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Biomedical subjects

H Tobias

Publications and source records attributed to H Tobias.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

The role of liver biopsies in psoriatic patients receiving long-term methotrexate treatment. Improvement in liver abnormalities after cessation of treatment.

Liver biopsy specimens from 168 patients who underwent a total of 364 biopsies were examined. Of 83 patients receiving biopsies before methotrexate treatment, 14 had one or more risk factors predictive of liver abnormality but they had normal pretreatment biopsy specimens. Among 17 patients with abnormal biopsy specimens before methotrexate treatment, only 1 had an identifiable risk factor and 5 had abnormal results of liver function tests. The probability of a normal biopsy specimen after methotrexate treatment dropped below 50% at a cumulative methotrexate dose of 3115 mg for the 31 patients with biopsy specimens from before and after methotrexate treatment and 5776 mg for those who had biopsies only after methotrexate treatment; this difference was statistically significant and is thought to be related to the fact that the patients who had biopsies before and after methotrexate treatment had received most of their medication by the parenteral rather than the oral route. A significant association existed between biopsy grade after methotrexate treatment and obesity. Other risk factors were not correlated with biopsy grade. Blood chemistry tests were not predictive of histopathologic findings. Eight of 11 patients with fibrosis or cirrhosis showed meaningful improvement in liver histologic findings after methotrexate treatment had been withdrawn for 6 months or more; none had progression of abnormalities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Peptide radioimmunoassays: a BASIC program for data reduction.

A BASIC computer program is listed and described which may be used for calculating large amounts of data generated by radioimmunoassays. The user is given the opportunity to construct standard curves and to calculate mass quantities from raw counts or to incorporate previously determined protein values with mass quantities for final data expression. Calculated data may be viewed onscreen or obtained as printed copy.

Electronic Data Processing↗
PubMed1988

Neocortical morphometry and cholinergic neurochemistry in Pick's disease.

With a computerized image-analysis apparatus for neocortical morphometry and chemical methods for evaluation of the cholinergic system, five brain specimens of Pick's disease (PD) were studied and the results compared to those from specimens of age-matched normal subjects and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The PD specimens showed major reductions in brain weight, frontal and temporal cortical thickness, and large neuron populations, compared with controls. Lesser reductions were seen in small neurons and thickness of the inferior parietal cortex. The authors found no relationship between age of onset or disease duration and either the degree of cortical thinning or neuron loss or the number of Pick bodies in the neocortex and hippocampus. PD specimens were more atrophic than AD brains, having lower brain weights and more fronto-temporal thinning. Large neurons were comparably reduced in the two conditions in the frontal and temporal lobes, but small neuron losses were greater in the PD midfrontal area. Only the AD cases showed loss of large neurons in the inferior parietal region. Levels of choline acetyltransferase were normal in PD and reduced in AD, whereas muscarinic receptor binding was decreased in both.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Long-term effects of etretinate on the liver in psoriasis.

Etretinate is an aromatic retinoid and derivative of vitamin A soon to be approved for general use in the U.S. as therapy for severe psoriasis. We report on liver morphology and function in 18 subjects who received the drug for at least 5 years as part of a clinical trial. The majority (14) suffered no or mild and reversible structural liver changes; mild transient elevations in serum triglyceride and liver enzymes were noted occasionally. Of the remaining four patients, mild periportal fibrosis was documented in two, another had changes similar to chronic active hepatitis, and a fourth had cirrhosis that was unrelated to alcohol use. Liver function data, cumulative drug dose, and treatment duration were generally not reflective of these changes. The results of this study suggest a need for periodic liver biopsy to monitor patients on long-term etretinate therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Senile dementia of the Alzheimer type without neocortical neurofibrillary tangles.

Senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT) is typified pathologically by neuritic plaques (NP) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the neocortex and hippocampus. However, in a large series of cases (60) over age 74 a significant minority (30%) lacked neocortical tangles. In order to determine if these latter cases (Group B) otherwise differ from the majority which have both neocortical plaques and tangles (Group A), various clinical and neuropathological parameters were measured for both groups and the results compared. The following indices were examined: degree of dementia, rate of progression of dementia, age at death, brain weight, cerebral hemispheric weight, cortical cell counts from the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, the number of neocortical NP, the number of hippocampal NP and NFT, and the levels of neocortical choline acetyltransferase and somatostatin. The two groups showed no statistically significant differences in any of these categories except for increased numbers of neocortical NP in Group A in midfrontal and superior temporal regions. However, cases in Group A showed greater pathologic abnormality in nearly every parameter, albeit without attaining statistical significance. We conclude that SDAT with neocortical NFT is the same disease as SDAT without them, although the presence of such tangles is associated with a tendency towards greater severity.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

Liver involvement in the syndrome of mixed cryoglobulinemia.

A study of liver abnormalities in 36 patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia in the absence of underlying infectious, connective tissue, or lymphoproliferative disorders revealed clinical or biochemical evidence of liver dysfunction in 84%. Hepatomegaly was detected in 77%, splenomegaly in 54%, and abnormalities in bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, or serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase in 77%. Only four of the patients had overt liver disease. Of 15 biopsies from 12 patients, there was normal tissue structure in two, minimal nonspecific changes in one, portal fibrosis in three, chronic persistent hepatitis in one, chronic active hepatitis in two, chronic active hepatitis with cirrhosis in four, and postnecrotic cirrhosis in two. These findings, together with the previously reported high incidence of serologic evidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, support the view that the syndrome of purpura, arthritis, and nephritis is often a consequence of immune-complex vasculitis secondary to HBV infection.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1977

The endoscopy corner. Primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Retrograde endoscopic cholangiography is an effective means of evaluating the biliary ductal system. It can provide a nonoperative modality for diagnosing PSC and for assessing the effects of therapeutic interventions on the diameter of the bile ducts.

Adult↗