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Biomedical subjects

F Hermann

Publications and source records attributed to F Hermann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Impacts of a cardiological consultation on the medical treatment of elderly patients].

The prevalence of prescription medication use among older people increases with advancing age and is related to their comorbidities. Cardiovascular medication is the medication category that is the most commonly prescribed. We retrospectively determined the repercussion of the cardiological consultation of the Hôpital de gériatrie de Genève on the cardiovascular medication. For the year 2001, 191 hospitalized patients were randomely selected and their treatment before and after the consultation was compared. The treatment was simplified after consultation considering the number of medication classes, drugs, and pills. Adverse effect (11% of consultations) is the main reason for interrupting a medication. The number of medication before consultation is an important factor to decide whether the treatment needs to be simplified. The medication cost is not modified. By simplifying treatment the cardiological consultation reduces the adverse effects of medication and probably improves therapeutic adherence. A prospective study is necessary to confirm these data and estimate their long term consequences.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

[Coffee--poison or medicine?].

Intake of coffee, one of the most common beverages worldwide, has often been discussed as a potential cardiovascular risk factor. However, definitive data about this topic are missing and newer studies even point out for a favorable rather than hazardous effect. Despite many studies no clear association between coffee and the risk of hypertension, myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases was found. Recent publications suggest that moderate coffee intake does not represent a health hazard, but may even be associated with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and diabetes.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2005

[The sweet secret of dark chocolate].

For centuries dark chocolate has been known for its taste as well as its beneficial effects on health. Mainly polyphenols, a heterogeneous group of molecules, have been associated with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Furthermore they inhibit primary hemostasis and pathways associated with platelet activation and aggregation.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2003

[Rare cause of chronic abdominal pain: retractile mesenteritis].

HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS: A 69-year-old man had a history of chronic abdominal pain and intermittent fever for more than 10 years. Due to acute epigastric pain and intermittent fever with night sweat for one week he was admitted for further investigation. On physical examination there was tenderness in the right upper and lower epigastrium without a palpable mass. INVESTIGATIONS: Laboratory figures showed signs of inflammation with a CRP of 103 mg/l. Leucocyte counts were normal without left shift. CT and MRI scans showed a sharp-edged mass of 10 x 8 cm in diameter in the retroperitoneal area with big vessels running through it. Laparoscopic biopsy confirmed the suspected diagnosis of retractile mesenteritis. TREATMENT AND COURSE: Under therapy with oral progesterone (Utrogestan 1 x 100 mg/d) and prednisone (Prednison 1 x 50 mg/d) there was fast symptomatic relief. A CT scan 2 months after initial diagnosis showed clear regression of the tumor. CONCLUSION: Retractile mesenteritis is a rare cause of chronic abdominal pain with variable symptoms. Its aetiology is unknown. In case of bowel ischemia a surgical approach is preferred, milder forms may be treated with immunosuppressive agents as well as oral progesterone. Progesterone has exhibited positive effects on fatty tissue with successful treatment in desmoid tumors and retroperitoneal fibrosis. Here in we could demonstrate its safe and efficient use in a patient with retractile mesenteritis.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2001

[T.i.d. accelerated radiotherapy alone or alternating with chemotherapy in patients with a locally advanced ORL cancer: analysis of late toxicity].

