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Biomedical subjects

S Walter

Publications and source records attributed to S Walter.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

A patient weighted symptom score system in the evaluation of uncomplicated benign prostatic hyperplasia.

A new scoring system is presented for use in patients with uncomplicated benign prostatic hyperplasia. The system is based on the patients' information on the magnitude of twelve symptoms related to bladder and voiding function (symptom score), and three questions related to sexual function. Furthermore the patients are asked to grade the impact of these symptoms on their daily lives (bother score). Multiplication of the two scores related to bladder and voiding function gives the total score. The score related to sexual function is used only for comparing the situation before and after treatment. The new patient weighted total score may assist in creating a solid base for the indication for and evaluation of surgical and non-surgical treatment of uncomplicated benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Pulsed dye laser treatment of ureteral calculi.

During a period of 20 months 36 patients with symptomatic ureteric stones were treated ureteroscopically with laser lithotripsy. A pulsed dye laser was used through a rigid or a semi-rigid ureteroscope. The laser emits impulses at a duration of 2 microseconds and a wavelength of 504 nm. Complete disintegration was obtained in 20 patients (56%), and further 7 patients became stonefree after supplementary basket extraction of residual fragments. In 4 patients additional treatment with ultrasound probe was necessary and further 5 patients were finally treated with ESWL. Five cases of minor perforations of the ureter required no other treatment than stenting with a ureter-catheter or a double J stent. With the new generation of slender semirigid ureteroscopes based on fiberoptics the ureteroscopic procedure is simplified, as no dilatation of preoperative preparation of the ureter is needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Lung function development in Indian men and women during late adolescence and early adulthood--a longitudinal study.

Lung function development was studied in a cohort of Indian men (n = 31) and women (n = 36), over a period of four years during late adolescence and early adulthood. Forced expiratory spirograms and peak expiratory flow rates were recorded at intervals of approximately two years. All volumes and flow rates were higher in men, but volume adjusted flow rates were higher in women. Forced vital capacity (FVC) forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were significantly higher in men even after standardizing for age, height and weight. Height and PEF increased significantly in men and women over the four years. Volumes showed a greater increase whereas flow rates and volume adjusted flow rates showed a greater decrease in men. The decline in the forced expiratory flow in the middle half of the FVC (FEF 25-75%) was significantly less in women. These results suggest that although lung size is greater in men, small airway dynamics may be better in young women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Longitudinal study of lung function development in a cohort of Indian medical students: interaction of respiratory allergy and smoking.

This study was done to identify some factors that affect the growth and development of lung function during adolescence and early adulthood. Forced expiratory spirograms and peak expiratory flow rates were obtained in a cohort of normal young men (n = 63) over a period of 4 years, at intervals of approximately 2 years. Two factors that disturbed the normal pattern of lung function development in this group were smoking and respiratory allergy. Among the smokers and the allergics the decline in the forced expiratory volume expressed as a percentage of the forced vital capacity (FEV1%), the forced expiratory flow in the middle half of the forced vital capacity (FEF25-75%) and the FEF25-75% expressed as a ratio of the forced vital capacity (FEF/FVC) was more than double that among the normal subjects. The number of smokers and of allergics increased during the course of the study from 15 to 19 and from 16 to 23 respectively. There was a significant (P less than .01) interaction between smoking and the manifestation of respiratory allergy. Among nonsmokers, the number of allergic subjects increased from 12 to 13, while among smokers it increased from 4 to 10, during the four years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The Ca-MOv18 molecule, a cell-surface marker of human ovarian carcinomas, is anchored to the cell membrane by phosphatidylinositol.

The structure of the 38 kD cell surface glycoprotein identified by the monoclonal antibody MOv18 and specifically expressed by human ovarian carcinomas has been investigated at a molecular level. The ovarian carcinoma cell line IGROV-1, which expresses high levels of Ca-MOv18, was treated with the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C from B. thuringiensis. The phospholipase C specifically released most of the Ca-MOv18 molecules as shown by flow cytometric analysis of the treated cells and by radioimmunometric assays of the corresponding supernatants. Consistent with the known structure of other phosphatidylinositol-linked molecules, Ca-MOv18 was biosynthetically labeled by [3H]ethanolamine and the labeled molecules were immunoprecipitated from the supernatant fo the phospholipase C treated cells. Evidence that Ca-MOv18 is anchored to the cell membrane via phosphatidylinositol may prove to be relevant in current investigations regarding the biological and clinical significance of this tumor marker.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1990

[Urinary flow measurement at home prior to examination for intravesical obstruction].

