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Biomedical subjects

E Presterl

Publications and source records attributed to E Presterl.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Serum levels of the carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen and laminin are elevated in Graves' disease but not in toxic nodular goiter.

We determined serum levels of laminin, carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide, and carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (ICTP and PICP) in 27 patients with Graves' disease (GD) and in 31 patients with toxic nodular goiter (TNG). Elevated levels of soluble laminin and ICTP were observed in patients with GD prior to treatment (mean +/- SD concentration 1444 +/- 404 and 8.6 +/- 3.5 ng/ml, respectively), compared to patients with TNG (476 +/- 103 and 4.2 +/- 1.5 ng/ml) and normal controls (492 +/- 112 and 3.1 +/- 1.3 ng/ml, n = 34). In contrast, serum PICP concentrations were not different between patients with GD or TNG and normal controls. In GD patients serum ICTP and laminin levels decreased during thiamazole treatment and normalized within 4 and 8 weeks of therapy. There was no correlation between serum ICTP and laminin levels and serum levels of thyroid hormones and/or autoantibodies, respectively. Serum ICTP and laminin could be markers for alterations of extracellular matrix during GD and release of matrix components in the circulation and/or reflect an impaired clearance.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Experience with outpatient intravenous teicoplanin therapy for chronic osteomyelitis.

Thirty-seven patients with acute exacerbations of chronic osteomyelitis caused by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (n = 13), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n = 12), methicillin-susceptible coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 9), methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 1) and enterococci (n = 2) were treated intravenously with teicoplanin. After a loading dose of 7 to 16 mg/kg (median 11 mg/kg) for 4 to 7 days, patients received 9 to 25 mg/kg (median 14 mg/kg) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in an outpatient setting to reach trough serum levels between 5 mg/l and 15 mg/l. The duration of treatment ranged from 28 to 150 days (median 60 days). Cure was obtained in 14 (38%) and improvement in 17 (46%) cases, and failure was observed in 6 (16%) patients. Adverse effects occurred in 6 patients, and caused discontinuation of treatment in 3 patients. The financial savings exceeded US$60,000 per patient compared with the high hospitalization costs of inpatient treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Serum laminin in Graves' disease.

We determined serum levels of laminin in 23 patients with Graves' disease (GD) and in 24 patients with toxic nodular goiter (TNG). Elevated levels of soluble laminin were observed in patients with GD prior to treatment (median concentration 1376 ng mL-1 [range 712-2402]), compared to patients with TNG (median 442 ng mL-1 [284-891]), and normal controls (median 492 ng mL-1 [range 235-675], n = 26), respectively. In GD patients serum laminin levels decreased during thiamazole treatment and normalized within 8 weeks of therapy. There was no correlation between serum laminin levels and serum levels of thyroid hormones and/or auto-antibodies, respectively. Whether serum laminin is a marker for alterations of extracellular matrix during GD and release of basement membrane components in the circulation and/or reflects an impaired clearance remains to be elucidated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

High levels of bcl-2 protein in circulating T lymphocytes, but not B lymphocytes, of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: Defective regulation of programmed cell death (apoptosis) may play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases, and the proto-oncogene bcl-2 is involved in the control of apoptosis in immunocompetent cells. We therefore wished to investigate the expression of bcl-2 in the peripheral lymphocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a prototypical autoimmune disease. METHODS: Levels of bcl-2 expression in the lymphocytes of patients with SLE and, for comparison, in the lymphocytes of healthy controls and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic bacterial infections, and chronic B cell lymphocytic leukemia were studied by 2-color cytofluorography and RNA analysis. RESULTS: In SLE patients, a significant proportion of T cells expressed increased amounts of bcl-2 protein. By fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis, bcl-2--enriched lymphocytes were found in the CD45RO+ as well as in the CD45RO-, and also in the CD4+ and CD8+, lymphocyte subpopulations. Mononuclear cells of patients with SLE showed increased amounts of bcl-2 messenger RNA. An increased percentage of strongly bcl-2 positive peripheral T lymphocytes was found in patients with bacterial infections, but not in those with RA. CONCLUSION: Although the occurrence of circulating T lymphocytes with abnormally high bcl-2 expression is not specific for SLE, it is evidence for a dysregulation of lymphocytic programmed cell death in this autoimmune disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Treatment of a patient with malignant mesothelioma with interferon-alpha 2 based on in vitro sensitivity tests.

The case of a 70-year-old patient with an epithelial mesothelioma is presented. The patient suffered from dyspnea due to a right-sided recurrent hemorrhagic effusion. Cytological analysis of the effusion revealed marked lymphocytosis and tumor cells, some of them multinucleated with prominent nucleoli. Open lung biopsy revealed nodular thickening of the diaphragmatic, visceral, and parietal pleura; histological examination of biopsies detected intravascular growth of tumor cells. Immunocytochemical characterization of cultured tumor cells and the biopsy specimens showed positive staining to vimentin and cytokeratin, but negative reaction with antibodies against epithelial membrane associated antigen, leukocyte common antigen, van Willebrand factor, and neurofilament. Hence, the tumor was classified as malignant mesothelioma. In vitro, interferon-alpha 2 produced a dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation in the cultured mesothelioma cells. Two weeks after initiation of interferon-alpha 2 treatment the patient improved and the pleural effusion vanished.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Efficacy and safety of fluconazole in the treatment of systemic fungal infections in pediatric patients. Multicentre Study Group.

