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Biomedical subjects

G Gross

Publications and source records attributed to G Gross.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Longitudinal studies of schizophrenic patients.

A sample of 502 schizophrenic patients, who had been admitted to the University Psychiatric Clinic between 1945 and 1959, was systematically followed up between 1967 and 1973. The same well-defined diagnostic criteria were used throughout the study. At the time of the last followup, the average duration of illness was 22.4 years. Twenty-two percent of the patients showed complete psychopathological remissions, 43% had noncharacteristic types of remission, and 35 percent suffered from characteristic schizophrenic deficiency syndromes. Psychopathological outcome in the patients studied was assessed in relationship to such factors as duration of illness, social remission, family history of schizophrenia, primary personality, educational level, social class, age at onset, and presence of precipitating factors. It is concluded that prognostic predictions are possible only when several factors with a similar influence on long-term outcome occur in combination and when factors with a contrary prognostic influence are absent. Even under these circumstances, the individual course is by no means certain. The hypothesis that presenting symptomatology can be used to differentiate between true schizophrenias and schizophreniform psychoses is not supported.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[Modification of long-term schizophrenia by somato-therapeutic measures].

Controlled studies have revealed that neuroleptic treatment alone has a significant effect in schizophrenic patients and that with parenteral treatment with depot neuroleptics the relapse rate after 1 and 2 years is significantly lower than with oral neuroleptic medications. About 20% of schizophrenic patients do not have relapses even without treatment. The effectiveness of neuroleptic long-term medication with regard to the prevention of relapses was proved by discontinuation trials for a period of up to 3 years. Up to now, however, there is no proof that drug therapy influences the long-term prognosis beyond the 3 years. The results of the Bonn schizophrenia study show the extraordinary variability of the courses and outcomes. Although some anamnestic and clinical prognostically favourable or unfavourable factors could be found, a reliable individual prognosis at the onset of the disease is not possible. Initially phasic courses with complete remission of the early psychotic features can later nevertheless lead to residual syndromes; on the other hand, chronic persistent psychoses can show a permanent remission leaving only slightly, non-specific residual states even as late at the 2nd to the 4th decade of the disease independent of the therapy. Some findings of the Bonn study, indicating a favourable influence of psychical treatments on the long-term course are described. They include the so-called catastrophic schizophrenia which at a rate of 4% occurs less frequently than in the past, the significantly poorer long-term prognosis of those patients who had not been treated in the beginning of the disease (taking into account subgroups with peracute, acute and subacute onsets on the initial psychotic manifestations), the significantly less favourable long-term prognosis of patients whose disease began prior to the era of psychopharmacological drugs, and the significantly more frequent occurrence of complete remissions of patients of the subgroups with peracute and acute onsets of the psychosis who had started treatment within 1 year after the onset of the disease (including the prodromal stage). Early diagnosis and treatment of the prodromal symptoms can probably improve the chance of a complete remission. The finding of a higher rate of patients with mixed residual states at the expense of the typical schizophrenic defect psychoses within the partial subgroup of the specific residual state with long-term neurolepsy could suggest that long-term medications is responsible for the 'partially pharmacogenic change in symptomatology' of schizophrenia in as far as it causes or favours a shift from the typical syndromes to the mixed residual states mainly bought about by a potential reduction in symptoms.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1980

Effects of thyroid hormone deficiency on pre- and postsynaptic noradrenergic mechanisms in the rat cerebral cortex.

Thyroid hormones are known to influence the noradrenergic neurotransmission in several peripheral organs. In order to find out whether similar changes exist in the central nervous system, we investigated adrenoceptor-mediated responses in the rat brain cortex during propylthiouracil-induced hypothyroidism. In contrast to unchanged basal cAMP levels, the cAMP accumulation following (-)noradrenaline incubation (3 X 10(-6)--3 X 10(-5) M) was significantly reduced in brain slices from hypothyroid animals. The difference between controls and propylthiouracil-fed rats became more pronounced when (-) isoprenaline (3 X 10(-6)--3 X 10(-5) M) was used for selective stimulation of beta-adrenoceptors. Since the cAMP increase mediated via alpha-adrenoceptors was not affected, it may be concluded that thyroid hormone deficiency only impairs the beta-adrenergic transmission. Phosphodiesterase activity remained unaltered suggesting that thyroid hormones influence the beta-adrenoceptors or the adenylate cyclase coupled to it. The sensitivity of presynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors modulating the release of noradrenaline was evaluated using occipital cortical slices preincubated in 3H-noradrenaline. Clonidine inhibited whereas phentolamine enhanced the 3H-overflow induced by electrical stimulation in a dose-dependent manner. No differences could be detected between control- and propylthiouracil-treated animals. Thus presynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors are not affected by hypothyroidism.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Changes of adrenoceptor-mediated responses in the pithed rat during propylthiouracil-induced hypothyroidism.

