Biomedical subjects

Clemens Tempfer

Publications and source records attributed to Clemens Tempfer.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Elevated serum concentrations of androgens in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Alterations of steroid hormone profiles have been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). The aim of our study was first to investigate serum concentrations of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrostenedione sulfate in women with PIH and normotensive pregnant women and secondly to evaluate an association between elevated serum concentrations of androgens and the development of severe disease. Serum concentrations of androgens were measured in 40 patients with PIH and 40 normotensive pregnant women, matched for gestational age, determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the influence of elevated serum concentrations of androgens on the occurrence of PIH and the development of severe disease. The median serum concentrations of androstenedione and testosterone were significantly elevated in women with PIH compared to controls (6.3 and 5.0 ng/ml, 1.8 and 1.1 ng/ml, p = 0.005 and p = 0.04, respectively). The difference between the median serum concentrations of dihydrotestosterone and dehydroepiandrostenedione sulfate in women with PIH and controls was not significant. Elevated serum concentrations of androstenedione revealed a significant influence on the odds of presenting with PIH (p = 0.043) and were significantly associated with the development of severe disease (p = 0.014). Women with PIH have elevated serum concentrations of androstenedione and testosterone. Moreover, elevated serum concentrations of androstenedione are associated with development of severe disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Combined thrombophilic polymorphisms in women with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage.

OBJECTIVE: To identify associations or interrelations between carriage of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, the MTHFR A1298C, the factor V Leiden G1691A, the factor II prothrombin G20210A, the human platelet antigen (HPA) 1 C12548T, and the apolipoprotein (APO) B R3500Q polymorphisms and idiopathic recurrent miscarriage (IRM). DESIGN: Prospective case control study. SETTING: Academic research institution. PATIENT(S): One hundred forty-five women with a history of three or more consecutive pregnancy losses before 20 weeks gestation and 101 healthy postmenopausal women with at least two live births and no history of pregnancy loss. INTERVENTION(S): Peripheral venous punctures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Multiplex polymerase chain reaction was performed to identify the different alleles of six candidate genetic risk factors for IRM (MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, factor V Leiden G1691A, factor II prothrombin G20210A, HPA 1 C12548T, and the APO B R3500Q). RESULT(S): Allele and genotype frequencies of all polymorphisms were not significantly different between the study and the control groups. Also, no significant associations occurred between combinations of polymorphisms and the occurrence of IRM. CONCLUSION(S): Our data fall short of showing any significant association between single polymorphisms of the MTHFR, the Factor V Leiden, the Factor II Prothrombin, the HPA 1 and APO B genes or combinations of these polymorphisms and the occurrence of IRM.

Abortion, Habitual↗

PubMed2003

Angiopoietin-2 polymorphism in women with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between idiopathic recurrent miscarriage and a polymorphism of the gene encoding for angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2), an autochthonous modulator of angiogenesis during pregnancy. DESIGN: Prospective case control study. SETTING: Academic research institution. PATIENT(S): One hundred thirty-one women with a history of three or more consecutive pregnancy losses before 20 weeks' gestation, and 125 healthy, postmenopausal controls with at least two live births and no history of pregnancy loss. INTERVENTION(S): Peripheral venous puncture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis were performed to identify the different ANGPT2 alleles. RESULT(S): No association between mutant (mt) allele and the occurrence of idiopathic recurrent miscarriage was found. Between women with primary and secondary idiopathic recurrent miscarriage, no statistically significant differences with respect to allele frequencies were observed. CONCLUSION(S): This is the first report on the ANGPT2 gene polymorphism in women with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage, demonstrating that the investigated polymorphism is not associated with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage in a white population.

Abortion, Habitual↗

PubMed2003

Polymorphism of the interleukin-1beta gene and endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Experimental data indicate that interleukin (IL)-1 plays a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. We determined the genotype and the allele frequencies of the IL1B exon 5 polymorphism and the corresponding IL-1beta serum levels in women with endometriosis. METHODS: We genotyped 92 women with surgically and histologically confirmed endometriosis and 69 controls without history of endometriosis. Both groups were of middle European genetic background for the IL1B exon 5 polymorphism (at position +3954). Genotyping was performed by pyrosequencing. IL-1beta serum levels were analyzed by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Allele frequencies in women with endometriosis and controls were 76.6% and 76.8%, respectively, for the E1 allele (wild type) and 23.4% and 23.2%, respectively, for the E2 allele (polymorphic) (odds ratio 1.01; P > .99). The investigated polymorphism of the IL-1beta gene was not correlated with IL-1beta serum levels. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find an association between the IL1B exon 5 polymorphism, endometriosis, or increased serum IL-1beta levels.

