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Biomedical subjects

I Lang

Publications and source records attributed to I Lang.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

A decrease in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is associated with a significantly reduced risk for coronary restenosis.

To determine a possible relation of changes in plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) to the development of coronary restenosis after successful coronary angioplasty (PTCA), we followed 104 patients with a low grade residual stenosis after PTCA (less than 30%) for a period of 12 months. PAI-1 plasma levels (functional activity) and t-PA antigen were determined 1 day before PTCA and 3 days, 3 months and 6 months thereafter. Thirty-four patients (32.69%) developed angiographically proven coronary restenosis (group A) within a time range of 4-48 weeks (median 12.5 weeks) after PTCA while the remaining patients (group B) had neither clinical signs nor angiographic evidence of restenosis after 6 months. No significant differences could be demonstrated in t-PA antigen or PAI-1 activity (plasma levels between the two groups of patients the day before PTCA). During the whole observation period t-PA plasma levels were not significantly different between the two groups; however, PAI-1 plasma levels were significantly higher at 3 months and 6 months after PTCA in patients of group A (p less than 0.005). When the pattern of PAI-1 plasma levels over time (increase or decrease between two consecutive time points of blood collection) was used to discriminate between the two study groups only 3.5-18% of patients with a decrease in PAI-1 developed coronary restenosis within the following observation period in contrast to 25-58% of patients with an increase in PAI-1 plasma levels (p less than 0.05 to p less than 0.0005).

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Enhanced growth hormone responses to growth hormone releasing hormone in male type I diabetic patients.

In a previous paper we have demonstrated that growth hormone (GH) responses to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) are higher in premenopausal normal women than in age matched healthy men. As in type I diabetes mellitus various disturbances of GH secretion have been reported, the aim of our study was to assess the effect of sex on basal and GHRH stimulated GH secretion in type I diabetes mellitus. In 21 female and 23 male type I diabetic patients and 28 female and 30 male control subjects GH levels were measured before and after stimulation with GHRH (1 microgram/kg body weight i.v.) by radioimmunoassay. GH responses to GHRH were significantly higher in female than in male control subjects (p less than 0.02), whereas the GH levels following GHRH stimulation were similar in female and male type I diabetic patients. GH responses to GHRH were significantly higher in the male type I diabetic patients than in the male control subjects (p less than 0.001); in the female type I diabetic patients and the female control subjects, however, GH responses to GHRH were not statistically different. The absence of an effect of sex on GHRH stimulated GH responses in type I diabetes mellitus provides further evidence of an abnormal GH secretion in this disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Medroxyprogesterone acetate lowers plasma corticotropin and cortisol but does not suppress anterior pituitary responsiveness to human corticotropin releasing factor.

The endocrine action of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) has been claimed to be of a glucocorticoid-like nature. Upon clinical observation, MPA has been shown to improve life quality and overall well-being in patients with advanced breast cancer, renal carcinoma, prostatic carcinoma, and uterine adenocarcinoma. The authors have evaluated MPA endocrine action by the administration of human corticotropin releasing factor (hCRF) in a 90-minute assay in 15 patients with advanced breast cancer or renal cell carcinoma both, before the initiation of oral high-dose MPA treatment (1000 mg MPA) as well as after at least 10 days of therapy. The curves for corticotropin, beta-endorphin, and cortisol responses to hCRF of tumor patients who were tested before the initiation of MPA treatment were parallel to the curves of a healthy control group of probands tested under equal conditions, although at significantly higher respective hormone levels. In patients with malignant disorders assayed after MPA administration, both basal and peak hormone levels were found to be comparable with values obtained in healthy controls. In conclusion, MPA appeared to act at a suprapituitary level since pituitary responsiveness to hCRF was preserved under MPA treatment. Moreover, it appeared that MPA brought the hormonal stress state found in patients with malignant tumors back to normal.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1990

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels in patients with chronic angina pectoris with or without angiographic evidence of coronary sclerosis.

Increased plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) have been shown to exist in 40 to 60% of patients with stable coronary artery disease and have been suggested to be responsible for the development of coronary thrombotic complications. However, it is also discussed whether PAI-1 elevation might mainly be due to variables like increased age or to reactive mechanisms caused e.g. by the chest pain itself. To exclude age dependent or pain related influences, age-matched patients with stable angina pectoris (NHYA II) and angiographically proven coronary artery disease (CAD, n = 16) or without evidence for coronary sclerosis (variant angina, n = 10; angina-like syndrome with normal coronary angiogram, n = 5; non-CAD, n = 15) have been investigated for their plasma PAI-1 activity and t-PA antigen levels. The mean PAI activity in CAD patients (17.5 U/ml) was significantly higher than in non-CAD patients (9.6 U/ml) (p less than 0.0001). In the CAD patients no significant variation in plasma PAI-1 values could be demonstrated when related to the extent of the disease or to a history of previous myocardial infarction. t-PA antigen was also elevated in CAD patients as compared to the non-CAD group (p less than 0.02). The results suggest therefore a strong correlation between coronary artery disease itself and elevated levels of components of the plasma fibrinolytic system.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1990

[Long-term follow-up of pulmonary hypertension of unknown etiology].

