Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Pfeifer

Publications and source records attributed to S Pfeifer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Nefazodone in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a preliminary study.

Nefazodone, a new phenylpiperazine antidepressant agent with serotonin type 2 antagonism and serotonin reuptake inhibition, was evaluated in two patient groups to determine its effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The two studied groups were PMS patients with no coexisting major depression or dysthymia (N = 23) and PMS patients with current major depression or dysthymia, termed the premenstrual exacerbation group (N = 24). The two patient groups received open-label nefazodone for 8 weeks, with optional maintenance at the same dose for up to 1 year. The initial dose was 100 mg, titrated to 600 mg/day, on a twice-daily dosing schedule. Symptoms were assessed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and by Daily Symptom Ratings. Premenstrual symptoms improved significantly from pretreatment baseline values, with similar improvement for the PMS and premenstrual exacerbation groups. Significantly improvement occurred by the end of the first treated cycle (4 weeks of therapy), at an average dose of 245 (range, 100 to 400) mg, and was maintained thereafter. Nefazodone was well tolerated, side effects were often transient, and the most common were nausea and headache. Forty-seven of 54 patients completed 2 months of therapy, with a mean daily nefazodone dose of 319 mg at the 2-month point. A placebo-controlled study should be conducted to confirm and extend these promising preliminary findings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Subtyping of T-lymphocytes in sarcoidosis].

Sarcoidosis is characterised by a T-helper cell-alveolitis. Phenotyping of T-cells of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and of peripheral blood was performed with antibodies directed against naive T-cells (CD45RA+), memory T-cells (CD45R0+), alpha beta T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) bearing cells and gamma delta T-cell antigen receptor bearing cells in 11 patients with active sarcoidosis, 5 patients with inactive sarcoidosis, 5 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and in control individuals (7 for BAL and 21 for peripheral blood). In peripheral blood one third of sarcoidosis patients exhibited increased (< 12%) numbers of TCR gamma delta+ cells. The corresponding numbers of BAL were within the normal range. More than 95% of alveolar T-helper cells in sarcoidosis, in IPF, and in controls could be identified as memory T-cells (CD45R0+). In comparison to controls in the peripheral blood of sarcoidosis and IPF patients a small, not-significant shift towards memory T-cells was observed. The immunophenotypical markers evaluated in BAL and peripheral blood did not yield parameters for the clinical staging of the investigated diseases.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1993

Increased chemotactic activity of peritoneal fluid in patients with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the ability of the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis to induce chemotaxis of neutrophils and macrophages. STUDY DESIGN: Peritoneal fluid samples of patients with endometriosis (n = 20), normal fertile controls (n = 12), or patients with medical suppression (n = 8) were evaluated for chemotactic activity. Results of chemotactic activity were analyzed by analysis of variance. RESULTS: Peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis demonstrated a significantly higher chemotactic activity than that of patients without endometriosis or with medical suppression. Patients who had received medical treatment had the lowest chemotactic activity. (p < 0.001 for endometriosis vs control or treatment patients, p = 0.005 for control group vs treatment group). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with endometriosis have a higher chemotactic activity in their peritoneal fluid; prior medical treatment significantly reduces this activity. This chemotactic factor has an estimated weight of 20 kd. The nature and source of this chemotactic factor remains to be determined.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Alternative treatment of psychiatric diseases].

This article gives an overview of the use of unconventional medicine in patients with psychiatric and psychosomatic problems. Frequently used methods are herbal remedies, homeopathy, acupuncture, various forms of massage and relaxation as well as a wide variety of unconventional psychotherapeutic approaches. Conceptually, these practices can be grouped into four categories: biological-pharmacological remedies, physical-energetic methods, esoteric-spiritual techniques and psychological treatments. Often patients use these methods on their own without contacting a provider, but also without telling their psychiatrist. A review of outcome studies shows that effectiveness is difficult to assess, as there is substantial controversy on the basic definition of terms and mechanisms. The use of complementary methods in psychiatric patients poses various questions including compliance and ethical considerations, demanding a high flexibility and integrative thinking in psychotherapy.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1992

Measurement of lymphocyte proliferation: critical analysis of radioactive and photometric methods.

Different methods of lymphocyte proliferation are compared to identify a non-radioactive alternative to 3H-thymidine-test. The enzymatic assays evaluating the turnover of mitochondrial dehydrogenases (MTT-test) and lysosomal hexosaminidase (NAG-test) proved not sensitive enough to substitute for 3H-thymidine incorporation. The incorporation of the nucleotide analog 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) can be exploited using an ELISA-system (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) employing a monoclonal anti-BrdU antibody to measure cell proliferation. An optimized test protocol of the BrdU-ELISA which fulfills the requirements for a sensitive and practicable non-radioactive alternative to 3H-thymidine-test is presented.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1992

Lung-restricted activation of the alveolar macrophage/monocyte system in pulmonary sarcoidosis.

