PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Schulte

Publications and source records attributed to C Schulte.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Comprehensive association analysis of the NOS2A gene with Parkinson disease.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2A) may be involved in the oxidative stress pathology of Parkinson disease (PD). Two previous studies reported an association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs1060826) with PD. A replication study of 340 German patients and 680 controls showed no significant association between 12 genotyped polymorphisms and PD. NOS2A is therefore not a major susceptibility locus in our relatively young sample population.

Alleles↗
PubMed2003

DNA damage transiently increases TRF2 mRNA expression and telomerase activity.

Telomerase activity transiently increases when HL60 cells are treated with the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide. A quantitative assessment revealed that telomerase is activated by etoposide treatment in a number of cell lines and that the increase is reversible after withdrawal of etoposide from the cell culture. Telomerase activation correlated with the occurrence of DNA damage but not with cell cycle arrest. We did not detect any transcriptional upregulation of hTERT mRNA, suggesting a post-transcriptional mechanism of telomerase activation. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the telomere binding protein TRF2 was upregulated early and reversibly after etoposide treatment. TRF1 mRNA expression levels were unchanged after DNA damage, but increased when the cells accumulated in the G2/M phase. The data show that the telosome reacts after DNA damage by upregulating telomerase activity and TRF2 expression in malignant cells. It has previously been shown that overexpression of TRF2 can repress senescence signals arising from critically shortened telomeres. We show here that TRF2 is upregulated by undirected DNA damage that also affects the telomeric DNA. These data suggest that upregulation of telomerase activity and TRF2 expression might act as antiapoptotic mechanisms in the DNA-damage response of malignant cells.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed2002

[One catches not only mice with bacon. An atraumatic treatment for cutaneous myiasis].

HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS: A 37 year old patient was admitted because of four prurigous furunculoid swellings on his right upper knee. The patient had a history of traveling in Brasil for 6 weeks, returning 2 weeks before admission. The nodular skin lesions, 2.5 cm in diameter, had a central opening, from where under little pressure a seropurulent fluid discharged. In the central opening moving, whitish structures were visible. TREATMENT AND COURSE: A piece of raw bacon, serving as occlusion-material, was fixated on the affected skin for two hours. The larvae emerged due to oxygen deficiency. After retraction of the bacon it was possible to grasp the emerged end of the larvae with tweezers and pull them out completely. The larvae were identified as third instar of dermatobia hominis. CONCLUSION: Cutaneous myiasis is a worthy differential diagnosis in patients presenting with furunculoid skin lesions after traveling to endemic areas. The treatment with bacon as an occlusion-material offers an atraumatic alternative to surgical excision.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Imported Falciparum malaria in Europe: sentinel surveillance data from the European network on surveillance of imported infectious diseases.

Malaria continues to have a high morbidity rate associated among European travelers. Thorough recording of epidemiological and clinical aspects of imported malaria has been helpful in the detection of new outbreaks and areas of developing drug resistance. Sentinel surveillance of data collected prospectively since 1999 has begun within TropNetEurop, a European network focusing on imported infectious diseases. TropNetEurop appears to cover approximately 10% of all patients with malaria seen in Europe. Reports of 1659 immigrants and European patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria were analyzed for epidemiological information and data on clinical features. Regional data were quite diverse, reflecting local patterns of immigration and international travel. By far, the most infections were imported from West Africa. Europeans had more clinical complications; consequently, all deaths occurred in this group. Compared with European standards, the mortality rate was low (0.6% in Europeans). Data from TropNetEurop member sites can contribute to our understanding of the epidemiological and clinical findings regarding imported falciparum malaria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Recurrent sanguineous and mucous diarrhea and spasms in a 46-year-old woman--manifestation of endometriosis in the colon sigmoideum].

Intestinal endometriosis is the most frequent extragenital manifestation of this disease. Sometimes patients even present with acute bowel obstruction. We report on a 46-year-old woman complaining about recurrent sanguineous and mucous diarrhea and spasms for several years. Colonoscopy showed a stenosis in the sigmoid colon without macroscopically visible alterations of the mucosa. Computertomography, ultrasound and barium contrast enema did not provide us with further information about the origin of the stenosis. Biopsies out of the mucosa at the stenosis showed typical endometriosis tissue. After starting a conservative therapy with GnRH-agonist gosereline the patient became completely free of symptoms. The coincidence of endometriosis and M. Crohn has to be taken into consideration. Therapy planning should include a close co-operation with gynaecologists and surgeons to transfer the patient to surgical intervention when needed.

Colon, Sigmoid↗
PubMed2001

Diagnostic significance of blood eosinophilia in returning travelers.

