Chronic beta 1-blockade and control of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of chronic beta-blocking therapy (atenolol 100 mg/d) on ECG and ECG indexes of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients. Seventy one subjects with essential hypertension (mean age 47 y) were studied for 5 years. Sokolow-Lyon voltage criteria for ECGLVH (S wave in V1 plus R wave in V5 greater than or equal to 35 mm) were employed in: 38 treated patients with ECGLVH, 12 treated patients without ECGLVH and 21 untreated patients with ECGLVH.

Role of prolactin in pregnancy hypertension.

In 51 patients with pregnancy hypertension (H) and 51 normotensive gravid women (N), matched for age of gestation, plasma prolactin was measured at 8.30 am (PRL1) and 9.30 am (PRL2) in basal conditions and after 10 minutes of upright posture (PRL3).

Monoclonal antibody to HSV2 protein as an immunodiagnostic marker in cervical cancer.

The present study was designed to evaluate the possible use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as diagnostic adjuncts to exfoliative cytology and tissue sections in intraepithelial (CIN) and invasive cervical cancer. Specimens were collected from 42 patients with various degrees of CIN, 15 patients with invasive cancer and two patients with condylomatous changes only. mAb H17, that recognizes a herpes simplex virus protein (ICP) representing a component of the viral ribonucleotide reductase, stained atypical exfoliated cells from 55% of patients with mild dysplasia and 100% of those with more severe lesions.

[A case of torsade de pointes caused by hypomagnesemia].

The author reports a case of a patient who had serious arrhythmia of the kind Torsade de pointes with hypomagnesemia as the only a abnormal parameter. This confirms previous reports and propose again a ion often forgotten in medical practice.

CA-125 monitoring during chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.

Serum CA-125 was determined in 60 patients with variously extended ovarian cancer and monitored during and after chemotherapy. The study indicates that: 1) prechemotherapy CA-125 shows the presence of an active disease with an accuracy greater than 85%. The antigen is elevated in 97% of patients with greater than 2 cm disease, but sensitivity is low (67%) in patients with minimal residual disease (less than 2 cm); 2) changes in CA-125 correspond well with the response to chemotherapy.

Serotonin and the renal blood supply: role of prostaglandins and the 5HT-2 receptor.

Serotonin (5HT) has been reported to increase, to decrease, or not to change renal blood flow. We postulated that prostaglandin release in response to 5HT acted as a confusing variable, and tested the hypothesis by comparing infusions of serotonin and angiotensin into one renal artery of 14 anesthetized dogs before and after indomethacin administration. Renal blood flow (Q, by EM flow-meter) responses to 5HT were routinely biphasic, an initial sharp decrease followed by a gradual increase which stabilized well above baseline at three to six minutes.

Specific increase in sensitivity to serotonin of the canine hindlimb collateral arterial tree via the 5-hydroxytryptamine-2 receptor.

Evidence that platelet activation contributes to ischemia associated with atherosclerosis led us to examine the response of the limb collateral arterial tree to a platelet product, serotonin. In 23 anesthetized dogs we measured arterial diameter (angiography) and blood flow (133Xe transit) before or 2 weeks after superficial femoral artery ligation (SFAL). In normal hindlimbs blood flow increased after 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and there was a modest but measurable, dose dependent narrowing of 1- to 2-mm vessels, the major stem vessels for collateral blood flow.

The microvascular response to growth factors in the hamster cheek pouch.

Implicit in attempts to characterize and purify biologically active factors is the premise that the bioassay system employed will show a progressive increase in the response as the concentration of the responsible factor increases. We employed the hamster cheek pouch to assay the neovascularization potential of growth factors, including endothelial cell growth supplement (ECGS), epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Each growth factor was applied to the system in graded concentration and two approaches used to assess neovascularization: first, direct serial inspection of the cheek pouches at 40 power; second, tritiated thymidine incorporation into endothelial cells, assessed by radioautography.

Serotonin-induced visualization of the popliteal lymph node by angiography. A unique microvascular response to serotonin.

Regulation of the blood supply to lymph nodes is an important determinant of lymphocyte traffic but remains poorly understood. Infusion into the femoral artery of serotonin (5 HT), an agent that may produce either vasoconstriction or vasodilatation, induced striking arteriographic visualization of the popliteal lymph node in 19 of 20 dogs. Neither other vasodilator agents (acetylcholine, tolazoline, histamine, isoproterenol, sodium arachidonate, the prostaglandin analog CL115, 347) nor vasoconstrictor substances (norepinephrine, epinephrine, phenylephrine, and ergonovine maleate) produced the same effect.

Intracellular localization and serological identification of a HSV-2 protein in cervical cancer.

