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Biomedical subjects

G Drasch

Publications and source records attributed to G Drasch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Increased blood mercury levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder that leads to dementia and death. In addition to several genetic parameters, various environmental factors may influence the risk of getting AD. In order to test whether blood levels of the heavy metal mercury are increased in AD, we measured blood mercury concentrations in AD patients (n = 33), and compared them to age-matched control patients with major depression (MD) (n = 45), as well as to an additional control group of patients with various non-psychiatric disorders (n = 65). Blood mercury levels were more than two-fold higher in AD patients as compared to both control groups (p = 0.0005, and p = 0.0000, respectively). In early onset AD patients (n = 13), blood mercury levels were almost three-fold higher as compared to controls (p = 0.0002, and p = 0.0000, respectively). These increases were unrelated to the patients' dental status. Linear regression analysis of blood mercury concentrations and CSF levels of amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) revealed a significant correlation of these measures in AD patients (n = 15, r = 0.7440, p = 0.0015, Pearson type of correlation). These results demonstrate elevated blood levels of mercury in AD, and they suggest that this increase of mercury levels is associated with high CSF levels of A beta, whereas tau levels were unrelated. Possible explanations of increased blood mercury levels in AD include yet unidentified environmental sources or release from brain tissue with the advance in neuronal death.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Mercury in human colostrum and early breast milk. Its dependence on dental amalgam and other factors.

The mercury concentration in 70 breast milk samples (Hg-M) from 46 mothers, collected within the first 7 days after delivery, was determined by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry. For comparison, 9 formula milk samples (reconstituted with Hg-free water) were investigated. The Hg-M in the human milk samples ranged from < 0.2 to 6.86 micrograms/L (median 0.37), in the formula milk samples from 0.4 to 2.5 micrograms/L (median 0.76). The Hg-M in the breast milk samples correlates positively with the number of maternal teeth with dental amalgam. The mean Hg-M of amalgam-free mothers was < 0.2 microgram/L, while milk from mothers with 1-4 amalgam fillings contained 0.57 microgram/L, with 5-7 fillings 0.50 microgram/L and with more than 7 fillings 2.11 micrograms/L. Hg-M correlated negatively to the day after delivery. Frequency of fish consumption tends to influence Hg-M positively, while the age of the mother shows no significant correlation. In the first 2 to 3 days after delivery some colostrum samples with Hg-M higher than in formula milk were found. Later on, the Hg-concentration in the breast milk was equal or even lower to that in formula milk. The higher Hg burden of infants' tissues from mothers with dental amalgam, as reported previously, must be explained (1) by a prenatal transfer of Hg from the mother's fillings through the placenta to the fetus, followed by a redistribution of this Hg in the body of the newborn, and (2) an additional burden via breast milk. Nevertheless, the comparison of Hg-M in breast and formula milk, the relatively moderate Hg burden in both kinds of milk, and the multiple manifest advantages of breast feeding speak against any limitation of nursing, even for mothers with a large number of dental amalgam fillings.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Correlation of mercury and selenium in the human kidney.

The total mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) concentrations were determined in kidney cortex samples of 195 deceased, non-occupationally burdened individuals. Mercury was determined by means of Cold-vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CV-AAS) and selenium by Graphite-Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GF-AAS). The molar Se/Hg ratio is high (up to (a) 300) in cases with relatively low mercury concentrations [Hg]. The ratio decreases with increasing [Hg]. At [Hg] of 700-1000 ng/g it reaches unity, where it remains constant even at larger [Hg]. Since in vitro mercury and selenium form relatively stable adducts, our results suggest the formation of a 1:1 Hg-Se compound that may explain mercury detoxification by selenium. This effect also results in the trapping of available selenium by mercury, too. Decreasing the reserve of free (i.e. not Hg-bound) selenium. The effect of this decrease of free selenium is under further investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Carboxyhemoglobin blood concentrations in suicides by fire.

A total of 21 suicides by fire (16 males and 5 females) were investigated. In at least 18 of the 21 cases, flammable liquids were used as accelerants leading to severe and extensive burns. The determination of carboxyhemoglobin concentrations revealed comparatively low levels of between 3 and 30 per cent in suicides committed in the open whereas four out of five deceased found dead in gutted cars showed carbon monoxide saturations ranging from 34 to 87 per cent. In 18 cases (86%) soot was detectable in the airways even in cases with slightly elevated carboxyhemoglobin concentrations, indicating the importance of a careful examination of the airways at autopsy for the detection of vital signs.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Silver concentrations in human tissues. their dependence on dental amalgam and other factors.

