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Biomedical subjects

D Schorn

Publications and source records attributed to D Schorn.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Skin collagen biosynthesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with D-penicillamine.

Collagen biosynthesis was measured in skin biopsies taken from 13 patients with rheumatoid arthritis before and after at least 6 months' continuous treatment with D-penicillamine, 1.0 g/day. There was a significant 36% reduction in mean collagen biosynthesis (p less than 0.0125) as assayed by 14C-hydroxyproline formation from 14C-proline during 24 h of tissue culture. The changes in 14C-hydroxyproline formation were correlated with the total doses of D-penicillamine taken (r = 0.71, p less than 0.01) and the falls in ESR (r = 0.72, p less than 0.01). No significant change in general protein syntehsis was observed. 500 microgram/mlD-penicillamine added to skil cultures in vitro inhibited both collagen and general protein synthesis (p less than 0.01). It is suggested that the clinical improvement induced by D-penicillamine could reflect an inhibition of collagen proliferation in the synovium.

Adult

Bone density and the carpal tunnel syndrome.

Bone density was studied in ten patients before and after release of an idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. A corticomedullary ratio was measured at the mid-point of the metacarpals and proximal phalanges of both hands. There was a significant increase in the mean bone density over the period of observation in the thumb and middle finger metacarpals and in the index, middle, and ring finger proximal phalanges of the operated hand. There was no significant increase in the density of either metacarpal or proximal phalanx on the non-operated side. Release of the carpal tunnel syndrome provides not only symptomatic relief but also leads to increased bone density.

Adult

Penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis: wound healing, skin thickness and osteoporosis.

D-Penicillamine alters the normal metabolism of collagen by inhibiting cross-linking and protein synthesis. This could affect wound healing, accelerate skin thinning and possibly exaggerate the osteoporosis of rheumatoid disease. The mean time to wound healing after 42 orthopaedic surgical operations in 21 patients treated with penicillamine was 19.8 (+/- 13.1) days. Compared with an earlier study, these results suggest that the drug has a comparable effect on would healing to corticosteroids given for three years. Skinfold thickness over the fourth metacarpal of the dominant hand was measured in 28 cases before and during penicillamine treatment. There was a significant decrease both in the first and second four-month periods of treatment (P less than 0.005 and P less than 0.01). Corticosteroids in constant dose did not have an additive effect. In view of the wound healing findings the significance of these results must await further sequential measurements. The normal progression of osteoporosis over three years was documented in 70 patients who had not received penicillamine. Penicillamine reversed this trend in 35 patients after one year of treatment (P less than 0.005). The results confirm that the osteoporosis is related to disease severity rather than drug therapy.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

The heart in rheumatoid arthritis: an echocardiographic study.

An echocardiographic study of 44 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis was carried out by means of a Picker ultrasonic laminograph. A posterior pericardial effusion was found in 14 patients (32%) and pericardial thickening in 5 (11%). The maximum amplitude of the anterior cusp of the mitral valve was reduced in 18 patients, and the diastolic (EF) slope was abnormal in 17 patients. The posterior cusp movement and left ventricle diameter were normal. The over-all incidence of cardiac involvement in these patients was 73%. The incidence of heart abnormalities given by echocardiographic diagnosis of cardiac manifestation of rehumatoid arthritis correlates well with the incidence derived from postmortem studies.

Adult

Pernicious anaemia with hypogamma-globulinaemia. A case report.

Auto-immune mechanisms are important in the evolution of pernicious anaemia, but cannot be demonstrated in all cases. Cell-mediated immunity is involved in the pathogenesis, and explains the occurrence of pernicious anaemia in patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia. The pernicious anaemia seen in these patients differs in some respects from the classical form of the disease. The case history of a patient with pernicious anaemia and hypogammaglobulinaemia is presented, and the possible pathological mechanisms are discussed.

Adult

Gold therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Forty patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were treated with intramuscular injections of gold salts. A significant response was shown by 67,5% of the patients. Treatment was discontinued owing to side-effects in 35%. Dermatitis and proteinuria from renal damage were the commonest complications of treatment. The method of treatment and its side-effects are discussed.

Adult

Pseudogout--CPPD arthropathy, Case reports.

Pseudogout, or calcium pyrophosphate arthropathy, is a crystalline synovitis, characterised either by acute attacks of joint pain, which usually occur in the large joints, or by a more chronic, progressive form of joint disease. The essential features of the disease are chondrocalcinosis and the presence of pyrophosphate crystals in the synovial fluid. The exact pathogenesis is unknown. Case reports of 2 patients with confiemed pseudogout, and of 1 who is suspected to be suffering from the disease, as well as a summary of the outstanding aspects of the condition, are presented.

Acute Disease

Sporadic ulcero-osteolytic neuropathy in Blacks. A report of two cases.

The triad of a peripheral neuropathy, skin ulceration and destruction of bones and joints of the feet is called ulcero-osteolytic neuropathy, when other common causes of similar lesions have been excluded. Malnutrition, alcoholism and local trauma predispose to the development of the condition. It is to be differentiated from burnt-out leprosy, and is a chronic condition that eventually leads to characteristic deformities.

Adult

The radiographic appearance of the rheumatoid hand.

The early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis ensures a timeous prognosis and appropriate therapy for this chronic disease. The radiograph of the hand is a valuable aid in making this diagnosis, but accurate interpretation is difficult. An outline of the X-ray changes seen in the rheumatoid hand is presented, and the salient points in the differential diagnosis are outlined.

Arthritis