An activation of T-cells that is restricted to the lung has been demonstrated in pulmonary sarcoidosis. The role of blood monocytes (MO) and alveolar macrophages (AM) in this concept of compartmentalized inflammation has not yet been evaluated. In order to elucidate this question, we measured the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) and AM in 43 patients with sarcoidosis (32 with active, 11 with inactive disease) without therapy and correlated the spontaneous monokine release to parameters of the T-cell alveolitis and the course of the disease. TNF alpha as well as IL-1 were spontaneously released by AM of the active group, i.e., 2,385 +/- 735 pg/ml/10(8) cells/24 h and 7/12 (IL-1+/total), respectively. Autologous PBMNC were quiescent, releasing only baseline levels of any monokine. AM were not activated in the inactive group, releasing 500 +/- 212 pg/ml/10(6) cells/24 h TNF alpha, whereas 1/5 were IL-1-positive (p less than 0.05 in both comparisons), which is within the range of the control group. Kinetic experiments revealed that the TNF alpha gene of AM is activated in vivo, resulting in TNF alpha mRNA-positive, TNF alpha-releasing cells that, cultured in vitro, regulate the TNF alpha gene transcription down and cease to release TNF alpha. Interestingly, there is no stringent correlation between the spontaneous release of TNF alpha by AM and signs of T-cell activation as soluble interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor serum concentration, release of IL-2, and expression of IL-2 receptor by alveolar T-cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Spontaneous monokine release by alveolar macrophages in chronic sarcoidosis.

In pulmonary sarcoidosis an activation of alveolar T lymphocytes and alveolar macrophages (AM) has been demonstrated. There is evidence that in contrast to acute disease a heightened T-cell response cannot be observed in the chronic phase of sarcoidosis. The role of AM in the inflammatory process of chronic sarcoidosis is not yet intensively evaluated. To address this question we measured the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by AM of 39 patients with chronic sarcoidosis (duration greater than 4 years; 30 active, 9 inactive diseases) without therapy and correlated the monokine release with parameters of T-cell alveolitis and the course of the disease. The T4/T8 ratio was higher in the active than in the inactive group without reaching statistical significance. TNF alpha as well as IL-1 is spontaneously released by AM of the active group 2,099 +/- 518 pg/ml TNF alpha/10(6) cells/24 h and 8/13 (IL-1+/total) respectively. In the inactive group the AM release 375 +/- 246 pg/ml TNF alpha/10(6) cells/24 h which is in the range of the control and 1 out of 5 patients was IL-1-positive. There was no correlation between the monokine release and any parameter of T-cell alveolitis. These data support the hypothesis that the inflammatory process in chronic sarcoidosis is dominated by the activity of AM and that this activity determines the course of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Correlation of clinical and immunologic parameters of the inflammatory activity of pulmonary sarcoidosis.

The evaluation of activation markers such as T4/T8 ratio and HLA-DR expression of lymphocytes of bronchoalveolar lavage (L-BAL) is an important clinical approach for the staging of sarcoidosis. However, it is not known to what extent this is paralleled by an exaggerated lymphocyte function. We investigated the dependence of L-BAL activation markers on the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by L-BAL and on the soluble IL-2 receptor serum level (sIL-2R) in 116 patients with sarcoidosis. In none of the combinations tested was a correlation between the two groups of parameters found; r less than 0.5, upper 90% confidence limit of r less than 0.8. Interestingly, IL-2 production is independent of HLA-DR+ T4 L-BAL, and sIL-2R production is independent of the percentage of IL-2+ L-BAL. Our data indicate that the L-BAL activation markers and the functional activity of T-cells represent independent phenomena.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Antigenic epitopes of NEF proteins from different HIV-1 strains as recognized by sera from patients with manifest and latent HIV infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection that generally causes a strong antibody response toward HIV may sometimes occur in a latent form, characterized by seronegativity in assays based on structural HIV proteins. Latently infected individuals, however, often have an antibody response against the nonstructural regulatory HIV-1 protein NEF, a factor implicated in down-regulation of viral expression. In order to define the specificity of NEF antibodies, we looked for antibody response against more than 600 overlapping nonapeptides representing the total NEF sequence of three different HIV-1 isolates BRU, SF2, and MAL. Nine distinct homologous antigenic epitopes were recognized by sera from seropositive HIV-1-infected individuals by the peptide ELISA. We further demonstrated that sera from "at risk" individuals, with no antibodies to HIV structural proteins but reacting with the recombinant NEF protein in Western blot, recognize the same epitopes. Immunological assays based on the defined NEF epitopes can therefore be used to diagnose early or latent HIV Infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

[Biotransformation and pharmacokinetics of AWD 26-06, 8-chloro-5,10-dihydro-5-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)aminoacetyl]-11H-dibenzo[d, c][1,4]diazepin-11-one hydrochloride in the rat].

After p.o. administration to rats AWD 26-06 (1) is rapidly but incompletely absorbed. The relatively short distribution (t1/2 alpha = 37 min) is followed by a middle-long elimination (t1/2 beta = 14 h). The volumen of distribution do not suggest an uncommon accumulation in deep compartments. About 70% of 1 were excreted unchanged with the feces. In urine and feces 18 metabolites were identified. The structure of 10 products could be elucidated. All metabolites have changed side-chains. Furthermore, the tricyclic molecule without side-chain and a N-methyl derivative were identified. The metabolites with so far unknown structure contain the unsubstituted tricyclic moiety too.

Animals↗