PURPOSE: To assess late effects and quality of life in patients treated by three times daily (t.i.d.) radiotherapy with or without alternating chemotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Between 1986 and 1991, 153 patients with locally advanced tumors have been included in a phase I/II study consisting of t.i.d. radiotherapy (4 h. between fractions) of 2 Gy/fraction to a total dose of 60 Gy, alternated or not with combination chemotherapy. The first group of patients received radiotherapy alone, the other group received combined modality. Ninety-two patients were eligible for late effect assessment: 61 in the combined modality group and 31 in the radiation therapy only group. The median follow-up was 45 months. All patients have been assessed according to the follow-up clinical records using the RTOG/EORTC classification. Twenty-nine patients, who were alive at the time of our study, received a questionnaire on their quality of life, and were invited for a clinical evaluation using the SOMA-LENT scale. RESULTS: Ninety percent of the patients treated by radiation therapy alone developed one or more late complications. Overall, 47% of the patients have developed severe complications (grade III and IV): 42% in the group treated by radiation therapy alone and 49% in the group treated with combined modality. In the group treated by radiation therapy alone, the most commonly damaged organs were the mucosa (83%), skin (51%) and salivary glands (42%). We observed one case of osteonecrosis and one case of radiation myelitis. In the combined modality group, 95% of patients developed one or more late sequelae, of which 79% had skin, 51% mucosa and 42% salivary gland late effects, respectively. We observed four cases of osteonecrosis. Quality of life and overall physical condition of the patients have been judged to be average by self-questionnaire. Assessment according to the SOMA-LENT scale showed serious late effects mainly at the level of the salivary glands, mandibles and teeth. Correspondence between the RTOG/EORTC and the SOMA-LENT scale was mediocre. CONCLUSION: This unconventional 4-h three times daily radiotherapy protocol resulted in very severe late effects on normal tissue. However, combination with chemotherapy resulted in minimal additional toxicity. We emphasise that the SOMA-LENT scale is neither simple to use nor easy to interpret. Quality of life is a very subjective notion and is not necessarily correlated with the objective seriousness of complications.

Chemotherapy, Adjuvant↗
PubMed1996

The CD30 ligand and CD40 ligand regulate CD54 surface expression and release of its soluble form by cultured Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells.

The membrane-bound proteins CD30 ligand (CD30L), CD40L and 4-1BBL are members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily. They are expressed mainly by activated T cells. Primary and cultured Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells, regarded as the malignant components of Hodgkin's disease (HD), display high levels of the counter-receptors for these ligands, ie CD30, CD40 and 4-1BB. CD30L and CD40L are known to share some biological activities that can be linked to the unbalanced secretion of cytokines seen in HD. In addition, cell contact-dependent molecules such as adhesion or activation antigens are critically involved in T cell/H-RS cell interactions. Primary and cultured H-RS cells frequently overexpress intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1/CD54), BB-1 (B7-1/CD80) and B70/B7-2 (CD86). Here we show that CD30L and CD40L, but not 4-1BBL upregulate CD54 expression by cultured H-RS cells on the mRNA and protein level, as a result of transcriptional gene activation. Furthermore, enhanced CD54 surface expression by these cells is accompanied by increased shedding of surface-bound CD54, as evidenced by high levels of the 82 kDa soluble (s) CD54 form detectable in culture supernatants after specific stimulation. Addition of CD30L in combination with CD40L to cultured H-RS cells additively enhanced CD54 surface expression and its shedding. These results may give a plausible explanation why sCD54 serum levels are increased in patients with HD.

CD30 Ligand↗
PubMed1995

Cloning and controlled overexpression of the gene encoding the 35 kDa soluble lytic transglycosylase from Escherichia coli.

The lytic transglycosylases of Escherichia coli are involved in peptidoglycan metabolism and resemble the lysozymes not only in activity, but in the case of the 70 kDa soluble lytic transglycosylase (Slt70), also structurally. Here we report the cloning of the gene that encodes the 35 kDa soluble lytic transglycosylase (Slt35) of E. coli. Based on the sequence of the full-length gene, Slt35 is very likely to be a proteolytically truncated form of a slightly larger protein. The homology between Slt35 and Slt70, albeit poor, indicates that the active site architecture of both proteins may be alike. Using the T-7 promoter system, Slt35 was overproduced in large quantities and purified to homogeneity for crystallographic purposes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

[Effect of 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine (DHBA) on the myometrium of cattle in vitro].

The effect of 3,4-DHBA was tested in vitro on strips of cattle myometrium. It was discovered that adding DHBA to non-contracting strips of myometrium, clear contractions can be induced. With spontaneously weakly contracting strips addition of DHBA further strengthens the contractions. With irregular contraction forms a coordination of the contractions can be achieved. The optimal effective doses is 5.1.10(-6) mmol DHBA/ml of the nutrient solution.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of OTC self-medication reports as an instructional strategy for clinical education.

