Posterior Cervical-Thoracic Thermograms: Pattern Persistence and Correlation with Chronic Headache Syndromes

SYNOPSIS
These experiments investigate thermographic patterns in the posterior cervical/thoracic (PCT) region of 530headache patients and 30 headache/injury-free volunteers. The study examines: The longitudinal persistence ofProximal and Distal patterns; three distinct midline patterns (PCT I, II, and III); and their correlation with diagnosis,injury, and pain.
Twenty-four (80%) of 30 randomly selected subjects displayed unchanged Proximal patterns at the meanobservation period of 5.5 months. PCT pattern fluctuations occurred in 13/30 (43.3%) subjects. The distinctivenessof each subject's Proximal and Distal patterns was verified by blind calling of thermogram pairs. Patternpersistence was validated with alcohol spray-Patterns were identical regardless of using a 0.5°C or 1.0°Ctemperature setting. Temperature settings of 1.0°C yielded more distinct Proximal and Distal patterns.
Chi square analysis determined that there was no significant difference in the number of PCT III patterns in theexperimental or control groups.
In conclusion, it appears that Proximal and Distal Patterns may be consistent over time and individually unique,but that PCT patterns fluctuate and, therefore, do not correlate with chronic headaches.     

Safety of virus inactivated antithrombin III concentrate ANTITHROMBIN III IMMUNO (AT III)

In a prospective clinical trial the risk of infection after application of virus inactivated antithrombin III concentrate ANTITHROMBIN III IMMUNO (AT III) was investigated in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. The study was conducted according to the recommendations of the International Committee on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ICTH), with the exception that most patients required additional blood products as well as AT III.

Twenty-seven patients were eligible to test for the risk of acquiring hepatitis B. Twenty-six patients could be evaluated in terms of hepatitis NANB transmission considering ALT-levels whereas 20 patients could be tested for anti-HCV one year after surgery. Samples from 78 patients could be monitored for anti-HIV-1. None of these patients showed any signs of infection. AT III IMMUNO seems to be an antithrombin III concentrate with low or absent infectivity.     

Relationship of periodic leg movements and severity of restless legs syndrome: a study in unmedicated and medicated patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) as assessed by a subjective, patient-rated scale (International RLS Study Group Rating Scale, IRLS), and of periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMS) as an objective parameter, in two different patient populations. METHODS: Data of 200 unmedicated patients with idiopathic RLS were evaluated. Group 1 (n=100) consisted of selected patients participating in the Pergolide European Australian RLS (PEARLS) study. Group 2 (n=100) represented an outpatient RLS population investigated in a Sleep Disorders Center. Additionally, Group 1 was also evaluated after a 6 week double-blind treatment period, where 47 patients received pergolide and 53 patients placebo. RESULTS: In unmedicated patients, IRLS scores correlated with the PLMS-arousal index (r=0.22, p=0.033) but not with the PLMS index in Group 1 while no correlation was found in Group 2. The change of the IRLS score under treatment in Group 1 correlated significantly both with the change of the PLMS index (r=0.42, p<0.001) and the change of the PLMS-arousal index (r=0.38, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The IRLS adequately reflects treatment changes of PLMS indices. In unmedicated patients, the IRLS correlates with PLMS indices probably only in selected RLS populations with predefined PSG criteria and high PLM activity. SIGNIFICANCE: The IRLS is an appropriate subjective rating scale for measuring treatment effects in RLS.     

Quantitative and comparative study of haematoporphyrin-derived photosensitizers on a murine tumour model

Eight commercially available HPD-photosensitizers intended for photodynamic therapy were tested in a murine tumour model with regard to their therapeutic efficacy. The regrowth delay of the fibrosarcoma SSK-2 on the mouse C3H, Neuherberg-line, was determined 3, 24, 48 and 72 h after injection of the drugs (dose: 9 mg kg^–1 body weight). The corresponding pharmacodynamics, as measured by regrowth delay, were approximated by an exponential function and the characterizing coefficients derived. These coefficients served to quantify the photodynamic properties of the drugs.The pharmacodynamics of five substances were compared with those obtained fluorometrically. The latter showed shorter decay constants than the therapy-correlated substances which indicates different metabolic behaviour of the therapeutic and diagnostically useful fluorescent components of haematoporphyrin-derived photosensitizers.     