Human tissue samples (liver, kidney cortex, 5 brain regions: grey matter of cerebrum, white matter of cerebrum, nucleus lentiformis, cerebellum, brain stem) from 173 decreased persons were analysed for silver (Ag) by GF-AAS (Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) and the results compared with the number of teeth with amalgam fillings and the concentration of inorganic mercury (Hg), which had been determined in the same tissue samples in a previous study. It was found that the mean Ag concentrations in liver and brain of adult females are approximately twice that of males. Moreover, the Ag concentrations, especially in the brain, depend possibly on age. To exclude these confounding factors as far as possible, the influence of dental amalgam and the correlation of Ag and Hg were evaluated only in a sub-group of 93 males, aged 11-50 years. In this sub-group statistically significant correlations were found between the number of teeth with dental amalgam and the Ag concentrations in the cerebral cortex and the liver. No such correlation was found for the kidney. Ag and inorg. Hg correlate well in this sub-group in the liver, but not in the cerebral cortex or the kidney. Individuals from this sub-group with (i) 0-2 and with (ii) more than 9 teeth with amalgam fillings show mean Ag concentrations (micrograms/kg in tissue wet weight, geom. mean) of 1.59 and 5.41 in the grey matter of cerebrum, 1.42 and 4.25 in the white matter of cerebrum, 1.53 and 4.89 in the nucleus lentiformis, 1.95 and 5.02 in the cerebellum, 1.05 and 3.27 in the brain stem, 3.40 and 8.15 in the liver and 0.42 and 0.44 in the kidney cortex. In contrast, comparing all individuals under investigation with only 0-2 teeth with amalgam no correlation between Ag and inorg. Hg could be found in liver, kidney cortex or cerebral cortex. These results show that amalgam fillings release Ag as well. Considering the different toxicokinetics of Ag and Hg it can be concluded that Ag is a reliable marker for the fact that the elevated concentrations of inorg. Hg found in tissues of individuals with amalgam fillings derive mainly from these fillings and not from other theoretically possible sources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Mercury burden of human fetal and infant tissues.

UNLABELLED: The total mercury concentrations in the liver (Hg-L), the kidney cortex (Hg-K) and the cerebral cortex (Hg-C) of 108 children aged 1 day-5 years, and the Hg-K and Hg-L of 46 fetuses were determined. As far as possible, the mothers were interviewed and their dental status was recorded. The results were compared to mercury concentrations in the tissues of adults from the same geographical area. The Hg-K (n = 38) and Hg-L (n = 40) of fetuses and Hg-K (n = 35) and Hg-C (n = 35) of older infants (11-50 weeks of life) correlated significantly with the number of dental amalgam fillings of the mother. The toxicological relevance of the unexpected high Hg-K of older infants from mothers with higher numbers of dental amalgam fillings is discussed. CONCLUSION: Future discussion on the pros and cons of dental amalgam should not be limited to adults or children with their own amalgam fillings, but also include fetal exposure. The unrestricted application of amalgam for dental restorations in women before and during the child-bearing age should be reconsidered.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Comparison of the body burden of the population of Leipzig and Munich with the heavy metals cadmium, lead and mercury--a study of human organ samples].

In the former GDR it was almost impossible to perform studies on environmental pollution. Therefore, a short time after the opening of the German interior border the authors started an investigation on the heavy metal burden of humans in the former District of Leipzig (Saxonia). In 1990/91 tissues from 57 deceased were collected from this region. The concentrations of cadmium were determined in specimens from the liver and renal cortex, of mercury in liver, renal cortex and grey matter of the cerebrum and of lead in samples of the pelvic bone and the cortical part of the femur. After sample pretreatment, the heavy metal concentrations were determined by GF-AAS or CV-AAS. The results were compared with studies recently performed by the authors in the region of Munich (southern Bavaria, FRG) and with values from the literature. It was found that the burden with cadmium was similar in both regions, whereas on the average, the bone lead concentrations in Leipzig were 10 times (!) higher than in Munich. Considering dental amalgam as main factor for the burdening with inorganic mercury, the mercury concentrations in the liver and the renal cortex were of the same order of magnitude in both regions. In contrast to this, significantly higher mercury concentrations were found in the brain samples from Leipzig than from Munich. Possible negative health effects of these elevated lead and mercury burden in the Leipzig area are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Drug death autopsies at the Munich Institute of Forensic Medicine (1981-1992).

A total of 638 drug death autopsy cases in southern Bavaria from 1981 to 1992 were analysed, including epidemiological and toxicological investigations. The rate of HIV infections decreased during the last few years. Cocaine does not (yet) play a major role. Suicide rates are high. Heroin intoxications are the most frequent cause of death, mostly in combination with other drugs and alcohol. In 1992 we observed a sharp increase of the number of deaths associated with dihydrocodeine abuse. This seems to be a local phenomenon and has to be explained by uncritical and uncontrolled prescription of large amounts of this opiate by individual physicians.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed1991

Clinical and morphological findings on mustard gas [bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide] poisoning.

