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Biomedical subjects

J R Couch

Publications and source records attributed to J R Couch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Amitriptyline in migraine prophylaxis.

In a controlled trial of amitriptyline hydrochloride in migraine prophylaxis, 100 patients received placebo for a four-week baseline period and then were randomized in double-blind fashion to therapy with amitriptyline (47 subjects) or placebo (53 subjects) for another four to eight weeks. Subjects received up to four 25-mg tablets of amitriptyline hydrochloride or identical placebo per day. Comparing the first and second four-week periods for each patient, the conditions of 55.3% of amitriptyline subjects as opposed to 34.0% of placebo subjects were greater than or equal to 50% improved and the difference between amitriptyline and placebo response rates was significant (P less than .05). Nondepressed subjects with severe migraine and depressed subjects with less severe migraine responded best to amitriptyline, whereas depressed subjects with severe migraine had little headache relief. Amitritryline is an effective antimigraine agent and the antimigraine effect seems relatively independent of antidepressant activity.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1979

Synaptic modulation by substance P.

The phrase "synaptic modulation," to describe a role of neurotropic peptides, has been used in a number of different ways by a number of different investigators. Using the phrase in its original context, i.e. altered (increased or decreased) synaptic excitability without reference to site or mode of action, evidence is presented that substance P modulates synaptic transmission of cat alpha-motoneurons. The effect appears to be biphasic, with low doses inhibiting, and high doses facilitating synaptic transmission.

Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones↗
PubMed1978

Histoplasma meningitis with hyperactive suppressor T cells in cerebrospinal fluid.

Histoplasma meningitis usually occurs in conjunction with disseminated histoplasmosis. We studied a patient with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia who manifested meningitis without disseminated histoplasmosis. No histoplasma antibody was detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or blood. Evaluation of lymphocyte function in the blood revealed normal numbers of T cells with increased numbers of B cells. Most blood lymphocytes were identifiable, but most lymphocytes in CSF were null cells. Lymphocyte proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin or pokeweed mitogen was poor. T cells in CSF suppressed proliferative responses to histoplasma antigen by cells from blood or CSF, whereas T cells from blood did not. This difference suggested compartmentalization of T-cell function. The lack of humoral and cellular response to histoplasma in CSF may have allowed meningitis to develop, while the cellular response to histoplasma elsewhere prevented development of disseminated histoplasmosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Recurrent Guillain-Barré syndrome following influenza vaccine.

Two patients recovered from an attack of Guillain-Barré syndrome and then had a second attack of this disease, with a shorter latent period, following monovalent influenza vaccination. These cases suggest that an attack of Guillain-Barré syndrome may result in greater risk of future episodes of the syndrome in conjunction with exposure to influenza or other vaccinations.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Characteristics of life headache histories in a nonclinic population.

A detailed questionnaire concerning life history of headache and its characteristics was administered to 1,809 nonmedical volunteers. Questions dealt with severity of headache, the nature of preceding and accompanying phenomena (nausea, visual scotomata, neurologic symptoms), precipitating factors, and history of other illness. For the total sample and in the 25 to 39 age group, severe or disabling headaches were significantly more frequent in women and mild headaches were significantly more common in men. Migraine characteristics were common with mild headache. An association between hypertension and severe headache was found in women, between asthma and severe headache in men.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Platelet aggregability in migraine.

Employing optical density methods, platelet aggregation in response to 1.275, 1.7, and 3.4 micrometer adenosine diphosphate was tested in 46 patients with migraine and 46 controls matched by age, sex, and race. The migraine patients demonstrated platelet hyperaggregability when compared with controls, as manifested by a lower threshold for the platelet-release reaction and increased platelet stickiness following aggregation. There was no correlation of platelet hyperaggregability with the severity of migraine or with the occurrence of migraine-associated neurologic symptoms, suggesting that platelet hyperaggregability is a concomitant feature of the migraine syndrome but not dependent on the occurrence of the actual headache. As platelet hyperaggregability may predispose to development of intravascular platelet aggregates or mural thrombi, the hyperaggregability found here may help explain the increased incidence of stroke and heart attack in migraine patients that has been reported elsewhere.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

The effect of sex, dietary energy, meat protein, ascorbic acid and iron on broiler skin collagen.

Two studies were conducted to determine if variation of sex, dietary energy, meat protein, ascorbic acid or iron had any effect on collagen metabolism in broilers. In the first experiment day-old broiler type chicks were fed diets which contained 3190 or 3410 kcal. M.E./kg. of diet, 0 or 15% meat and bone meal and 0 or 1 g./kg. ascorbic acid. In the second experiment the day-old broiler chicks were fed diets which had 3190 or 3410 kcal. M.E./kg. of diet and 60 or 260 p.p.m. of iron. At 56 days of age the broilers were weighed, a representative number of birds killed from each group and skin samples collected. The skin samples were analyzed for the degree of collagen cross-linking and the total and insoluble collagen contents. An alteration of energy, meat protein, ascorbic acid or iron in the diet had no effect on collagen formation in the skin of broilers reared in cool environmental temperatures. Female broilers had a significantly higher percentage of insoluble collagen in the skin tissue but the level of total collagen and insoluble collagen was higher in the male birds.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Histoplasma meningitis with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

