Biomedical subjects

F Schneider

Publications and source records attributed to F Schneider.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

[Effect of diagnostic habits on the incidence of psychiatric diagnoses].

In this study, we analyzed the frequency of ICD-9-diagnoses in 2,868 inpatients (spanning 3 consecutive years) who had been admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Tübingen. "Paranoid schizophrenia" (15.8%), "endogenous monopolar depression" (11.2%), "alcohol dependency" (9.9%), "neurotic depression" (6.5%) and "schizoaffective psychosis" (5.3%) turned out to be the most frequently diagnosed illnesses. The diagnosis of 6 mental illnesses described more than 50% of our patient population. In a concurrent study physicians employed at the hospital filled out a questionnaire about their diagnostic style. According to the data physicians were not aware of their narrow diagnostic style. A comparison of physicians within each ward resulted in moderate diagnostic agreement insofar as their diagnoses was based on 4-digit-ICD-categories. When using 3-digit-diagnostic main categories, diagnostic agreement appeared to be higher.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗

PubMed1992

[Recognition of emotions in facial expression of visual half-field images by schizophrenic and depressed patients].

Twenty schizophrenics, 20 depressives, and 20 normal controls were asked to identify positive and negative emotional expressions of faces tachistoscopically presented to the left and/or right visual hemifields. Results replicated the frequently cited recognition advantage for emotional stimuli presented in the left visual hemifield (right hemispheric processing). A significant reduction in decoding advantage was observed in both patient groups, which could be explained in terms of an interhemispheric disconnection syndrome in schizophrenics and depressives. Bilateral findings in particular tend to support this hypothesis, since they revealed that both cerebral hemispheres processed contrary information simultaneously.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Modification of autoregulation of intrinsic physical processes in field-dependent subjects: a study of performance in heart rate biofeedback].

Witkin, the founder of the concept of "field dependence", assumed that there is a relationship between field dependence and body perception. However, this hypothesis was never investigated experimentally in a well-controlled study. Twenty healthy subjects learned to increase and decrease their heart rate dependent upon two discriminative stimuli. In order to increase and decrease their heart rate they received exteroceptive feedback (movements of a rocket-ship on a video screen). Each trial lasted 6 s. The distance of the rocket-ship from a certain point indicated the amount of the achieved increase or decrease. Field dependent subjects scoring higher in field dependency as measured by the Embedded Figures Test were poorer at heart rate control on feedback and transfer trials (test trials with feedback removed) than were subjects scoring low in field dependency. This result may be of therapeutic interest in the application of behavioral medicine to psychosomatic and psychiatric disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Nosologic specificity of psychopathologic findings in schizophrenic and depressed patients].

Different expert-rating scales (GAS, BPRS, SANS, Ham-D) were applied to assess the psychopathological findings in 40 schizophrenic and 40 depressive patients (classified according to DSM III-R guidelines). The data demonstrated that the schizophrenic sample did not display acute psychotic or negative symptoms as a specific symptomatology, and that depressive mood was not a specific symptom of the depressive sample. Hence, these types of research tools should mainly be used as a global measurement for determining the severity of psychiatric disorders, or for monitoring the progress of individual patients in order to illustrate disparate psychopathological qualities in nosologically different groups.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Evaluation of mimetic expression of schizophrenic and depressed patients by the psychiatrist].

Facial videos of schizophrenic and depressive patients and of healthy controls when watching both funny and horror films and during emotionally positive or negative interviews were rated by psychiatrists (experts) and students (novices). The observers' task was to rate joy, fear, sadness, and expressivity on a 7-point unipolar intensity scale. The soundless facial videos were presented to each observer for exactly 2.5 min. The observer groups did not differ significantly in their ratings except for sadness. Psychiatrists consistently rated expressed sadness as less intense than students. Facial expressivity and joy were rated as less intense in both patient groups in comparison with healthy controls. Depressives expressed significantly more sadness.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma.

A case of a benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma is reported. A 25-year-old woman presented a 8-year history of recurrent tumor and five operations because of that. On the basis of this case and of 18 cases proved by electron microscopy reported by others, the clinicopathological features and the problems of differential diagnosis are discussed. The ultrastructural examination is essential for the diagnosis of cystic mesothelioma.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

[Psycho-educational family group for psychiatric patients of various diagnoses].

The effectiveness of an eight-session psychoeducational group intervention with family members of psychiatric inpatients was evaluated in terms of benefits for the patients' clinical outcome, relatives' perceived burden and changes in qualitative aspects in family member-patients interactions. The study involved 12 inpatients and 16 immediate adult family members. At the nine-month follow-up the relapse rate was zero percent. Moreover, another effect was the decrease in family members' perceived burden. Additional findings also showed reductions in family members' facial expression of hostility in interaction with the patient. Results suggest that a psychoeducational intervention with family members of patients with different diagnoses may be effective as part of an inpatient treatment program.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

[Concentrations of prolactin, LH, estradiol-17 beta and progesterone in swine after biotechnical stimulation with PMSG, HCG and suidor].