In 1984 and 1985, a total of eleven Iranian patients were transferred to hospitals in Munich, Germany, after a reported gas attack in the Iran-Iraq war. The initial symptoms and pretreatment in Teheran, Iran, as well as the admittance examination data, the clinical courses of the patients, and the clinical laboratory data in Germany, are reported. The main injuries were to the skin, the eyes, and the respiratory tract. One patient stopped breathing suddenly on the third day of treatment (eight days after the exposure). A large piece of mucous membrane blocking a bronchus was removed during an immediate bronchoscopy, but attempts at resuscitation failed. The most important autopsy findings in this case were severe pseudomembranous inflammation of the trachea and the bronchial tubes. The histological findings are reported. Chemical proof of the poison (mustard gas) was established. A review of the history of chemical warfare, the physical and chemical properties of mustard gas, and a literature survey of clinical findings (including, especially, experiences from World Wars I and II) contribute to the understanding of the actual cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Concentrations of mustard gas [bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide] in the tissues of a victim of a vesicant exposure.

An Iranian soldier died at a toxicological intensive care unit at Munich seven days after a vesicant exposure. At the autopsy the typical symptoms of mustard gas intoxication were found. The vesicant was detected qualitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the abdominal fat and quantified in the tissues and in the body fluids by the following method: (1) extraction by dichloromethane, (2) cleanup of the extracts by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) on silica plates, (3) extractive derivatization with gold-chloride, and (4) quantitative determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS). The equal extracts, after heating, served for blanks. The following concentrations were found (milligrams of mustard gas/kilograms of tissue wet weight): brain 10.7, cerebrospinal fluid 1.9, liver 2.4, kidney 5.6; spleen 1.5, lung 0.8, muscle 3.9, fat 15.1, skin 8.4, skin with subcutaneous fatty tissue 11.8, liquid from a skin blister: below detection limit, blood 1.1, and urine: below detection limit.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Death following administration of 1,250 mg chloroquine in porphyria cutanea tarda].

The death of a 23-year-old female patient is reported. She was being treated for porphyria cutanea tarda (p.c.t.) and was mistakenly given a single dose of 1250 mg chloroquine (instead of the intended dose of 125 mg). The course differed from the typical course of chloroquine toxification, which involves cardiac arrhythmias as the main complication (reported in adults only after much higher doses); in spite of intensive care, this patient died 13 days after the ingestion of chloroquine, in a coma caused by irreversible, acute decompensation of the liver. Forensic autopsy and histological and toxicological investigations confirmed the clinical findings. Starting from the chloroquine's pharmacological mechanism of effect in p.c.t., the severe hepatotoxic effect of this drug in the present case is explained. The authors give a serious warning against exceeding the dose of chloroquine now usually recommended for the treatment of the p.c.t., which is 125-250 mg twice weekly. The presence of chronic porphyria hepatica, at least in its clinically manifest form, (= p.c.t.), should be considered a contraindication for chloroquine in prophylaxis and treatment of other illnesses (e.g. malaria and rheumatism).

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Cadmium body burden of an occupationally non burdened population in southern Bavaria (FRG).

The cadmium body burden of the occupationally non-burdened population in the southern Bavarian area was estimated from the cadmium concentrations in liver and renal cortex, determined by ET-AAS of 263 autopsy cases. A mean value of 17.9 mg cadmium was calculated for all cases and 21.9 mg cadmium for all adults. The body burdens found do not depend on sex but greatly on smoking habits. Mean values for non-smokers are 13.5 mg, for moderate smokers 22.5 mg and for heavy smokers 33.2 mg. The dependence on age is similar to that of the cadmium concentration in the kidney cortex: an increase up to an age of approximately 50 years and a decrease at higher ages. Between the average value we found and the critical body burden calculated by Roels et al. (1983) is a safety factor of 8 to 10, but in some of our cases of middle-aged, heavy smokers this safety factor drops to a value lower than 1. It is concluded that it seems to be imperative to control the further trend of the cadmium body burden in occupationally non-burdened populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Partial nephrectomy and furosemide in toxic and ischemic nonoliguric acute renal failure in rats.

Reduction of the renal mass causes similar tubulo-dynamic changes as furosemide, e.g., hyperperfusion of the single nephron. Therefore, the effect of 5/6 nephrectomy (NX) and furosemide (F) either alone or in combination was evaluated in nonoliguric acute renal failure, using two toxic (glycerol and HgCl2) and one ischemic model. In the HgCl2 model, NX and F alone had a protective effect on whole kidney function, e.g., the increase in serum creatinine was smaller as compared to control rats. NX plus F was followed by the lowest mortality and the smallest increase in serum creatinine. A significant increase in mercury excretion was observed following NX plus F. In the ischemic model, NX and F had no protective effect-when combined, they even enhanced renal insufficiency. The outcome of animals treated with glycerol is neither modified by F nor by NX, although both interventions induced a significant increase of glycerol excretion. It seems that the beneficial effect of 5/6 NX and F depends on the type of acute renal failure (ARF) and the models used, and that the elimination of a toxic agent is not the common pathway of protection in the HgCl2-and the glycerol-induced ARF.

Acute Kidney Injury↗