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Biomedical subjects

U Gundert-Remy

Publications and source records attributed to U Gundert-Remy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The pharmacokinetics of the beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist fenoterol in healthy women.

We have studied the pharmacokinetics of fenoterol in healthy women during and after a 3 h intravenous infusion of different doses within the therapeutic range for tocolysis (0.5 microgram.min-1, 1.0 micrograms.min-1, and 2.0 micrograms.min-1). A specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay was used for the determination of fenoterol. For compartmental analysis the plasma concentration time data were fitted with the TOPFIT program, assuming two exponentials. The total clearance of fenoterol increased with dose (1299 ml.min-1 at 0.5 microgram.min-1, 1483 ml.min-1 at 1.0 micrograms.min-1, and 1924 ml.min-1 at 2.0 micrograms.min-1), as did the apparent volume of distribution (from 49 l at the lowest to 85 l at the highest dose). In contrast, the apparent half-lives were not dose-dependent, with t1/2.lambda 1 4.8 min and t1/2.lambda z 52 min.

Adult

Elimination of flecainide as a function of urinary flow rate and pH.

In order to evaluate the influence of urinary flow rate at different pH values on the pharmacokinetics of the basic antiarrhythmic drug flecainide 7 healthy men received 50 mg flecainide under 4 different conditions: 1. acidic urine (pH 5) and a high fluid load (125 ml.h-1) 2. acidic urine (pH 5) and a low fluid load (25 ml.h-1) 3. alkaline urine (pH 8) and a high fluid load (125 ml.h-1) 4. alkaline urine (pH 8) and a low fluid load (25 ml.h-1) At acidic pH the half-life, the amount of unchanged drug in the urine (Ae), renal clearance (CLR) and area under the curve (AUC) were independent of the fluid load. At alkaline pH Ae (5.8 vs 2.6 mg) and CLR (73 vs 33 ml.min-1) were significantly affected by fluid load (high vs low), whereas half-life and AUC were not different (15.7 vs 16.0 h, 1480 vs 1540 ng.ml-1.h). When comparing acidic and alkaline urinary pH conditions, half-life, Ae, CLR, and AUC were different. For a high fluid load the values at acidic vs alkaline pH were half-life 10.0 vs 15.7 h; Ae 15.9 vs 5.8 mg; CLR 288 vs 73 ml.min-1; AUC 976 vs 1480 ng.ml-1.h. For a low fluid load the corresponding values at acidic vs alkaline pH were half-life 10.1 vs 16.0 h; Ae 15.9 vs 2.6 mg; CLR 267 vs 33 ml.min-1; AUC 1045 vs 1540 ng.ml-1.h. It is concluded that urinary pH affects flecainide pharmacokinetics independently of urinary flow rate, and that a high flow enhances the elimination of flecainide only with an alkaline urine. This effect of flow rate does not appear to be of clinical relevance.

Ammonium Chloride

Hydroxylation polymorphisms of debrisoquine and mephenytoin in European populations.

European data on the polymorphic metabolism of debrisoquine, sparteine, dextromethorphan and mephenytoin have been collected. No significant difference in phenotype frequencies was found between the separate series for debrisoquine, sparteine and dextromethorphan, which supports the claim that these probe drugs reflect the same enzyme polymorphism. The mean frequency of the phenotype slow debrisoquine metaboliser was 7.65% based on 5005 determinations. The overall mean reflecting all three drugs and 8764 determinations was 7.40%. This is consistent with a gene frequency of 0.27 (95% confidence interval 0.26-0.28). The overall mean of the phenotype slow metaboliser of mephenytoin was 3.52% corresponding to a gene frequency of 0.19 (confidence interval 0.17-0.20). The incidence of slow metabolism of debrisoquine and possibly also of S-mephenytoin was homogeneous in the samples from European populations. This is of considerable interest as interethnic differences are now being found both in the phenotypic characters as well as the genotypes of polymorphic drug oxidation.

Debrisoquin

[Double blind biometric study on postoperative effects of analgesics].

A double blind trial to study the effects of analgetics was carried out in patients suffering from pain after third molar osteotomy. 204 patients were evaluated after random allocation to treatment with paracetamol 500 mg and paracetamol 500 mg plus codeine 30 mg. Statistical evaluation revealed a tendency for better analgesia using the combination of paracetamol and codeine. For further studies an exact stratification for sex and age is necessary. Sample sizes of 150 patients are necessary for each parameter.

