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Biomedical subjects

W Weiss

Publications and source records attributed to W Weiss.

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

[Hyponatremic coma as the first symptom of a small cell bronchial carcinoma].

A 50-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of vertigo for 3 weeks. He was found to have severe hyponatraemia (107 mmol/l), which was rectified with sodium chloride infusions. Two weeks later he became agitated with confusion and hallucinations. Within a few hours he went into coma. At that time the serum sodium concentration had again fallen from 132 to 105 mmol/l. Repeated measurement revealed urinary osmolality (558 mosm/l) to be above that of serum (252 mosm/l), pointing to the syndrome of inadequate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) as the diagnosis. Lung tomography, performed because the patient had two bouts of pneumonia in quick succession, demonstrated enlarged hilar lymph nodes. Bronchoscopy revealed a tumour of about 1.0 cm diameter in the left main bronchus which histologically proved to be a small-cell bronchial carcinoma. Despite chemotherapy the tumour progressed and the SIADH also persisted. The patient died 9 months later of heart failure.

Bronchoscopy↗
PubMed1994

Five of six protein kinase C isoenzymes present in normal mucosa show reduced protein levels during tumor development in the human colon.

Protein kinase C (PKC) isoenzyme patterns were analyzed from human colonic epithelial cells of normal, premalignant and malignant origin. PKCs alpha, beta and zeta were found predominantly in the cytosol and the subtypes delta, epsilon and neta almost exclusively in the particulate fraction. Of the isoenzymes found beta, epsilon and neta were low in abundance and could only be detected after partial purification of cellular fractions on DE52-cellulose. Only PKC beta was similar in abundance in normal mucosa, premalignant and malignant colonic epithelial cells, while all other isoenzymes were decreased in abundance in tumor cells. The loss of PKC protein in tumor cells correlated with a loss in enzyme activity, as has been described before by other groups, especially affecting the Ca(2+)-dependent isoenzymes. On the other hand, activation of PKC by phorbol ester treatment in vivo was only possible in carcinoma cells (4/4) and a subset of adenomas (3/7). Normal human colonic epithelial cells did not respond to TPA treatment with either stimulation of PKC activity or translocation of cytosolic enzymes to the particulate fraction. Instead, TPA treatment resulted in a rapid loss of protein for the isoenzymes alpha, delta and to a lesser degree also beta. We assume that this reflects qualitative differences in response between normal and tumor cells, that may be due to the differences in isoenzyme distribution.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1994

Trimetrexate with leucovorin versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for moderate to severe episodes of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with AIDS: a prospective, controlled multicenter investigation of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 029/031.

Trimetrexate is a powerful inhibitor of the dihydrofolate reductase of Pneumocystis carinii. AIDS patients (n = 215) with moderate to severe P. carinii pneumonia were enrolled in a double-blind study of trimetrexate plus leucovorin versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) for 21 days. By study day 10, study therapy failed because of lack of efficacy in 16% of patients assigned to TMP-SMZ and 27% assigned to trimetrexate (P = .064), and the PAO2-PaO2 improved significantly faster with TMP-SMZ. By study day 21, failure rates were 20% with TMP-SMZ and 38% with trimetrexate (P = .008), with respective mortality rates of 12% and 20% (P = .088). By study day 49, the difference in mortality (16% vs. 31%) was significant (P = .028). The cumulative incidence of serious and treatment-terminating adverse events including hematologic toxicities was less with trimetrexate (P < .001). Thus, trimetrexate plus leucovorin was effective, albeit inferior to TMP-SMZ, for moderately severe P. carinii pneumonia but was better tolerated than TMP-SMZ.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

Electrophoretic characterization of wheat grain allergens from different cultivars involved in bakers' asthma.

