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Biomedical subjects

F Wollheim

Publications and source records attributed to F Wollheim.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Ultrasound examination of skin thickness in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

A new ultrasound technique for measuring skin thickness in 40 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) and in 10 healthy control subjects has been evaluated. High frequency (10 MHz) dynamic ultrasound examination was performed at the proximal and middle phalanges of both second fingers. Measurements of the control subjects on two separate occasions demonstrated a good reproducibility of the technique with a standard deviation of 0.06 mm. The skin was thicker in patients with scleroderma 3.3 +/- 0.7 mm (mean +/- SD) compared with control subjects 2.5 +/- 0.2 mm (p less than 0.001). No relation between skin thickness and duration of disease was observed. This method can be used to monitor changes in skin thickness over time.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serum aminoterminal type III procollagen peptide in early rheumatoid arthritis: relation to disease activity and progression of joint damage.

Serum levels of the aminoterminal type III procollagen peptide (S-PIIINP) have been used as markers of proliferative inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a prognostic significance has been suggested. To test this further we have measured S-PIIINP longitudinally for 2 years in 66 patients with definite RA and a disease duration of less than 2 years, and related the levels to clinical, biochemical, and radiographic findings. In this patient group the correlations between S-PIIINP and ESR and CRP, respectively, were higher than those obtained between S-PIIINP and articular indices, and markedly higher than in patients with RA of longer duration. Patients with normal mean levels of S-PIIINP during the study period had a significantly slower rate of radiographic progression than patients with elevated mean levels of S-PIIINP. ESR yielded in general higher correlations with the joint damage process than did S-PIIINP. The correlations between S-PIIINP and the joint damage scores increased with time. A multiple regression analysis showed that ESR explained most of the variance in joint damage progression over 2 years, but S-PIIINP added independent information. About one third of the variance could be explained by the two variables.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of in vivo leucocyte migration by NSAIDs.

Leucocyte migration was studied in vivo using a skin window technique, and in vitro by migration under agarose. No difference was found between 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 10 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PA) and 30 healthy controls. Most patients were under treatment with anti-rheumatic drugs. Patients treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had significantly lower values (p less than 0.01) than untreated patients. In vivo but not in vitro migration decreased during short-term treatment with diclofenac and naproxen, an effect observed both in patients and in healthy individuals. After pre-incubation of normal polymorphonuclear leucocytes with diclofenac, in vitro migration was diminished only at concentrations of 50 micrograms/ml and above, which are at least 10 times higher than those attained clinically. The in vivo effect of NSAIDs on leucocyte migration may imply a long-term disease modifying influence in chronic arthritides.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cyclofenil in the treatment of scleroderma - a general view on the results after treating 29 cases.

Results are presented from an open treatment of 29 patients suffering from progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) with cyclofenil, an oestrogenlike non-steroid compound with very low oestrogenicity, which was recently claimed to be effective in this disorder. The treatment resulted in significant improvement of the skin condition and regress of ulcerations, Raymaud's phenomenon, joint pain and stiffness. Most of the patients experienced an increased sense of well-being. A slight elevation of ASAT and ALAT was noted in seven patients and weight gain in two. Present data do not permit an assessment of whether the treatment might influence the visceral changes. A multi-centre controlled study is in progress.

Adult↗