Acetaminophen

Relevance of genetic polymorphism in drug metabolism in the development of new drugs.

Drugs whose principal metabolic pathways are under polymorphic genetic regulation may show considerable interindividual pharmacokinetic variability. This could lead to clinically significant differences in the pharmacological responses of some patients and so might lead the pharmaceutical industry to stop development of the drug. This can be prevented and there are several measures that can be taken to avoid such premature termination of development. They include studies in vitro with human liver samples, and clinical pharmacological experiments designed specifically to examine possible genetic polymorphism in the disposition of the drug.

Animals

The role of clinical trials in drug regulation.

Clinical trials and the judgement of the appropriateness of the clinical outcomes are of paramount importance in the process of the evaluation procedure before marketing authorization. Even if the mode of action of the drug remains to be elucidated, the outcome of properly designed and well-performed clinical trials will override this drawback if the results are in favor of the new drug. The critical issue from the medical point of view is the appropriateness of the outcome as "predictor" in terms of therapeutic efficacy. The relationship between pharmacologic effects and the therapeutic efficacy is often a matter of concern, particularly in short-term trials with drugs intended for long-term use and prophylactic indications. In conclusion, despite controversies on their value, clinical trials remain the cornerstone in drug evaluation as a scientific basis for drug regulation.

Cohort Effect

The influence of the sparteine/debrisoquin phenotype on the disposition of flecainide.

The pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of flecainide (50 mg administered orally) were investigated in five extensive metabolizers (EMs) and five poor metabolizers (PMs) of the sparteine/debrisoquin type of polymorphism under conditions of controlled urinary pH. Flecainide disposition was altered in the PMs. The AUC was higher (1462 +/- 407 versus 860 +/- 256 hr ng/ml), the elimination half-life prolonged (11.8 versus 6.8 hours), and the amount excreted in the urine was higher (26.7 +/- 7.2 versus 15.4 +/- 1.3 mg) in PMs compared with EMs (p less than 0.05). Oral clearance of flecainide was reduced (p less than 0.019) in PMs (600 +/- 139 versus 1041 +/- 307 ml/min in EMs). The renal clearance was similar (p greater than 0.05) in PMs (308 +/- 70 ml/min) and EMs (315 +/- 69 ml/min) and, consequently, PMs had a lower (p less than 0.008) metabolic clearance of flecainide (292 +/- 136 versus 726 +/- 240 ml/min in EMs). Under conditions of uncontrolled urinary flow and pH, renal excretion of flecainide will be reduced and the difference in disposition will be greater. In PMs with renal impairment, accumulation of flecainide to very high serum concentrations may be anticipated, and this may result in proarrhythmic effects.

Adult

Stereoselective disposition of flecainide in relation to the sparteine/debrisoquine metaboliser phenotype.

1. The disposition of the enantiomers of the antiarrhythmic drug flecainide has been studied in five extensive (EM) and five poor (PM) metabolisers of sparteine/debrisoquine after administration of 50 mg of racemic flecainide acetate under conditions of high urinary flow rate and acidic urinary pH. 2. In the EM subjects there were no significant differences in the oral clearance, half-life or urinary excretion of (+)-S- and (-)-R-flecainide. 3. In the PM subjects differences in the pharmacokinetics of S- and R-flecainide were observed. The oral clearance of R-flecainide (467 +/- 109 ml min-1) was less (P less than 0.03) than that of the S-enantiomer (620 +/- 172 ml min-1). The half-life of R-flecainide (12.9 h) was longer (P less than 0.03) than that of S-flecainide (9.8 h). The renal clearance of the two enantiomers was, however, comparable and similar to that observed in the EM subjects. The urinary recovery of R-flecainide (15.6 +/- 3.7 mg) was greater (P less than 0.03) than that of the S-enantiomer (12.0 +/- 3.7 mg). The enantioselective disposition observed in PMs is therefore due to greater impairment in the metabolism of R- than S-flecainide. 4. The urinary recoveries of two major metabolites of flecainide, meta-O-dealkylated flecainide (MODF) and the meta-O-dealkylated lactam of flecainide (MODLF) were lower (P less than 0.05) in PMs, 12.0% +/- 3.1% and 8.2% +/- 3.2% of the dose administered, respectively, than in EMs of 17.7% +/- 3.3% and 16.5% +/- 3.3%, respectively. 5. One PM subject had a greatly diminished flecainide metabolic capacity and a rare genotype, as assigned by Xbal RFLP analysis.

