angiography showed a bull's-eye maculopathy in both eyes of one patient and perifoveal depigmentation in both eyes of the other patient. Retinal function remained stable at follow-up examinations 18 to 24 months after the cessation of hydroxychloroquine treatment. These two cases demonstrate that peripheral retinopathy, as well as maculopathy, can develop in patients who are treated with hydroxychloroquine for systemic lupus erythematosus, and that retinal function may remain stable after discontinuation of hydroxychloroquine treatment.

Electroretinography↗
PubMed1991

Clinical patterns and associated conditions in chronic uveitis.

We determined the relative frequencies of the different types of chronic uveitis, and the possible associated conditions, among 400 consecutive patients with chronic uveitis examined during the years 1982 through 1988. Of the 400 patients, 183 (45.75%) had anterior uveitis, 98 (24.5%) ahd panuveitis, 61 (15.3%) had intermediate uveitis, and 58 (14.5%) had isolated posterior uveitis. Only four of the 98 patients with panuveitis (4.1%) were considered idiopathic after a comprehensive examination, whereas 94 of the 183 patients with anterior uveitis (51.4%) were similarly classified. We found an associated condition in 242 of the 400 patients of the study group (60.5%). Of these 242 patients, 61 had Behçet's disease, which constituted the most frequently encountered associated condition in this study. Of the 61 patients with Behçet's disease, 58 had panuveitis and constituted 59.2% of the panuveitis group. Of the 61 patients with intermediate uveitis, 17 (27.9%) had a concurrent disease. An associated condition was found in 95% and 96.2% of patients with unilateral and bilateral panuveitis, respectively, but in none of the patients with unilateral intermediate uveitis. Environmental, cultural, or genetic factors may be accountable for the differences discovered between our findings and those of previously published studies from the United States and England with respect to relative frequencies of some of the associated diseases in patients with chronic uveitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Analysis of genomic variability of hepatitis C virus.

The anti-C100-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the new four-antigen antibody recombinant immunoblot assay, and detection of viral RNA sequences by copy DNA-polymerase chain reaction were used to establish the course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in recipients of HCV-infected blood products. Different patterns of infection were observed: (1) persistent HCV infection with and without chronic hepatitis, and with acute resolved hepatitis; and (2) acute resolved hepatitis with clearance of HCV. In order to determine whether different infection- and anti-HCV recognition patterns are correlated to differences in viral nucleotide sequences, we compared sequences in the NS3 region between isolates from recipient(s) and their infective donors. Based on these comparisons we conclude that in The Netherlands two types of molecular variants circulate; one resembling the Japanese prototype isolate JH1, and the other the HCV-1 isolate from the U.S.A. The difference in sequence homology between the two types is approximately 24%. Comparison of sequences of donors and involved recipients determined in isolates prepared from blood samples four years after transfusion revealed that viral RNA sequences are strongly conserved (greater than 96.8%) in the NS3 region. These data indicate that the observed differences in anti-HCV immune response patterns between recipients are more a reflection of their immune reactivity than of divergence of viral strains.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1991

Normal change in the foveal cone ERG with increasing duration of light exposure.

Foveal cone electroretinograms (ERG) were elicited with a stimulator-ophthalmoscope from 24 normal subjects with a 4 degrees stimulus flickering at 42 Hz and centered within a 12 degrees steady surround. The stimulus and surround were presented at retinal illuminances of 4.8 log td and 5.5 log td, respectively, to facilitate visualization of the fundus. Several consecutive averaged responses were evaluated to determine whether increasing duration of light exposure causes an increase in amplitude, as previously found for the full-field cone ERG. On average, amplitude increased by 27% over time, and the linear regression of amplitude on recording number accounted, on average, for 42% of the amplitude variability between consecutive responses. Two subjects had amplitudes that were initially subnormal, based on previously published norms, but that value increased to within the normal range in subsequent recordings. These findings show that a significant change in the cone ERG occurs in the fovea with increasing duration of light exposure at these retinal illuminances, and suggest that, when the stimulator-ophthalmoscope is used, consecutive foveal cone ERGs should be obtained from patients with suspected macular disease to avoid a false diagnosis of retinal malfunction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Impacts associated with special care units in long-term care facilities.

This study is a comprehensive, longitudinal assessment of the characteristics of special care patients. Demented patients in special care units (SCUs) within four nursing homes were compared with their demented counterparts in the same facilities who were not placed in SCUs. Results of this preliminary study suggest that the two groups differ in level of cognitive impairment, in behavior, and in functional and physical status. No deleterious or beneficial effects were associated with SCU residence during a 6-month period.

