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Biomedical subjects

K Schmidt

Publications and source records attributed to K Schmidt.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

A urodynamic study of cauda equina syndrome due to lumbar disc herniation.

Among 1,972 patients operated upon because of lumbar disc herniation in a 7-year period (1971-1978), cauda equina syndrome was diagnosed in 26 patients. 22 patients had follow-ups 4-72 months postoperatively (average 37 months). At follow-up half of the patients had histories of normal micturition and only 6 patients made serious micturition complaints. One third were free from lumbar or sciatic pain, two thirds complained of distressing pain and neurological symptoms. The urodynamic investigation revealed complete bladder emptying in all but 1 patient. In half of the patients normal detrusor contraction was demonstrated, while one third of the patients voided by straining only. Preoperative micturition symptoms exceeded 2 days in almost all patients voiding by straining. This finding indicates a connection between early diagnosis and treatment, and the degree of detrusor damage.

Acute Disease↗

Psychiatric diagnoses as reported to Medicaid and as recorded in patient charts.

This study was undertaken to address the issue of data reporting in the psychiatric sector of New York City Medicaid, the largest publicly financed psychiatric health care delivery system in the nation. Six outpatient psychiatric clinics in general hospitals, four with residency programs, and all 29 free standing psychiatric clinics in New York City were audited as were charts from 120 psychiatrists billing for 10 or more Medicaid patients. Overall agreement of chart and Medicaid diagnoses was 91% for psychiatrists, 79% for free-standing clinics, and 77% for hospital clinics. Agreement varied by diagnosis. Bias in the Medicaid diagnosis of Neurosis was found at the four hospitals having residency programs. Patients most likely to be misreported as having minimizing diagnoses were male, or between the ages of 18 and 29 years, or to have a prior history of psychiatric treatment. The errors in reporting in each provider sector would pose a methodological obstacle if Medicaid data were used in epidemiological research.

Adolescent↗

Mode of action of coronary arterial relaxation by prostacyclin.

Subsequent to previous observations suggesting a close association between the relaxing actions of PGI2 and its increasing effects on cyclic AMP levels in bovine coronary smooth muscle, evidence indicative of a transmitter function of cAMP in PGI2-induced relaxation is presented, by showing that a) in time course experiments in circular strips of bovine coronary arteries the increase in cAMP-levels caused by PGI2 preceded the mechanical response, b) the relaxant as well as cAMP-increasing effects produced by PGI2 were significantly potentiated by the PDE-inhibitor MIX, and c) in a particulate preparation of bovine coronary arteries PGI2 concentration dependently stimulated adenylate cyclase in the presence of GTP.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

[Disturbed cellular energy metabolism in burns. Studies of rat liver].

Early and adequate shock treatment combined with improved systemic and local therapy practically eliminated primary death of patients with severe burns. In contrast the late mortality, i.e. the fatal outcome during the "burn disease" has not been significantly improved during the last decade. A burn toxin has been discussed as reason of this burn disease. Such a toxic factor has been isolated from burnt mouse and human skin and from the serum of burnt patients as well. Electron microscopic studies in rats revealed similar and comparable mitochondrial alterations of hepatocytes after either a sublethal controlled burn injury or an i.p. application of an equivalent dose of this cutaneous burn toxin. These alterations were dose-dependent. Studies of the liver metabolism of these rats (i.e. gluconeogenesis, urea synthesis and energy metabolism) suggested an inhibited oxidative phosphorylation. Incubation of enzymatically isolated hepatocytes with toxin demonstrated a direct cytotoxic effect of the burn toxin by scanning electron microscopy. Glycogen synthesis and urea synthesis were significantly reduced, hormonal sensibility was partially abolished. These results suggest a disturbance of the cellular energy metabolism via a cell membrane damage. This could be the reason of the decreased host defence of burned patients which causes the fatal outcome in severe burns. Therefore, elimination of burn toxin should be an important point in burn treatment.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

Effects of prematurity and early intervention on responsivity to tactual stimuli: a comparison of preterm and full-term infants.

Cardiac and behavioral responses to a tactual stimulus were evaluated during the first sleep cycle for 3 groups of infants: 30 full terms, 30 nonintervened preterms, and 30 intervened preterms. Prior to testing, the latter group had received a regimen of multimodal sensory stimulation, which emphasized the tactual and vestibular modalities. The results showed that the intervention altered the preterms' sensory functioning mainly during active sleep. In this state, the full terms and the intervened preterms exhibited a significant cardiac acceleration to the stimulus, while the nonintervened preterms failed to do so. Similarly, the behavioral response of the intervened preterm more closely approximated that of the full terms. During quiet sleep the intervention did not affect either the cardiac or the behavioral response. In this sleep state, the full terms' cardiac response was that of monophasic acceleration, whereas both groups of preterms exhibited a biphasic response with a smaller initial acceleration which was followed by a deceleration below baseline. Behaviorally, the preterms responded less frequently and gave smaller responses than the full terms. Thus there were marked differences between preterms and full terms, and the intervention seemed to narrow this gap to some extent.

Female↗

[Polyvinylpyrolidone-fixed hemoglobin as an oxygen carrying blood substitute (author's transl)].