Alleles↗

PubMed2003

Influence on fetal blood pH when adding amniotic fluid: an in vitro model.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of contamination with amniotic fluid in different quantities on fetal capillary blood pH. DESIGN: In vitro model. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics, St Pölten Hospital. SAMPLE: Venous umbilical blood and amniotic fluid from 35 women who underwent amniotomy during labour. METHODS: Venous umbilical blood was mixed in vitro with amniotic fluid in diluted series (venous umbilical blood/amniotic fluid, 10:1 to 1:1). In every case two parallel runs of the dilution series in an inverted fashion were performed to rule out a possible time-dependent bias of the pH measurements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: pH change in dilutions of umbilical venous blood with amniotic fluid: 10:1, +0.07 (0.02); 8:1, +0.08 (0.02); 6:1, +0.08 (0.03); 4:1, +0.07 (0.02); 2:1, +0.09 (0.03); 1:1, +0.12 (0.05); all P < 0.001. RESULTS: Amniotic fluid pH increases, whereas umbilical blood pH decreases slightly over time since collection. Dilutions of umbilical venous blood with amniotic fluid resulted in a significant pH rise. There was no significant difference between the two inversely performed dilution series. CONCLUSION: Amniotic fluid influences in vitro fetal venous blood pH immediately after contact. This observation indicates the possible masking of a fetus in distress by fetal scalp blood pH determination when amniotic fluid contaminates the sample.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Analysis of an interleukin-6 gene promoter polymorphism in women with endometriosis by pyrosequencing.

Interleukin (IL)-6 has been implicated in the etiology of endometriosis. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position -174 in the IL-6 gene promoter appears to influence IL-6 transcription rates in vitro and basal IL-6 levels in vivo. We determined the genotype and the allele frequencies of the -174 IL-6 promoter polymorphism and the corresponding IL-6 serum levels in women with endometriosis. The pyrosequencing technique was used to assess the IL-6 genotypes in 94 women with histologically confirmed endometriosis (study group). A series of 70 healthy women without history of uterine disease served as clinical controls (control group).Allele frequencies for the G allele among women with and without endometriosis were 59.6% and 55.0%, respectively (P =.430; odds ratio [OR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53, 1.29). Homozygotes for the protective allele C were present in 17.0% of women with endometriosis and in 18.6% of controls were homozygous for the protective allele C (P =.797; OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.40, 2.02). When patients with various disease manifestations were compared, we found an association between the -174 G allele and chocolate cysts (P =.037). Serum levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in controls (P <.001), with highest levels in women with chocolate cysts. There was no association between serum IL-6 levels and IL-6 genotype. The IL-6 promoter polymorphism -174 G/C does not contribute significantly to overall disease susceptibility but does predispose the carrier to distinct endometriosis with chocolate cysts. A genetically determined high IL-6 response might play a pathogenic role in this disease condition.

Alleles↗

PubMed2002

Serum levels of heat shock protein 70 in patients with preeclampsia: a pilot-study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the serum levels of heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 in patients with severe preeclampsia (PE) in comparison to controls. The pathophysiology of PE can be explained, in part, by alterations of endothelial function caused by endothelial cell activation and injury. HSP 70 is essential for cellular recovery, survival and maintenance of homeostasis. STUDY DESIGN: In a matched pair study, serum levels of Hsp 70 were measured in 55 patients with late (group A, n = 24) and early (group B, n = 31) onset of severe PE, and in 55 normotensive controls (group C, n = 24 and group D, n = 31) matched for gestational age. Early onset of severe PE was defined as onset of disease at less than 34 weeks of gestation (34 + 0). Serum levels were determined using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The overall median serum levels of Hsp 70 were 2.82 ng/mL (SD +/- 8.33) in preeclamptic women, and 1.01 (SD +/- 1.38) ng/mL in controls (P = 0.08). The median serum levels of Hsp 70 were 0.52 ng/mL (SD +/- 1.14) in group A and 0.86 (SD +/- 1.29) ng/mL in group C (P = 0.15). The median serum levels of Hsp 70 were 4.94 ng/mL (SD +/- 10.46) in group B and 1.33 (SD +/- 2.28) ng/mL (P = 0.04) in group D. The difference between group A and B was also statistically significant (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed higher serum levels of Hsp 70 in patients with early onset of severe PE. Further studies are recommended in order to elucidate the possible role of Hsp 70 in the pathophysiology of PE.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Concentrations of estrogens in patients with preeclampsia.

