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Biomedical subjects

E Brugger

Publications and source records attributed to E Brugger.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

[Platelet satellitosis].

Platelet satellitism (PS) is a rare phenomenon described sporadically in the literature. It involves adhesion of thrombocytes sensitized by antibodies to leucocytes and is observed in vitro in EDTA anticoagulated blood. The authors' contribution to the problem is the observation of special thrombocyte aggregates surrounding neutrophils resembling comet tails, as well as the fact that the authors observed the formation of aggregates surrounding also lymphocytes and eosinophil cells.

Aged

Proteolytic activities in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of interstitial lung diseases: correlation to stage and prognosis.

In 18 patients with sarcoidosis, 10 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), 6 patients with exogen allergic alveolitis (EAA), and 9 control persons we investigated proteolytic activities in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In lymphocyte-macrophage alveolitis (i.e. sarcoidosis and EAA) proteolytic activities in BALF were low, but the activities correlated with lung function deterioration within 1 year. In IPF (i.e. in neutrophil alveolitis) we found a striking correlation between proteolytic activities and stage of disease: high activities correlated with early stages, lower values with late stages of IPF. Measurement of proteolytic activity in BALF seems to be of interest to differential diagnosis and to prognosis of interstitial lung disease.

Adult

Value of determination of kininase II in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Kininase II (KII), identical with angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (E.C. 3.4.15.1) was characterized biochemically and assayed fluorimetrically in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum of 153 patients with several pulmonary disorders. The albumin concentrations of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BLF) have also been measured. The pH optimum of KII derived from BLF (LKII) was 8.0. The Michaelis Menten constant was 38.5 mumol/l using benzyloxycarbonyl-phenylalanyl-histidyl-leucine as synthetic substrate. LKII could be inhibited between 80 and 100% by EDTA, phenanthroline, dimercapto-1-propane-sulfonic acid (DMPS), hydroxyquinoline and captopril. The LKII activity (mU/ml BLF) showed no differences in all lung diseases, but the specific LKII (mU/mg albumin) was significantly elevated in sarcoidosis compared to pneumonia (p less than 0.05), fibrosis (p less than 0.05), chronic obstructive bronchitis (p less than 0.005) and lung cancer (p less than 0.01), but not in tuberculosis. This study shows that LKII is measurable in native, unconcentrated BLF and the results indicate that LKII could be useful for diagnosis of pulmonary disorders.

Bronchi

Kininase I and II activities in serum of patients with lung diseases.

In serum of 530 patients with various lung diseases and in 70 healthy control subjects, kininase I (E.C. 3.4.17.3) and kininase II (E.C. 3.4.15.1) were measured spectrophotometrically using hippuryl-L-arginine for estimation of kininase Ia (KIa), hippuryl-L-lysine for kininase Ib (KIb) and hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine for kininase II (KII). KIa and KIb were significantly elevated (p less than 0.02) in lung cancer and sarcoidosis, compared to tuberculosis and healthy controls. There was an increase (p less than 0.05) in lung cancer in relation to sarcoidosis, chronic obstructive bronchitis, tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis and healthy control subjects. KII was significantly elevated in sarcoidosis (p less than 0.0001). According to the histological types of lung cancer, no differences of KIa, KIb and KII have been found. The ratio KIa/KIb X KII was 2.3 in lung cancer and 6.7 in the group with sarcoidosis. These results show that the determination of kininases can be used for diagnosis of lung diseases.

Carboxypeptidases

Alterations of serum carboxypeptidases N and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme in malignant diseases.

The activities of serum carboxypeptidases N (E.C. 3.4.17.3) and serum angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (E.C. 3.4.15.1) were spectrophotometrically measured in patients with hematological disorders and in histologically proven bronchogenic carcinomas. The enzyme activities have been compared with various laboratory parameters. Controls were healthy subjects. No significant sex differences of carboxypeptidases N and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme were found in the healthy controls or in the whole patients' group. The carboxypeptidases N were significantly elevated in patients with lung cancer (p less than 0.0001) compared to the healthy controls. The angiotensin-I-converting enzyme was significantly reduced (p less than 0.0001) in serum of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma. In responders to chemo- and/or radiotherapy, the carboxypeptidases decreased and the angiotensin-I-converting enzyme increased to normal enzyme values. In non-responders to these therapies no change in these enzymes could be observed.

