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Biomedical subjects

O Sjaastad

Publications and source records attributed to O Sjaastad.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Transport and distribution of homocarnosine after intracerebroventricular and intravenous injection in the rat.

Rats were injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) or i.v. with [14C]homocarnosine (250 nmol). Distribution of the dipeptide in brain structures, transport from the brain to the blood, distribution in peripheral organs, and excretion in the urine were studied by measuring radioactivity in tissue, plasma, and urine samples by liquid scintillation counting 15-120 min after injection. After i.c.v. injection, [14C]homocarnosine was taken up into all parts of the brain investigated (highest uptake in structures close to the site of injection), it was transported to the blood, and radioactive substances were found in low concentration in muscle, spleen, and liver, in high concentration in the kidneys, and very high concentration in the urine. Investigations using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that no degradation took place in the brain, all radioactivity was found in the homocarnosine fraction. In the plasma 86% of the radioactivity was found in the GABA fraction presumed to be formed by cleavage of the peptide.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

"Hemicrania continua": another headache absolutely responsive to indomethacin.

Two cases suffering from a headache apparently at variance with well recognized headaches are described. It is characterized by a steady, non-paroxysmal, probably severe to moderately severe hemicrania localized anteriorly or anteroposteriorly and is not associated with nausea. Indomethacin exerts an absolute, persistent and clearly dose-dependent effect on this headache, which differs from unilateral headache syndromes such as cluster headache and cervicogenic headache in its temporal pattern and indomethacin response. It differs from chronic paroxysmal hemicrania in its temporal pattern and in the lack of accompanying symptoms.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1984

Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. VII. Mechanical precipitation of attacks: new cases and localization of trigger points.

Two new chronic paroxysmal hemicrania patients are described. In both, attacks can be precipitated mechanically by applying firm manual pressure to certain sensitive points on the neck, i.e. in the C2 area, in the transverse processes of the C4-C5 vertebrae, or beneath the posterior part of the skull on the symptomatic side. The most sensitive area seems to be the transverse process of C4-C5. Susceptibility to this type of attack is dependent on the flow of spontaneous attacks; attacks are easily precipitated in a phase with multiple spontaneous attacks, but are not readily precipitated otherwise. Under indomethacin protection, local tenderness is clearly diminished and attacks cannot be precipitated.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

"Hemicrania continua". An indomethacin responsive headache. II. Autonomic function studies.

Various autonomic parameters have been studied in two patients with "hemicrania continua", a newly described unilateral headache which is aborted by indomethacin. Striking findings were made on pupillometry: In both patients, isocoria was present when untreated. Bilateral instillation of tyramine in the conjunctival sac resulted in a late appearing anisocoria, with the smaller pupil on the symptomatic side. Indomethacin medication corrected this anomaly. These findings add further evidence to our firm belief that "hemicrania continua" differs fundamentally from chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, where such pupillometric changes are not found. There thus seem to be at least two different types of hemicranias with an absolute indomethacin effect.

Autonomic Nervous System↗
PubMed1983

Homocarnosinosis: lack of serum carnosinase is the defect probably responsible for elevated brain and CSF homocarnosine.

Patients afflicted with homocarnosinosis have elevated concentrations of homocarnosine in brain and CSF. It has been reported that they lack brain homocarnosinase. However, we have found that these patients are deficient in serum carnosinase, a dipeptidase which hydrolyzes homocarnosine about 5% as rapidly as it splits carnosine. Homocarnosinase could not be detected in normal human brain extracts after isoelectric focusing or DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The ability of brain extracts to hydrolyze homocarnosine thus appears to be attributable solely to the serum carnosinase which is present because of serum trapped in the brain sample. Preliminary data indicate that homocarnosinase is probably not present in 13 other human tissues. Normal CSF contained serum carnosinase, whereas the CSF of a homocarnosinosis patient was lacking this enzyme. Thus it appears that the elevated concentrations of homocarnosine in the CSF of homocarnosinosis patients are attributable to serum carnosinase deficiency.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. VIII. The sweating pattern.