A novel instructional strategy for clinical education, the "Pharmacist Assisted Self-Medication Case Report," was introduced into a community practice externship in 1982. The purpose was to create an experimental tool which developed informational and problem solving skills of pharmacy students in the area of OTC self medication. The case report requires that the student conduct a patient interview, evaluate the patient's condition, decide on an appropriate recommendation and provide appropriate consultation. Students must complete four reports during their externship experience. The instructional method was evaluated by review of 132 consecutive reports, by evaluation of their content and by review of student and perceptor evaluations. Case reports were found to be an effective strategy which provided valuable information about experiential learning and allowed for consistent evaluation of student clinical experience. Content data were also helpful in evaluating didactic preparation for clinical experiences.

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed1987

Effectiveness of a printed leaflet for enabling patients to use digoxin side-effect information.

The effectiveness of a printed leaflet designed to inform patients about digoxin was evaluated. The printed leaflet alone was compared to the verbal consultation alone and the verbal consultation in addition to the printed leaflet. The study assessed patients' decisions about the appropriate course of action to take if side-effect symptoms occurred. Patients receiving the printed leaflet alone scored higher than patients receiving the verbal consultation; however, they scored lower than patients receiving both the printed leaflet and verbal consultation together. Patients receiving both verbal and printed information scored significantly higher than those receiving verbal consultation only. The findings suggest that printed materials together with verbal consultation are essential for enabling patients to make appropriate decisions with respect to side effects. There is not enough evidence to support the use of printed materials in place of verbal consultation. Health practitioners should use printed materials as an adjunct to verbal information.

Digoxin↗
PubMed1984

Properties of brodimoprim as an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductases.

Based on both IC50 and Ki values, brodimoprim (BDP) was often found to be two- to threefold more effective than trimethoprim (TMP) against a great variety of different bacterial dihydrofolate reductases (DHFR). In all cases BDP was found to be a reversible, tight-binding inhibitor. The higher affinity for enzymes relatively insensitive to TMP, like those of Nocardia, which is paralleled by higher in vitro activity, may be therapeutically useful. BDP also often inhibited plasmid-coded, TMP-resistant DHFRs, as well as altered chromosomal TMP-resistant DHFRs at lower concentrations than TMP did, this property, however, being therapeutically irrelevant. A higher affinity was also observed for eucaryotic DHFRs, the specificity, however, remaining similar to that of TMP.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Mechanisms of trimethoprim resistance in enterobacteria isolated in Finland.

Dihydrofolate reductases (DHFR) were studied in two groups of trimethoprim (TMP)-resistant Enterobacteria, isolated in Turku, Finland. The first group consisted of six strains with a high level of TMP resistance (MIC greater than 1,000 mg/l) and all of them were found to harbour an additional TMP-insensitive DHFR thought to be responsible for the high degree of resistance. Three Proteus mirabilis strains in this group synthesized chromosomal reductases with reduced TMP sensitivity as well. A second group of six strains, exhibiting MIC values for TMP between 16 and 512 mg/l was seen to be resistant by the production of a chromosomally altered TMP-insensitive DHFR, produced either in normal or slightly elevated amounts. With one exception these strains were all fully susceptible to sulfadiazine and strong synergism with TMP was present. Resistance to nalidixic acid was also frequently observed in this group. In conclusion, three different basic mechanisms were found to be responsible for TMP resistance in Enterobacteria from Finland and these were seen to occur not only independently but also simultaneously in the same strain.

Aminopterin↗
PubMed1978

Package inserts for prescribed medicines: what minimum information do patients need?

The information a patient needs about a prescribed medicine can be determined by considering what responsibilities he can assume in relation to taking medicine. When the medicine has been dispensed the patient needs to know how to take the drug; how to store the drug; how it is expected to help; and how to recognise problems and what to do about them. A guide was designed to specify what information is required to meet these needs. Using this guide, a set of minimum information on tetracycline was prepared that aimed at being brief, specific, and readable. The best format for the information remains to be determined. Since leaflets produced by professional organisations are generally unsuitable for these purposes, information sets should be put together by small independent groups consisting of clinical pharmacologists, clinicians, pharmacists, and consumers. Each country should produce its own sets, adapting model sets to the circumstances of local practice.

Drug Labeling↗