Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Streifler

Publications and source records attributed to M Streifler.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Anterior horn cell changes in a case of neurolathyrism.

Light and electron microscopic studies were made of the anterior horn cells in a case of neurolathyrism. Eosinophilic inclusions were observed at the light microscopic level. Fine structural study revealed the presence of two types of cytoplasmic inclusions. The first were aggregates of filaments, approximately 80-100 A in width, arranged in small bundles. The second were crystalloid structures composed of elongated elements, about 800 A wide, with hexagonal cross sections. The relationship to each other and the significance of these inclusions are unknown.

Aged↗

Weight loss in patients treated long-term with levodopa. Metabolic aspects.

Seven aged Parkinsonian patients treated with levodopa (average dose 3-4 g daily for 1-3 years), showed a considerable weight loss. They were compared to two control groups of elderly and young volunteers after levodopa stimulation and after oral glucose tolerance tests. It was found that after levodopa administration the plasma free fatty acids, glucose, growth hormone and cortisol were significantly higher in the Parkinsonian group than in the young control group and only slightly higher than in the aged control group. It was also found that the serum insulin was significantly higher in Parkinsonian patients than in the aged control group. We think that the metabolic disturbances found in Parkinsonian patients are not solely due to levodopa administration but may be due to ageing processes. We suggest that weight loss in the older Parkinsonian patients treated over long periods with high doses of levodopa, is due to the enhancement of the lipolytic activity of the ageing fat cells caused by high levels of circulating insulin.

Age Factors↗

Sinistrad mirror writing and reading after brain concussion in a bi-systemic (oriento-occidental) polyglot.

The problem of mirror writing and reading is discussed in the light of a clinical case, where this disturbance appeared after an apparently minor head injury. Mirror writing and reading in this polyglot individual affected only the sinistrad (Hebrew) writing and reading system, leaving the dextrad (Latin) system unimpaired. This disturbance appeared together with dyscalculia, left-right disorientation and slight temporal confusion, suggestive of parieto-occipital lobe pathology. The clinical picture also showed apparently "conversional" traits, such as are sometimes seen in incomplete parietal lobe syndromes. The relevant literature is reviewed and patho-physiological mechanisms of mirror reversal are discussed.

Brain Concussion↗

Liver function and gastric acid secretion in parkinsonian patients under prolonged treatment with L-dopa and a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor.

Twelve patients with long-standing Parkinson's disease, treated successfully with a combination of l-dopa and an inhibitor of aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (Ro 4-4602), in the ratio 4:1, were screened for damage to various organ systems, in particular liver and skeleton. Among other tests, liver biopsies were obtained before and after 6 months of treatment. One patient discontinued therapy becuase of an accentuation of pre-existent liver damage, another because of psychomental manifestations. The remaining ten patients were followed for 8-15 months and longer. The liver biopsies remained practically unaltered. Elevation of alkaline phosphatase was found in 10 out of 12 subjects. In five patients this rise fluctuated around the upper limit of normal. In two patients, who discontinued the treatment, the raised alkaline phosphatase values soon returned to normal. Analysis of isozymes proved this phosphatase to be of liver origin. All other liver function tests remained unchanged, except for an increased retention of bromsulphalein in two patients. In the one patient with the initially damaged liver, all tests became normal soon after discontinuation of therapy. No changes could be found in gastric acid secretion. All other parameters studied remained within normal limits, including urinary excretion of calcium and phosphate.

Aged↗

Migraine attacks. Alleviation by an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis and action.

Twenty-six patients with migraine attacks were treated for 3 to 16 months with flufenamic acid (125 mg four to six times per attack), an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis and action. In 25 patients the drug afforded symptomatic relief in 195 of 200 treated attacks. Side effects observed were mild dyspepsia (eight patients) and severe upper gastrointestinal symptoms (two patients). None of the eight patients treated with placebo reported any relief (20 attacks). The "common" antimigraine drugs afforded symptomatic relief in 12 of the patients, partial relief in seven, and no relief in seven. Treatment with flufenamic acid was based on the hypothesis that prostaglandins are involved in migraine attack and that the drug relieves migraine by inhibition of the vasoactivity of prostaglandins.

Adolescent↗

On the synchronizing effect of amantadine-1-hydrochlorid (Symmetrel) on pathological EEG-activity.

The pathological EEG of a 60 years old lady who suffered from an organic mental syndrome with parkinsonian features, showed diffuse, slow asynchroneous activity. Administration of Symmetrel repeatedly and consistently caused a normalization of the EEG, while its discontinuation immediately led to the reappearance of the original desynchronized pattern. These EEG changes were not accompanied by any modifications in the patients' clinical condition. This discrepancy between the antiparkinsonian and the synchronizing effect of Symmetrel upon the EEG can be explained by a specific activity on the reticulo-thalamo-cortical pathways in addition to that upon the nigro-striatal tracts.

Amantadine↗

Motor lesions in herpes zoster. Incidence and special features.

In the review of 117 patients hospitalized for herpes zoster (HZ) during the 10-year-period of 1960-1969, six patients with motor paralysis of the limbs were found. The incidence of motor paralysis in HZ which ranges in the literature between 0.5 and 31%, was 18% in our series. Reasons for these differences are discussed. An uncommon feature, local recurrence of HZ with motor deficit pertaining to the same segments is reported, and joint subluxation, a rare complication of motor HZ, is also described. The importance of looking for diaphragmatic paralysis and motor deficit in the thoracoabdominal segments, not readily revealed in routine examination, is stressed.

Aged↗