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Biomedical subjects

F Otto

Publications and source records attributed to F Otto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Bromodeoxyuridine hypersensitivity of metastatic melanoma cells.

A model system for testing the efficacy of chemotherapy protocols for metastatic melanoma was established using cell cultures from two brain and three lymph node metastases of melanoma from five different patients. Continuously growing cultures which were positive for tyrosinase activity were analysed regarding their proliferation rate by continuous bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labelling and subsequent Hoechst-33258/ethidium bromide flow cytometry. Melanoma cell cultures exhibit a strong sensitivity to BrdU: at 5% oxygen, 50% growth inhibition is attained with 360 +/- 130 microM BrdU (range: 130-520; n = 11) vs 650 +/- 50 microM BrdU (n = 3) for diploid human fibroblasts and 570 +/- 20 microM BrdU (n = 6) for human lymphoid cell lines. Moreover, BrdU sensitivity of melanoma cells is clearly oxygen dependent: 50% growth inhibition at 200 +/- 55 microM (range: 65-400 microM) for 20% oxygen vs 360 +/- 130 microM BrdU for 5% oxygen. The cell cycle kinetic mechanism of BrdU-induced growth inhibition is accumulation of cells in the first cycle G2 phase. On the basis of these results we suggest testing BrdU in chemotherapy protocols for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

[Retractile mesenteritis].

We report the case of a 76-year-old patient with cachexia, abdominal pain and anemia who was referred for computed tomography to exclude the possibility of a malignoma. We diagnosed retractile mesenteritis, which was verified by laparoscopy with exploratory excision and histological examination. Exploratory laparatomy, recommended even today, could be prevented. In this procedure, extensive parts of the mesenterium and intestine are often resected because of the possibility of a tumor. After therapy with prednisone, there was clinical recovery and the symptoms regressed, as shown by computed tomography.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

The relationship between characteristics of the tumor cells and sex of the patients in primary malignant melanomas.

Sex is a well proven prognosticator in primary malignant melanoma. We studied 19 parameters of tumor cells in primary malignant melanoma from 391 patients, the purpose being to determine if melanomas in men and women are alike. Apart from results in thin melanomas, no difference was seen between the sex groups. Thin melanomas showed a significant difference for the melanoma-associated antigen G7-E2 (higher expression in women) and the histocompatibility antigen HLA-DR (higher expression in men). The results suggest that sex-related prognostic differences are due more to host than to tumor characteristics.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1991

Sequential DNA flow cytometry in metastatic malignant melanoma.

Sequential flow cytometry was performed on 73 metastatic malignant melanomas, derived from 804 primary tumors. Tumor thickness was confirmed an excellent prognostic parameter in primary melanoma, but did not allow reliable predictions in metastatic disease. Also, aneuploidy and genetic heterogeneity, both common in metastatic melanoma, were equally distributed among patients differing in survival time. However, a remarkable acceleration was observed in the generation of abnormal cell lines in patients dying early of metastatic disease.

DNA, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1991

[Mesenteric panniculitis].

In a 76 year old patient computed tomography of the abdomen and laparoscopic biopsy revealed a mesenteric panniculitis as cause of recurrent fever and shaking chills. The fever resolved under corticosteroid therapy and the patient remains well three month after onset of treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[DNA extraction and Southern blot analysis in paraffin embedded material].

DNA was extracted from formaldehyde fixed and paraffin embedded tissue by the use of a modified extraction protocol. In all cases the recovered DNA was more degraded than DNA from fresh or frozen tissue. Fixation times of more than 4 days made it impossible to use the extracted DNA for Southern Blotting; DNA from paraffinized tissues not older than 1 or 2 years could be used for Southern Blotting after digestion with restriction enzymes, but we did not succeed in showing bands with restriction fragments more than 10 kb in length. We conclude that SBA analysis for malignant lymphomas with DNA extracted from routinely paraffin-embedded tissues isn't possible, because the restriction fragments looked for are in many cases longer than 10 kb.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1989

Acute subjective morbidity after cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy in patients with testicular cancer: a prospective study.

