PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Seidel

Publications and source records attributed to F Seidel.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Antibody levels against Chlamydia pneumoniae and outcome of roxithromycin therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Results from a sub-study of the randomised Antibiotic Therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction (ANTIBIO) trial.

BACKGROUND: Results of studies concerning prevention of cardiovascular disease by treatment with macrolide antibiotics targeting C. pneumoniae infection are still controversial. This study describes the results of different tests for infection with C. pneumoniae as well as the effect of treatment with roxithromycin in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in relation to their serostatus against C. pneumoniae. METHODS: We analysed blood of 160 patients who came from the ANTIBIOtic therapy after an AMI ( ANTIBIO-) study, a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to investigate the effect of roxithromycin 300 mg/OD for 6 weeks in patients with an AMI. Anti- Chlamydia IgG-, IgA-, and IgM-antibodies of these patients were analysed by means of different test systems. RESULTS: There was a good correlation between the two IgG and IgA methods (r = 0.900, p < 0.001 and r = 0.878, p < 0.001, respectively), but marked differences in the prevalence of positive tests. This resulted in only moderate concordance values, as expressed by the Kappa coefficients, for IgG kappa = 0.611 (95% CI = 0.498-0.724, p < 0.001) and for IgA kappa = 0.431 (95% CI: 0.322-0.540, p < 0.001). No significant association between positive C. pneumonia titers and the combined clinical endpoint during the 12 month follow-up could be found. In all test systems used, patients with positive anti- C. pneumoniae titers did not benefit from roxithromycin therapy (p = ns). CONCLUSION: Depending on the test system used, there are large differences in the prevalence of anti- C. pneumoniae seropositive patients. Clinical events during the 12 month follow-up after AMI did not depend on serostatus against C. pneumoniae and treatment with roxithromycin did not influence these events, independently of the serostatus against C. pneumoniae. However, the power of this subgroup analysis was low to detect small but significant differences.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Acetylcholinesterase in lumbar and ventricular cerebrospinal fluid.

BACKGROUND: Soluble acetylcholinesterase (AChE, E.C. 3.1.1.7.) is released by neurons, glial and meningeal cells into the CSF. AChE activity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is altered in various disorders of the nervous system. The objects of this study are to define a reference range for CSF AChE activity in human lumbar CSF, to prove that the enzyme activity does not depend on the blood/CSF barrier function, and to provide information about AChE in ventricular CSF. In addition, drugs used in neurosurgical care have been examined for their in vitro effects on CSF AChE activity to exclude interference with the test system. METHODS: We tested the AChE activity in 64 lumbar CSF samples collected from a clinically healthy population and in 169 ventricular CSF samples obtained from 90 neurosurgical patients. AChE activity was assayed with our inhibitor-free test procedure. RESULTS: The reference range determined for lumbar CSF AChE activity is 9.2-24.4 nmol/min per ml. Lumbar CSF AChE activity does not correlate with parameters characterising the status of the blood/CSF barrier. Ventricular puncture is only justified for underlying pathology making it impossible to provide reference data for ventricular CSF. Most measurements reveal ventricular enzyme activity below 4 nmol/min per ml. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest the utility of lumbar CSF AChE activity as a measure of specific secretory function in enzyme releasing cells of the nervous system.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in the elderly. ALKK-Study Group. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Leitender Kardiologischer Krankenhausaerzte.

The purpose of this investigation was to define cardioversion success rates, frequency of complications of cardioversion, and current treatment practices in elderly patients (aged > or = 65 years) with atrial fibrillation (AF). The results were compared with those in younger patients (aged < 65 years). The investigation was a prospective multicenter observational study with 61 participating cardiology clinics. Consecutive patients in whom cardioversion of AF was planned had to be prospectively registered. Of 1,152 patients registered, 570 (49.5%) were < 65 years old (group 1) and 582 (50.5%) were > or = 65 years (group 2). The overall success rate of cardioversion on an intention-to-treat basis was 76.1% in group 1 and 72.7% in group 2 (p = 0.18). In multivariate analysis, left atrial size and New York Heart Association functional class before cardioversion were identified as predictors of success (p < 0.001, respectively; p = 0.025). These clinical factors were not equally distributed between the age groups: Left atrial size was larger in the elderly than in younger patients (44.0 +/- 6.4 mm vs 42.8 +/- 6.4 mm; p = 0.006) and a New York Heart Association functional class > or = II was more prevalent in group 2 than in group 1 (48.6% vs 29.6%; p < 0.001). The overall complication rates were not significantly different between the 2 groups (4.2% in group 1 vs 5.3% in group 2; p = 0.37). The frequency of patients who were adequately anticoagulated for cardioversion was 56.9% in age group 1 and 39.6% in age group 2 (p < 0.001). In chronic AF the same trend for age-dependent underuse of anticoagulation was observed. Age itself was not a predictor of cardioversion success and did not predispose to higher complication rates. Therefore, cardioversion should be considered in older patients with the same criteria and emphasis as in younger patients. Anticoagulation and antithrombotic medication is underused for cardioversion and in treating chronic AF, especially in elderly patients.

