Biomedical subjects

H J Gaertner

Publications and source records attributed to H J Gaertner.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1982

Plasma protein binding of perazine and amitriptyline in psychiatric patients.

The free fraction of amitriptyline (AT), measured by equilibrium dialysis in plasma from 29 AT-treated depressed patients, was 5.4-9.8% (mean 7.7%), which was the same as the values in 26 healthy controls (4.9-9.6%, mean 7.6%). The plasma levels of lipoproteins, as reflected by total cholesterol, and of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (alpha 1-AGP) did not differ between the two groups. the free fraction of AT in both exhibited a significant negative correlation with the concentrations of those two proteins. The unbound fraction of perazine (PER) was the same (3.1-5.9%, mean 4.4%) in plasma from 22 schizophrenic patients and from 24 healthy volunteers (2.9-6.0%, mean 4.5%). However, in patient plasma alpha 1-AGP was significantly higher (mean 1.07 vs 0.81 mg/ml) and total cholesterol tended to be lower (mean 173 vs 201 mg/100 ml) than in plasma from normals. In consequence, the free fraction of PER was negatively correlated with the alpha 1-AGP concentration in plasma from patients and with the cholesterol level in plasma from control subjects; the other correlations were not significant. In 7 patients, the alpha 1-AGP level was normal prior to Per treatment. Serial blood samples from 6 patients revealed a consistent elevation of alpha 1-AGP above its pretreatment level during 4 weeks of PER administration in 5 of the subjects and a transient increase in one other. while low lipoprotein levels in schizophrenics seem to be a disease-related trait, the increase of alpha 1-AGP may be a drug effect.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Circadian course of body temperature and the excretion of MHPG and VMA in a patient with bipolar depression.

A 38-year old woman with a bipolar affective disorder was examined for 10 days during a serious retarded depression phase and for 10 days during the subsequent symptom -free interval. During depression the MHPG-excretion showed a significantly shorter circadian periodicity of 20.5 hours, whereas the periodicity of body temperature and VMA amounted to 24 hours. During the symptom-free interval the circadian periodicity of all parameters was 24 hours. These results indicated that the depression phase of a bipolar affective disorder in this patient is related to a desynchronization of central NA function with peripheral NA activity and body temperature.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Plasma levels, psychophysiological variables, and clinical response to amitriptyline.

Hamilton depression scale ratings and physiological measurements were made for 37 patients with primary depression before treatment with amitriptyline (150 mg/day) and again after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment; plasma drug levels were determined weekly. Improvement was maximal at mean amitriptyline + nortriptyline concentrations of 125-200 ng/ml (14 patients), while at lower levels the outcome was significantly poorer (12 patients). Highly variable results were seen in 11 patients with levels between 200 and 301 ng/ml, with lesser improvement occurring in those patients who exhibited poor habituation of the skin resistance response before treatment. Other psychophysiological variables showed significant changes during treatment, but no correlation with clinical results or drug levels.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Response to maprotiline treatment in depressive patients relationship to urinary MHPG excretion and plasma drug level.

In 20 patients with primary depression the urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) was determined prior to a 4-week treatment with maprotiline 125 mg/day. Reliable data were available from 16 patients and averaged 1.35 mg/24 h. There was a trend towards a negative relationship between MHPG excretion and clinical improvement as reflected by the percent reduction in Hamilton scale scores. Responders, defined as those patients with a final score of less than or equal to 6, excreted less MHPG than partial or non-responders. Plasma maprotiline levels exhibited a significant increase between treatment days 14 and 28. They did not show a significant relationship to the reduction of total Hamilton scale scores. However, final scores of symptoms pertaining to depressive retardation were significantly higher in patients with low (less than 75 ng/ml) or high (greater than 150 ng/ml) plasma levels than in those with levels in an intermediate range.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Diurnal variation of urinary MHPG in unipolar and bipolar depressives.

In eight bipolar depressives, 11 unipolar depressives, and 15 healthy controls urinary excretion of MHPG was measured at 3-h intervals over one 24-h period. Bipolars excreted smaller amounts of MHPG than unipolars and controls, especially at night. MHPG excretion was significantly dependent on time of day in the control group only. In the patients maximum excretion showed a tendency to occur earlier in the day than in controls. Minima were unaffected. There were indications that tricyclic antidepressants advance MHPG phases.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Acathisia-syndrome: involvement of noradrenergic mechanisms.

The involvement of noradrenergic mechanisms in patients suffering from acathisia was investigated by determination of urinary night-time 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenyl glycol (MHPG)-excretion and was compared both with control patients matched according to age and sex and healthy individuals. A significantly reduced MHPG excretion was found among the acathisia patients. It is suggested that a supersensitivity of the spinal noradrenergically innervated receptors caused by their long-term blocking is responsible for occurrence of the symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

4-methoxy-3-hydroxyphenylglycol as an internal standard for the determination of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyglycol in urine: results obtained in depressed patients and healthy controls.

A modification of the method developed by Dekirmenjian & Maas (1970) Anal. Biochem. 35, 113-122) is described for the determination of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol in urine. The use of 4-methoxy-3-hydroxyphenylglycol as an internal standard improves the accuracy, simplicity and reproducibility. Therefore, the method is suitable for routine determination in laboratories without gas chromatography/mass spectrometry equipment. Some results obtained in depressed patients and healthy controls are presented.

Chromatography, Gas↗

PubMed1976

[Thin-layer chromatographic determination of plasma levels of tricyclic psychopharmacological drugs: first results on their relationship to the clinical activity of neuroleptics (author's transl)].

Plasma levels of perazine, clozapine, amitriptyline and imipramine and of their demethylated metabolites can be measured in patients receiving therapeutic doses by UV reflectance photometry of thin-layer chromatograms of plasma extracts, Large inter-individual variations were observed in unselected psychiatric patients treated with comparable doses. An investigation into the relationship between plasma levels and therapeutc effect in acutely schizophrenic patients was carried out for perazine and clozapine. With perazine, a group of patients exhibiting an unsatisfactory response had a tendency to show lower plasma levels than a group with a good response; in some patients of the former group, increase of the dose with concomitant increase of the plasma level led to a satisfactory therapeutic effect. In patients treated with clozapine, such a relationship could not be demonstrated.

Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic↗

PubMed1974