Evaporimeter measurements of forehead sweating during attack were carried out in six female patients with chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. The patients served as their own controls. Increased sweating on the symptomatic side was found in two patients, both when compared to the non-symptomatic side during attack and when compared with the symptomatic side outside attack. The remaining four patients, two of whom had only weak attacks at the time of study, showed sweat values within the control range. In one patient, attacks could be precipitated by head flexion and by pressure against certain circumscribed points in the neck ("mechanical" precipitation of attacks). These attacks were also associated with increased sweating on the symptomatic side. Increased forehead sweating does not seem to be a sine qua non in CPH.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

So-called "tension headache"--the response to a 5-HT uptake inhibitor: femoxetine.

Sixteen patients with a headache resembling the so-called "tension headache" and a clear response to doxepin (demonstrated in a previous work) were given femoxetine, 400 mg p.d., and placebo in a cross-over, double-blind fashion. Only single blindness was kept in the last third of the study. Placebo and femoxetine tablets were each given for four weeks. Whereas there was a daily or practically daily occurring headache untreated, placebo was associated with a headache frequency of 92%. The corresponding figures for doxepin and femoxetine were 27% and 41%, respectively. Femoxetine led to transitory nausea and gastrointestinal discomfort, but in contrast to doxepin, no weight gain and only slight, if any, sedation. Most patients preferred femoxetine to doxepin. Femoxetine, an antidepressant phenylpiperidine derivative with predominant serotonin re-uptake inhibition (little effect on noradrenaline), thus seems to counteract so-called "tension headache".

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Cluster headache: on the mechanism behind attack-related sweating.

Eighteen cluster headache patients were studied using body heating or exercise tests; all but two of them were also studied with a pilocarpine test (0.1 mg/kg body wt, s.c.). Evaporimeter measurements were made on both sides of the forehead under standard conditions in a thermo room. Heat- and exercise-induced sweating was clearly less pronounced on the symptomatic side than on the non-symptomatic side of the forehead, and was significantly different compared to controls. Pilocarpine on the other hand induced a clearly more pronounced response on the symptomatic side than on the non-symptomatic side, which was also statistically significantly higher than in the control group. These findings suggest a supersensitivity of the sweat glands to pilocarpine on the symptomatic side of the forehead in most cases of cluster headache.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. IX. On the mechanism of attack-related sweating.

In eight patients with chronic paroxysmal hemicrania (CPH), forehead sweating was measured after various provocation tests-body heating, exercise, and subcutaneous pilocarpine administration (0.1 mg/kg body weight). Evaporation was measured bilaterally on the forehead with an Evaporimeter (in g/m2/h). This was carried out in a thermo room under standardized conditions. There was no definite deficit in heat-induced or exercise-induced sweating on the symptomatic side of the forehead, contrary to findings in cluster headache. Neither did pilocarpine lead to any marked initial, temporary predominance of sweating on the symptomatic side, which has previously been found in cluster headache. In cluster headache there may be denervation supersensitivity of the sweat glands in the forehead of the symptomatic side. The present study does not therefore provide evidence for supersensitivity phenomena which could explain the homolateral forehead sweating increase seen during attacks in some CPH patients. The localized sweating increase in the forehead during attacks of CPH may possibly be a result of direct sympathetic stimulation.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Palatal myoclonus during sleep.

Standard polysomnographic recordings were carried out in three patients with verified diagnoses of palatal myoclonus (PM). Findings showed that PM continued during sleep; its frequency and amplitude varied consistently with different sleep stages. Gradual decrease in rate and amplitude, together with amplitude irregularities, occurred as sleep progressed from light to deep non rapid eye movement sleep. The most characteristic change was seen during rapid eye movement sleep. Here the PM occurred in the form of clusters of two to four high-amplitude movements at rather variable intervals.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Benign familial myoclonus-like movements, partly of early onset.

A family with benign, myoclonus-like involuntary movements of early onset has previously been described by us (Refsum and Sjaastad, 1972, 1973; Sjaastad, 1981). In the present communication electrographical investigations carried out in the proband and his sister will be reported. Additional information will also be reported regarding onset of the abnormal movements.

Adult↗