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Biomedical subjects

S Sprecher

Publications and source records attributed to S Sprecher.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Five patients infected with immunodeficiency virus who were suffering from chronic polyradiculoneuropathy were investigated during evolution of the disease. Four of them were immunodeficient. The prominent neurological feature was distal and symmetrical weakness of the legs. After 5 months only one patient had improved. All patients had an increased protein level in the cerebrospinal fluid and pleocytosis. Electrodiagnostic studies and sural nerve biopsies indicated demyelination. Sural nerve viral cultures, including human immunodeficiency virus, were negative. The presence of circulating anti-peripheral nerve antibodies and of immunoglobulin deposits in nerve biopsy specimens was investigated by immunofluorescence techniques but failed to demonstrate any immunoreactivity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Markers of HTLV-III in patients with end stage renal failure treated by haemodialysis.

Patients and members of staff from a haemodialysis unit were tested for markers of infection with human T cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), the virus associated with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay showed eight of 100 patients to have antibodies to HTLV-III. In five of these patients past or present infection with HTLV-III was confirmed by Western blot analysis or detection of HTLV-III antigens in lymphocyte cultures, or both. Investigation of other risk factors for AIDS showed that the putative source of HTLV-III was unrelated to dialysis in two patients whereas blood transfusion was the most likely cause of contamination in the others. No member of staff gave a positive result in the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Nosocomial transmission of HTLV-III seems unlikely if precautions similar to those recommended for the control of hepatitis B infection are applied.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Measuring passionate love in intimate relationships.

Theorists such as Farber argue that in adolescence passionate love first appears in all its intensity. Both adolescence and passion are "intense, overwhelming, passionate, consuming, exciting, and confusing". As yet, however, clinicians have been given little guidance as to how to deal with adolescents caught up in their passionate feelings. Nor has there been much research into the nature of passionate love. In Section I of this paper, we define passionate love, explain the necessity of developing a scale to measure this concept, and review evidence as to the nature of passionate love. In Section 2, we report a series of studies conducted in developing the Passionate Love Scale (the PLS). We present evidence as to the PLS's reliability, validity, and relationship to other factors involved in close relationships. We end by describing how we have used this scale in family therapy to open conversations about the nature of passionate love/companionate love/and intimacy... and discussing profitable directions for subsequent research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Clinical efficacy of a herpes simplex subunit vaccine.

A DNA-free herpes simplex type 2 subunit vaccine was administered to 18 volunteers without past evidence of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV 1) or herpes simplex type 2 (HSV 2) infection, to 44 patients with severe recurrent genital HSV 2 infection, and to 15 patients with severe oral type 1 HSV recurrences. The vaccine elicited both humoral and cell-mediated immunity in 97% of the subjects without past HSV infections and boosted significantly the cell-mediated immunity and antibody titers in almost all the patients with recurrent HSV 1 or HSV 2. The vaccine elicited particularly the production of complement-dependent cytotoxic antibodies in 96% of the patients with recurrent HSV 2 infections. This might, at least partly, explain the clinical efficacy of the vaccine. Indeed, we observed a significant decrease (t test, p less than 0.01) in the attack rate of the recurrences and also a significant shortening of the time needed to complete healing of the lesions (t test, p less than 0.01).

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Immune response to a DNA free herpes simplex vaccine in man.

A DNA-free subunit herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccine was administered to 15 volunteers without past evidence of HSV infection and to 25 patients with severe recurrent HSV infection. The immune response to the vaccine in these patients was compared to the immunological status of 20 non-vaccinated control patients with recurrent HSV infection. The vaccine elicited antibody and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in the 15 subjects without past evidence of HSV infection and this response was similar to that observed after a natural infection. Among the 25 patients who were suffering from recurrent HSV infection the vaccine elicited complement dependent cytotoxic antibodies in 13 of these patients who did not possess these antibodies and increased significantly the titers of these antibodies in the 12 other patients. The vaccine gave a significant increase of the titers of the other specific antibodies as well as the level of cell-mediated immunity. The increase of the immunity level in these latter patient was not due to normal variations since in the non-vaccinated control group the antibody titers and CMI remained stable during the same period of time.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Immune responses to DNA free herpes simplex proteins in man.

The data presented confirm in human volunteers our previous observations in animal models. The DNA free HSV 2 subunit vaccine used elicited an antibody and a cell-mediated immune response in 15 subjects without past evidence of HSV 1 or HSV 2 infections and increased the immunity level in 28 subjects suffering from HSV 1 or HSV 2 infections. Although we did not follow a double-blind, placebo controlled protocol our results suggest that the vaccine may reduce the frequency and severity of HSV infections. The time between the recurrences, the pain and the time to complete healing decreased significantly after the vaccination.

Antibody Formation↗
PubMed1978

Men's and women's reactions to sexually explicit films: a serendipitous finding.

We proposed that men and women would be "turned off" by watching men and women like themselves engaged in sexual activity and ""turned on" by watching someone of the opposite sex engaged in the same activity. We tested this hypothesis by showing college men and women eight films: films depicting male and female homosexuality, male and female masturbation, and males and females engaged in heterosexual intercourse. We assessed men and women's reactions via the Byrne-Sheffield (1965) Feeling Scale and Griffitt's (1975) Physiological Arousal Scale. We found support for our hypothesis. We also attempted to determine whether men and women differed in how easily they became aroused by sexually explicit films. We found that they did not.

Arousal↗
PubMed1978

Antibody and cell-mediated immunity to herpes simplex virus in psychotic depression.

The incidence and antibody titers to herpes simplex virus (HSV) were found significantly higher in patients with psychotic depression as compared to normal controls. Furthermore, the cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to HSV in psychotic depression was similar to that observed after acute HSV infection or recurrence. The results suggest therefore an association between HSV infection and psychotic depression.

Acute Disease↗