Functional shifts in the respiratory and circulatory systems of bronchial asthma patients during exertion

A total of 56 patients aged 40-59 were examined for bronchial asthma of infectious-allergic etiology and moderate severity. Exercise-related bronchospasm (EB) was detected in 46 of them. Exercise tolerance was studied using bicycle ergometry, ventilometric changes with threshold exercise test and central hemodynamics was assessed in response to standard exercise with chest tetrapolar rheography. BE was associated with an additional decrease in the working capacity of patients with bronchial asthma with moderately expressed ventilation disturbances at rest. These patients were also demonstrated to have hypoergic-nature response of central hemodynamics to a standard motor test. BE-free patients with the same degree of ventilation disturbances exhibited the response close to normoergic. The evidence suggests the involvement of the hemodynamic mechanisms in the formation of an exercise tolerance threshold in bronchial asthma complicated by BE.     

Pulsed magnetization transfer spin-echo MR imaging

Cross relaxation between macromolecular protons and water protons is known to be important in biologic tissue. In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences, selective saturation of the characteristically short T2 macromolecular proton pool can produce contrast called magnetization transfer contrast, based on the cross-relaxation process. Selective saturation can be achieved with continuous wave irradiation several kilohertz off resonance or short, intense 0° pulses on resonance. The authors analyze 0° binomial pulses for T2 selective saturation, present design guidelines, and demonstrate the use of these pulses in spin-echo imaging sequences in healthy volunteers and patients. Using the phenomenologic Bloch equations modified for two-site exchange, the authors derive the analytic expressions for water proton relaxation under periodic pulsed saturation of the macromolecular protons. This relaxation is shown to be monoexpo-nential, with a rate constant dependent on the saturation pulse repetition rate and the individual and cross-relaxation rates.     

Effect of ω-conotoxin GVIA on release of 3H-γ-aminobutyric acid from slices of rat neostriatum

Summary -Conotoxin GVIA (-CT) diminished the potassium-induced in vitro release of ³H--aminobutyric acid (³H-GABA) from slices of rat neostriatum in a manner which depended on the concentration of potassium. -CT (0.1 nmol/l) decreased the release of ³H-GABA induced by 25 mmol/l K⁺ from 11.6% to 6.1% of tissue content, ie. by 48%, while it did not affect the release of ³H-GABA caused by 20 mmol/l K⁺, which was 4.8% of tissue content. However, in the presence of a polyclonal antiserum or cysteamine (600 mol/l), both of which diminish the effects of endogenous somatostatin, 0.1–10 nmol/l -CT decreased the release of ³H-GABA induced by 20 mmoles/l K⁺ by 40%. It is concluded that -CT did not only inhibit GABA-neurones, but had an additional inhibitory effect on somatostatin neurones which are known to depress the release of ³H-GABA. It is further concluded that neuronal interactions, which are possible in brain slice preparations, may impede the interpretation of effects of drugs, especially if agents are used which affect basic mechanisms of transmitter release and thus the release of various transmitters from neurones. Send offprint requests to D. K. Meyer at the above address     

Radioreceptor Assay of Metoprolol in Human Plasma: Comparison with an Enantiospecific High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Procedure

Plasma concentrations of metoprolol after acute and repetitive administration of R/S-metoprolol to healthy volunteers were measured by a -adrenoceptor subtype-specific radioreceptor assay (RRA) and by an enantiospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. In the RRA, R/S-metoprolol showed a 20-fold ₁-subtype selectivity: the S-( – )-enantiomer was 35-fold more potent than the R-( + )-enantiomer. A comparison between S-( – )-metoprolol concentrations detected in the plasma samples by HPLC and those detected by RRA yielded a 1/1 relationship, indicating that active metabolites are not present to a significant extent. These results were independent of the widely scattering metabolic clearance of metoprolol (with the potential of differences in the rate and extent of formation of active metabolites) in the volunteers. In general, HPLC methods can be validated by comparison with RRA in order to clarify whether active metabolites are present and—on the basis of the K_i value from RRA—whether the detection limit of the physicochemical procedure is sufficient to cover the therapeutically relevant range.