PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Heierli

Publications and source records attributed to C Heierli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

On the mechanisms of haemodialysis-induced neutropenia: a study with five new and re-used membranes.

A prospective study was undertaken in 12 haemodialysed patients successively treated on five new as well as re-used dialyser membranes, that is cuprophane, cellulose acetate, polysulphone, polycarbonate, and polyacrylonitrile. A significant reduction of neutrophils occurred with every membrane during their first use, which improved only with cuprophane upon re-use. Thrombocytopenia was noted only when neutropenia reached very low values. Monocyte reduction occurred on cuprophane, cellulose acetate and polycarbonate, but did not improve during second use. C3d accumulation paralleled the time course of neutropenia only with cuprophane and cellulose acetate. Plasma collected at the extreme of neutropenia induced aggregation of control and predialysis cells, but did not aggregate autologous dialysed neutrophils collected at 5 min. Our data indicate that the mechanism linking complement activation to neutropenia is probably triggered by more than one factor.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Dialyzed polymorphonuclear neutrophil oxidative metabolism during dialysis: a comparative study with 5 new and reused membranes.

Dialyzed neutrophils were isolated at time 0, 5, 15 and 60 min after the onset of hemodialysis in patients successively treated on 5 new and reused membranes, that is cuprophan (CU), cellulose acetate (CA), polysulfone (PS), polycarbonate (PC) and polyacrilonitrile (PAN). Production of oxygen radicals was monitored by luminol and lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL). During dialysis with CU and PC, cells remaining in circulation at the maximum neutropenia showed a significant decrease of luminol-enhanced CL, whether stimulated with opsonized zymosan or phorbol myristate acetate. This defect was transient and the responses normalized at 60 min or upon reuse of the membranes. Among the other membranes tested, only cells collected during the first use of PS showed an impaired CL response to phorbol myristate acetate, but not to opsonized zymosan. CL again normalized upon reuse. At 5 min of dialysis with each membrane, a plasma factor appeared that was able to stimulate oxygen radical production by autologous dialyzed and control cells. A dissociation between the oxidative responses of dialyzed neutrophils and neutropenia was observed depending on the nature of the membranes, suggesting that neutropenia is a multifactorial process in which oxygen radical production appears as an early disturbance.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

[Lung function in workers in the chemical industry].

Lung irritants contribute towards chronic obstructive lung diseases. Therefore, apart from the technical measures, the workers in the chemical industry who are at risk of inhaling lung irritants enter an occupational medical programme. This includes periodically a lung function test. An analysis performed on 532 such workers suggests that there is no relation between the occupational risk mentioned and the FEV1 of the workers. However, the well known injurious influence of smoking is shown, the reduction of FEV1 in heavy smokers being 4.9% of the standardized values (p less than 0.025). In a previous analysis a reduction of FEV1 greater than expected was observed; this reduction disappeared by means of using other reference values. The EGKS reference values (revised 1983) used now are generally well accepted.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Cross-sectional studies on hearing ability in a plant in the chemical industry].

A study carried out in a total of 1287 workers (artisans and chemical and pharmaceutical production workers), aged between 30 and 59 years and exposed to industrial noise of 83 to 100 dB(A) (LEQ), is presented. The chemical production workers are less exposed to noise than the artisans, who have long been known to be at particular risk, but they are also definitely at risk. The prevalence of hearing defects among these workers is 54%, with deafness in 14%. From the comparison with the pharmaceutical workers, who are exposed to industrial noise not exceeding 86 dB(A), it may be assumed that at least 75% of these cases of deafness are caused by industrial noise at the present or at past places of work.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The polycarbonate hemodialysis membrane: neutrophil, platelet, complement and chemiluminescence kinetics during first and second use.

In a clinical comparative cross-over study of 12 chronically hemodialyzed patients, the polycarbonate hemodialyzer membrane disclosed the following features: A drop in neutrophil count to 45 +/- 11% predialysis values occurred 15 min after the start of dialysis. Plasmatic C3d increased at the initiation of dialysis simultaneously with the nadir of neutropenia but also towards the end of dialysis when neutrophil count was normal. An inhibition of chemiluminescence of neutrophils isolated 5 and 15 min after the start of dialysis was noted. Reuse of the membrane induced during the second use a significant aggravation of neutropenia (36 +/- 23% at 15 min), a drop in platelet count (91 +/- 10% at 15 min) and a return to normal of chemiluminescence. When compared to the results observed with cuprophane and polyacrilonitrile membranes in the sam patients, the polycarbonate membrane seems to possess intermediate biocompatibility properties.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed1984

[Occupational medicine qualification examination and check-up].

At the examination of a future apprentice his health conditions and the strain he may experience in his chosen trade are compared. The recommendation to choose an other trade shall be given in cases of important inadequacies. Examples of such cases and the outcome of these apprenticeships collected from a survey of all apprenticeships in Basle starting in 1973-77 are given. Measures preventing such inadequacies are suggested. Periodic examinations are prescribed by the Swiss workers compensation law in cases a worker runs an actual risk of noxious exposures at his place of work. The rationale is to prevent strain as mentioned above and to reveal any occupational disease or similar problem related to the daily work.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Lung function in workplace-related preventive studies].