Concentrations of estradiol-17 beta, progesterone, luteinising hormone (LH), and prolactin were recorded from 9 gilts, following cycle blocking by means of Suisynchron(R)-Prämix and application of PMSG, HCG, and Suidor(R). A radio-immuno-assay which for its quality criteria enabled safe determination of the hormone in peripheral blood had been worked out specifically for prolactin appraisal. HCG application led to blockage of pre-ovulatory LH release in 7 of 9 animals. Possible causes are discussed. Prolactin concentrations during oestrus were differentiated and, for example, were characterised by strong oscillatory variations. With the experimental arrangement used, the boar pheromone Suidor(R) was not found to have any impact upon hormone profiles.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Biochemical and behavioral effects of intraseptal microinjection of fasciculin, an irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

1. We examined the effect, in rats, of an intraseptal microinjection of fasciculin (FAS), an irreversible peptide acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, on a) AChE activity measured in septum and hippocampus, b) 3H-quinuclidinyl benzylate (3H-QNB) and 3H-oxotremorine (3H-OXO) binding to hippocampal cholinergic muscarinic receptors, c) 3H-flunitrazepam (3H-FNZ) binding to hippocampal benzodiazepine receptors as a control for QNB and OXO binding, d) acquisition and retention in three different behavioral paradigms, i.e., water-finding (in which there is concomitant habituation to the apparatus), step-down inhibitory avoidance, and shuttle avoidance. 2. AChE activity in septum decreased 2 days (-66%) and 5 days (-48%) after FAS microinjection; a slight reduction (-35%) occurred in the dorsal hippocampus on day 2 (P less than 0.05; N = 6 per group); no changes in AChE activity were observed in ventral hippocampus on day 2 or day 5. 3. No changes in 3H-QNB, 3H-OXO, or 3H-FNZ binding constants were demonstrable in the hippocampus either 2 or 5 days after intraseptal FAS administration. 4. No changes in training or test session performance in any of the three behavioral situations were observed 2-3 days after the intraseptal microinjection of FAS. 5. The persistent inhibition of septal AChE caused by FAS microinjection into the septum is not sufficient to induce major changes either in hippocampal cholinergic muscarinic receptors, or in the learning or retention of behaviors regulated by the septum and/or hippocampus.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Lymphatic arteriopathy: damage to the wall of the canine femoral artery after lymphatic blockade.

The effect of lymph stasis on the histological, biochemical, and elastic properties of the femoral artery were studied after regional lymphatic blockade in 36 dogs. Dogs were sacrificed 4-21 days after operation. Histologic changes of the femoral arterial wall (interstitial edema, degeneration in the muscle layer or media, thickened adventitia with dilated lymph vessels, and fibrosis) developed after regional lymphatic blockade. Characteristic metabolic alterations of the arterial wall (anaerobic catabolism of carbohydrate, increased lactate and glycosamine content) accompanied the morphological changes. Distensibility of the femoral artery decreased and greater elastic stiffness developed after regional lymphatic blockade. These results in conjunction with other experimental and clinical data support the concept that insufficient lymphatic transport within the blood vessel wall may contribute to the genesis and progression of arteriopathies.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Inhibition of urokinase activity and prevention of urokinase receptor binding by monoclonal antibodies.

Two murine monoclonal antibodies produced against human urokinase-type plasminogen activator were characterized with respect to their antigen-binding specificity and their effects on urokinase activity and urokinase receptor binding. One of the antibodies binds to the protease domain of urokinase (Kass = 2.1 X 10(7) M-1). Antibody binding inhibits catalysis of plasminogen activation. It does not, however, affect amidolytic activity of urokinase towards the chromogenic substrate D-Val-Leu-Arg-p-nitroanilide. The antibody thus appears to interfere with plasminogen binding without directly affecting catalytically active amino acid residues of the enzyme. The other antibody binds to the aminoterminal fragment of urokinase (Kass = 1.0 X 10(7) M-1) and prevents binding of the enzyme to high affinity receptors on human granulocytes. Binding of this antibody neither influences plasminogen activation nor the amidolytic activity of urokinase. Both antibodies are potentially useful for the further analysis and manipulation of urokinase function.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed1990

[Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum].

A case of benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma is reported. A 25-year-old woman presented a 8-year history of recurrent tumor and five operations because of the same. On the basis of this case and of 18 cases proved by electron microscopy reported by others the clinicopathological features and the problems of differential diagnosis are discussed. The ultrastructural examination is essential for the diagnosis of cystic mesothelioma.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Computer-based analysis of facial action in schizophrenic and depressed patients.

