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Biomedical subjects

G Engelmann

Publications and source records attributed to G Engelmann.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Conservative treatment of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis with intravenous atropine sulfate does not replace pyloromyotomy.

Pyloromyotomy as described by Weber and Ramstedt has been the standard therapy for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis since the 1960's and conservative therapy has been abandoned. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of systemic atropine applied intravenously for 7 days as a conservative therapeutic strategy and as an alternative to primary operation. Forty-two consecutive term infants with infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis were enrolled in the study over a period of 5 years. After confirmation of the diagnosis they all received intravenous atropine at a dose of 0.04 mg/(kg day) and increased by 0.01 mg/(kg day) up to 0.12 mg/(kg day), given as 6-8 single doses per/day. Nine pairs of parents requested that their child should be operated before completing the 7 days of medical therapy. Surgery was necessary in 8 of the remaining 33 infants (24,.2%) who did not improve after 7 days of conservative treatment. Successful treatment with i.v. atropine sulfate was achieved only in 25/33 term infants at an average maximal dose of 0.11 mg/(kg day), without any major side effects. Intravenous atropine sulfate has been considered as a potential alternative therapeutic strategy in the treatment of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Clinical improvement however was often not seen before the 6th or 7th day of intravenous treatment. A success rate for the conservative approach of only 75% at day 7 in our study does not favour atropine therapy, in view of success rates above 95% with surgical repair.

Atropine↗
PubMed1999

Heat shock proteins delivered with a virus vector can protect cardiac cells against apoptosis as well as against thermal or hypoxic stress.

Over expression of heat shock proteins (hsps) by transfection of plasmid constructs in vitro and in transgenic animals in vivo can protect primary cardiac cells from subsequent exposure to severe thermal or hypoxic stress. Here we show that such protection can also be achieved by over-expressing the hsps using herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors capable of efficient gene delivery in vivo. Moreover, the convenience and high efficiency of this system has allowed us to show, for the first time, that over-expression of hsp27 or hsp70 can protect cardiac cells against three different apoptosis-inducing stimuli as well as against thermal or hypoxic stress whereas hsp56 has no protective effect. The potential therapeutic use of inducing the over-expression of specific hsps in cardiac cells in vivo using pharmacological or gene therapy procedures is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Transmission dynamics of tuberculosis in a high-incidence country: prospective analysis by PCR DNA fingerprinting.

We have prospectively analyzed the DNA fingerprints of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from a random sample of patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis in Windhoek, Namibia. Strains from 263 smear-positive patients in whom tuberculosis was diagnosed during 1 year were evaluated, and the results were correlated with selected epidemiological and clinical data. A total of 163 different IS6110 fingerprint patterns were observed among the 263 isolates. Isolates from a high percentage of patients (47%) were found in 29 separate clusters, with a cluster defined as isolates with 100% matching patterns. The largest cluster included isolates from 39 patients. One predominant strain of M. tuberculosis caused 15% of cases of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis in Windhoek. That strain was also prevalent in the north of the country, suggesting that in contrast to other African countries with isolates with high levels of diversity in their DNA fingerprint patterns, only a restricted number of different strains significantly contribute to the tuberculosis problem in Namibia.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Preoperative diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium lymphadenitis in two immunocompetent children by polymerase chain reaction of gastric aspirates.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of gastric aspirates is a routine procedure for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis. However, identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria in gastric aspirates of immunocompetent children is not thought to be clinically significant. METHODS: A PCR method was devised for the detection of M. avium in clinical specimens. The method is based on the amplification of a M. avium-specific DNA fragment present in the 3'-end of the repetitive element IS1245. Surgically removed lymphatic tissue was analyzed prospectively by microscopy, culture and PCR in 13 children admitted to our hospital with suspected mycobacterial lymphadenitis. In 4 of these children 1 to 4 gastric aspirates were obtained before surgical treatment and submitted to the same analysis. RESULTS: We report the detection of M. avium in the gastric aspirates of two children with cervical lymphadenitis before surgical intervention by a novel PCR method. The subsequently surgically removed lymph nodes were also positive by PCR and culture. In one child cultures of both sources grew M. avium. The isolates could be identified as the same strain by DNA fingerprinting. The PCR assay was almost twice as sensitive as culture in detecting M. avium. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the possibility for noninvasive diagnosis of cervical lymphadenitis caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria before surgery. In addition detection of M. avium in gastric aspirates without evidence of fistula formation provides new insights into the pathogenesis of mycobacterial infection and disease in immunocompetent children.

DNA Fingerprinting↗
PubMed1989

[The aging alterations of the arytenoid cartilage].

The aging processes of the arytaenoid cartilage were described. We inspected 58 arytaenoid cartilage at the age of 0 to 91 years. The arytaenoid cartilage consists mainly of hyaline cartilage, whereas the apex, colliculus and the vocal processus consist of elastic cartilage. The cartilage of larynx exhibits changes concerning the cells and the intercellular substance. Chondrocytes show fatty degeneration, the cell density decreased. During the age intercellular substance shows the following changes: albuminoid degeneration, partly loss of intercellular substance with exhibition of well visible collagen fibers, calcification and ossification. Intercellular substance shows basophilic reaction up to the 4th decennium, later the reaction becomes more and more eosinophilic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Control mechanisms in platelet activation.

Those activation stages that are energy dependent rely upon a complex control mechanism involving the interaction of platelet thrombasthenin, free ionic calcium, cyclic AMP and the prostaglandins. This article describes the feedback mechanisms inherent in these controls, and the sources, activities and degradation of all control materials. Particular attention is paid to the prostaglandins and their activating enzymes, both within the dense tubular system of the platelet and the cytoplasm of endothelial cells. The implications of the prostaglandin pathway for both therapy and laboratory diagnosis are explored.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1981

A review of platelet function and testing.

Platelet function testing is an area of recent growth and development in clinical laboratories. Additions to classical testing procedures include aggregation and retention tests and measurement of platelet release products. The necessity exists for understanding platelet structure and function. In this paper, the various platelet structures are demonstrated, their composition is described, and their individual contribution to platelet activation discussed. Platelet activation is described in four phases: adhesion, reversible contraction, aggregation, and release. Each is described in relationship to the others and laboratory test procedures marking each are described. The question of the relationship of measurement of platelet release markers to clinical condition is reviewed.

Blood Platelets↗