In order to identify and characterize the wheat grain allergens involved in bakers' asthma, proteins were sequentially extracted from whole-meal flour. The polypeptide composition of the individual solubility fractions (albumin/globulin, gliadin and glutenin) was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with immobilized pH gradient 4-9 in the first dimension (IPG-Dalt). The resolved polypeptides were transferred onto an immobilizing polyvinylidene difluoride membrane and incubated with a pooled serum from four asthmatic bakers. Bound IgE was demonstrated by autoradiography using 125I-labeled anti-human IgE. Our study demonstrated that the serum of the bakers allergic to flour contained IgE antibodies which bound to numerous polypeptides of all three solubility fractions. The highest percentage of IgE binding was observed with certain albumin and/or globulin polypeptides, whereas the gliadins and glutenins exhibited considerably less allergenicity. SDS-PAGE revealed that the protein which bound the highest percentage of IgE from the sera of the allergic bakers is a 27 kDa albumin. More detailed investigations using IPG-Dalt demonstrated that this allergen is not a single polypeptide but consists of several polypeptide spots that differ in their isoelectric points. Quantitative studies using computer-assisted laser densitometry revealed that the amount of patients' IgE bound by these particular polypeptides differed considerably between the seven wheat cultivars examined, ranging from 13% to 53% of the total radioactive uptake.

Albumins↗
PubMed1993

The efficacy of short-term gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists versus human chorionic gonadotrophin to enable oocyte release in gonadotrophin stimulated cycles.

One of the reasons for failure to conceive following human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) therapy may be due to non-release of oocytes from the follicles. We hypothesized that by using a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) for a short duration, endogenous release of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone may enable oocyte release to occur, similar or superior to the effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). This study attempted to compare the efficacy of HCG versus the GnRHa leuprolide acetate to release oocytes and achieve pregnancies and to compare the effectiveness of leuprolide acetate versus a combination of HCG with HMG to release oocytes. Unfortunately due to lack of prior data, many patients preferred to reject leuprolide acetate in favour of HCG, resulting in three times as many patients being treated with HCG in cycle 1; 78.2% of oocytes were released following leuprolide acetate versus only 55.7% with HCG. Interestingly, 87.5% of those females in whom oocyte release failed in cycle 1 with HCG did indeed release with leuprolide acetate in cycle 2, but none of these previous failures released with HCG in cycle 2. Pregnancy rates were equal in those women releasing oocytes, whether treated with HCG or leuprolide acetate. These preliminary data justify a larger randomized study.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1993

Asbestos-related pleural plaques and lung cancer.

The English-language literature was reviewed to evaluate a possible relationship between asbestos-related pleural plaques and lung cancer in the absence of parenchymal asbestosis. There were six cohort studies in which the comparison group was limited to unexposed persons or the general population, four lung cancer case-control studies, and three autopsy studies. Of the 13 investigations, only 3 supported the hypothesis that lung cancer risk is elevated among persons with pleural plaques over the risk in unexposed people: 2 cohort studies from the same city in England with much the same data and 1 case-control study. These three studies had the most defects in design. The other ten studies failed to confirm the hypothesis. Thus, the weight of the evidence favors the conclusion that persons with asbestos-related pleural plaques do not have an increased risk of lung cancer in the absence of parenchymal asbestosis.

Asbestosis↗
PubMed1993

Comparison of hCG versus GnRH analog for releasing oocytes following ultra low-dose gonadotropin stimulation.

Previous data have suggested there is a higher incidence of luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome (defined as failure to release any oocyte as determined by sonography) in gonadotropin-treated patients following human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) versus the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) leuprolide acetate. The present study was designed to determine if an ultra low-dose gonadotropin regimen, designed not to raise the serum estradiol level much above normal for non-stimulated cycles, might result in a decrease in LUF following hCG treatment, and even reduce the rate to that seen following leuprolide acetate. The hypothesis tested was that the higher estradiol levels might suppress the pre-ovulatory follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) surge which, in turn, would inhibit plasmin production, thus preventing detachment of the oocyte from the follicle. The data did show a reduced rate of LUF incidence with either hCG or leuprolide acetate in ultra low-dose human menopausal gonadotropin-(hMG-) treated patients compared to data from previous studies with conventional hMG/hCG therapy. Pregnancy rates were also similar following hCG or leuprolide acetate for release in low-dose hMG-treated patients. Preliminary data show that leuprolide acetate is superior to hCG for causing oocyte release when stimulation is with low-dose purified FSH, and possibly also that low-dose hMG is superior to low-dose purified FSH for producing superior pregnancy rates.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Digitoxin-induced thrombocytopenia].