This study was conducted to investigate the predictive value of blood eosinophilia (total white blood cell count with > or =8% eosinophils) for the diagnosis of travel-related infections in 14,298 patients who returned from developing countries. The data show that blood eosinophilia in travelers returning from developing countries has only limited predictive value for the presence of travel-related infections. However, the likelihood of the presence of helminth infections increases considerably with the extent of eosinophilia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Detection of coronary artery stenoses by contrast-enhanced, retrospectively electrocardiographically-gated, multislice spiral computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: Multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) with retrospectively ECG-gated image reconstruction permits coronary artery visualization. We investigated the method's ability to identify high-grade coronary artery stenoses and occlusions. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 64 consecutive patients were studied by MSCT (4x1 mm cross-sections, 500-ms rotation, table feed 1.5 mm/rotation, intravenous contrast agent, retrospectively ECG-gated image reconstruction). All coronary arteries and side branches with a luminal diameter >/=2.0 mm were assessed concerning evaluability and the presence of high-grade stenoses (>70% diameter stenosis) or occlusions. Results were compared with quantitative coronary angiography. Of 256 coronary arteries (left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary artery, including their respective side branches), 174 could be evaluated (68%). In 19 patients (30%), all arteries were evaluable. Artifacts caused by coronary motion were the most frequent reason for unevaluable arteries. Overall, 32 of 58 high-grade stenoses and occlusions were detected by MSCT (58%). In evaluable arteries, 32 of 35 lesions were detected, and the absence of stenosis was correctly identified in 117 of 139 arteries (sensitivity, 91%; specificity, 84%). If analysis was extended to all stenoses with >50% diameter reduction, sensitivity was 85% (40 of 47) and specificity was 76% (96 of 127). CONCLUSIONS: MSCT with retrospective ECG gating permits the detection of coronary artery stenoses with high accuracy if image quality is sufficient, but its clinical use may presently be limited due to degraded image quality in a substantial number of cases, mainly due to rapid coronary motion.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Genetic determinants of IL-6 expression levels do not influence bone loss in inflammatory bowel disease.

Bone loss in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is presumed to be mediated by inflammation. Increased levels of the multifunctional cytokine IL-6 in inflammatory diseases have been proposed to be the link in such "inflammation-mediated osteopenia." A recently described G/C polymorphism with an effect on transcription rate and plasma levels of IL-6 suggests a genetically determined difference in the degree of the IL-6 response to stressful stimuli between individuals. This study aimed to assess the frequency of genotypes and haplotypes of the G/C polymorphism of IL-6 in IBD patients. A further aim was to assess whether carriage of the potentially protective CC genotype is favorable with respect to the development of bone disease in IBD. The IL-6 polymorphism was typed in 105 IBD patients and 113 healthy controls. Bone mineral density was evaluated at baseline and after a prospective 2-year-follow-up. The favorable CC genotype with decreased IL-6 release was not underrepresented in IBD patients compared to healthy controls. Carriage of this genotype was not protective with respect to the development of bone disease, either for the bone mineral density at baseline or for the prospectively observed bone loss. Within the subgroup of patients who did not receive steroids during follow-up, the prospectively observed bone loss was even slightly higher in CC carriers, but differences did not reach significance. Genetically determined differences in the degree of the IL-6 response to stressful stimuli are no major predictors for the degree of bone disease in IBD patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Bone loss in long-term survivors after transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells: a prospective study.

Organ transplantation is associated with relevant bone loss. Bone loss of up to 20% of pretransplant bone mineral density (BMD) values within the first year after kidney, liver, heart and lung transplantation has been reported. Patients undergoing transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells provide an interesting model to study transplantation-induced bone loss, especially because most patients do not have preexisting bone disease. A longitudinal study was performed in 81 patients undergoing bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. BMD was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry before transplantation, at discharge from the hospital, and at 6 and 12 months after transplantation in all 81 patients. In 35 patients BMD was re-evaluated 24 months after transplantation. Vitamin D and parathyroid hormone, bone alkaline phosphatase as a marker of bone formation, and N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen as a marker of bone resorption were assessed before transplantation and in the short-term follow-up 14 and 28 days after transplantation. The majority of patients (72%) showed normal BMD before transplantation. However, lower BMD was observed in patients who had received high-dose cytoreductive chemotherapy before transplantation compared with those who had received no chemotherapy or only hydroxyurea. Despite supplementation with elemental calcium (1000 mg/day) and vitamin D (1000 IU/day), the mean rate of bone loss during the first year was 7.2 +/- 6.3% at the lumbar spine, 11.9 +/- 8.1% at the femoral neck and 3.8 +/- 2.5% at the total body compartment. Evaluation of the pattern of bone loss during the first year demonstrated that the amount of bone loss was largest within the first 40 days after transplantation and small during the second half of the first year after transplantation. The majority of patients showed vitamin D deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Bone formation was normal before and after transplantation, whereas bone resorption was dramatically increased before and after transplantation. Exposure to glucocorticoids was associated with higher bone loss at spine and femoral neck but not at the total body compartment. Our data demonstrate rapid bone loss in patients undergoing transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells. Bone turnover is characterized by biochemical uncoupling of bone resorption and bone formation, changes interestingly pre-existing before transplantation. The observed alterations in bone mass and metabolism emphasize the importance of clinical trials with antiresorptive agents to prevent and treat post-transplantation osteoporosis in this group of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Plant protection products: assessing the risk for terrestrial plants.