The role of estrogens in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia remains to be determined. The aim of our study was to compare serum concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and estriol in women with preeclampsia to normotensive pregnant controls. Serum concentrations of estrogens were measured in women with mild (n = 24) and severe (n = 24) preeclampsia as well as is normotensive pregnant controls (n = 24). Patients were matched for gestational age. Pregnancies complicated by early onset severe preeclampsia are associated with increased rates of maternal and fetal morbidity. Subsequently, we created further subgroups before and after 34 weeks of gestation (34 + 0). Serum estrogen concentrations were determined by standard ELISA technique. Compared to normotensive controls, the differences between the overall median serum concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol in women with mild (3811 v. 3730 pg/ml, P = 0.9) and severe (3811 v. 3630 pg/ml, P = 0.1) preeclampsia were statistically not significant. The differences between the overall median serum concentrations of estroil in controls and in patients with mild (121 v. 76 ng/ml, P = 0.6) and severe (121 v. 79 ng/ml, P = 0.4) preeclampsia were similar. The differences between the median concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol in patient with early onset severe preeclampsia compared to patients with mild preeclampsia (3061 v. 3715 pg/ml, P = 0.004) and controls (3061 v. 3807 pg/ml, P = 0.006) were statistically significant. In addition, the differences between the median concentrations of estriol in women with early onset severe preeclampsia compared to controls were statistically significant (20 v. 92 ng/ml, P = 0.02). The differences between the median concentrations of estrogens in those with late onset severe preeclampsia compared to women with mild preeclampsia were not significant. We found significantly lower concentrations of estrogens in women with early onset severe preeclampsia.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Axillary lymph node dissection in pT1 breast cancer: a retrospective analysis of 315 patients and review of the literature.

Axillary lymph node status and pathologic features of the primary tumor are used to predict the prognosis and select appropriate adjuvant therapy for individual patients with breast cancer. The goal of our study is to identify a group of breast cancer patients who would not benefit from axillary dissection. We researched medical literature and conducted retrospective analyses of 315 consecutive postmenopausal women with breast tumors under 2.0 cm in diameter (pT1) in relation to the extent of axillary lymph node involvement. None of the 39 patients with pT1a tumors had axillary lymph node metastases (ALNM). Of the remaining 276 patients, the ALNM rate in the subgroup pT1b and grading 1 was 5.9%. As expected, the frequency of positive lymph nodes increased the larger the tumor and the higher the grading. Our data corresponds with some of the literature reviewed, although the percentage of axillary involvement described, especially in the subgroup of pT1a tumors, varies within a wide range (0-28%). Our data indicates that it is unlikely that invasive breast cancer pT1a (< or = 0.5 cm) is associated with axillary lymph node metastases in women older than 50 years. The authors conclude that the parameter tumor size, combined with age, can help to assess the risk for axillary lymph node metastases.

Axilla↗

PubMed2002

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor and serum leptin in patients with cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can be seen as surrogate markers of angiogenesis. Recently, leptin, which is involved in the control of satiety and energy expenditure, was also shown to modulate angiogenesis. As angiogenesis plays an abundant role in cervical carcinogenesis, we evaluated serum VEGF and leptin in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. METHODS: Serum VEGF and leptin were measured in 84 patients with cervical cancer, in 28 patients with CIN I-III, and in 35 healthy women, using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and radioimmunoassay, respectively. RESULTS: Serum VEGF was significantly elevated in patients with cervical cancer and in patients with CIN I-III compared to healthy women. In patients with cervical cancer serum VEGF was significantly correlated with tumor stage, but not with lymph node involvement and histological grade. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that elevated pretreatment serum VEGF was not associated with the duration of disease-free and overall survival. Serum leptin did not differ among patients with cervical cancer, patients with CIN I-III, and healthy women. Serum leptin was significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI). All further analyses were performed with absolute and serum leptin corrected by BMI. No differences in serum leptin could be ascertained between patients with cervical cancer and patients with CIN I-III. Serum leptin was not associated with any clinicopathological parameter and patients' survival. No correlation between serum VEGF and leptin was found. CONCLUSIONS: It can be speculated that serum VEGF might be used as a surrogate marker of angiogenesis in patients with cervical cancer. Our data support the concept that VEGF plays a role in malignant transformation and tumor growth, but not in the lymphatic spread of cervical cancer. This is the first report on leptin in a gynecological malignancy. Our results show that serum leptin falls short of being a useful marker in patients with cervical cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

