Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Becker

Publications and source records attributed to C Becker.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Competitive and non-competitive interactions between specific ligands and beta-adrenoceptors in living cardiac cells.

We have used primary cultures of hearts from newborn rats to study beta-adrenoceptor properties in living myocardial cells. Receptors were labelled with the lipophilic antagonists 3H-(+/-)-carazolol and 125I-(+/-)-cyanopindolol (CYP) or with the hydrophilic antagonist 3H-(+/-)-CGP 12177. Under equilibrium conditions all ligands bound to a saturable homogeneous class of specific sites with a maximal binding capacity of approximately 100 fmol/mg protein (corresponding to approximately 5000 sites/cell). After 90-180 min preincubation of intact cells with 3H-carazolol or 3H-CGP 12177 only 80% of these antagonists could be displaced from specific binding sites by competing ligands. In the simultaneous presence of the antagonist (-) timolol 100% of specifically bound radiolabelled ligand remained displaceable. In competitive displacement experiments the radioligands did not affect the apparent affinity of the displacing nonlabelled antagonists timolol and CGP 12177, but agonist affinity was markedly changed. The apparent KD values for (-)-isoprenaline were 1560 and 2720 nmol/l in the presence of carazolol and CYP, but only 32 nmol/l in the presence of CGP 12177. This antagonist-dependent difference in agonist KD values was observed only in intact cells but not in membrane particles prepared from heart homogenates of newborn rats, where high agonist affinity was seen during displacement of all radioligands. The KA value for isoprenaline-stimulated cAMP accumulation in living cells was 30 nmol/l in 5-day cultures. A direct proportionality existed between agonist receptor occupation and cAMP accumulation in the presence of CGP 12177 as estimated by the KA/KD ratio. In the presence of carazolol the KA/KD ratio decreased from 1 to 0.02 suggesting that low affinity receptors were not coupled functionally to adenylate cyclase. These results indicate that some lipophilic antagonists which appear to be inert competitive ligands in fragmented membranes, alter receptor binding properties in intact cells. These antagonists seem to promote the transformation of receptor sites into a new "inactivated" state where competitive interactions between different ligands are inhibited.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

[Clinically asymptomatic congenital macrofistular AV-aneurysm of the kidney].

Congenital arteriovenous aneurysms of the kidney are rare. The case of a now 65-year-old female patient is explained, in whom in 1971 during a renovasography on account of renal cyst at the left side of congenital arteriovenous aneurysm of the right kidney was established. Today - almost 10 years after the diagnosis and near her eight decennium of life - the patient is clinically symptom-free as to the untreated arteriovenous aneurysm of the right kidney. The observation shows that in arteriovenous aneurysms of the kidney cases with clinical relevancy and clinically asymptomatic cases must be differed.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Aspartylglycosaminuria in an Italian family: clinical and biochemical characteristics.

Two members of a consanguineous Italian family are described with symptoms of aspartylglycosaminuria. Both patients exhibit mental retardation, some facial dysmorphism and discrete radiological abnormalities affecting the skull and vertebrae. Peripheral blood smears revealed multi-vacuolated lymphocytes. Enzyme studies in leukocytes showed an absence of aspartylglucosaminidase activity. Urine analysis demonstrated abnormal oligosacchariduria. Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum was observed in one patient. The disease is seen as not being limited to Scandinavia or to patients of Scandinavian descent.

Acetylglucosamine↗
PubMed1981

Disclosure of information to patients in medical care.

It is generally agreed that patients have a right to be adequately informed. However, little is known about the extent to which doctors and patients agree about information that should be disclosed. We studied what patients want to know, as contrasted with what physicians report actually disclosing, in a population of physicians who treat seizures and patients or parents of patients who have this disorder. In general, it was found that patients or parents of patients who have this disorder. In general, it was found that patients prefer far more detailed disclosures than physicians routinely offer and that the two groups have widely different beliefs about the consequences of detailed disclosures. Patients and parents preferred extensive disclosures, particularly regarding risks and alternative therapy. Physicians were likely to disclose only risks with a relatively high probability of occurrence and they provided little information about alternative therapies. Patients and parents were also much more likely than physicians to believe that the final decision concerning therapy should rest with the patient. The data suggest that a better empirical understanding of the consequences of detailed disclosures may help resolve differences of opinion regarding how much information should be provided to patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Disclosure standards and informed consent.