A 82-year-old woman was admitted to hospital because of heart failure, vomiting, and pain in the right upper abdomen. During the past three months she had received treatment with 0.07 mg digitoxin twice daily. The ECG showed sinus bradycardia with intermittent complete sinoatrial block. On the basis of the history, clinical presentation and ECG findings digitalis intoxication was suspected. Digitoxin level was 65.23 ng/ml--far beyond the therapeutic range. Laboratory examinations revealed a marked thrombocytopenia (25,000/microliters). The patient was placed on cholestyramine (4g three times daily) to accelerate intestinal excretion of digitoxin. As there were no life-threatening complications there was no indication for treatment with digitalis-specific antibodies. On the 6th day after discontinuation of digitoxin treatment the platelet count showed a marked rise and returned to normal values as from the 12th day.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with immobilized pH gradients in the first dimension, of barley seed proteins: discrimination of cultivars with different malting grades.

The suitability of high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for barley cultivar discrimination and for classification with respect to their malting properties was studied. Seed proteins of 14 barley cultivars with different malting qualities were extracted with urea/dithiothreitol/Nonidet P-40 buffer and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with immobilized pH gradients in the first dimension (IPG-DALT). The results of IPG-DALT were compared to the protein patterns obtained by a standard technique, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of hordeins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis yielded seven different "B" and four different "C" hordein patterns; "A" and "D" hordein patterns were uniform in all cultivars tested. Four cultivars could be distinguished unequivocally, the others were classified into three groups containing between two and five cultivars. In contrast to these findings. IPG-DALT yielded three different "A", eight different "B", four different "C" and two different "D" hordein patterns. When the "A", "B", "C" and "D" hordein patterns were combined, ten cultivars exhibited unique hordein patterns whereas the remaining ones were classified into two groups containing two cultivars each. Moreover, when albumin and globulin proteins were used for evaluation in addition to the hordeins, all cultivars could be discriminated by IPG-DALT. IPG-DALT, performed on small-scale and/or ready-made gels, proved to be an ideal complementary system to one-dimensional electrophoretic methods for routine seed testing purposes because of its speed, reliability, and simplicity. IPG-DALT was also applied to study the relationship between the different polypeptide patterns and the malting quality. Although cultivars with identical one-dimensional protein patterns but different malting quality could be successfully differentiated by IPG-DALT, a direct correlation between specific protein spots or protein patterns to the malting quality was not found within the cultivars tested.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional↗
PubMed1992

[Therapy of peptic ulcers with famotidine. Report of experiences with an open clinical study].

In a two center open uncontrolled clinical trial, the efficacy of a single evening dose of 40 mg famotidine (Ulcusan) was studied in a total of 37 patients (20 with chronic duodenal ulcers, 9 with recurring and 8 with acute gastric ulcers). 35 patients completed the study. In all 35 cases, endoscopic examination confirmed that ulcers had healed. All but one gastric ulcer healed within 4 weeks (80%) or 8 weeks (94.3%) of therapy. The cumulative rate of recovery for gastric ulcers was 87.5% and for duodenal ulcers 100%. During the first 4 weeks of therapy, vanishing of symptoms occurred and additional intake of antacids diminished progressively. Day-time symptoms tended to disappear earlier than nocturnal symptoms during the course of treatment. No objective or subjective side-effects were reported. A temporary exanthema appeared in 1 case after 4 weeks of treatment but could not be identified as causally related to famotidine. In this study famotidine turned out to be very effective in ulcer healing and was free of side effects. Thus, this preparation may be recommended also for "low-dose long-term prophylaxis" of chronic peptic ulcers.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Time of famotidine administration and healing of duodenal ulcer: is 18.00 o'clock of importance?].

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled two centre trial, the effect of a 40 mg oral dose of famotidine administered at 6 p.m. to the same dose given at 10:00 p.m. was studied in 38 patients with duodenal ulcers. After 2 weeks 61% of the ulcers had healed; this had risen to 89% by the end of week 4. The statistically non-significant trend to better results following administration later at night (which apparently contradicts other published results) may have been due to a delay in adsorption caused by food ingestion and the related nocturnal pH levels.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