Biomedical subjects

D Weibel

Publications and source records attributed to D Weibel.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Accessory gallbladder originating from the right hepatic duct.

A patient with symptomatic cholecystolithiasis underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy after confirmation of the diagnosis by sonography. Intraoperative cholangiography was normal and the operation was completed laparoscopically. Due to the postoperative persistence of right upper abdominal pain, another sonogram and then an endoscopic retrograde cholangiogram (ERCP) were performed. To our surprise, an accessory gallbladder with a remaining gallstone was revealed. The accessory cystic duct was shown as arising directly from the right hepatic duct. The patient underwent a second laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but due to hemorrhaging the operation had to be converted to an open procedure. The two gallbladders and their corresponding cystic ducts and arteries were entirely separate. To our knowledge, this is the first publication of a duplicate gallbladder where the cystic duct arose directly from the right hepatic duct.

Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde↗

PubMed2000

Dissonance prevention program decreases thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting, negative affect, and bulimic symptoms: A preliminary experiment.

OBJECTIVE: Because psychoeducational primary prevention programs for eating disorders have met with little success, this preliminary experiment tested a dissonance-based targeted preventive intervention. METHOD: Female undergraduates (N = 30) with elevated body image concerns were assigned to a three-session intervention, wherein they voluntarily argued against the thin ideal, or a delayed-intervention control condition. Participants completed a baseline, termination, and a 1-month follow-up survey. RESULTS: The intervention resulted in a subsequent decrease in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting, negative affect, and bulimic symptomatology, with most changes remaining at the 1-month follow-up. DISCUSSION: These preliminary results suggest that this dissonance-based targeted prevention intervention reduces bulimic pathology and known risk factors for eating disturbances, and provide experimental support for the claim that thin-ideal internalization contributes to body dissatisfaction, dieting, negative affect, and bulimic symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Quality of couples' relationship and adjustment to metastatic breast cancer.

This study examined mood disturbance among women with metastatic breast cancer in relationship to partnership status, relationship quality, and partner's coping and mood disturbance. These associations were examined within a total sample of 125 metastatic breast cancer patients and a subsample of 48 of these patients and their partners. Partnered and single women were indistinguishable in mood disturbance when household income was statistically controlled. Results also showed that patients were less distressed when they rated the relationship higher in Cohesion--Expression and in Conflict and when their partners reported lower mood disturbance. One possible implication of these results is that in relationships in which a woman has metastatic cancer, she may benefit from open engagement of difficulties and conflict. Furthermore, alleviating her distress may be better achieved by focus on the couple relationship rather than her individual coping.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1998

Induction of protective cytotoxic T cell responses in the presence of high titers of virus-neutralizing antibodies: implications for passive and active immunization.

The effect of preexistent virus-neutralizing antibodies on the active induction of antiviral T cell responses was studied in two model infections in mice. Against the noncytopathic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), pretreatment with neutralizing antibodies conferred immediate protection against systemic virus spread and controlled the virus below detectable levels. However, presence of protective antibody serum titers did not impair induction of antiviral cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses after infection with 10(2) PFU of LCMV. These CTLs efficiently protected mice independent of antibodies against challenge with LCMV-glycoprotein recombinant vaccinia virus; they also protected against otherwise lethal lymphocytic choriomeningitis caused by intracerebral challenge with LCMV-WE, whereas transfused antibodies alone did not protect, and in some cases even enhanced, lethal lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Against the cytopathic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), specific CTLs and Th cells were induced in the presence of high titers of VSV-neutralizing antibodies after infection with 10(6) PFU of VSV, but not at lower virus doses. Taken together, preexistent protective antibody titers controlled infection but did not impair induction of protective T cell immunity. This is particularly relevant for noncytopathic virus infections since both virus-neutralizing antibodies and CTLs are essential for continuous virus control. Therefore, to vaccinate against such viruses parallel or sequential passive and active immunization may be a suitable vaccination strategy to combine advantages of both virus-neutralizing antibodies and CTLs.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) prevents lesion-induced axonal die-back in young rat optic nerve.

Lesions of the optic nerve in young animals lead to rapid retrograde degeneration of the axon stumps and to death of retinal ganglion cells. We injected different neurotrophic factors into the eye at the time of an intracranial freeze-crush lesion of the optic nerve in 8 day old rats. Optic nerve axons were visualized by anterograde tracing with wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) and by electron microscopy. The lesion induced a rapid die-back of the axons, which could be prevented by BDNF and to a lesser extent by neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) or ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). No effect was seen in animals injected with nerve growth factor (NGF) or a mixture of acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF). In contrast to this effect on the axons, none of these factors was able to counteract the rapidly progressing degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells. These results suggest a selective influence of BDNF on the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of optic nerve axons.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Regeneration of lesioned rat optic nerve fibers is improved after neutralization of myelin-associated neurite growth inhibitors.

Optic nerve axons do not regenerate after lesions in postnatal mammals, except if peripheral nerve transplants are offered as a substrate. In the present study, regeneration was assessed after intracranial freeze-crush lesions of the optic nerve, which completely interrupted all axons. In rats lesioned at the age of 8-9 days and surviving for additional 5-6 days, regenerating retinal fibers were seen to enter and partially cross the lesion site, reaching a maximum distance of 0.8 mm (mean +/- S.E.M. = 0.62 +/- 0.07 mm) in the presence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Without BDNF, almost all the axons were lost due to axonal die-back. This regeneration distance could be significantly enhanced, up to 1.9 mm, by application of a monoclonal antibody (mAB-IN-1) directed against oligodendrocyte- and myelin-associated neurite growth inhibitory proteins. Similar results were obtained in rats lesioned at 16-18 days and surviving for 2 weeks: whereas fibroblast growth factor (FGF) stimulated sprouting did not exceed distances of 0.5 mm (mean = 0.38 +/- 0.07 mm), FGF and IN-1 antibody treated rats showed regenerations up to 2.3 mm (mean = 1.53 +/- 0.15 mm). The specificity of this effect was confirmed by lesions of myelin- and oligodendrocyte-free optic nerves: optic nerves were locally X-irradiated at birth, day 2, 4 and 6, a procedure which kills the dividing oligodendrocyte precursor cells. When these myelin-free nerves were lesioned at 3 weeks of age, regeneration distances between 2.5 and 3.2 mm were observed 3 weeks later.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of neutralizing antibody specificities of different strains of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus with strain-specific immune sera.

The present study was aimed at comparing specificities and cross-reactivities of immune mouse sera obtained from mice infected with a low (2 x 10(2) or 20 immunological infectious focus units (ifu) or high (2 x 10(6) ifu) dose of various strains of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Neutralization titres of the various antisera were determined by an infectious focus reduction assay. This assay was performed on MC57G and on Vero E6 cells using the commonly utilized laboratory strains of LCMV WE, Docile, Armstrong, Armstrong Clone 13, Pasteur, Traub and Aggressive. Experiments with immune sera revealed broad cross-neutralization, demonstrating a variable but close serological relationship between the various strains of LCMV.

Animals↗