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Biomedical subjects

H Schwartz

Publications and source records attributed to H Schwartz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Time consumption at an orthopedic operating theatre. Physicians' ability to predict their own time consumption].

The aim of the study was to investigate the time spent on different procedures in an orthopaedic operating theatre, and to evaluate the ability of doctors to predict their own time consumption. Time schedules were registered for 146 operations, of these 104 were either knee or hip replacements. Sixty percent of the total time was spent on surgery. The median misjudgment was 15 minutes for surgeons and five minutes for anaesthetists. An improvement in the doctors' ability to predict their own time consumption in the course of the study period could not be demonstrated. Comparing the study period with the similar period the year before it was not possible to demonstrate a change in the number of cancelled operations or the number of days with overtime. Epidural anaesthesia with bupivacaine was the most time consuming anaesthesia, the differences between the other forms of anaesthesia used were insignificant.

Denmark↗

The production of a monoclonal T3-antiidiotypic antibody (T3-MAAB) that mimics the effects of T3 on 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake in chick embryo heart cells.

The Ig fraction of rabbit anti-T3 antibody was injected into the spleens of BALB/c mice. Four days later, the lymphocytes were recovered from their spleens and were fused with cells of the 653 myeloma cell line. Screening of the hybrid colonies was carried out in a T3 RIA system. Positive colonies were those whose supernatant displaced 125I-labeled T3 from its antibody. The positive cultures were recloned and one was injected ip into mice. The crude IgG fraction of the ascites fluid was affinity purified on an affigel-10 column containing a covalently bound rabbit anti-T3-IgG. In order to eliminate possible endogenous T3 contamination during the affinity purification, the column was stripped with a 40% solution of acetonitrile in 0.2 M acetic acid, neutralized, and then the purification proceeded as described. The affinity purified antibody was an IgG2a isotype. This monoclonal antibody (T3-MAAB) displaced labeled T3 from its antibody in an RIA system. It also mimicked T3 in the stimulation of [3H]2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake in cultured chick embryo heart cells. After 6 h exposure, the dose-response curve of 2-DOG uptake to T3-MAAB was shifted to the left by at least one order of magnitude when compared to the dose-response curve obtained with T3. After 24 h exposure, T3 had the expected additional stimulatory effect that was dependent on neosynthesis of proteins, while T3-MAAB did not. Also at 24 h exposure, T3-MAAB did not stimulate the incorporation of labeled leucine and uridine into the heart cells while T3 at an equivalent concentration did. The MAAB activity could be abolished by boiling, while boiling did not affect the activity of an equivalent concentration of T3, thus excluding a T3 contamination-mediated effect. We conclude, therefore, that (a) a monoclonal hybridoma producing an antibody that mimics T3 was established; (b) this antibody competed with labeled T3 for anti-T3 antibody and, like T3, stimulated sugar uptake into cultured chick embryo heart cells; and (c) this antibody, unlike T3, did not stimulate the neosynthesis of proteins.

Animals↗

Kinetic model of the response of precursor and mature rat hepatic mRNA-S14 to thyroid hormone.

We found in preliminary experiments that multiple daily injections of triiodothyronine (T3) resulted in an apparent prolongation in the half time (t1/2) of mRNA-S14 decay. To appropriately interpret these observations, we developed a mathematical model of the fluctuations of mRNA-S14 and its nuclear precursor after a single injection or multiple daily injections of T3. The model parameters include 1) the effect of plasma protein binding and metabolic clearance rates on receptor-bound nuclear T3, 2) the threefold circadian variation in mRNA-S14, 3) a 12-min t1/2 for the nuclear precursor and a 1.5-h t1/2 for the mature mRNA-S14, 4) previously derived relationships between the level of plasma T3 and nuclear occupancy, and 5) direct proportionality between nuclear transcription of the S14 gene and T3 nuclear occupancy. The model faithfully predicted the excursions of the mature mRNA-S14 and its nuclear precursor. Nuclear retention of T3 and the effects of circadian variation on S14 gene transcription explain the apparent prolongation in the t1/2 of decay of mature mRNA. Our findings illustrate the feasibility of incorporating parameters at the molecular level into a comprehensive kinetic analysis of hormone action.

Animals↗

Microbial metabolism of the beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist bisoprolol.

Eighteen filamentous fungi and six actinomycetes species were screened for their ability to metabolize bisoprolol, a beta-blocking drug. All strains of Cunninghamella tested accumulated metabolite M4 = EMD 46193 ([4-(2-hydroxy-3-isopropylaminopropoxy)benzyloxy]ethanol). Among the strains investigated only Gliocladium deliquescens excreted the corresponding carbonic acid M1 = EMD 44025 into the culture medium. Biotransformation of bisoprolol by fungi occurred only during growth in complex medium or with resting cells after cultivation in complex medium. The screened Actinomycetes showed no biotransformation of the drug.

Biotransformation↗

Reading in pure alexia. The effect of strategy.

A number of investigators have demonstrated that patients with pure alexia comprehend briefly presented words which they are unable to explicitly identify. We suggested previously that these patients may read by means of two distinct procedures: a laborious letter-by-letter method and a 'whole-word' procedure which, at least initially, does not support explicit word identification. We report a test of this proposal in a patient with pure alexia. We reasoned that if the patient had access to two distinct and incompatible procedures, he might be induced to switch from one to the other by changing task demands. We found that when instructed to name words, the patient employed a letter-by-letter strategy; in contrast, when instructed to make lexical decision or semantic judgements about rapidly presented words, he appeared to use a 'whole-word' strategy. These data support the hypothesis that two distinct procedures are available to this patient. We argue, further, that is necessary to suppress use of the letter-by-letter strategy to demonstrate whole word reading capability in pure alexics, and that failure to do so may account for negative findings in other cases reported in the literature.