Fifty patients referred with the diagnosis of prostatic hypertrophy were sent written instructions for simple home flow measurement. Forty-one patients came to outpatient interview and carried out uroflowmeterflow, home flow as water cystometry supplemented by simultaneous pressure-flow examination. Thirty-one patients achieved conclusive flows. No significant differences were observed between home flow (mean 6.7 ml/second, range 2.2-21.8 ml/second) and uroflowmeterflow (mean 5.9 ml/second, range 1.8-14.7 ml/second) assessed by Pratt's test (p greater than 0.05). The positive predictive values were 88% and 85%, respectively. The conclusion of this investigation is that simple home flow measurement is a useful parameter in the prehospital assessment of patients with suspected infravesical obstruction.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[Treatment with low-dose vaginal estradiol in post-menopausal women. A double-blind controlled trial].

Twenty-three postmenopausal women with recurrent cystitis were allorted at random to treatment for five months with local oestrogen in the vagina or placebo treatment with the object of assessing the local effect on the vaginal epithelium and on the tendency to recurrent cystitis. The therapeutic group and the placebo group were entirely comparable prior to treatment. In the therapeutic group, the oestrogen index in vaginal scrapings was significantly higher after treatment than in the placebo group (p less than 0.01). The number of positive urine cultures and the patients/satisfaction with treatment wee not significantly different in the two groups.

Administration, Intravaginal↗
PubMed1990

Complete androgen blockade as primary treatment for advanced metastatic cancer of the prostate.

The results of a series of non-randomized studies suggest that complete androgen blockade, i.e. medical or surgical castration in association with an antiandrogen, is superior to castration alone as regard survival potential. This report presents 11 untreated patients (Stage T2-4, Nx, M1), who were treated with complete androgen blockade, orchiectomy and a pure antiandrogen (Flutamide 250 mg three times a day). The rate of subjective response was 100% and the median time to progression was 12 months. The objective response rate was 82% and the rates of partial remission at one and two years were 45% and 18%, respectively. The survival rates after one and two years were 91% and 53%, respectively, a result which is consistent with that of other studies on the survival of patients with metastatic cancer of the prostate treated with either diethylstilboestrol, orchiectomy or LH-releasing hormones. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that androgen blockade improves the survival of patients with advanced metastatic cancer of the prostate.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Electrophoretic karyotype for Dictyostelium discoideum.

This paper reports on the separation of the Dictyostelium discoideum chromosomes by pulse-field electrophoresis and the correlation of the electrophoretic pattern with linkage groups established by classical genetic methods. In two commonly used laboratory strains, five chromosome-sized DNA molecules have been identified. Although the majority of the molecular probes used in this study can be unambiguously assigned to established linkage groups, the electrophoretic karyotype differs between the closely related strains AX3k and NC4, suggesting that chromosomal fragmentation may have occurred during their maintenance and growth. The largest chromosome identified in this study is approximately 9 million base pairs. To achieve resolution with molecules of this size, programmed voltage gradients were used in addition to programmed pulse times.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1990

Re-evaluation of the chemotactic activity of tumour necrosis factor for monocytes.

The present study was designed to re-evaluate the chemotactic activity of recombinant tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin (LT). TNF and LT induced migration of human monocytes across polycarbonate filter in a 90-min assay. Preincubation with FMLP rendered monocytes unresponsive to subsequent exposure to the same chemoattractant. FMLP-desensitized monocytes retained full responsiveness when exposed to TNF as chemotactic stimulus. The converse was observed when monocytes were deactivated specifically to TNF. FMLP receptor antagonists did not interfere with TNF chemotaxis. A monoclonal anti-TNF antibody inhibited the chemotactic activity of recombinant TNF. These results indicate that, under the experimental conditions utilized here, TNF elicits chemotaxis of human monocytes.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1989

[Urologic examination and treatment of patients with acute injuries of the spinal medulla].

During a period of one year, nine patients with traumatic lesions of the spinal medulla were examined and treated urologically. The patients were followed-up for 24-36 months and follow-up will continue. All of the patients were treated primarily with sterile intermittent catheterization by the nursing staff. Exceptions from this were patients in whom indwelling catheters were necessary on account of complicating conditions. During the acute phase, the patients were examined by a urologist and bladder function investigations with cystometry + electromyographic registration from the pelvic floor were undertaken. When patients had recovered from the spinal shock phase, emptying of the bladder supplemented by alpha-adrenergic blocking preparations and clean intermittent catheterization were instituted in the patients with supra-sacral lesions. Patients with infra-sacral bladder paresis were trained in miction on abdominal pressure supplemented by clean intermittent catheterization. No complications from this treatment have occurred and renal function has remained stable. Only one patient has an indwelling catheter and it has not proved possible to persuade the patient to accept removal.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

[Examination of young women with recurrent symptoms of cystitis].

