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Biomedical subjects

H J Kuss

Publications and source records attributed to H J Kuss.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

[Controlled study on the possible benefits of combination therapy with chlorimipramine and haloperidol inpatients with endogenous depression].

Ther is some clinical evidence that neuroleptics are able to increase the therapeutic effect of antidepressive drugs. From a theoretical viewpoint this could be due to influences on pharmacokinetic or receptor sensibility. In a controlled trial on 20 endogenous depressives the advantage of a combined medication of 150 mg Chlorimipramine and 9 mg p.d. Haloperidol (given over six days) were tested. Neither during the combined medication, nor after discontinuation of haloperidol, this treatment regimen proved better clinical results. According to the literature serum levels of chlorimipramine were higher in the experimental group, not the levels of desmethyl-chlorimipramine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Endogenous opiates increase pain tolerance after stress in humans.

This study investigates the role of endogenous opioids in the regulation of pain in humans. Two groups of healthy volunteers were subjected to different stress situations (cold pressor and arithmetic). In a double-blind design the changes in pain tolerance after stress were measured after an injection of either 0.8 mg naloxone or placebo. The cold pressor test raised the pain threshold in the placebo-treated group, but not in the naloxone-treated group. Mental arithmetic had no effect on pain perception. One can conclude therefore that physical stress may change pain perception depending upon the secretion of endogenous opioids.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Quality control of amitriptyline and nortriptyline plasma level assessments: a multicenter study.

Numerous studies report about the relationship between the clinical effectiveness of amitriptyline (At) and the plasma level of this drug and of its most important metabolite, nortriptyline (Nt). These agents are therefore very frequently examined for clinical applications and for research programmes in specialized laboratories. The experience with antiepileptic drugs suggests the necessity of quality controls for antidepressants also. Therefore, five institutions in Western Europe performed two such experiments within a year. Two kinds of blood samples were sent for analysis: 1. plasma samples spiked with different quantities of At and Nt from an untreated subject; 2. plasma samples from patients treated with clinical doses of At. Each laboratory happened to use a different analytical method: TLC, HPLC, GC-NPD, GC-FID and GC-MS. The results clearly show the usefulness and the necessity of quality controls for this category of drugs as well. They form the basis for the improvement of the methods of each laboratory in particular. In this context, intralaboratory quality controls are also possible, if one disposes of two different methods. The findings of this study suggest that published reports on relationships between clinical and pharmacological parameters should be considered critically as to possible methodological bias.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1981

Quantitative high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of maprotiline and oxaprotiline in human plasma.

A procedure is described which permits the determination of maprotiline and oxaprotiline in human blood or plasma at therapeutic concentrations. The biological fluids are extracted with base and the extract is injected into a high-performance liquid chromatograph. The substances are detected by a UV detector operating at 214 nm, amitriptyline being used as internal standard. Concentrations as low as 2 ng per sample can be measured.

Anthracenes↗
PubMed1980

On the relationship of nortriptyline: amitriptyline ratio to clinical improvement of amitriptyline treated depressive patients.

The antidepressant effect of amitriptyline was studied in 28 endogenous depressive patients. They received 150 mg amitriptyline once nightly in a sustained release form for 4 weeks. Blood samples were drawn 12 hrs. after medication. Amitriptyline concentrations were between 35--300 ng/ml Nortriptyline concentrations were between 20--330 ng/ml. No correlations were found between plasma concentrations of amitriptyline, nortriptyline, or their sum, and the clinical outcome of treatment. Plasma levels of amitriptyline depended on neither the age nor the sex of the patients. A significant correlation was found between the ratio of nortriptyline to amitriptyline concentrations in serum (demethylation ratio) and clinical improvement. The demethylation ratio appeared to be relatively constant after a few days of treatment. The results suggest that monitoring the demethylation ratio of endogenous depressive patients treated with amitriptyline may predict therapeutic effects of the treatment. They also suggest that a balance between noradrenergic and serotonergic mechanisms is necessary to improve antidepressant treatment with amitriptyline.

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↗
PubMed1979

A highly sensitive and precise radioenzymatic assay for plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine.

A modification of the procedures for simultaneous radiometric determinations of plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) was developed. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is excellently suited to separate the radioactive products of the enzymatic methylation of catecholamines. The time-saving procedure shows significant advantages as against the conventional method of isolating normetanephrine and metanephrine by thin layer chromatography. The high sensitivity (detection limit = 1 pg), specifity, and good precision (cv = 6%) of this assay are demonstrated.

Catechol O-Methyltransferase↗