With a newly developed computer analysis the space coordinates of light-reflecting points, attached to a subjects' face, were recorded across time with high temporal and spatial resolution. Under different experimental conditions the facial actions of 20 schizophrenics, 20 depressives and 20 normal controls were analysed. Furthermore, raters watched the synchronously recorded video versions of the subject's face and rated them as to expressivity. The findings indicate that depressive and schizophrenic patients exhibited reduced facial activity in the upper part of their face in social interaction conditions. Schizophrenic patients showed reduced facial action responsivity across different conditions and emotions. All patients were judged to be less expressive than normal controls by raters, suggesting apparent disintegrated elements in facial activity, although when computer-analysed they exhibited the same amount of facial activity.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Bilateral injection of fasciculin into the amygdala of rats: effects on two avoidance tasks, acetylcholinesterase activity, and cholinergic muscarinic receptors.

These experiments examined the effects of the bilateral injection of fasciculin-2 (FAS), a natural acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory peptide, into the amygdala of rats on acquisition and retention of two avoidance behaviors. Intraamygdala injection of FAS (150 ng/amygdala) produced a pronounced and long-lasting inhibition of AChE activity: 85% and 74% on day 2 and day 5, respectively. After 48 hr, FAS-treated animals showed no changes in training or test session performance in a step-down inhibitory avoidance task (training-test interval was 24 hr). In a 2-way shuttle avoidance task, intraamygdala FAS slightly reduced retention test performance without modifying training session scores. Two and five days after FAS injections into the amygdala, the density of muscarinic receptor decreased about 50% as measured by the specific bindings of 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate and 3H-oxotremorine. No alterations were observed in the apparent dissociation constants. On the other hand, the central-type benzodiazepine receptor population of the amygdala remained unchanged, suggesting that FAS microinjection did not produce damage to neuronal components of these nuclei. In conclusion, the results presented have indicated that a clear-cut and long-lasting inhibition of AChE activity in the amygdala is not accompanied by a facilitation of learning and memory of two different avoidance tasks. Compensation of the increased cholinergic activity by a down-regulation of muscarinic receptors could account for these findings.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

PubMed1990

MRI findings in medial temporal lobe structures in schizophrenia.

In an MRI volumetric study of 10 young male schizophrenics (DSM-III-R 295.9x) a temporal lobe segment, corresponding hippocampal formation and parahippocampal gyrus were found smaller as compared with healthy controls while temporal horn was enlarged. Temporal lobe segment and parahippocampal gyrus were larger on the right in patients and controls, reversed asymmetry was found for the hippocampus.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[Steroid receptors in the gestagen treatment of endometriosis].

In 35 patients with laparoscopically proved endometriosis we determined the cytosolic estrogen and progesterone receptor content in endometrial samples before and after a 3-month course of progestagen treatment (DCC method). Dienogest was given in 20 cases, norethisterone in an other group of 15 patients. Compared with a normal group the receptor content was clearly higher in endometriosis patients. It correlated closely to the histological findings dated according to Noyes. In more than 60% of the pretherapeutic cycles there were some signs of disturbed differentiation. After 3 month of therapy the binding capacity of steroid receptors significantly decreased, particularly in norethisterone patients. Both clinical results and receptor conditions correspond to previous investigations concerning the competition behaviour, having confirmed different binding affinity to the receptor for the two gestagens here tested.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[Results of endocrinologic studies in culture media after coculture of bovine oocytes with granulosa cells].

The steroid hormones progesterone (P.), and testosterone (T.) were radio-immunologically determined in 108 medium samples, following co-culturing of bovine oocytes with granulosa cells. P. and T. values recorded from a control group were lower with significance than those recorded from co-culturing groups, that is 72 +/- 21 ng/ml and 264 +/- 84 pg/ml as compared to 208 +/- 138 ng/ml and 2,168 +/- 1,595 pg/ml in the oocyte plus fresh granulosa cell co-culturing group as well as 364 +/- 215 ng/ml and 825 +/- 233 pg/ml in the oocyte plus pre-incubated granulosa cell co-culturing group. These rises were accompanied by decline in maturation rate, increase in oocyte degeneration, and rises in the rates of fertilisation and segmentation.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

[Changes in the femoral vein in dogs as an effect of experimental lymphedema].

Authors studied changes of femoral vein developed by the effect of examinations experimental lymphoedema in dogs. Light and electronmicroscopic were performed from femoral vein of animals killed on 3rd and 14th postoperative day, and biomechanical examinations were done too from dogs killed on 14th postoperative day. In vessel wall edema, fibrosis, and in valves infiltration consisting of macrophages, neutrophilic granulocytes and of mesenchymal cells were observed. Biomechanical examinations did not show significant deviation. Their results suggest the possibility that extremital lymphoedema also in man may contribute to development of varicosity or to its aggravation. Experimental lymphoedema of lower limb of dog can be proposed as model experiment to the complex study of pathogenesis of development of varix.

Animals↗