Biomedical subjects

E H Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to E H Taylor.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Disopyramide: clinical indications, pharmacokinetics and laboratory assessment.

Disopyramide is an antiarrhythmic drug similar to quinidine and used primarily to treat ventricular ectopic systoles. Unlike quinidine which shows drug-drug interaction with digoxin, disopyramide appears to be free of this problem. Side effects include anticholinergic symptoms, cardiovascular problems, and some gastrointestinal discomfort. Disopyramide is metabolized to N-desisopropyl disopyramide in the liver with approximately 50 percent of the parent drug excreted unchanged. The elimination half-life varies from 4.5 to nine hours, and it can be even longer in cases of renal failure or myocardial infarction. There exists an extremely variable degree of protein binding (10 to 70 percent), which is highly dependent on concentration. The unbound (free) fraction increases with increasing drug concentration, making the interpretation of total disopyramide concentrations very difficult. Since the free drug concentration is more representative of availability to its receptor, and only the free fraction is available for renal excretion, the free drug concentration may represent a better predictor of therapeutic effectiveness. Methods for determining concentrations of disopyramide include gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, homogeneous enzyme immunoassay (EMIT), and fluorescence polarization immunoassay. A method for performing both total and free disopyramide determinations is also described.

Cardiac Complexes, Premature↗

PubMedDate not supplied

In vitro antimicrobial activity of diethyldithiocarbamate and dimethyldithiocarbamate against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus.

Staphylococcus aureus has appeared which is highly resistant to both methicillin and aminoglycosides. Current therapy involves long-term intravenous therapy of vancomycin. Since vancomycin is currently the only drug used to treat these patients, there is a need to develop additional antimicrobial therapy. The in vitro antimicrobial effect of the metal chelator, diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) and its structural analog dimethyldithiocarbamate (DMTC) were investigated. Both DDTC and DMTC were effective against S. aureus including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). By agar diffusion, DDTC at 10 micrograms per disk produced zone sizes of 12 to 21 mm and at 100 micrograms per disk produced zone sizes of 26 to 34 mm against MRSA. The DMTC produced slightly greater zone sizes against MRSA of 16 to 24 mm and 24 to 37 mm for 10 micrograms per disk and 100 micrograms per disk, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for DMTC against MRSA was 6 micrograms per ml. Both DDTC and DMTC were also effective against enterococci, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella species, Serratia marcescens and Citrobacter freundii at 100 micrograms per disk. The MICs of DMTC for Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Citrobacter freundii were approximately 128 micrograms per ml while the MICs for Proteus vulgaris, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens was greater than or equal to 256 micrograms per ml. In addition, DMTC was synergistic with gentamicin against MRSA and coagulase-negative staphylococcus species, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additive and synergistic effects of DMTC were displayed with gentamicin against S. aureus including methicillin-resistant S. aureus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Serum prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP): monoclonal enzyme-linked immunoassay compared to polyclonal radioimmunoassay.

A new enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit which utilizes a monoclonal antibody against prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) was compared with current radioimmunoassay (RIA) methodology which uses a polyclonal antibody. Both assays are double antibody immunoassays with the major difference being the method of antibody preparation. A study of intrarun precision using control material showed an average within run coefficient of variation (CV) percent as 7.0 percent and 6.9 percent for ELISA and RIA, respectively, while between run CV percent averaged 11.1 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively. Thus, precision results compare similarly between the two assays. The specificity showed significantly different results. Patterns of correlation between the two methods indicate differing specificities of the primary antibodies. The values for ELISA were greater than RIA for control sera and patient samples when values fell outside the reference range; however, RIA values exceeded ELISA values with patient samples which fell within the reference ranges as provided by each manufacturer. Therefore, there exists a question of specificity of antibody employed in each of the two assays. The PAP antigen is prepared from two different sources for each kit. The ELISA manufacturer prepares antigen from seminal fluid and RIA manufacturer prepares antigen from normal human prostate. The question of specificity may be influenced by: (1) source of antigen used in immunizing animals and (2) monoclonal versus polyclonal means of producing antibody.

Acid Phosphatase↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of children with serious mental illness.

As a nation, we are becoming aware that a significant number of children develop severe neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, knowledge of DSM-IV criteria does not always help the child and family social worker identify children with these disorders. Early onset schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and severe depression can cause child behaviors that differ markedly from symptoms manifested by adults with serious mental illness. This article provides specific information for screening and treating children who develop long-term neuropsychiatric disorders.

Adolescent↗