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Biomedical subjects

A Oehme

Publications and source records attributed to A Oehme.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

[Infectious mononucleosis].

The primary infection with Epstein-Barr virus in an immunocompetent individual leads to infectious mononucleosis with symptoms of diphtheroid angina, lymph node swelling in the neck and hepatosplenomegaly. The most common age of infection lies between 15 and 25 years. The illness can affect a number of organs simultaneously and thus requires interdisciplinary diagnostics. For differential diagnosis, a differential blood analysis and a EBV quick test are required. The presence of IgM antibodies demonstrates the presence of the infection. Ultrasound of the abdomen can be made to determine the involvement of additional organs. In most cases, recovery occurs without complications. Acute cases can usually be handled successfully with medication. If symptomatic treatment fails, pharyngeal airway obstruction is possible and a tonsillectomy may be necessary. Otherwise, surgical treatment is obsolete. Generally, the prognosis is good. Severe courses and complications are rare.

Humans↗

[Lyme disease--a reason for sudden sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular neuronitis?].

BACKGROUND: Lyme disease has been described as one possible cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular neuronitis. The necessity of serological diagnosis and its therapeutic consequences have been discussed controversially. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 344 patients with acute sensorineural hearing loss and 66 patients with vestibular neuronitis were examined in retrospect. By means of ELISA (Enzygnost Borreliosis, Dade Behring Marburg) the specific prevalences of IgG- and IgM-antibodies against borrelia in serum were evaluated. The frequency of seroprevalences for both diseases were compared to those given in the literature. Neurootological findings of the seropositive patients were compared with those of seronegative and analysed statistically. RESULTS: 15.7 % of the patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss had positive levels of IgG-antibodies. IgM-titers were elevated in 4.7 % of the patients. The seroprevalences for IgM and IgG were above those described by other investigators for the healthy population. Patients with positive IgM-antibodies showed more often low frequency hearing loss than IgG-positive patients. 18.2 % of the patients with neuronitis vestibularis had IgG- and 1.5 % IgM-antibodies against Borrelia. Whereas IgG occurred more often than known for the healthy population, IgM was within the limit for the healthy population. The seropositive group did not show any remarkable neurootological signs compared with the seronegative group. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the elevated seroprevalences Borrelia infections may be one possible but very rare cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular neuronitis. Low frequency hearing loss may be a sign for an infection with Borrelia as an etiological factor especially in combination with seropositive titers. In case of the presence of IgM-antibodies, patients may be treated with oral antibiotics (Doxycyclin, Cefuroxim). In patients with neuronitis vestibularis a neuroborreliosis should be excluded by means of lumbar puncture.

Adolescent↗

[Prognosis of postoperative endophthalmitis].

BACKGROUND: The outcome of 20 patients is summarized in a retrospective study to identify clinical findings that influence the long-term prognosis of postoperative endophthalmitis. PATIENTS: Between 1991 and 1997 a total of 20 patients with postoperative endophthalmitis were admitted. Median age was 80 years (range: 9-95), 11 patients were male, 9 female. Sixteen pars-plana vitrectomies, 2 anterior vitrectomies and 2 rinsings of the anterior chamber without vitrectomy were performed. Furthermore, all patients received intraocular and systemic antibiotic treatment. For microbiological investigation, specimens from vitreous, anterior chamber and conjunctiva were sent in. Long-term outcome was controlled for an average of 14 months after treatment of the endophthalmitis (range: 4-36 months). RESULTS: At the end of treatment, 40% of patients had a visual acuity of 0.4 or better, 80% had 1/20 or better. Patients with a preoperative visual acuity of at least hand movement had a better postoperative visual outcome than patients with only light perception. Visual acuity was better in patients with chronic endophthalmitis than in patients with acute or subacute endophthalmitis. In patients with chronic or subacute endophthalmitis, improvement of visual acuity was found some months after the operation more often than in patients with acute endophthalmitis. However, in 40% of cases with an acute onset, no improvement or even worsening of the visual acuity was documented. Best postoperative results were found after infection with Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes. CONCLUSION: Important prognostic factors of postoperative endophthalmitis are visual acuity, the onset of the endophthalmitis (acute, subacute or chronic) and the microbiological findings. At the time of surgery and antibiotic treatment, visual acuity should be at least hand motion to expect an improvement in the visual outcome.

Adolescent↗

[Bilateral endogenous endophthalmitis].

