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Biomedical subjects

C Böhm

Publications and source records attributed to C Böhm.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Procalcitonin. A new marker for acute phase reaction in acute pancreatitis].

Procalcitonin is a protein which is found in elevated concentrations in the blood circulation during systemic bacterial, fungal or protozoal infection. In contrast to classical acute-phase proteins like C-reactive protein or interleukin-6, it is not elevated after operative trauma. In this paper we present current opinions on the assumed induction mechanisms of the protein by cytokines and endotoxin. Furthermore, the clinical value for early detection of systemic infections in abdominal and transplantation surgery is demonstrated by examples from the literature. Our investigation shows that eight patients with necrotizing pancreatitis had a PCT mean value of 6.9 ng/ml on the day of admission. Seven patients with edematous pancreatitis had only a PCT mean value of 0.69 ng/ml. Despite these differences in the mean values, a significant difference between the normal value and the mean value of the group with necrotizing pancreatitis or edematous pancreatitis was not observed due to the wide range of PCT levels in the group of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. The fact that only a few of the patients had a superinfected necrosis with systemic evasion of bacterias or their toxins may be the reason for this wide range. We suggest that a discrimination between superinfected necrotizing or sterile pancreatitis and edematous pancreatitis by PCT could be possible but more extensive studies with microbiological examination of the necrotic material are required to recognize the subgroups and to establish the real diagnostic efficiency of PCT in clinical practice, especially in the prediction of the outcome of acute pancreatitis.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗
PubMed1997

Bioequivalence of tolbutamide-containing tablet preparations.

The present crossover study was undertaken to investigate in 22 volunteers (15 males, 7 females, aged 22-28 years) whether the 2 tolbutamide preparations (tolbutamide R.A.N. vs. rastinon Hoechst) are bioequivalent. After administering a single dose of one 1 g tablet of each preparation the plasma tolbutamide concentration was measured by HPLC over a time-period of 48 hours. The mean AUC0-48 values are nearly identical (998.42 vs. 997.73 micrograms x h x ml-1), while the Cmax values (51.1 vs. 58.8 micrograms/ml) and the tmax values (4.55 vs. 3.82 h) show slight differences. The Westlake intervals claimed to prove bioequivalence lies in the 95% confidence interval between the limits 0.972 and 1.046 (AUC), 0.896 and 0.978 (Cmax), and 0.056 and 1.346 (tmax). For example, this is the result of the parametric analysis considering the randomization. In the case of the parameters of the multiplicative model (AUC and Cmax) the probability of correctly concluding bioequivalence (power) between the 2 preparations reaches 2.0. Regarding maintenance therapy it is of minor importance that the maximum plasma tolbutamide concentrations is 0.7 h later observed with the test preparation than with the standard. The results of this study allow the conclusion that the 2 tablet preparations are bioequivalent.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1997

MUC2 gene suppression in human colorectal carcinomas and their metastases: in vitro evidence of the modulatory role of DNA methylation.

The development of the majority of colorectal carcinomas is associated with a diminished expression of the intestinal mucin MUC2 in the tumor cells. The significance and the mechanism of this alteration are not yet known. We sought to determine the molecular basis of this tumor-associated change and to investigate the extent to which it might also relate to metastases. MUC2 gene expression was compared in normal (N), carcinomatous (T), and metastatic tissues (M) from nine patients by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and Northern blotting. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization showed consistently lower amounts of the expressed protein and mRNA in T and in M than in N; quantitative analysis by Northern blotting confirmed that the differences between MUC2 mRNA expression between N, T, and M were significant, the expression in metastases being less than 5% of that in the normal colonic tissue. The influence of DNA methylation as a possible regulatory mechanism of MUC2 gene expression was tested after the 5' and 3'-regions flanking the first exon of MUC2 were recovered from a genomic DNA library and used as probes in Southern blot. The DNA was isolated from colon carcinoma cell lines expressing MUC2 strongly (LS174T) or moderately (T84) and from that which was nonexpressing (Colo 205), and it was digested with the methylation-sensitive enzyme HpaII. The Southern blot patterns indicated that the increased methylation in the promoter region was concomitant with the decrease of MUC2 mRNA expression. Methylation of the promoter region ligated into a reporter vector suppressed the expression of the luciferase reporter gene in the three investigated cell lines. Furthermore, the expression of MUC2 gene was enhanced by treating the MUC2-expressing colon carcinoma cells with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, a methylation-inhibiting agent. To our knowledge this is the first report to show that: (a) MUC2 gene is strongly suppressed in liver and lymph node metastases of colorectal carcinomas, and (b) suppression of MUC2 gene in colon carcinoma cells in vitro is associated with methylation of the promoter region.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Fucosyltransferase III and sialyl-Le(x) expression correlate in cultured colon carcinoma cells but not in colon carcinoma tissue.