Exfoliated atypical cells from US and Italian patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or invasive cancer stained in indirect immunofluorescence with a monoclonal antibody to a high MW HSV-2 protein (ICP10). The proportion of staining cells increased as a function of the severity of the cervical anaplasia. In the majority of cases with mild or moderate dysplasia staining was restricted to the cytoplasm while atypical cells from 6 of 7 cases with marked dysplasia and 7 of 7 cases with invasive cancer evidenced also nuclear staining.

The renal response to diltiazem and nifedipine: comparison with nitroprusside.

We undertook a systematic comparison of the effects of diltiazem and nifedipine and a nonspecific vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside, on renal perfusion, function, and activation of potentially relevant neurohormonal systems in the anesthetized dog. These agents were employed to reduce blood pressure to two levels, a mean arterial pressure level of 100-110 mm Hg, and a subtherapeutic level of 75-85 mm Hg. Renal plasma flow (ERPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were estimated as the clearances of p-aminohippurate and inulin, respectively.

Time-related effects of chronic atenolol treatment on cardiovascular responses to handgrip.

To assess the influence of chronic atenolol therapy on the cardiovascular responses to isometric exercise, we evaluated the behavior of blood pressure, heart rate and double product in 75 hypertensive patients treated with atenolol 100 mg once daily for 6 months. During the 1st month of treatment, both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) increases rose more than before treatment. SBP increase to handgrip became lower than before treatment on the 2nd months of therapy (p less than 0.

Differential large and small vessel responses to serotonin in the dog hindlimb in vivo: role of the 5HT2 receptor.

Serotonin (5HT) constricts large arteries in vitro, an effect which seems contrary to 5HT-induced increases in blood flow observed in vivo. We used angiography to assess large artery responses, and blood flow (Q, electromagnetic flowmeter) to assess arteriolar responses to 5HT, norepinephrine (NE), and antagonists in the femoral circulation of the intact, anesthetized dog. 5HT constricted large arteries at a threshold dose of less than 10 micrograms/min, giving a 45 +/- 3% reduction of popliteal artery diameter at 100 micrograms/min (p less than 0.

Psychological reactions to fetoscopy: a controlled study.

Twenty woman at risk of carrying a fetus with homozygous beta-thalassemia who underwent fetoscopy and a matched control group of pregnant women were administered the Symptom Questionnaire to evaluate changes in distress. Women who were offered fetoscopy had significantly more anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms and hostility than the control group. Psychological distress significantly decreased after the results of fetoscopy were communicated to the patient, and the decrease was similar in normal control women.

Psychological distress and amniocentesis.

40 women who underwent amniocentesis were administered the Symptom Questionnaire to evaluate changes in psychological distress. Anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms and hostility significantly decreased after the results of the procedure were communicated to the patient, replicating the findings in a previous study. Psychological distress, however, returned to the initial levels in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Effect of chronic atenolol therapy on the cardiovascular response to handgrip in hypertensive patients.

Response to sustained (three-minute) handgrip at one-third maximum contraction was studied in 75 subjects with essential hypertension. The patients responded with an increase in heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and double product. Chronic atenolol therapy (100 mg/day in a single administration) decreased the values of these measurements at rest and during exercise.

[Prevalence of essential arterial hypertension in workers in a metal-mechanic factory. Effects of long-term therapy with a beta-1 blocker].

The research over 1023 patients examined in a metallurgical firm for prevalence of essential hypertension has proven that 144 subjects were hypertensive (5 secondary and 139 essential hypertension). 51 patients (35.4%) did not know to be hypertensive, 26 (18%) were without therapy and 57 (39.

Psychological reactions to amniocentesis: a controlled study.

Fifty women who underwent amniocentesis and a matched control group of pregnant women were administered the Symptom Questionnaire to evaluate changes in distress. Anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms had significantly decreased after the results of amniocentesis were communicated to the patient, but the decrease was similar in the normal control women. Hostility was higher in the amniocentesis group and decreased to normal levels after amniocentesis was performed, even before the results were communicated to the patient.

The occurrence of multiple steroid hormone receptors in disease-free and neoplastic human ovary.

The cytoplasmic receptors for 17 beta-estradiol (ER), 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (AR), progesterone (PR), and cortisol (GR) have been quantified in 36 specimens from the human ovary (13 disease-free, 5 benign, and 18 malignant) by a dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) technique. The occurrence of receptor-positive biopsies were: ER 46%, AR 85%, PR 54%, GR 92%, in normal tissue; ER 40%, AR 100%, PR 20%, GR 50%, in benign tumors; and ER 67%, AR 72%, PR 50%, GR 88%, in malignant lesions. Furthermore, the simultaneous occurrence of ER and PR in malignant tumors was 50% yet all four receptors were found to be present only in 44% of the cases.