There is currently substantial disagreement about the kind of information that must be disclosed in obtaining an informed consent. This study examined physicians' interpretations of the demands of two alternative legal standards for disclosure, as well as a third standard intended to capture their normative sense of what should be disclosed to patients. Other factors which might affect disclosure practices of physicians were also studied. The findings raise questions about the extent to which a legal standard for disclosure can have an impact on medical practice; the data suggest that doctors currently disclose what they think patients want to be told. However, it appears that physicians substantially underestimate the amount of information patients wish to receive.

Disclosure↗
PubMed1981

Clinical and biochemical delineation of aspartyl-glycosaminuria as observed in two members of an Italian family.

Two members of a consanguineous Italian family are described with the symptoms of aspartylglycosaminuria. Both patients exhibit mental retardation, some facial dysmorphism and discrete radiological abnormalities affecting the skull and vertebrae. Peripheral blood smears revealed multivacuolated lymphocytes. Enzyme studies in leucocytes and cultured fibroblasts showed an absence of aspartylglucosaminidase activity. Urinary analysis demonstrated abnormal oligosacchariduria and aspartylglycosamine excretion. Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum was observed in one patient.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1980

[Congenital interruption of the aortic arch as an isolated malformation in adults].

It is reported on a 36-year-old patient with congenital interruption of the aorta in the preductal region. Is the infantile form of the interruption of the aortic arch already rare, so cases which reach the age of adults are absolute rarities. In the literature available to us altogether 11 cases of the adult form of an interruption of the aortic arch could be established which are supplemented by the 12th case which is described here. Among these cases interruptions in the preductal part of the aorta have been described up to now only in 4 cases of the adult age. Thus the case described here is the 5th case of this kind. As decisive for reaching the adult age the absence of further malformations on heart and large vessels are taken into consideration, further the extended collateral system, the formation of which seems to begin already in the embryonary stage and might be functionable immediately post partum.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol treatment of uraemic rats after high magnesium feeding.

The hypercalcaemic response to 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2D3) treatment was studied in mild uraemic rats (5/6-nephrectomy) under conditions of varying magnesium intake of 0.05% (control) and 0.75% (experimental). After 3 weeks' exposure to the high magnesium diet a loss of the hypercalcaemic effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 when given as 40pmoles i.p. during 5 days was observed. By use of standard clearance experiments a similarity of the renal magnesium and calcium handling could be demonstrated. At high serum magnesium levels, the fraction of filtered magnesium excreted in the urine rose, concomitant with an increased fractional excretion of calcium (r=0.81). The bone magnesium content was correlated with serum levels and therefore increased after high dietary magnesium. Treatment with 1,25(OH)2D3 resulted in an increase of the bone calcium content (p less than 0.05) after low magnesium diet, but not after high magnesium feeding. It is concluded that high urinary calcium excretion after magnesium loading contributes to the impaired calcaemic response of 1,25(OH)2D3 in azotaemic rats, while calcium uptake of bone is impaired.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

[Experiences obtained with the use of schulte's diagnostic program in myoarthropathies (author's transl)].

Using Schulte's diagnostic and therapeutic system of treating the pain-dysfunction syndrome, 165 patients were included in a program of myogymnastic self-treatment. The results obtained on reexamination of 96 patients confirmed the correlations observed by Schulte between the principal symptoms (painful side and lateral deviation of the lower jaw) and numerous causal factors. The diagnostic schemes used to search for causal factors may thus be regarded as having proved successful. They allow functional temporomandibular complaints to be classed in groups of diseases by taking into account the principal symptoms alone, namely, painful side and deviation of the lower jaw upon opening the mouth.

Dental Restoration, Permanent↗
PubMed1979

[Experience in the treatment of pain-dysfunction syndromes by myogymnastic exercises with particular reference to 96 reexamined patients (author's transl)].

In 1975, a total of 165 patients with myoarthropathies were treated by myotherapy. Through the use of a program of step-by-step therapy, which included myogymnastic selftreatment in addition to psychotherpay and repair of teeth, 77.6 percent of 96 reexamined patients were made free from complaints. Fuller utilization of the possibilities of causal therapy would certainly have allowed a higher rate of success to be achieved using the simplified program of exercises described in this paper. Experimental evidence could be presented in support of the assumption that parodontal damage may be caused to uncorrected sites of abnormal occlusion in the course of myogymnastic therapy.

Dental Occlusion, Traumatic↗
PubMed1978

Frequency of church attendance and blood pressure elevation.

Blood pressure levels were examined with regard to church attendance patterns in a group of white male heads of households who appeared in the 1967-1969 follow-up examination of the Evans County Cardiovascular Epidemiologic Study. A consistent pattern of lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures among frequent church attenders was found compared to that of infrequent attenders which was not due to the effects of age, obesity, cigarette smoking, or socioeconomic status.

Age Factors↗