The development of blood substitute oxygen carriers has branched off into several directions: stroma-free hemoglobin solutions, modelling of hemoglobin by fixation of heme or hemopeptides to polymers, filling of microcapsules with hemoglobin solution, crosslinking of hemoglobin. However, the application as blood replacement fluids in patients has not been possible so far because of several disadvantages. In this paper synthesis and properties of an oxygen carrying blood substitute are described in which the hemoglobin molecule is covalently bound to polyvinylpyrrolidone. In aqueous solution the preparation fulfills some basic requirements such as high solubility, only slightly increased oxygen affinity, and low viscosity. Normothermic perfusion experiments with isolated pig kidneys demonstrate that the solution provides an adequate oxygen supply to the organ, has no toxic side effects on kidney function, and has a significantly lower elimination rate compared to an unmodified hemoglobin solution.

Animals↗

Cytomegaloviruria in older infants in intensive care nurseries.

Over a four-month period, urine specimens for viral isolation were obtained weekly from all infants older than three weeks in two intensive care nurseries. These babies comprised 43% of the patients in the nurseries surveyed. Cytomegalovirus was cultured from 13 of 93 (14%) of these infants. Eleven of 13 infants who developed cytomegaloviruria were born prematurely, and nine of these 11 were found to be excreting CMV before they reached 40 weeks postconception. Infants excreting CMV received blood transfusions from a mean of 10.45 (+/- 1.80 SE) different donors versus 5.10 (+/- 0.55 SE) for infants without viruria (P less than 0.002) and five of 14 infants undergoing one or more exchange transfusions developed cytomegaloviruria (P less than 0.05). The possible role of other CMV reservoirs and the importance of these findings are discussed.

Cross Infection↗

On the problems of efficacy of separation of IgM and IgG by different methods.

Using ultracentrifugation, gel filtration, and ion exchange, an attempt was made to completely separate immunoglobulin IgM and IgG present in pooled human serum of blood group O. The quality of separation was studied by testing IgG fractions for the presence of IgM by a sensitive detection method. It is demonstrated by rheophoresis that small amounts of IgM always remain detectable in the IgG fraction. This is of clinical importance because conclusions on the presence of specific antibody of different Ig classes are usually drawn under the assumption of complete separation. The control of the efficacy of the separation process using a sensitive detection method for Ig of different classes is recommended.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

Effect of cutaneous human or mouse burn toxin on the metabolic function of isolated liver cells.

Studies on isolated perfused rat livers 5 days after either a sublethal burn or an i.p. injection of human/mouse burn toxin showed a significant inhibition of the glucose/urea synthesis and the ATP production concomitantly with ultrastructural mitochondrial damages. A direct specific effect of these burn toxins on enzymatically isolated liver parenchyma cells was found either after direct incubation of the isolated cells with the compound or 5 days after injection of the toxin to the animals followed by the isolation of the cells. Control experiments were performed with the "native" non-toxic precursor from normal skin. Liver cells of rats pretreated with the toxin showed an 100% increase of the amino-acid release while this increase was 70% after direct toxin incubation. Glycogen synthesis from lactate, alanin and fructose was significantly decreased in both toxin groups while the glucose synthesis was not altered. The degree of the inhibition of the glycogen synthesis was directly correlated to the number of ATP-dependent metabolic steps. A disturbance of the oxygen transfer system by structural damages of the mitochondria seems to be the basic mechanism for these specific metabolic alterations due to ultrastructural mitochondrial damages.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Mitigation of hyperacute rejection by antilymphocyte globulin (ALG).

In HR, primarily humoral immunologic factors trigger a sequence of events that finally destroys the transplanted organ. Unspecific trapping of WBC diminishes the RBF, especially in the first compartment--the cortex. Pretreatment with ALG is able to suppress this cellular participation partially, thus postponing the stop of RBF without preventing the influence of humoral factors on the graft. As shown by pathologic and functional criteria recorded for 8 hr, an exclusive measurement of total RBF does not reflect an inhibition of the course of HR.

Acute Disease↗

Urinary hydroxyproline in healthy patients and in prostate patients with and without bone metastases.

An essential part of the classification of prostate carcinoma is the diagnosis of bone metastases. This was done with 70 patients using x-ray analysis, scintography, determination of the acid and alkaline phosphatase, and pelvic crest biopsy, as well as aspiration of the pelvic and sternal bone marrow. In addition, the hydroxyproline concentration was determined in the 24-hour-urine. The study, which was initially undertaken on a sample group (n = 145), yielded a high correlation between age and sex and hydroxyproline values. Women before menopause show significantly lower values than do men of the same age. The data on patients with prostata cancer (n = 70) showed that patients with and without bone metastases, who had been treated with estrogens, had a significantly lower quantity of hydroxyproline than did patients who had not received estrogen therapy. Patients with skeletal metastases (n = 24) showed significantly higher hydroxyproline excretion in the urine than did those with prostate cancer without metastases, or healthy men of the same age (n = 35). Comparison of the results of hydroxyproline determination with the other diagnostic methods for demonstrating bone metastases showed that hydroxyproline determination was diagnostically on par with the scintigram. Pelvic crest biopsy, pelvic and sternal marrow aspiration can be considered valuable supplementary diagnostic procedures.

Bone Neoplasms↗