BACKGROUND: The endogenous endophthalmitis is a septic-metastatic late complication of a generalized bacterial or fungal infection or an asymptomatic fungaemia. Aspergillus organisms are a rare cause of endophthalmitis. Aspergillus ocular manifestations have been mostly reported in connection with immunosuppression, severe diseases or drug abuse. PATIENT AND METHODS: A 51-year-old man underwent a kidney transplantation, an immunosuppressive therapy, and, in addition, treatments for some other generalized diseases. Endogenous endophthalmitis was diagnosed in both eyes at an interval of about eight weeks. The treatment included pars-plana-vitrectomy on both eyes. RESULTS: At first, an endogenous endophthalmitis was found in the right eye which was assumed to be induced by bacteria. About eight weeks later, however, an endogenous endophthalmitis was diagnosed in the left eye, also, which was caused by Aspergillus. The patient received an intensive medical care including operative, antibacterial and antimycotic treatments. The bacterial endophthalmitis in the right eye was healed, and the state of the left eye was found to be post-operatively stabilized. Unfortunately, the patient died of a septic shock in systemic Aspergillus infection. CONCLUSION: Endogenous endophthalmitis has a very poor prognosis. To our knowledge, the described medical history seems to be the first reported case of an endophthalmitis on both sides, apparently caused by bacteria in one eye and by fungi in the other one.

Aspergillosis↗

[Comparison of serological tests for Chlamydia with particular emphasis on anticellular antibodies].

The influence of anticellular antibodies on reading and interpretation of Chlamydia-specific antibodies was investigated with selected sera in three commercial tests before and after absorption with noninfected cells. In two tests using C.trachomatis-L2-infected BGM- and L 929 cells, respectively, several sera could not be evaluated by unspecific reactions. The test system using only elementary bodies of C.trachomatis L2 showed no unspecific reactions.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Critical examination of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of positive IgM antibodies against toxoplasma in newborns.

The Toxonostika IgM test, which has been examined in this study, is a modified antibody capture test (7). Evaluation with sera from newborns revealed that, like in the ELISA tested in 1988, doubtful or false positive results were obtained in 10% of the cases (6). Therefore, a positive toxoplasmosis IgM result in newborn sera should always be retested with another test system.

Animals↗

[Echinococcosis in pregnancy. A rare differential diagnosis in cystic intra-abdominal tumors in pregnancy].

Pregnancy and intraabdominal masses rarely cointcidate. Therapeutical consequences are associated with possible complications such as intraabdominal pain, torquation of cystic tumors, rupture of cystic masses and pelvic inflammation. In less than 5% of the cases a malignant process during pregnancy can be expected. Prior to therapy of intraabdominal masses patients from typical endemic areas ought to be checked up for parasitic infections such as cystic echinococcosis treated specifically. Based on the following case report we present the epidemiology, diagnosis and therapy of cystics echinococcosis in pregnancy.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Chlamydiae as pathogens--an overview of diagnostic techniques, clinical features, and therapy of human infections.

Chlamydiae are Gram-negative bacteria with obligate intracellular reproduction and disability to synthesize high-energy compounds such as ATP. Their cycle of development is unique among the prokaryotes: the host cells, mainly epithelial cells, are infected by so-called elementary bodies (EB) which undergo reorganization to form metabolically active reticulate bodies (RB). These RB multiply by binary fission, and after transition into infectious EB they are released within 48-72 hours. Chlamydiae cause prolonged subclinical infections of the conjunctiva, lung, cervix, and urethra. Complications in newborns are inclusion conjunctivitis, nasopharyngitis and pneumonia; in females, salpingitis, infertility, and perihepatitis; in male patients, epididymitis and prostatitis; and in both sexes, Chlamydiae-induced arthritis. Identification of the pathogenic agent confirms clinical diagnosis; tissue culture identification remains the diagnostic method of choice. Therapeutical drugs are tetracycline, erythromycin, josamycin, and in certain cases quinolone derivatives.

Animals↗

[Antibodies to cell culture cells as an interference factor in chlamydia serology].

Antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis were detected with the immunoperoxidase assay (IPA) in 32 patients suffering from rheumatic diseases. In this test the cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis serotype L2 were the antigen. In addition all sera were tested for anticellular antibodies, using non-infected cells as antigen. 13 out of these 32 IPA-positive patients (41%) were also positive with respect to anticellular antibodies.

Antibodies↗