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Biomedical subjects

G Altmann

Publications and source records attributed to G Altmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Viewpoints on preparations for integrating data processing systems in routine microbiology diagnosis].

The enormously risen and further increasing numbers of examinations and tests in microbiological diagnostics within the last years need new methods for treatment. One possibility to meet the higher requirements for information of the clinic without loss in quality at constant staff is the integration of the microcomputer technique into the laboratory as direct "tool". Demands for a qualitatively high empirical antimicrobial chemotherapy, chemotherapy according to antibiotic susceptibility tests, indicated use of antimicrobial drugs and control measures of infectious processes in general are met only by means of a fast information processing. The microcomputer technique in the laboratory provides also the chance to automate still manually performed tests and comprises according to algorithm the strict observation of the diagnostic process and its control. The application of the microcomputer technique on the one hand means for the technical assistant the omission of much manually performed work, on the other hand enables work of higher quality and supports decisions in the diagnostic process. Mathematical and statistical calculations are no longer connected with great losses of activity. The actual need for information of the clinician is met in time in different ways.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1989

[Prenatal diagnosis and obstetric management in association of hydramnios and homozygosity].

The patient was referred to hospital in the 29th week of gestation owing to polyhydramnions. Ultrasonography revealed isolated left-sided hypertrophy (from foetal chest to the lower extremity) with subcutaneous lymph cysts. Amniocentesis for genetic examination revealed a chromosomal disorder showing homozygous t(13q, 14q) translocation. This extremely rare anomaly could be explained only and was finally proven by a father-daughter incest. The authors underline the necessity of karyotyping as well as the ultrasonic exclusion of foetal malformations in patients with polyhydramnions.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1984

The effect of 2 mg estradiol-17 beta plus 1 mg estriol, sequentially combined with 1 mg norethisteroneacetate, on LH, FSH, estradiol-17 beta, progesterone, testosterone and prolactin after ovariectomy.

The object of the study was to see whether maintenance of serum estradiol levels corresponding to the early and mid-follicular phase can prevent the gonadotrophin increase following ovariectomy. We also wanted to study the effect on LH and FSH of an additional dose of 1 mg dose of 1 mg norethisterone acetate administered for 10 days during each month. In 22 women with normal cycles 1 mg of estradiol benzoate was injected i.m. at the time of ovariectomy. From the first post-operative day onwards they received daily doses of 2 mg estradiol and 1 mg estriol in the form of micronized tablets. From the 41st to the 50th day and again from the 69th to the 78th day the patients received additional daily doses of 1 mg norethisterone acetate. LH, FSH, estradiol-17 beta, (E2) progesterone (P), testosterone (T), and prolactin (PRL) were measured in intervals of 2-17 days. Even though the estradiol mean values remained constant in the range of 65-115 pg throughout the period under observation, the LH mean levels increased continuously from 8 to a maximum of 23.9 mU/ml, and the FSH mean level from a pre-operative value of 6-48.0 mU/ml on the 85th day. On the 7th day after the last administration of norethisterone acetate LH was slightly depressed while FSH continued to rise slightly. Both FSH and LH are negatively correlated with E2 and this inverse correlation becomes even more pronounced the more time has elapsed after surgery. These findings suggest that not only the estrogens inhibit FSH and LH but also other steroids and/or nonsteroidal ovarian inhibiting factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Adult listeriosis--a review of 18 cases.

Eighteen cases of adult listeriosis (nine with meningitis, one brain abscess and eight bacteraemia) were diagnosed in the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in the years 1964-1982. The infection seemed to be opportunistic in all. Eleven patients had malignant disease, two had cirrhosis of the liver, one had ulcerative colitis, one had bronchial asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one had pemphigus, one had diabetes mellitus and one had a renal transplantation. Twelve patients (66%) received radiation therapy and/or cytotoxic and steroid medication. Diabetes mellitus as an additional underlying disease was strikingly frequent and was found in eight out of 18 patients (44%), in one as the only underlying disease. In the meningitis group cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures were positive in five patients, and negative in four who had, however, positive blood cultures. The cells in the CSF were predominantly lymphocytes in five and polymorphs in four. It may be concluded that diabetes mellitus is an important underlying disease in listeriosis. The results also reinforce the fact that lymphocytosis in the CSF does not exclude bacterial meningitis.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Citrobacter koseri isolated in Israel, 1972-83.