Fifty women with recurrent symptoms of cystitis (urgent onset of painful and frequent voiding) were extensively examined bacteriologically. All were submitted to intravenous urography, cystoscopy, gynaecological and urodynamic examination and the urine was examined cytologically and by culture. A control group of 10 healthy women were submitted to the same bacteriologic examinations. Only in a few cases did the investigations give an explanation of the condition but, generally, the examination programme did not contribute to the etiology. Chlamydia trachomatis was found in 6%, which was comparable to the normal population. Gardnerella vaginalis must be considered as part of the normal flora. The extensive examination programme cannot be recommended as a routine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Conditioning of morphine-induced locomotor activity and stereotyped behaviour in rats.

Morphine (15 mg/kg i.p.) produces a biphasic effect: hypokinesia, followed by hyperkinesia and stereotyped behaviour. After repeated administration, the signs of the second phase more and more predominate. In the following study, it was evaluated, to which degree "classical" pharmacodynamic tolerance to hypokinesia or, alternatively, conditioning phenomena contribute to this shift. In particular, it was studied whether not only hyperkinesia but also stereotypies could occur as conditioned responses either in the presence or in absence of morphine. Rats were conditioned 8 times with morphine (15 mg/kg i.p.) in the presence of various, defined conditioned stimuli (auditory, olfactory and tactile), another group was "pseudoconditioned", i.e. they were exposed to the same treatment schedule of morphine and stimuli, but with no positive association between drug and stimuli, a third group ("naive rats") was treated with saline instead of morphine, but exposed to the same stimuli as both other groups. All groups were tested for conditioned responses in the presence of the conditioned stimuli. One series of experiments was performed with saline after a break of 2 days after the end of the conditioning period, a second series was tested with saline after a break of 7 days, a third series with morphine (15 mg/kg i.p.) after a break of 2 days, a fourth series with the same dose of morphine after a break of 7 days. The results showed that when morphine was used after a break of 2 days, "classical" pharmacodynamic tolerance, but not conditioning phenomena could explain the shift in behaviour, whereas under the three other protocols described, some conditioned behavioural effects could be observed, either in presence or in absence of morphine, at least in part of the parameters used (locomotor activation, decrease in hypokinesia, sniffing, gnawing, rearing, but not in licking). Accordingly, development of pharmacodynamic tolerance and, to a lesser degree, conditioning contribute to the shift in behaviour after repeated administration of morphine. The conditioned effects could not be attributed to any alteration in striatal or mesolimbic dopamine turnover.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1989

Transforming helplessness: an approach to the therapy of "stuck" couples.

Therapists working with couples often find themselves frustrated when they proceed to negotiate conflicts, even when the historical antecedents and psychological dynamics seem well understood. Despite the genuine willingness of each member to negotiate a solution, they remain stuck in demands that the other take the first steps toward change. This article proposes that a crucial step--transforming helplessness--must precede efforts at fostering communication/negotiation skills. A four-square analysis of the situation helps to explain how this stalemate occurs. Also, it points the way to strategies that can transform the couple's attitudes from helpless complaining to empowered, creative action. Three case examples illustrate clinical applications of this approach.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Adherence of monocytes to the aortic endothelium. Effect of the intraluminal pressure].

It is now generally accepted that most of the foam cells formed in the early fatty streak arise from circulating monocyte-macrophages. The effect of transmural pressure on mononuclear cells adherence to the vascular endothelium has been studied in excised rabbit thoracic aorta. Mononuclear cells were obtained from blood by centrifugation through lymphocyte separation medium (Ficoll-Paque, specific gravity 1.077). The mononuclear cell layer was collected from the interface and washed twice in RPMI containing 10 p. 100 fetal calf serum to remove contaminating platelets. The mononuclear cells were radiolabeled by incubation for 60 min in 0.1 mCi/ml of 51-chromium. After incubation, the cells were washed twice to remove free chromium, and resuspended in 5 ml RPMI containing 10 p. 100 fetal calf serum, at a concentration of 2 x 10(6) cells/ml. After ligature of intercostal arteries, 2 segments from the descending thoracic aorta were excised at in vivo length and under physiological pressure in order to preserve endothelial integrity. Arterial segments were incubated in oxygenated Krebs solution, at 39 degrees C and the intraluminal solution was changed to the solution containing the labeled mononuclear cells. The pressure was established at 70 mmHg in one segment and at 160 mmHg in the other. After 2 h incubation, the vessels were fixed under pressure. Each arterial segment was opened longitudinally and cut into 4 segments, which were laid on a microscopic slide and frozen at -20 degrees C. The surface area of each segment was measured and sections were cut en face at 20 micron intervals from the luminal surface to the adventitia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