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Biomedical subjects

R Weiss

Publications and source records attributed to R Weiss.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

When will prevention of HTLV-III infection be possible?

Over the last five years, the pattern and prevalence of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has taxed microbiologists. The disease has increasingly looked like the result of a transmissible agent which though of low infectivity, has a predilection for certain well-defined social groups. Homosexual men are among the most commonly affected but drug addicts and haemophiliacs are also at risk. The existence of the disease in central Africa suggests also that there may be a natural focus perhaps as the result of interaction between the human population and enzootic animal virus. Nevertheless, the origin of the disease remains obscure.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

Stressful sequelae of disabling illness.

Fifty former rehabilitation patients completed the recent life changes questionnaire (RLCQ), an inventory of potentially stressful life events. Subjects indicated those that had occurred to them during the 6 months prior to onset of illness/injury and during the 6 months following hospital discharge. Certain RLCQ items have associated point values ("life change units" or LCU) indicative of the amount of stress induced by that event. The average number of LCU reported for the post-discharge period exceeded by 3 1/2 times the average for the pre-injury epoch. Ranges for both sets of values were substantial. Forty-five of the fifty-seven events were reported more frequently for the later period, while eight occurred slightly more often before the onset of illness or injury. These findings have implications for the genesis, frequency, magnitude and individual variability of depression following the onset of disabling illness.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1984

[Myotomy (pars fundiformis m. cricopharyngei)in the treatment of Zenker's diverticulum. Report on 32 patients treated between 1972 and 1981].

11 patients were subjected to external operation with invagination of the pouch and myotomy; this procedure was chosen for younger patients, and small pouches with a broad spur. 21 patients were treated by cutting the spur of the diverticulum endoscopically; this intervention was preferred for older patients, and for larger diverticula with a narrow spur. Three of five recurrences were treated endoscopically. There were no complications, stay in hospital was short. Cutting the spur of the diverticulum relieves the cause of the patient's complaints. The endoscopic procedure can be repeated until satisfying results are obtained, even after previous external operations.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

[A simple method for the rapid detection of bacterial hyaluronidase in K hyaluronate-containing gel].

For detection of hyaluronidase activities we investigated several groups of bacteria. The bacteria were inoculated on a 1,5% agarose gel in Petri plates of 4 cm diameter or gel discs of 7 mm diameter, containing 0,1% of K-hyaluronate as well as nutritient medium, and were incubated for 2-20 h at 37 degrees C in a moist chamber. Subsequently some ml of a 10% solution of cetylpyridiniumchloride were poured on the gel to precipitate the polymere hyaluronate. If the hyaluronate was depolymerized by hyaluronidase, a translucent area was visible around the colonies. We found out, that a gel layer of 1 mm was sufficient to detect the small amounts of hyaluronidase, which were produced by bacteria within an incubation time of 2 h. These results were confirmed by incubation for 20 h and in some cases 36 h. The hyaluronidase production by different anaerobic Clostridium strains was always proved after a 20 h growth period. The bacteria were inoculated with the whole loop of a self made platin sowing wire loop. By this method quantitative differences of hyaluronidase activities between different strains of bacteria could be detected.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1983

Chain length-dependent association of distamycin-type oligopeptides with A X T and G X C pairs in polydeoxynucleotide duplexes.

Different binding affinities of various distamycin analogs including the deformylated derivative with poly(dA-dC) X poly(dG-dT) were investigated using CD measurements. The inhibitory effect of distamycins on the DNAase I cleavage activity of DNA duplexes strongly supports the binding data. The base specificity of the ligand interaction with duplex DNA depends on the chain length of distamycin analogs. Netropsin, distamycin-2 and the deformylated distamycin-3 show no binding to dG X dC containing sequences at moderate ionic strength and are classified as highly dA X dT specific. In contrast distamycin having three, four or five methylpyrrolecarboxamide groups also forms more or less stable complexes with dG X dC-containing duplexes. These ligands possess a lower basepair specificity. The correlation between binding behavior and oligopeptide structure shows that presence of the number of hydrogen acceptor and donor sites determines the basepair and sequence specificity. The additional interaction with dG X dC pairs becomes essential when the number of hydrogen acceptor sites exceeds n = 3.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

[Combined treatment of malignant gliomas].

A controlled study of 226 age-matched patients with histologically proven grade 3 and 4 supratentorial gliomas with maximum feasible tumour resection, postoperative Karnofsky performance over 50 and minimum survival of 8 weeks compares the results of supportive care (45 cases), high-dose irradiation of 40 to 66 Gy (59 cases), COMP protocol (CCNU, procarbazine, vincristine, methotrexate, prednisone in 15 day cycles-42 cases) and simultaneous irradiation and COMP chemotherapy (80 cases including 30 survivors). Median recurrent-free intervals in the treatment groups (7 to 11.7 months) were significantly longer than after supportive care (4.4 months). Median survival with supportive care (6.7 months) was significantly shorter than after radiation or COMP treatment (11.7 and 12.3 months) and 14.9 to over 19.9 months with combined treatment, where the two-year survival rates were 33 and 67% (for survivors), and the 3-year survival rates 13 to 30%. Toxic side effects of multimodality treatment were more frequent than after chemotherapy. In addition to space-occupying intracranial cysts often simulating tumour recurrence (12%) and rare radiation necrosis, about 15% of long-term survivors developed progressive intellectual dysfunction with brain atrophy, in the absence of tumour regrowth. Despite some promising results of multimodality approaches towards the management of malignant supratentorial gliomas, the overall results are unsatisfactory and need further optimization.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Intracoronary fibrinolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction. Report of a prospective randomized trial.

We performed a randomized trial comparing intracoronary administration of streptokinase versus dextrose placebo within six hours after the onset of symptoms of acute myocardial infarction in 40 patients. The base-line clinical, hemodynamic, and angiographic findings were similar in the control and streptokinase-treated groups. Reestablishment of flow occurred in 12 of 20 patients treated with streptokinase and in 2 of 20 given placebo (P less than 0.05). Left ventricular function, angiographic ejection fraction, and regional wall motion, measured before and immediately after intervention, and serial radionuclide ejection fractions, measured at treatment, at 12 days, and at 5 months, were compared according to type of treatment (streptokinase vs. placebo) and outcome of therapy (reperfusion vs. no reperfusion). No statistically significant differences between groups were found. Thus, although streptokinase was more effective than placebo in achieving reperfusion, we detected no improvement of left ventricular function as a result of reestablished coronary flow.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Pityriasis rotunda. A cutaneous sign of malignant disease in two patients.

The term pityriasis rotunda refers to strikingly circular scaly lesions, with the histologic appearance of ichthyosis vulgaris. Pityriasis rotunda has been described in the Japanese, South African blacks, and West Indian blacks. The condition occurs only in association with certain serious systemic illnesses, usually tuberculosis, or malignant neoplasms or less severe diseases of the female genital tract (eg, fibroids, ovarian cyst). We describe two South African blacks with pityriasis rotunda and neoplasms. The cutaneous lesions cleared when the primary neoplasm was treated.

Black People↗
PubMed1983

Microscopic versus macroscopic tubal anastomosis in rabbit fallopian tubes.

The importance of the operating microscope in rabbit tubal anastomosis was assessed by operating on 36 rabbits, half with the aid of the operating microscope and half with the aid of low-magnification loupes. The surgeons' operating comfort and sense of assuredness that the anastomoses were being done properly were increased by the operating microscope. However, the outcome of the anastomoses as measured by pregnancy rates, adhesion scores, and microscopic pathologic findings were not significantly different in the two groups.

Animals↗