Adrenoceptor-mediated responses of the cardiovascular system during propylthiouracil-induced hypothyroidism were investigated. Interfering nervous reflexes could be circumvented by using pithed rats. Cardiac beta-adrenoceptor-mediated acceleration of heart rate following electrical stimulation or injection of noradrenaline and isoprenaline was markedly diminished even after 2 weeks of treatment. This loss of beta-sensitivity prevented the study of possible changes of presynaptic regulatory adrenoceptors in this test model. Taking the increase in diastolic blood pressure after application of alpha-agonists as index of the sensitivity of vascular alpha-adrenoceptors we found these to have been desensitized in the hypothyroid state. According to these results the lack of thyroid hormones exerted a similar effect on cardiac beta- and on vascular alpha-adrenoceptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Characterization of human papillomavirus 3 in warts of a renal allograft patient.

Multiple flat wart-like lesions of a renal allograft recipient were shown to contain HPV 3 or a serologically crossreacting virus by indirect immunofluorescence with monospecific animal antisera against HPV [1--5]. The patient's serum revealed virus specific antibodies (immunofluorescence titer 1/80). Papillomaviruses were isolated and after in vitro iodination 3 major proteins (MW 70.000, 56.000 and 43.000) were detected by SDS polyacryalmide gel electrophoresis. DNA was extracted from the warts and cleaved with the restriction endonuclease Hae III. Distinct bands were discernible within the background of cellular DNA and these fragments were identified as papillomavirus DNA by blot hypbridization with 32P-labeled viral DNA.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Seroepidemiologic studies of bovine papillomavirus infections.

Bovine and human sera were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against bovine papillomavirus types 1 and 2 (BPV 1 and 2) and human papillomavirus type 1 (HPV 1) in a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Human sera did not react with BPV antigens, and bovine sera showed no evidence of antibodies against HPV 1. In contrast, 19% of all bovine sera tested reacted with BPV 1 and 2 antigens, and 35% of human sera revealed antibodies against HPV 1. No serologic evidence was obtained for heterologous infections of persons exposed preferentially to cattle (farmers, butchers, and patients with Q-fever).

Animals↗
PubMed1976

[Nosology of schizophrenia (author's transl)].

Schizophrenia and its variations, the different concepts and criteria for the diagnosis of schizophrenia and the possibilities of "prognostic diagnosis" at the beginning of the disease are discussed. There is only a differential typology between schizophrenia and cyclothymia and no sharp differential diagnosis. The numerous attempts to separate the two large groups of disease types are critically reported. Uncharacteristically pure residual states which leave the center of personality intact are more frequent than typical schizophrenic personality changes; the majority of schizophrenic patients are socially cured after more than two decades. More recent investigations on the course lead to an approximation to the concept of the "homogenous psychosis" and compel a greater observation of the "stratification rule" in the diagnosis.

Cyclothymic Disorder↗
PubMed1976

Neutralizing serum IgM antibodies in infections with Herpes simplex virus hominis.

Forty-two patients with herpes simplex virus infections were tested for neutralizing serum IgM antibodies. A technique in which serum antibody fluorescein staining was combined with sucrose gradient centrifugation facilitated the isolation of the serum IgM fraction for the use in neutralization tests. In nearly all cases with primary infection, especially those presenting heavy clinical signs (encephalitis/meningitis) the IgM tests were positive. In one case we could detect the IgM antibodies for 11 weeks after the onset of the illness, in another case in cerebrospinal fluid samples for 6 weeks. In localized herpes infections, which were mostly due to reactivations, serum IgM antibodies could only rarely be demonstrated. Among the serologic tests used in this study (NT, CFT, IFT, ACIFT), only the CFT beside the NT (with certain reservations) can be applied for subtyping HSV serum antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Characterization of a ts beta' mutant RNA polymerase of Escherichia coli.

RNA polymerase isolated from ts XH56, a conditional lethal mutant unable to grow and synthesize RNA at 42 degrees, was found to be temperature sensitive in vitro. The mutation affects the beta' subunit as determined by mixed reconstitution of isolated subunits from wild-type and mutant enzyme. The mutant RNA polymerase is unstable; addition of glycerol stabilizes the enzyme and increases its activity on native DNA. In addition, the mutant enzymes is sensitive to high ionic strength. Both high temperature and high ionic strength do not affect chain elongation; thus, the mutation renders the enzyme unable either to bind to or melt out promotor sites. From these data we conclude that the beta' subunit plays an important role in promotor selection.

DNA, Bacterial↗
PubMed1976

[On the epidemiology of recurrent and chronic bronchopulmonary diseases-an examination of about 18000 children. 4. Investigation in the cities of Halle and Halle-Neustadt (author's transl)].

In Halle, an old city, and Halle-Neustadt, a town built in the past 10 years, our investigation was performed on 4418 children. We ascertained chronic or recurrent nonspecific bronchopulmonary diseases in 3,1% of them. 2,4% suffered from recurrent bronchitis, 0,4% from chronic bronchitis and 0,3% from bronchial asthma. Significant differences in the morbidity between the sexes were found only in asthma: boys were fallen ill twice often than girls. The frequency of morbidity lowered with increasing age significantly. Between Halle and Halle-Neustadt significant differences existed: in the old parts of Halle (especially in the centre, the eastern and southern districts) there were much more sick children than in the newly-built town.

Adolescent↗