Debrisoquin

Plasma clearance of bile acids in the rat: hepatic uptake under physiological conditions without countertransport.

Studies in rats by others indicated that sulfobromophthalein (BSP), bilirubin and indocyanine green are taken up by the liver and can be transported back to plasma against the prevailing concentration gradient (= countertransport). The present in vivo study was designed to determine whether the bile acids cholic acid and taurocholic acid under physiological conditions undergo appreciable countertransport as has been suggested by experiments in isolated hepatocytes. Experiments with BSP (controls) showed that injections of unlabeled BSP into rats five minutes after the administration of radiolabeled BSP was followed by a release of radioactivity into plasma (BSP-countertransport). In contrast bile acid countertransport could not be demonstrated, no matter whether it was tested 1, 5 or 8 minutes after the administration of radiolabeled cholic- or taurocholic acid.

Animals

Plasma and urinary levels of triamterene and certain metabolites after oral administration to man.

The plasma and urinary levels of triamterene and two metabolites were measured using a specific method of analysis. Urinary excretion was completed after 48 h, which permitted a rough estimate of its half-life as longer than two hours. The areas under the curve were 672.5 +/- 160.3 and 1.311.3 +/- 399.1 micrograms/ml X h after the triamterene 150 mg and 300 mg p.o., respectively and correspondingly 4.2 +/- 1.4% and 3.7 +/- 0.6% of the dose were excreted as unchanged drug. The principal metabolite of triamterene found was the sulfate conjugate. The area under the curve of this metabolite amounted to 6.672 +/- 2.120 and 11.941 +/- 5.005 micrograms/ml X h after the of 150 mg and 300 mg triamterene doses, respectively. The urinary excretion of the metabolite varied between 25.0 +/- 4.0% and 17.5 +/- 3.5% of the dose after either dose. In healthy subjects an effect on sodium excretion was observed after a dose of 150 mg, whereas the potassium-retaining effect was observed only after the dose of 300 mg.

Administration, Oral

[Errors in clinical data collection (author's transl)].

In the design of clinical trials the collection of the routine data is often not sufficiently defined. Numerous mistakes may occur in the registration of blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, body weight, circumferences. The mistakes have to be prevented by standardization. In particular the intake of drugs especially during long-term medication has to be supervised.

Body Height

3H-Cymarol in man. Excretion pathways and serum protein binding.

In 10 patients, 5 having received 3H-cymarol i.v., 5 orally, the radioactivity in plasma, urine and in the feces of some patients also was determined. After oral administration the plasma levels rose rapidly reaching maximum levels 1--2 h after administration. After i.v. injection about 30% of the given radioactivity were excreted in the urine. The remaining radioactivity was found in the feces suggesting a high biliary excretion. Only 10% of the radioactivity excreted in the first 24 h were chloroform-extractable. The radioactivity found in the urine after oral administration of the drug amounted to 17.6%. Between 51.1 and 58.5% of the drug were bound to serum proteins.

Aged

[Sitosterol in familial hyperlipoproteinemia type II. A randomized double-blind cross-over study].

The effect of beta-sitosterol on the lipid and lipoprotein level was evaluated in a randomised double-blind cross-over trial in 24 patients with primary familial type II hyperlipoproteinaemia over a period of 16 weeks. All patients completed the trial, however 10 of them had to be excluded from the evaluation due to fluctuations of their body weight or unreliable drug intake. Sitosterol lowered the total cholesterol level by 12.5% (P less than 0.01) from 9.96 mmol/l (3.69 g/l) to 8.37 mmol/l (3.23 g/l). The LDL-cholesterol level was lowered by 19.5% (P less than 0.05). The sitosterol concentration in plasma was consistently lower than 0.3% of total cholesterol. No side effects or tachyphylaxis was observed in the course of the trial. A return to normal of an increased serum cholesterol level by a combination of a lipid lowering diet and sitosterol monotherapy was only achieved in one patient.

Adolescent