Since 1967, 166 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension of unknown etiology have been followed-up at the Department of Cardiology at the University of Vienna. Although an exact etiopathogenetic differentiation was not possible, three groups of patients were identified clinically: patients with so-called primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH)--group 1; patients with pulmonary hypertension induced by anorexipens (aminorex fumarate)--group 2; and patients with pulmonary hypertension due to emboli in the large pulmonary vessels--group 3. In addition to non-invasive echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary pressures, regular cardiac catheterizations were carried out, which revealed right atrial mean pressure, cardiac output, and mixed venous saturation to be prognostic predictive factors. Patients with anorexigen-induced pulmonary hypertension have a clearly better life expectancy than those with PPH. Owing to the temporally limited effect of the pulmonary hypertension-inducing agent, aminorex fumarate (Menocil), patients with anorexigen-induced pulmonary hypertension may be considered a model group for drug-induced vascular pathology.

Aminorex↗
PubMed1987

[Successful treatment of antimony-resistant cutaneous leishmaniasis].

We report the case of a patient who acquired cutaneous leishmaniasis in Israel, with multiple lesions on the face and wrists. The diagnosis was made several months after the onset of disease. We observed large multiple ulcers, which at first responded to sodium stibogluconate (600 mg daily for 2 weeks). After initially decreasing in size, the lesions remained unchanged. Several weeks later clinical exacerbation of the cutaneous leishmaniasis was observed. Fearing late complications on the upper eyelid, we administered two 2-week courses of ketoconazole, 800 mg daily. The early and rapid improvement achieved indicates that ketoconazole was successful in this case of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Molecular mobility and nucleocytoplasmic flux in hepatoma cells.

Fluorescence microphotolysis (photobleaching) was used to measure, in single polyethylene glycol-induced polykaryons of hepatoma tissue culture cells, nucleocytoplasmic flux and intracellular mobility for a series of dextrans ranging in molecular mass from 3 to 150 kD and for bovine serum albumin. For the dextrans, the cytoplasmic and the nucleoplasmic translational diffusion coefficients amounted to approximately 9 and approximately 15%, respectively, of the value in dilute buffer. The diffusion coefficients depended inversely on molecular radius, suggesting that diffusion was dominated by viscosity effects. By application of the Stokes-Einstein equation, cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic viscosities were derived to be 6.6 and 8.1 cP, respectively, at 23 degrees C. Between 10 and 37 degrees C nucleoplasmic diffusion coefficients increased by approximately 45-85%, whereas cytoplasmic diffusion coefficients were virtually independent of temperature. In contrast to that of the dextrans, diffusion of bovine serum albumin was more restricted. In the cytoplasm the diffusion coefficient was approximately 1.5% of the value in dilute buffer; in the nucleus albumin was largely immobile. This indicated that albumin mobility is dominated by association with immobile cellular structures. Nucleocytoplasmic flux of dextrans depended inversely on molecular mass with an exclusion limit between 17 and 41 kD. This agrees with previous measurements on primary hepatocytes (Peters, R., 1984, EMBO [Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.] J. 3:1831-1836), suggesting that in both cell types the nuclear envelope has properties of a molecular sieve with a functional pore radius of approximately 55 A.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Four year follow-up of the Duromedics Edwards bileaflet valve prostheses.

The Duromedics Edwards (DE) bileaflet valve prosthesis was withdrawn from the market after 12 leaflet escapes had been reported in 20,000 implants. Effort is necessary to identify the failure mode to improve valve design or production, but the rate of other valve related complications will tell if it is worthwhile reintroducing this prosthesis. Five-hundred and sixty-four DE valves have been implanted in 508 patients between September 1983 and May 1988. Two-hundred and sixty-eight had aortic valve replacement (AVR), 183 mitral valve replacement (MVR) and 56 double valve replacement (DVR); the perioperative mortality was 6.9%. Follow-up has been 98.7% complete for a total of 1064 patient years and a mean follow-up of 26 months (range 3 to 54 months). Late mortality was 3.7%/yr and actuarial survival was 85 +/- 3% without and 78 +/- 3% including operative mortality after 54 months. Event free actuarial rates (linearized rates in parenthesis) were 93 +/- 2% (1.5%/yr) for thromboembolism, 91.7 +/- 1.9% (2.3%/yr) for anticoagulant related hemorrhage, 89 +/- 4.8% (2.3%/yr) for valve failure, 93 +/- 2% (1.8%/yr) for valve related mortality, 72 +/- 4.8% (6.3%/yr) for all valve related morbidity and mortality and 83 +/- 4.4% (3%/yr) for treatment failure. Two leaflet escapes occurred in the study group (0.18%/yr), both patients survived reoperation. The concept of reducing thrombus formation by a specially designed irrigating hinge mechanism was proven by a low rate of thromboembolism in our clinical follow-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Actuarial Analysis↗