The fundamental data requirements for the authorization of plant protection products and the inclusion of active ingredients in Annex I of Council Directive 91/414/EEC (Council Directive of 15 July 1991 referring to placing plant protection products on the market (91/414/EEC). Official Journal of European Communities L 230, 19 August 1991) are described in the Annexes II and III of this Directive. Definite instructions with regard to preconditions for implementation and methodology (guidelines) concerning investigations with terrestrial plants are deficient. In addition to that, the uniform principles for the registration of plant protection products in the Member States described in Annex VI of the directive do not include any criteria concerning the risk assessment for non-target plants. However, plant protection products often show effects on non-target plants which need to be assessed as a requirement for the authorisation of the product. Hence, the German Federal Environmental Agency has developed a tiered approach to assess the effects of plant protection products on non-terrestrial plants. The risk is assessed using the effect-concentration evaluated in ecotoxicological tests and the environmental concentration predicted by validated exposure models. To protect non-target plants in terrestrial ecosystems assessment factors need to be considered. In the future, the risk for terrestrial plants needs to be addressed, also with regard to the revision of the Annexes of Directive 91/414/EEC.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Effects of exogenous zinc supplementation on intestinal epithelial repair in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Substitution of zinc modulates antioxidant capabilities within the intestinal mucosa and improves intestinal wound healing in zinc-deficient patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this study was to characterize the modulating effects of zinc on intestinal epithelial cell function in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of zinc on intestinal epithelial cell morphology were assessed by phase contrast and transmission electron microscopy using the non-transformed small intestinal epithelial cell line IEC-6. Zinc-induced apoptosis was assessed by DNA fragmentation analysis, lactate dehydrogluase (LDH) release and flow cytometry with propidium iodine staining. Furthermore, the effects of zinc on IEC-6 cell proliferation were assessed using a colorimetric thiazolyl blue (MTT) assay and on IEC-6 cell restitution using an in vitro wounding model. RESULTS: Physiological concentrations of zinc (25 microM) did not significantly alter the morphological appearance of IEC-6 cells. However, a 10-fold higher dose of zinc (250 microM) induced epithelial cell rounding, loss of adherence and apoptotic characteristics. While physiological zinc concentrations (< 100 microM) did not induce apoptosis, supraphysiological zinc concentrations (> 100 microM) caused apoptosis. Physiological concentrations of zinc (6.25-50 microM) had no significant effect on intestinal epithelial cell proliferation. In contrast, physiological concentrations of zinc (12.5-50 microM) significantly enhanced epithelial cell restitution through a transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta)-independent mechanism. Simultaneous addition of TGFbeta and zinc resulted in an additive stimulation of IEC-6 cell restitution. CONCLUSION: Zinc may promote intestinal epithelial wound healing by enhancement of epithelial cell restitution, the initial step of epithelial wound healing. Zinc supplementation may improve epithelial repair; however, excessive amounts of zinc may cause tissue injury and impair epithelial wound healing.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Transforming growth factor-beta and hepatocyte growth factor plasma levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVE: An increased mucosal expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been reported in patients with active inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and in proximity to injured gastric and intestinal mucosal surfaces. The aim of this study was to measure systemic concentrations of TGF-beta and HGF and to assess their potential value to predict disease activity or severity of inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. DESIGN AND METHODS: Plasma HGF and TGF-beta1 peptide levels were determined in 29 patients with ulcerative colitis, 45 patients with Crohn's disease and 28 healthy controls using commercial ELISA assays. Peptide levels were correlated with disease activity indices and various laboratory parameters. RESULTS: HGF and TGF-beta1 plasma levels were detected in all control and IBD subjects. Although a tendency towards increased HGF and TGF-beta1 peptide levels in IBD patients was observed, differences between groups were not significant In ulcerative colitis patients HGF plasma levels positively correlated with white blood cell counts and negatively correlated with serum albumin concentrations and haematocrit. In Crohn's disease patients, a positive correlation between TGF-beta and platelet count was observed. CONCLUSIONS: HGF and TGF-beta1 plasma concentrations are not significantly different in IBD and healthy control subjects. Stratification of IBD patients according to disease activity did not reveal any substantial differences, suggesting that HGF and TGF-beta plasma levels have no value in the assessment of disease activity or severity of inflammation in patients with IBD.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Bone loss in patients with inflammatory bowel disease is less than expected: a follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: In spite of the accumulating evidence of an increased prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), the time course of bone loss is not well described, and there is little knowledge about factors indicating an increased risk of rapid bone loss. METHODS: We conducted a follow-up study in 80 IBD patients (45 men and 25 premenopausal and 10 postmenopausal women), 19 with ulcerative colitis and 61 with Crohn disease, with a mean follow-up time of 568 +/- 60 days, to assess bone loss, risk factors of rapid bone loss, and value of bone markers to predict bone loss. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, bone formation by bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and bone resorption by N-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen (NTX) and free deoxypyridinoline (DPD). RESULTS: Bone density changes per year were 0.46% +/- 3% at the spine, 0.06% +/- 5.1% at the femoral neck, -1.1% +/- 7.7% at the triangle of Ward, and -0.52% +/- 1.86% at total body level. Type and duration of disease, sex, age, and level of NTX, DPD, and BAP at base line did not show significant differences between patients who lost and those who did not lose bone mass. Bone loss was significantly higher in patients with (n = 28) than in those without steroids (n = 52) at the femoral neck and Ward triangle but not at the spine and total body. CONCLUSIONS: Change in bone mass in IBD patients during short-term follow-up is low on average, but there is great heterogeneity within the population, which cannot be explained by the use of steroids alone. Bone loss cannot be predicted by analysis of bone markers.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Reduced bone mineral density and unbalanced bone metabolism in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are at increased risk to develop osteopenia and osteoporosis. New parameters for the assessment of bone formation and especially bone resorption have significantly improved the diagnostic procedures to characterize bone metabolism. Biochemical characterization of bone turnover in IBD patients may provide important information about the pathogenesis of osteoporosis in this patient population. A cross-sectional study was performed. One hundred forty-nine patients (77 men, 52 premenopausal, and 20 postmenopausal women) with IBD (104 with Crohn's disease [CD] and 45 with ulcerative colitis [UC]) underwent clinical, osteodensitometric, and metabolic bone assessment. Bone mineral density was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Bone formation (bone alkaline phosphatase), bone resorption (N-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen, free desoxypyridinoline, total pyridinoline, and desoxypyridinoline), vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone were assessed. Thirty-six percent of patients with CD and 32% with UC showed osteopenia, 15% with CD and 7% with UC showed osteoporosis. Bone resorption was significantly increased in IBD patients compared to normal controls, whereas bone formation did not show a compensatory increase. Bone formation was even more suppressed in the subset of patients currently treated with corticosteroids. Our data confirm the high prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis reported in IBD patients. Furthermore, we provide evidence for an increased bone resorption accompanied by low bone formation in IBD patients. This imbalance of bone metabolism is likely to be one of the reasons for increased bone loss in IBD patients.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1998