Results of pulmonary function tests of 482 industrial workers with some professional exposure to lung irritants or dust are presented. The mean FEV1 is 99.6% of the expected value. There is no difference of the standardized FEV1 values which would give evidence of a relation to the estimated different occupational exposure levels. The influence of age, however, is obvious, and smoking habits affect the pulmonary function, too, as expected, which indicates that the methods applied for estimating and evaluating pulmonary function are valid.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Metabolites of glucose in the blood of patients with renal failure.

The blood concentrations of pyruvate and of some of its metabolites and the red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentration were compared with the severity of uraemia in 103 patients with renal failure. In chronic renal failure 2,3-butylene glycol was distinctly elevated, and a positive linear correlation (2p Less Than 0.001) with the urea was found. The values were even higher in corresponding patients with uraemic pericarditis, but,--taking into account their relation to the urea--,they were not elevated in acute renal failure. Acetaldehyde, acetoin and acetate behaved in part likewise. Severe uraemia, which clinically was demonstrated by uraemic pericarditis, was characterized biochemically, without regard to the urea, by very elevated values of 2,3-butylene glycol and acetaldehyde and of the pyruvate: lactate ratio. In addition, the chronic patients who were not undergoing regular haemodialysis, did not show the expected rise of 2,3-diphospho-glycerate along with progressive anaemia. The data suggest that the uraemic state is characterized by the impairment of the oxidative glucose metabolism between pyruvate and the tricarbonic acid cycle more precisely than by the blood urea.

2,3-Diphosphoglycerate↗
PubMed1981

[Study of the obligatory medical aptitude test of apprentices in Basel-Stadt canton].

A project in the framework of the National Research Programme on Efficiency in Health care investigates the effects of the medical aptitude examinations, which are -- unique in Switzerland -- legally prescribed in the canton of Basle-Ville since 1972. It will examine relevance and efficacy and suggests possible improvements. Sources for the collection of retrospective data and characteristics of the study population are described. All people beginning their apprenticeship 1973-1977, a total of 11,995, have been included in the study because discontinuing an apprenticeship for health reasons is thought to be rather rare and only one fourth of those who did not complete their apprenticeship were ready to give detailed information. 7% of these respondents explained their drop-out with health reason. Further analyses will help to decide if this result is likely to be true also for the nonrespondents.

Aptitude Tests↗
PubMed1981

[Reasons for apprentice dropout in a large industrial enterprise].

641 people employed in a large industrial enterprise of northwestern Switzerland as apprentices for a profession in the chemical or mechanical industry have been examined. 14.5% have discontinued their apprentiship. The most frequent reasons have been difficulties with the formal training (6.2%), unsatisfactory performance (2.7%) and inaptitude/change of the profession (3.0%). After a change of the curriculum for chemical professions "difficulties with the formal training" as a reason for discontinuing the apprentiship dropped from 13 to 2%. Health reasons have been noted more rarely (0.5%) than expected. At the occasion of the medical aptitude examination, 0.5% were considered medically unqualified and have been rejected. The question if this is the cause for the low proportion of later drop-outs for health reasons remains open.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Treatment of fulminant hepatic failure with infusions of Co-factors and mannitol and charcoal-hemoperfusions during Forty-one days.

The clinical course of a 26 year old female patient with acute liver necrosis and coma due to hepatitis B is reported. The disturbances of conciousness had improved. The patient survived 41 days after the beginning of the coma and developed liver cell regeneration and an acute post-hepatitic liver cirrhosis. As a grave complication a septicemia with aspergillus was observed. The patient died because of gastro-intestinal hemorrhage. At autopsy there were no signs of brain edema. The treatment consisted in: daily infusions with coenzyme A, nicotinamid-adenin-dinucleotide, alpha lipoic acid and cocarboxylase to improve the metabolic disorders and the clinical picture; mannitol intravenously to prevent and to treat cerebral edema; 33 charcoal-hemoperfusions to remove toxic substances of acute liver failure. Treatment of the aspergillus infection with 5-fluorocytosine and amphotericine B and infusion of concentrated ascites led to a decompensation of liver functions. From this observation the following conclusions can be drawn: after an acute viral hepatic necrosis, new synthetic functions and improvements of the disturbed intermediary metabolism in regenerated liver-cells can eventually be seen only after twenty-four to thirty days. With systematically applicated mannitol infusions it is possible to treat cerebral edema effectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Systemic karyomegaly associated with chronic interstitial nephritis. A new disease entity?

In 3 patients, two 26 and one 29 years of age, a nephropathy was accidentally discovered which progressed to end stage renal failure within 4 to 6 years. Renal biopsy revealed an unusually marked karyomegaly particularly of the tubular epithelium. These cytopathological changes were associated with chronic interstitial nephritis. Biopsies of other organs, i.e. liver, colon, bronchus and lungs indicated in 2 patients a systemic distribution of the karyomegaly, particularly in mesenchymal cells. Neither the chronic interstitial nephritis nor the karyomegaly could be ascribed to a recognized etiology. This suggests, therefore, that there is a relationship between these changes. The karyomegaly could be the result of the action of some antimitotic agent such as chemical toxins or virus infections.

Adult↗