Cultures of Citrobacter koseri (syn. C. diversus), an opportunistic pathogen that was isolated in Israel during 1972-83, were studied by sero- and biotyping and for susceptibility to antibacterial agents. Of 1,172 cultures, 96% were isolated from adults, more than half from urinary tract infections. Other frequent sources were superficial wounds and discharges from the respiratory and genital tracts. Seventeen strains originated from blood cultures of patients with sepsis and four from the cerebrospinal fluid of newborns with meningitis. The isolates belonged to 17 O groups, 60 serotypes and 5 biotypes. The most frequent serotypes were 15:a:[2], first identified in Israel, and 1:a:[2]. The most frequent biotypes were c and a. No correlation was found between sero- or biotypes and source of isolation or type of disease. Of 720 cultures tested for sensitivity, all were resistant to ampicillin and carbenicillin, but only 9.3% were resistant to one or more of nine other antibacterial agents tested.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Sterilization of MacConkey agar and CLED medium by gamma-radiation.

MacConkey agar and Cystine-Lactose-Electrolyte-Deficient (CLED) agar, media widely used in the bacteriological laboratory and recommended for the detection of urinary tract infections, were sterilized by gamma-radiation at a dose of 1.5 Mrad. Both were modified and adapted to radiation sterilization by adding sodium thioglycollate as a radioprotectant, and by increasing their indicator content. The media performed well when tested with different Enterobacteria and other micro-organisms. Growth and change of indicator reaction were equal in irradiated and autoclaved culture media. Culture media were also evaluated after storage for one month at room temperature and at 4 degrees C and compared well with freshly autoclaved media.

Agar↗
PubMed1983

Edwardsiella tarda isolated in Israel between 1961 and 1980.

Edwardsiella tarda was isolated from patients, water tortoises (Clemmys caspica), and samples of water from Lake Kinnereth, the river Jordan, well water, and sewage water. Of the 53 isolates, 35 belonged to completely identified serotypes, among them 7 new ones. Fourteen cultures had O antigens, and one had an H antigen, different from those previously described. Three serotypes isolated from patients were also found in other sources: water tortoises, lake water, or both.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Etiology of acute gastroenteritis in children in Israel: role of human reoviruslike agent and bacterial pathogens.

A study of acute gastroenteritis in children was carried out with the aim of establishing the prevalence of human reoviruslike agent (HRLA) and its relation to other enteric pathogens in Israel. The stools of 384 children with acute diarrhea referred to a pediatric emergency service were screened for HRLA by counterimmunoelectroosmorphoresis (CIEOP) and for pathogenic bacteria. Evidence of HRLA infection was found in 65 patients (17%). The highest infection rate prevailed during the cool season (25%), with a peak prevalence (41%) in November, when both the temperature and humidity were low. A very high proportion of HRLA was found in children younger than 36 months and no HRLA infection was observed in those older than nine years. The highest prevalence occurred in infants younger than six months, a situation rarely encountered in other countries. The main clinical features of HRLA infection were fever, vomiting, dehydration, signs of upper respiratory infection and carbohydrate intolerance. Bacterial pathogens accounted for 45% of enteric infections. Shigella species predominated (28%) during the summer season, especially in older children. In 38% of the study group, no etiologic agent could be detected. None of the 50 control subjects showed evidence of viral or bacterial pathogens in stools.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1978

[Results of radical Wertheim's operation 1964 to 1972 (author's transl)].

In the years 1964 to 1972 239 women with cervical carcinoma were treated by extended abdominal radical (Wertheim's) operation at the II. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Vienna. The total number of invasive cervical carcinomas is decreasing in comparison with previous years, but the figure of 40% cases treated surgically remains stable. 69.5% of the women are alive after a 5-year observation period, the figure for stage Ib being 71.4% and for stage II 55.2%. In cases with positive lymph nodes an improved 5-year survival rate is demonstrated and the total number of patients who died of carcinoma is reduced in comparison with the respective figures for previous years.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Ultrasonic diagnosis of ovarian tumours (author's transl)].

Precise knowledge of the echoanatomy of the normal female pelvis is a prerequisite in the diagnosis of ovarian tumours. Diagnostic criteria for the differentiation between cystic and solid lesions are discussed. The echographic appearance of uni-, multilocular, dermoid and endometriosis cysts and of ovarian cancer is described. 183 ovarian tumours were examined in the period from January 1st, 1976 until December 31st, 1977 and the preoperative diagnosis compared with the findings at operation, both macroscopic and histological. 158 cases (86.3%) were correctly diagnosed. In 13 cases (7.1%) the diagnosis was only partially correct. An incorrect ultrasonic diagnosis was made in only 12 cases (6.6%). Out of 183 cases the side of the lesion was correctly diagnosed in 128 patients (70.0%). Localization of the tumour could not be achieved or was totally wrong in 19 cases (10.4%). Estimated tumour dimensions concurred with the macroscopic measurements of the specimen in 90.7%. A false-positive result was recorded in 7 cases (3.8%), mostly due to a full bowel simulating a cyst of barely 4 cm in diameter. In 5 cases (2.7%) ultrasonic examination failed to detect the existence of a tumour. 2 of these tumours were follicular cysts under 4 cm in diameter. 2 ovarian cancers were missed. In 1 case the ovary was only slightly enlarged and the diagnosis was made only by frozen-section histology. In the second case the tumour was erroneously interpreted as originating from the sigmoid colon. Ultrasonic diagnosis is recommended for the detection and differentiation of ovarian tumours on the basis of the good results achieved.