Low T3-syndrome and nutritional status as prognostic factors in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

Bone marrow transplantation is known to be associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of nutritional status and development of sick euthyroid syndrome as prognostic factors for outcome after BMT. In 100 patients who underwent transplantation the following parameters were assessed before and at day 14 and 28 after transplantation: anthropometric data (body weight, body mass index, body composition, grip strength), rapid turnover proteins transferrin and prealbumin, T4, T3, free T4, reverse T3, thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroglobulin. Following bone marrow transplantation, 22 patients died in the short-term follow-up (group A) before day 140 after BMT, 21 patients died during further follow-up between days 140 and 365 (group B) and 57 patients survived longer than 365 days (group C). All patients experienced a significant decrease of transferrin and T3, accompanied by an increase of rT3 and rT3/T3 ratio at day 14 after BMT. At day 28 after BMT, patients in group C showed recovery from these changes with an increase of transferrin and a fall in rT3 and the rT3/T3-ratio, which was not seen in patients who died during further follow-up (groups A and B). The observed changes were independent of other prognostically relevant factors (type of disease, HLA-match, immunosuppression). Impaired nutritional status and development of a sick euthyroid syndrome, without tendency to recovery, are associated with a higher probability of fatal outcome after bone marrow transplantation and have prognostic relevance in this group of patients.

Anthropometry↗