In a non-comparative multicentre trial 51 patients aged 24 days to 17 years received treatment with intravenous or oral fluconazole for suspected systemic fungal infections. Twenty-seven patients had confirmed infections, 26 being confirmed mycologically and 1 histologically. All isolates were Candida species. Of the 43 clinically assessed patients, 30 were considered cured, 7 improved and 6 experienced failure of therapy. Of 27 patients with confirmed fungal infections, 25 were assessed mycologically and all but one were considered cured. Of the six patients experiencing clinical failure, two had a confirmed infection and only one of these experienced mycological failure. This patient had a primary diagnosis of candidemia with persistence of Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis. All 51 patients were evaluable for safety. No treatment-related adverse events required termination of treatment. Treatment-related side effects (diarrhea, vomiting, deafness) were reported by three of 51 patients, three patients had laboratory test abnormalities possibly related to fluconazole treatment, including elevation of liver enzyme levels and of the eosinophil count. Results of this study confirm the efficacy and safety of fluconazole in the treatment of pediatric patients with severe fungal infection.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1992

Hypofibrinogenemia due to fibrin formation in subserosal type eosinophilic gastroenteropathy.

A 33-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain and distention, diarrhoea and marked eosinophilia in blood and ascites. As other causes could be excluded, the subserosal type of eosinophilic gastroenteropathy was diagnosed. The low plasma fibrinogen level (less than 100 mg/100 ml) found in this patient is an as yet undescribed feature. During prednisolone therapy it increased concurrently with the fall of blood eosinophils and the relief of clinical symptoms. Interest was further directed to the ascitic fluid where not only the presence of eosinophils (74%) enveloped in fibrin yarn and of basophils (2%) but also of 24% T lymphocytes (among them 75% CD4+, 24% CD8+, 4% CD25+, less than 1% CD19+, less than 1% natural killer cells) could be demonstrated. These lymphocytes are likely to be the source for lymphokine production chemoattracting eosinophils into the intestine. In addition they seem to be involved in IgE hyperproduction, which after adequate therapy and complete resolution of the clinical symptoms, tended to decrease slowly.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Sequential parenteral and oral therapy with ofloxacin in urogenital infections].

125 hospitalized patients (56 men and 69 women) suffering from urinary tract infection (UTI) and 15 women with endometritis or pelvic inflammatory disease were treated with ofloxacin 6 mg/kg/d i.v. divided into 2 doses. Two thirds of the patients were switched to oral ofloxacin using the same dose regimen after 4 days. The median duration of treatment was 10 days. 98 patients were evaluable for efficacy: 45 had complicated lower UTI, 32 had upper UTI (75% of them with complications), 13 had endometritis and 8 an uncomplicated lower UTI. The most frequent complications of UTI were: obstruction (n = 27), indwelling catheters (n = 23), urinary concrements (n = 12), residual urine (n = 8) and a neurogenic bladder (n = 6). 22 patients had diabetes mellitus. A total of 103 pathogens was isolated from the urine of 85 patients, the most frequent being E. coli, Proteus spp. and Enterococcus faecalis. 98% of patients with UTI and 85% of patients with endometritis were clinically cured. Adverse drug events were observed in 6 patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Therapy of urinary tract infection].

The choice of therapy in urinary tract infections depends on the infection site, complications, previous history, and recrudescence. Acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections which do not respond to general measures as increased fluid intake will be cured with antibiotics for 3 days. If the compliance of the patient is sufficient a single shot therapy may be applied. Infections of the upper urinary tract with typical signs such as fever, nausea and increase of the so-called acute phase proteins have to be treated with antibiotics for 7 to 14 days. When treating the first episode of urinary tract infection the choice of antibiotics is unimportant. Trimethoprim and quinolones are standard. In recurrent infections urine cultures and susceptibility testing are mandatory. Patients with recurrent urinary tract infections should receive a long-term suppressive therapy with low-dose trimethoprim or a quinolone. Patients with urinary catheters must not receive any long-term therapy.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1991

[Ineffectiveness of diltiazem in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a placebo-controlled double-blind study].

In a randomized double-blind study the clinical efficacy of the calcium channel blocker, diltiazem was compared to that of a placebo on the clinical course of Duchenne's dystrophy (DMD) over a 12-month period. Altogether 30 patients, mostly in an advanced state of the disease, were evaluated. The 17 patients in the diltiazem group received 90-360 mg diltiazem per day according to their body weight; the 13 patients of the placebo group received the equivalent amount of a placebo. No significant difference was detected between the two groups regarding muscular power, muscle state, muscular functional ability (Vignos), serum myoglobin and serum creative phosphokinase.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Intravenous ofloxacin in severe infections.

The efficacy and tolerance of intravenous ofloxacin was studied in 70 patients suffering from soft tissue infections (n = 33), intra-abdominal abscesses (n = 14), septicaemia (n = 12), pneumonia (n = 9) and brucellosis (n = 2). The average daily dose was 6 mg/kg divided into two doses. Pathogens treated included Enterobacter cloacae (n = 14), Escherichia coli (n = 12), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 13), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 11), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 10), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 8) and Streptococcus spp. (n = 5). Most patients had several underlying diseases. Most of the patients had received other antibiotic therapy without success. Clinically, 41% were considered cured, 19% improved and 30% failed to respond. Bacteriologically, pathogens were eradicated in 52.5% and persisted in 22.5%. Adverse reactions included an anaphylactoid reaction, abnormal liver function (n = 13) and insomnia (n = 2). This study suggests that higher doses of ofloxacin may be needed in deep seated infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

[Bacteriuria].

Bacteriuria remains the most important sign of urinary tract infection. A standardization of the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infection requires a standard period of urine collection (4 hours), the correct collection of specimens, the determination of the number of bacteria by appropriate media (dipslide) and of urinary leucocytes. Test strips cannot replace the microscopy of the sediment. The therapeutic consequences result from the localization of the infection, the duration of treatment of cystitis is 1 to 4 days, of pyelonephritis 10 to 14 days.

Bacteria↗