Adult↗

[Transluminal coronary dilatation].

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) represents in patients with single-vessel disease the treatment of choice. Under adequate precautions the method can be performed with reasonable risk outside of a hospital with cardiac surgical operating rooms.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗

Catecholaminergic innervation of the chicken ovary. With special reference to the follicular wall.

The innervation of the chicken ovary was investigated with special emphasis on adrenergic nerves in the follicular wall. Quantitative determinations of catecholamines (CA) by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection (hplc-ed) revealed 15.4 +/- 3.3 ng/mg protein of norepinephrine (NE) and 3.14 ng/mg protein of epinephrine (E), with even larger amounts in the cranial part of the ovary close to the adrenal gland. Serial sections that had been processed for the visualisation of aminergic nerves (Falck-Hillarp- or glyoxylic acid techniques) showed CA localized in nerve-fibre bundles; cell bodies of chromaffin and sympathetic neurons were only found at the ovarian-adrenal junction suggesting that ovarian nerves stored considerable quantities of E. An antiserum against bovine phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT, the E-synthesizing enzyme) produced no immunostaining in chicken ovary or adrenal gland, due to a lack of cross-reactivity between the antiserum and chicken PNMT. Serial sections processed alternately for the visualisation of aminergic nerves and myosin (from chicken gizzard) immunoreactivity revealed a scarce nerve supply of contractile cells in the theca externa compared to an extraordinarily dense innervation of the endocrine interstitial tissue of the theca interna. This distribution pattern of nerve fibres in the follicular wall was confirmed by electron microscopy in ovarian tissue that had been pretreated with 5- or 6-hydroxydopamine (HDA). More than 90% of the terminal axons were specifically labeled by these false adrenergic transmitters. Many of these terminals were seen in close contact (20 nm) with steroidogenic cells suggesting a neuromodulatory function of CA in hormone synthesis and/or release. It is yet unclear whether E and NE are stored in separate or identical axon moieties and within the same organelles. Choline acetyltransferase activity, which was taken as a measure for a cholinergic nerve component in the ovary, amounted to only 7% of its adrenal activity. It is suggested that the chicken ovary may serve as an excellent model to investigate the modulatory role of nerves in the endocrine function of the ovary.

Animals↗

[Diagnosis of space-occupying renal processes: sonography and aimed fine-needle biopsy].

It is reported on 3 cases in which by sonographic examination a tumorous process could be established. In all cases the additional investigation by fine needle biopsy and cytological examination proved the presence of malignant cells. This local renal process proved by sonography could be verified neither by i.v. pyelographic nor arteriographic methods. For two patients the diagnosis based on sonography, fine needle puncture and cytological test could be verified by operation. The third patient was not operated in spite of malignant cells in the cytogram because of negative computer tomography provided by an external hospital.

Aged↗

[The normal pancreas. Demonstration in the sonogram in relation to age].

For 191 patients without any clinically or anamnestically traceable disease of pancreas sonographic inspection was performed, a real time-equipment type Aloka, SSD 240 was used. The age of the patients, divided into 5 groups ranged from 15 to 90 years. The measurements of the pancreas sonographic inspection was performed, a real time-equipment type Aloka, SSD 240 was used. The age of the patients, divided into 5 groups ranged from 15 to 90 years. The measurements of the pancreas were established for head, neck, corpus and tail respectively. The following mean values for the thickness were found: Head: 2,41 +/- 0,41 cm; neck: 1,53 +/- 0,34 cm; corpus: 1,90 +/- 0,37 cm; tail: 1,67 +/- 0,37 cm. The width of the organ was in the area of the head: 1,3 to 3,5 cm, neck 1,0 to 2,7 cm, corpus 1,1 to 3,0 cm, tail 0,8 to 2,6 cm. A comparison between normal weight- and overweight-patients showed no significant differences at all. The echostructure of the pancreas showed a clear increase of intensity with progress in age. The reason for this more detailed echostructure is seen in an infiltration of fat as well as collagenous and fibrous elements. No change in organ size was found in this connection.

Adult↗