Dermoid Cyst↗
PubMed1977

Rhinoscleroma.

Rhinoscleroma may present a diagnostic problem when encountered outside endemic region. Two young men from Gaza with tumor-like masses of scleroma in the nasal cavities and the nasopharynx are described. Histological examination of biopsy material from the nasal lesions showed pathognomonic Mikulicz cells, and cultures grew Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis. Both patients responded well to antibiotic treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Bacterial and fungal meningitis in adults: a 22-year survey in a large community hospital in Israel.

The etiologic, bacteriological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of 95 cases of bacterial or fungal meningitis in adults seen in a large community hospital were reviewed. The study was limited to non-neurosurgical patients in whom positive cerebrospinal fluid cultures were obtained. Overall mortality was 40%, with no appreciable change during the 22-year period. The most common causative organism was the pneumococcus, with a 45% mortality. There were no deaths among the patients with meningococcal meningitis. Cryptococcus neoformans was the third most common single organism encountered. Meningitis due to uncommon organisms usually developed in debilitated or immunologically compromised patients, and had a poor prognosis. Advanced age, underlying debilitating disease and severly impaired consciousness on admission were associated with a high mortality. Bacterial and fungal meningitis in adults remains a serious life-threatening disease, despite advances in antibiotic therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Nocardia asteroides and Nocardia brasiliensis infections in mice.

A model for Nocardia asteroides and Nocardia brasiliensis infections in Swiss white mice has been established without the addition to the inocula of any form of adjuvant. Serial histopathological studies revealed that these two actinomycetes cause lesions that are quite different in their features. An acute suppurative abscess characterizes the lesions of N. asteroides. In the case of N. brasiliensis infections a granuloma is produced in which a striking feature is the presence of large numbers of foam-laden macrophages, although occasional exceptions to this pattern were noted. Electron microscopic studies demonstrated that these macrophages contain within their cytoplasm organisms in varying stages of degeneration. Repeated mortality studies in mice failed to demonstrate differences in mortality rates produced by N. asteroides and N. brasiliensis. Thus, despite relatively trivial biochemical and antigenic differences between these two species of Nocardia, the local pathogenic response is quite different. The presence in the "brasiliensis lesion" of foamy macrophages with intracellular organisms is reminiscent of the histopathological features of lepromatous leprosy and of disseminated Myocobacterium bovis infection when this occurs in the immune suppressed situation. It is possible that N. brasiliensis infection produces a depression of cellular immunity that modifies the local host response to the organism.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Citrobacter diversus isolated from clinical material.

Forty-seven strains of Citrobacter diversus were isolated during a 12-month period from clinical material obtained from patients in a general hospital in Israel. The majority of cultures (38) were recovered from urine and wound discharges. There was one case of septicemia. The biochemical reactions of all cultures were typical for this species, except one that was anaerogenic, and they could be divided into five biotypes (a through e). Thirty-nine strains were identified serologically and found to belong to one of seven O groups described by Gross and Rowe (1974). All cultures were sensitive to tetracycline and nalidixic acid. All strains were resistant to carbenicillin and ampicillin and produced beta-lactamase.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1976

Nocardiosis in Israel. A report of five cases.

Five cases of Nocardia infection are briefly described, four due to Nocardia asteroides and one to N. brasiliensis. The latter represents the first reported case of N. brasiliensis infection in Israel. In three of the patients, the infections were associated with an underlying disease process and with prolonged high-dosage therapy with steroids and/or cytotoxic drugs. In the other two patients, the disease was spontaneous.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Fungal infections after renal transplantation.

Fungal infections occurred in 3 of 22 renal transplants (13.6%). Two patients developed rhinocerebral phycomycosis, and Rhizopus arrhizus was isolated from cultures of the nasal conchae. Both patients were treated with systemic amphotericin B. Three-and-a-half months after transplantation the third patient developed an acute ureteral obstruction secondary to infection with Aspergillus nidulans; this necessitated removal of the graft. There was no immediate mortality associated with these fungal infections but there was immediate loss of the grafts in the two patients.

Adult↗