Adenocarcinoma

[Stress-inducible functional laryngospasm: differential diagnostic considerations for bronchial asthma].

Since 1974 about 30 cases of functional upper airway obstruction are known in literature. We report the findings in a 19 year old woman, who was free from any symptoms during rest. During exercise (swimming, jogging) she showed a loud inspiratory stridor, cyanosis, and dyspnoea. We found this stridor was induced by exercise or hyperventilation only (thread mill, CO2 rebreathing), and was caused by paradoxical vocal cord movement (fibreoptic laryngoscopy in local anaesthesia during CO2 rebreathing). All lung function parameters improved after inhalation of ipratropium bromide. We believe that it is important to investigate these patients during stridor attacks and without general anaesthesia. Otherwise it will be impossible, to get a correct diagnosis.

Adult

The value of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme determinations in malignant and other diseases.

Mean values for serum angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (SACE), determined spectrophotometrically in 648 subjects, using the synthetic substrate hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine, and expressed in units per milliliter, were: controls, 11.11 +/- 3.97 (n = 89); lung cancer, 6.50 +/- 3.26 (n = 87); tuberculosis of the lung, 8.93 +/- 4.60 (n = 68); pulmonary sarcoidosis, 21.18 +/- 14.93 (n = 48); pneumonia, 9.81 +/- 6.83 (n = 52); fibrosis, 11.18 +/- 8.26 (n = 34); diabetes mellitus, 10.90 +/- 7.51 (n = 29); ischemic heart disease, 8.98 +/- 6.19 (n = 42); pulmonary embolism, 13.20 +/- 3.91 (n = 5); and lymphomas, 11.66 +/- 5.44 (n = 36). The lowest values for SACE (5.92 +/- 1.95) were observed in 7 patients with pulmonary metastases. No relationship could be found between SACE and other laboratory parameters, nor between the enzyme activity in men and women. Evidence suggests that low SACE activity is often associated with extrapulmonary cancers of various organs. Levels were significantly decreased in cancer of the lung and pulmonary metastases and significantly (p less than 0.001) increased in sarcoidosis compared with other diseases, suggesting that SACE activity may be of value in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer of the lung.

Adult

[Diagnosis and treatment of sarcoidosis (author's transl)].

With only a few exceptions, in sarcoidosis the lung is virtually always, the liver mostly and the spleen only occasionally involved. Therefore, thorax-X-ray is the most important screening procedure. Histological verification by laparoscopy, bronchoscopy (transbronchial lung biopsy and bronchial mucosa biopsy) or mediastinoscopy is essential. In order to decide the therapeutic regimen, particularly the use of corticosteroids, the staging according to Wurm seems less suitable than pulmonary function testing (pneumotachograph, plethysmograph, CO-transfer, compliance). Futher clinical trials will have to find out, whether enzyme analysis (ACE) is apt to monitor progression of disease or to diagnose sarcoidosis in clinical routine use.

Adult

[The role of laparoscopy in pulmonary disease (author's transl)].

Laparoscopy demonstrated sarcoidosis in 79 of 94 proven cases. In addition, it made it possible to assess the involvement of intraabdominal organs which cannot be judged clinically or biochemically and may not be parallel to changes in the thoracic X-ray. Extensive liver sarcoidosis was revealed in 12 and required treatment independent of other organ manifestations. Miliary exudative or cavernous pulmonary tuberculosis in 15 cases revealed gross non-specific changes in one, miliary foci of the liver surface in 13 and coarse nodular infiltration in one. In each case the visual findings were confirmed histologically in the liver biopsy, in 11 before the bacteriological results were known, which retrospectively were positive in only 9 instances. Laparoscopy is, therefore, an important and relatively sparing test, also in confirmation of pulmonary disease (sarcoidosis, certain forms of tuberculosis).

Adult