The potential contribution of fucosyltransferases to the overexpression of sialyl-Le(x) antigen was investigated in the colon carcinoma cell line HT-29 and in human colon carcinoma tissue. In HT-29 cells as well as in normal or malignant colonic tissues Fuc-TIII, Fuc-TIV, Fuc-TVI but not Fuc-TV nor Fuc-TVII were detectable after RT-PCR. Sodium butyrate treatment of HT-29 cells increased (to about 200%) and DMSO treatment decreased (to about 20%) the expression of sialyl-Le(x). This modulation of sialyl-Le(x) was concomitant with the analogous increase/decrease of mRNA of Fuc-TIII but not Fuc-TIV. Fuc-TVI was not detectable by Northern blotting in HT-29 cells. In six human colon carcinomas which exhibited strong overexpression of sialyl-Le(x), the expression of Fuc-TIII-mRNA was the same or lower than in the corresponding normal colonic tissue. Thus Fuc-TIII expression may be affecting the expression of the sialyl-Le(x) moiety in HT-29 cells but not in human colon carcinoma tissue.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1991

Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal performed with surface-heparinized equipment in patients with ARDS.

To avoid the drawbacks of systemic anticoagulation during prolonged extracorporeal circulation in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) a heparinization technique has been developed by which partially degraded heparin can be covalently end-point attached to the surface of the equipment constituting the extracorporeal circuit (Carmeda Bio-Active Surface, CBAS) thereby localizing the anticoagulatory effect. Since 1986 we have used extracorporeal circuits and membrane lungs coated with the CBAS for extracorporeal lung assistance (ECLA) in 14 patients suffering from ARDS. The patients were on ECLA for 3 to 55 days with a survival rate of 43%. Our experience so far is that by using equipment coated with CBAS it is possible to perform long-term extracorporeal circulation with a minimum of intravenously administered heparin, thus avoiding the risk of major coagulation defects.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Embolic occlusion of arteries of the upper extremity].

Ninety-nine patients underwent embolectomy of upper extremity arteries; in 12% of the cases reoperation and in 4% amputation was necessary. Thrombosis is the cause of reocclusion of the brachial artery, based on endothelial lesions of the axillary passing into the brachial artery. At autopsy studies these andothelial lesions were verified by histological and electron-microscopical examinations in a high percentage. Therefore embolectomies should be performed very carefully by means of thin fogarty catheters. Postoperative anticoagulant therapy seems to improve the survival rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A double-blind comparison of buspirone, clobazam, and placebo in patients with anxiety treated in a general practice setting.

Sixty patients being treated for anxiety in a primary care facility received (double-blind) buspirone, the benzodiazepine drug clobazam, or placebo for 3 weeks. The mean daily dose at the end of treatment was 23 mg for buspirone and 21 mg for clobazam. Patients were assessed weekly using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety and Clinical Global Impression scale. Both active treatments produced significant improvement in anxiety symptoms compared with placebo as early as the first week of treatment, and there was progressive improvement over the subsequent 2 weeks. Response to buspirone was equally favorable in anxious patients who experienced depressive symptomatology.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Buspirone therapy in anxious elderly patients: a controlled clinical trial.

Forty patients over 65 years of age with anxiety symptoms due to an anxiety state (N = 20) or secondary to neurotic depression (N = 20) took part in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in a primary care practice. All patients were receiving concomitant drug therapy for chronic medical conditions; 70% were receiving two or more nonpsychotropic drugs in addition to the study medication. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with buspirone 5-30 mg/day or placebo for 4 weeks, with clinical evaluations made weekly. One buspirone-treated and two placebo-treated patients discontinued treatment after 2 weeks because of lack of efficacy. Buspirone treatment resulted in significantly greater (p less than or equal to 0.05) improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and Clinical Global Impression assessment than did placebo. Mild adverse experiences were reported by five buspirone-treated and nine placebo-treated patients. Buspirone (mean dose, 18 mg/day) proved equally effective for elderly patients suffering anxiety states or neurotic depression at doses similar to those used in younger patients, and was well tolerated by elderly patients receiving treatment for other chronic medical conditions.

Aged↗