Cognition Disorders↗
PubMed1989

Children's conceptualization of their own psychiatric illness and hospitalization.

Conscious understanding of their psychiatric hospitalization and illness was examined in 22 preadolescent children. Semistructured interviews evaluated their understanding of why they were hospitalized and its relationship to their problems. Their concepts of hospitalization fell into five categories: moralistic/punitive, adultomorphic, medical/physical, doesn't know, and due to misunderstanding. Most children described personal problems, yet believed that these were unrelated to and did not justify hospitalization.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Psychopathology and plasma cortisol responses to dexamethasone in prepubertal psychiatric inpatients.

This study of 51 prepubertal psychiatric inpatients evaluates plasma cortisol measurements at 8 AM, 4 PM, and 11 PM before and after dexamethasone was administered in counterbalanced order at doses of 0.5 mg and 1.0 mg. Approximately 76.5% of the children had an affective disorder. Major depressive disorder was associated with higher plasma cortisol levels than other disorders. Pre- and postdexamethasone plasma cortisol levels using 0.5 mg dexamethasone exhibited a circadian variation. The optimal criterion for cortisol nonsuppression was 5 micrograms/dl measured at 8 AM after administration of 0.5 mg dexamethasone.

Child↗
PubMed1987

An in vivo and in vitro investigation of the phototoxic potential of tenoxicam, a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent.

The phototoxic potential of tenoxicam, a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was investigated following oral and intradermal administration of the drug. No hypersensitivity responses to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) were observed for either orally or intradermally administered tenoxicam. In a parallel in vitro study, human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL) and mononuclear leucocytes (MNL) were exposed to UVR in the presence and absence of the NSAIDs tenoxicam, piroxicam and benoxaprofen (10-40 micrograms/ml). The generation of reactive oxidants by control and UVR-treated human PMNL and MNL in the presence and absence of the NSAIDs was measured according to the extent of luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Only benoxaprofen activated reactive oxidant generation by PMNL and MNL. The results of these in vitro and in vivo studies show that phototoxicity is unlikely to complicate chemotherapy with tenoxicam.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

Clinicopathologic report of spontaneous expulsive hemorrhage.

A 78-year-old woman who was known to suffer from bilateral absolute glaucoma underwent enucleation of her left eye because of corneal perforation with spontaneous bleeding. The clinical and pathologic findings were compatible with spontaneous expulsive hemorrhage. A possible cause of the hemorrhage in this case was inflamed necrotic choroidal vascular walls that bled after corneal perforation with decompression in the glaucomatous eye.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Psychiatric inpatient treatment of childhood schizoaffective disorder.

Psychiatric inpatient treatment of a child with multiple life-threatening symptoms, including suicidal behavior and food refusal, is described. Changes in symptomatology were monitored by applying research scales and research interview methods during the course of intervention. The process that led to the diagnosis of childhood schizoaffective disorder is discussed.

Anger↗
PubMed1985

Retinyl ester hydrolase of bovine retina and pigment epithelium: comparisons to the rat liver enzyme.

The hydrolysis of 3H-retinyl ester was examined in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina of cattle eyes and compared to that in homogenates of rat liver. The optimum pH for hydrolysis was 4.0-4.5 for RPE and 7.5-8.0 for liver. The RPE activity, which shows no variability between individual animals, is localized mainly in the lysosomal fraction of the cell. It is strongly inhibited by bile salts at concentrations as low as 0.2-0.5% and conversely, is strongly activated by Triton X-100, with maximum stimulation found at a concentration of approximately 1%. The apparent Vmax for hydrolysis of labeled retinyl ester in the RPE is 2.7 nmoles/hr/mg protein, a value approximately 1/150 to 1/200 of the rate of retinol esterification in these cells. Little or no hydrolytic activity could be detected in neural retina or in rod outer segments. Studies on the specificity of the RPE retinyl ester hydrolase activity revealed unexpectedly high hydrolytic activity toward both cholesteryl oleate and triolein, approximately 20 and 5 times greater, respectively, than in rat liver. The hydrolytic activity for cholesteryl oleate in the RPE was mainly at pH 3.5, while that for triolein showed three pH maxima, one at pH 4.5-5.0, a second near neutral pH and the third at pH 8. These findings reflect an active and complex pattern of fatty acyl ester lipid-metabolizing enzymes in cattle RPE whose interrelationships to one another require further clarification.

Animals↗