PROGINS receptor gene polymorphism is associated with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the 306-base pair insertion polymorphism in intron G of the progesterone receptor (PROGINS) and endometriosis. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENT(S): Ninety-five white women with surgically diagnosed and histologically confirmed endometriosis and 107 white women without endometriosis (controls). INTERVENTION(S): Determination of PROGINS was performed by polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis. MAIN OUTCOIME MEASURE(S): Frequency and distribution of the PROGINS allele. RESULT(S): Frequencies of the mutant allele T2 was 0.17 among women with endometriosis and 0.08 among controls (odds ratio, 2.41 [CI, 1.31-4.53]). Homozygosity for allele T2 was present in 3.2% of women with endometriosis and 0.9% of controls. CONCLUSION(S): PROGINS appears to be associated with endometriosis in white persons.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Catechol-O-methyltransferase polymorphism and endometriosis.

PURPOSE: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inactivates the estradiol metabolites, 2-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy catechols, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. A COMT valine to methionine polymorphism (G-to-A) in exon 4 of the COMT gene is polymorphic in the human population, with 25% of Caucasians being homozygous for the low-activity allele (COMT-L) of the enzyme. In a case-control study we investigated whether this COMT polymorphism is associated with endometriosis. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the COMT genotype among women with surgically and histologically confirmed endometriosis (study group; n = 91) and in women without evidence of endometriosis confirmed by laparoscopy or laparotomy (control group; n = 92). RESULTS: Allele frequencies for the low-activity allele (COMT-L) among women with endometriosis and controls were 0.50 and 0.50, respectively (p = 0.999; odds ratio = 1.0, 95% CI: 0.66-1.51). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the valine to methionine polymorphism in exon 4 of the COMT gene is not associated with the risk of endometriosis compared to a surgical control population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 serum levels in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Isoforms of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta1) are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. Data with respect to TGF-beta1 are controversial. We examined the correlation between TGF-beta1 serum levels and the occurrence and severity of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Transforming growth factor-beta 1 serum levels were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 44 women with pre-eclampsia and 44 healthy pregnant women. Results were correlated with clinical data. RESULTS: No difference in TGF-beta1 serum levels was assessed between women with pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 serum levels were not associated with the severity of the disease and were not correlated with clinical maternal (blood pressure, proteinuria) and fetal (5-min APGAR score, umbilical cord pH values, birth weight) parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the assumption that in contrast to other isoforms, TGF-beta1, as evidenced by serum TGF-beta1 levels, does not seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist polymorphism in women with peritoneal adhesions.

Interleukin (IL)-1 has been shown to induce peritoneal adhesions. We determined the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) genotype with respect to the two most common variant alleles IL-1RN*2 and IL-1RN*3 in Caucasian women with peritoneal adhesions. One hundred seven women with surgically verified peritoneal adhesions and 79 controls without peritoneal adhesions served as controls. Univariate analysis showed an increased risk for peritoneal adhesions for Caucasian women carrying the mutant IL-1RN*2 allele (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.3-3.4; P = 0.004). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated an increased risk for peritoneal adhesions, which is independent of previous abdominal surgery and endometriosis. Our data suggest that IL-1RN*2 allele carriers have an increased risk for adhesion formation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha promotor polymorphisms and endometriosis.

To explore whether having the mutant tumor necrosis factor (TNF)2 (G-308*A) and TNFA-A (G-238*A) alleles in the TNF-alpha gene promotor region is higher in women with endometriosis, we determined the respective genotype and allele frequencies in a retrospective case-control study. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to identify the G-308A and G-238A promotor polymorphisms in 92 women with surgically and histologically confirmed endometriosis. A series of 69 healthy women without a history of endometriosis served as clinical controls. The allele frequencies of the TNF2 polymorphism were 0.13 and 0.16 in women with endometriosis and in the control group, respectively, and the frequencies of the TNFA-A polymorphisms in women with endometriosis and in the control group were 0.04 and 0.05, respectively, with no significant difference between the study and control groups. The TNF2 polymorphism was present in the homozygous form (TNF(2/2)) in 4.3% of women with endometriosis and in 2.9% of controls (P=.7). No TNFA-A homozygotes (TNFA(A/A)) were detected. We studied TNF-alpha promotor gene variants among women with endometriosis and found that having the G-308A TNF-alpha and the G-238A TNF-alpha polymorphism was not associated with endometriosis in a white population.

Adult↗