In a randomized trial, 22 patients with metastatic testicular cancer used low-fibre diet during and after their first cycle of cisplatin and vinblastine containing combination chemotherapy, in order to reduce the acute gastrointestinal post-treatment morbidity (Group 1). Their subjective morbidity, including aspects of general well-being, was compared to 23 comparable patients having no diet restrictions (Group 2). A third similarly composed group consisted of 10 testicular cancer patients without diet restrictions, who received etoposide (VP-16) instead of vinblastine. Low-fibre diet did not reduce the frequency or severity of the acute post-treatment gastrointestinal morbidity. Severe constipation and/or paralytic ileus was observed in 23 patients in Groups 1 and 2 and necessitated short-term hospitalization in 14. The substitution of vinblastine by etoposide resulted in a significant reduction of the acute gastrointestinal morbidity and in a considerable improvement of the patients' general well-being. It is concluded that VP-16 should be given instead of vinblastine to patients receiving cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy in order to maintain an optimal quality of life during cytostatic treatment. This study also indicates that the frequency and severity of subjective treatment-related morbidity often is underestimated by retrospective routine clinical assessment, and should preferably be assessed prospectively by frequently applied patients' questionnaires.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1987

Chronic progressive neurological involvement in Borrelia burgdorferi infection.

Five patients with chronic meningitis were hospitalized several times for progressive neurological symptoms. The clinical manifestations included cranial neuritis, radiculoneuritis, myelitis and encephalitis. In two cases cerebral infarction occurred. The course was commonly characterized by a tendency to deteriorate. From the clinical point of view, it was repeatedly difficult to exclude multiple sclerosis or tuberculous meningitis. Finally, specific antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi were detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay. The diagnosis of a borreliosis was not considered initially because there was no history of tick-bite or erythema chronicum migrans, and the neurological involvement of the central nervous system seemed unusual. The latency between the first symptoms and diagnosis varied from 3 months to 5 years. After a parenteral, high-dose therapy with penicillin, there was a significant improvement in all patients. In two cases, there was evidence of intrathecally produced antibodies to myelin basic protein.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[The bone, a complex construction. Thoughts of an architect].

Having a precise knowledge of the construction methods of technical objects is helpful to understand the developing processes in nature, the patterns, the bearing capacity and the investment of energy and material of natural lightweight structures. An engineering framework out of bars and knots can be compared with a framework of bones--keeping in mind, however, that solid and soft components viz. bones, cartilage, sinews, muscles and filling liquids together are building a force guiding system. Such complex systems can most easily be explained by their development and "production". Fibre nets and networks provide flexibility and stiffness to the weak pneu- or hydroskeleton. Outer appearance and internal microstructure prove the bone to be a solidified and prestressed pneu. The load capacity of the bone is determined by the solid materials and the supporting, varying inner pressure in combination with the blood circulation. In contrast to that the pressure of cartilage made of similar materials is constant. All other force guiding networked fibre systems are supposed to have a bone-like structure with all states of solidification. Highly flexible fibre nets are capable of self-alignment, self-remodelling and self-repair. A likewise self-organization can be found in the inner fibre net of the bone. In case of a fracture callus will seal the damaged pneu. The net structure of a strained bone has routings similar to the hypothetical flow of forces within solid bodies. The author evolves the thesis that the bone in the course of its forming process as well as in its final stiffened shape can be looked upon as a pneumatic system with regard to its load-bearing behaviour.

Architecture↗
PubMed1985

A comparative study of DAPI, DIPI, and Hoechst 33258 and 33342 as chromosomal DNA stains.

A comparison of four DNA stains considered to be AT-specific with chromosomes from a clonal Chinese hamster cell line B14F28-C5 have been made. The flow karyotype histograms indicate that DAPI, DIPI, and Hoechst 33258 and 33342 do stain similarly in the same preparation. DAPI staining is specific and highly reproducible in this line. We, therefore, recommend this dye as a single chromosome DNA stain for high-resolution flow cytometric measurements in cytogenetics and mutation research.

Animals↗