Cerebral Infarction↗

Pathogenesis of lipodermatosclerosis of venous disease: the lesson learned from eosinophilic fasciitis.

The histological features of lipodermatosclerosis and eosinophilic fasciitis and its variants were compared in a prospective study of outpatients attending the vascular clinic and inpatients in the Department of Medicine of a regional university hospital. Main outcome measures examined were swelling and induration of the subcutaneous layers with a stocking distribution in the calves. The inflammatory and fibrosing alterations involving the panniculus adiposus, superficial fascia and perimysium were essentially indistinguishable histologically in patients with lipodermatosclerosis or eosinophilic fasciitis and its variants. The intensity of the subcutaneous induration was related to the underlying nosological entity and the duration of the process. Infectious cellulitis was found to aggravate the clinical symptoms of lipodermatosclerosis. Since the stereotypical inflammatory and fibrosing processes in lipodermatosclerosis and eosinophilic fasciitis and its variants are similar irrespective of the initiating factors, it is suggested that there is a common final pathway in the pathogenesis of both disorders.

Adipose Tissue↗

Studies on the enzymatic reduction of N-Boc-4S-amino-3-oxo-5-phenylpentanoic acid methylester.

The enzymatic reduction of N-Boc-4S-amino-3-oxo-5-phenylpentanoic acid methylester, the key intermediate in the stereoselective synthesis of a statinanalogue, was studied with Hansenula anomala and Hansenula silvicola. Using whole cells of H. anomala gives complete conversion and a diastereomeric excess of 88% of the desired 3S, 4S statinanalogue. The strain contains two NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases, that can be separated by ion exchange chromatography or gelfiltration, yielding the 3S, 4S or 3R, 4S stereoisomers, respectively, with > 99% diastereomeric excess (DE). In the crude extract the 3S, 4S oxidoreductase is very unstable and could be purified with << 1% yield only. In contrast, H. silvicola, which gave poor conversions using whole cells, exhibited about 80-fold higher specific activity in the crude extract than H. anomala. The NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase was purified 317-fold in 12% yield. A single enzyme of 54 kDa reduces the substrate with 97.4% DE. Besides the statinanalogue a wide range of other compounds could be reduced, most notably diones and chinones such as isatin or campherchinone. It was demonstrated that the enzymes often discussed for the reduction of beta-ketoesters with yeast e.g. L-3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.35), the beta-ketoreductase of the fatty acid synthase complex and also the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.34) are separated during the purification steps from the oxidoreductase acting on N-Boc-4S-amino-3-oxo-5-phenylpentanoic acid methylester. The physiological role of the new enzyme is still unknown.

Amino Acids↗

Serum prolactin in patients with Laron-type dwarfism: effect of insulin-like growth factor I.

Prolactin (PRL) secretion was studied in Laron-type dwarfism (LTD) patients (8 children and 9 adults) in basal condition, after acute insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) or TRH injections and during 2 months of daily IGF-I treatment. Basal PRL was repeatedly higher (12.6 +/- 1.6 micrograms/l) than that in control subjects (7.6 +/- 1.2 micrograms/l, p < 0.05). Acute IGF-I injection caused an immediate slight decrease in serum PRL and growth hormone (GH), followed by a progressive rise to mean peak levels of 33.3 +/- 4.5 micrograms/l again parallel to serum hGH which rose to 86 +/- 20 micrograms/l--a response to the IGF-I-induced hypoglycemia. Intravenous TRH in LTD children induced a marked response in serum PRL, similar to that registered in estrogenized adult females. Serum PRL did not show consistent changes during chronic IGF-I treatment. It is suggested that the higher-than-normal PRL levels and release in LTD patients are due to a drift phenomenon of the mammosomatotropes which produce large amounts of hGH.

Adult↗

The promastigote surface protease (gp63) of Leishmania is expressed but differentially processed and localized in the amastigote stage.

The expression, processing and localization of the promastigote surface glycoprotein, gp63, in the amastigote form of Leishmania mexicana was examined. Metabolically labeled protein was immunoprecipitated from promastigotes and amastigotes. The isolated proteins were subjected to deglycosylation and partial peptide mapping. The cleavage products generated migrated similarly in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating that the proteins were closely related. The majority of gp63 in amastigotes was inaccessible to surface-labeling procedures, and lacked the phosphatidylinositol membrane anchor. Immunolocalization of this subpopulation of gp63 revealed it to be present within the parasite's flagellar pocket. Despite the relative paucity of 'membrane-form' gp63, isolation and analysis of surface proteins from lesion amastigotes indicated that gp63 was the most abundant protein on the amastigote surface.

Animals↗

[Occult adenocarcinoma of the parotid. Apropos of 2 cases].

The authors present two cases of parotid gland adenocarcinomas, without clinical swelling: revealed differently: one by facial paralysis; the other by mandibular extent signs, but setting altogether, some problems to explain their histogenesis; primitive or metastatic adenocarcinoma in the first observation; primary gland tumor, or transformation of a pleomorphic adenoma in the second one. The authors insist on the facial paralysis value, to guide the surgical approach.

Adenocarcinoma↗