Histoplasma meningitis (HM) has been reported to occur primarily in association with disseminated histoplasmosis (DH). We report a case of histoplasma meningitis occurring in a patient with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia (CVH) in which no manifestations of DH were observed. L. L., a 66-year-old Caucasian male, clerical worker, developed occasional episodes of dizziness and tinnitus in mid-1971. During 1972, increasing frequency of these episodes and gradually progressive confusion were noted. In January 1973, vomiting, forther confusion, obnubilation, and a left central facial paresis developed and he was hospitalized. Physical examination revealed no pulmonary abnormalities, lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. Over the ensuing 6-week evaluation, there was occasional fever to 38.5 degrees C. Chest roentgenogram was normal. Cerebral angiography suggested a mass in the left cerebellar hemisphere. EEG was diffusely slow. Multiple CSF examinations revealed: Glucose 7-18 mg/with a normal blood glucose, protein 109-256 mg/and cells 66-140 (95 + % mononuclear). Histoplasma capsulatum was cultured from CSF but not from sputum, urine, blood or bone marrow. Skin tests for PPD, histoplasmosis, coccidiodomycosis, blastomycosis, mumps, dinitrochlorobenzene and streptokinase-streptodornase were negative then and 6 months later. Histoplasma serum antibody was absent. Immunoglobulin analysis revealed IgG 430 mg %, IgA 46 mg %, and IgM 35 mg %, which with the history and skin test results suggested CVH. Treatment with 2.51 gm of amphotericin B given intravenously over a 3-month period resulted in complete reversal of all neurologic signs and clearing of the confusion. The remission has been maintained for two years. This case represents a primary infection of the CNS by histoplasma. The relationship between the HM and the CVH will be discussed.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1976

Amitriptyline in the prophylaxis of migraine. Effectiveness and relationship of antimigraine and antidepressant effects.

Amitriptyline was evaluated as a prophylactic antimigraine agent in 110 patients with severe migraine. This agent improved the migraine more than 50 percent in 72 percent of patients and more than 80 percent in 57 percent of patients. Most of the 31 patients with less than 50 percent improvement had virtually no response. Depression, measured with the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, was absent in 40 patients, borderline in 53, and moderate to severe in 17. Overall, depression ratings improved minimally with therapy. There was a weak relationship between improvement in depression and improvement in migraine. Subgroups with a stronger correlation of these could not be found. This work suggests that amitriptyline is effective in migraine prophylaxis and that it has a primary effect on migraine that is relatively independent of its antidepressant action.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1976

Platelet aggregation, stroke, and transient ischemic attack in middle-aged and elderly patients.

Platelet aggregation was studied with optical density methods in a group of 39 patients with stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and in age, sex, and race-matched controls. The patients were divided at age 60 into young stroke patients and young controls (18 pairs) and old stroke patients and old controls (21 pairs). A semiquantitative measure of the threshold of phase II of platelet aggregation and distinct of disaggregation 3 minutes after peak aggregation were used as an index of platelet aggregability. Aggregability was significantly greater in young stroke patients than in young controls. Aggregability was similar in old stroke patients and old controls. Both old stroke patients and old controls were hyperaggregable compared with young controls, indicating that aggregability rises with age. This suggests that platelet aggregability is significant risk factor for stroke but is relatively more important in the younger than in the older stroke patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Biotin and early poult growth.

Commerical Broad Breasted White male poults were fed either a soybean and milo ration, or similar rations containing 7.5% or 20% animal protein, for a period of 0-8 weeks. Three groups of 48 birds each were fed each of the three rations which were isocaloric (2926 M.E. Cal. /Kg. of ration) but differed slightly in protein content. Other groups were fed identical rations supplemented with biotin at a level of 220 mcg/kg. When the growth data were analyzed by analysis of variance, highly significant differences noted for treatment (P less than or equal to 0.01). Biotin supplementation of the soybean-milo ration gave no response, but supplementation of the rations containing animal protein with biotin gave excellent growth responses. When the data were combined so that the effect of biotin could be evaluated, a highly significant (P less than or equal to 0.005) improvement in growth was obtained by supplementing the rations with biotin. Feed efficiency was found to be closely related to growth rate. Mortality did not appear to be related to diet, with the differences being non-significant statistically.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1976

Dystonia and tremor in spasmodic torticollis.

The occurence of extranuchal dystonia, facial spasm, parkinsonian symptoms (facial masking, bradykinesia, rigidity), tremor and family history of tremor was tabulated in a group of 30 patients with IST. The incidence of extranuchal dystonia increased as severity of IST increased. There was a strong trend for severity of extranuchal dystonia to increase as severity of torticollis increased, which was significant (p less than 0.001). There was a similar trend for severity of facial spasm to increase with increasing severity of torticollis (p less than 0.025). Parkinsonian features were seen in 10 of 30 patients, and in three the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease could be entertained. Tremor was seen in 26 of 30 patients being mild in 12, moderate in 11, and severe in three. A family history of tremor was present in 16 of 28 cases for whom history was available (12 primary, four secondary relations). The results are most consistent with the hypothesis that IST is a variant of DMD with tremor as an integral part of the disease and tremor represents a forme of the disease in family members.

Adult↗