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Biomedical subjects

R Schulz

Publications and source records attributed to R Schulz.

691 records · Page 39Linked to original sources
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Atrial natriuretic peptide precursor material in rat testis.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has recently been suggested to play a role in the regulation of male reproduction. Specifically, it has been shown to affect steroidogenesis in Leydig cells. The data presented here demonstrate that the rat testis also contains immunoreactive, ANP-like material (IR-ANP). Characterization of this material was conducted by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis employing two different antisera to recognize either the C- or the N-terminals of the ANP prohormone (ANP 1-126). The IR-ANP corresponded to the 15 kd ANP precursor molecule (ANP 1-126), indicating the synthesis of ANP within the testis. This was supported by the detection of ANP messenger RNA transcripts (Northern blot hybridization) in the testis. These data indicate that ANP is expressed in the rat testis and support the notion that it may function in a paracrine and/or autocrine fashion in this organ.

Animals↗
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[Geriatric assessment--case finding by screening hospitalized patients].

The effectiveness of geriatric assessment depends on patient selection. A simple screening procedure should facilitate the detection of appropriate patients by recording functional impairments and geriatric risks. We studied the feasibility of, and the information from the screening, and the recommendations of assessments derived from the screening. The screening revealed an average of five findings in 245 of 247 patients consecutively admitted. The most frequent problems were impaired activities of daily living and mobility, and impaired memory. Geriatric assessment was recommended to 44% of newly hospitalized patients. These patients were older, with more of them living at home and alone, and nearly half of them had five or more findings in the screening with chronic problems being predominant. The screening procedure is feasible. It appears useful and reasonable to select patients for geriatric assessment while they are in hospital.

Activities of Daily Living↗
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[Comprehensive geriatric assessment and pharmacotherapy in the clinic].

An evaluation of drug therapy is part of comprehensive geriatric assessment. Medications were systematically reviewed in 35 hospitalized patients within the first 3 days after admission and the day before discharge by external rating. The results and the assessment findings were provided to the patients' physicians. The assessment was accomplished by investigations on patient compliance and the handling of different medication containers. One-third of the total pharmacotherapeutic findings in 23 patients was related to new indications for drug treatment, the remaining 27 findings considered unclear indications and adaptations of dosing/application. In total, the number of prescriptions decreased. Fifty-six % of the findings were followed by therapeutic consequences. There was evidence of intentional and unintentional non-compliance in nearly three-quarters of the patients. Problems with handling/opening of medication containers differed with the type of the container's closure. Additional medication counseling was recommended in 14 patients. It is concluded that systematic medication review together with comprehensive geriatric assessment enhance more critical drug prescribing, and reveal patient non-compliance and problems with medication handling.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mammography and pap smear use by older rural women.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics of older women who did and did not have screening mammograms and Pap smears during the first two years both services were a Medicare Part B benefit. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in five rural Pennsylvania counties of 2205 female community-dwelling Medicare Part B beneficiaries who volunteered to participate in a Medicare prevention demonstration project. The baseline health risk appraisal included information on demographics, insurance status, disease history, symptomatology, and functional and cognitive status. These variables were tested for their association with the use of mammography and Pap smear using Medicare utilization claims data from 1991 to 1992. RESULTS: Of 2175 women still alive after three years, 44.6% had had a mammogram and 14.6% had had a Pap smear in either 1991 or 1992. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that women were more likely to have a mammogram if they were younger, were more educated, had supplemental insurance, did not need assistance with activities of daily living, and did not have diabetes or arthritis. Younger, college educated, and non-widowed women were more likely to have Pap smears than women in other categories. CONCLUSIONS: With cost less of a barrier, more aggressive efforts to persuade older women to have mammograms and Pap smears must be developed.

Age Factors↗
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Assessing pharmacotherapy outcomes: a model for clinicians.

Health-related quality of life (HQL) has become an important therapeutic end point of pharmacologic therapy. As a result, clinicians will be increasingly called on to assess HQL outcomes associated with medication use. The review of HQL measures and the model described here should provide clinicians with the necessary framework to assess medication outcomes more globally so that they can identify and quantify medication-induced changes and guide management decisions, use resources efficiently, and improve patient satisfaction with care.

Drug Therapy↗
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[Zinc intoxication dogs with simultaneous zinc deficiency--an expanded case study].

A dachshund suffered from vomitus, anorexia, apathy, and anemia. A metal button consisting of brass (alloy of copper and zinc) was diagnosed in the stomach and was removed. Blood analysis revealed an elevated level of zinc (10.7 micrograms/ml) associated with a low copper concentration (0.02 microgram/ml). This apparently paradoxical finding of copper deficiency despite of copper exposition (brass button) caused us to determine the diaminoxidase activity in serum, representing an indicator for the copper accumulating ceruloplasmin. The enzyme activity was found to be decreased. The case study brings to mind the mutual interaction between zinc and copper. Apparently, a copper deficiency is not necessarily due to a reduced supply of copper. Moreover, as shown by further investigations, an attenuated diaminoxidase activity represents an important parameter to diagnose a copper deficient state.

Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)↗