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Biomedical subjects

G Herrmann

Publications and source records attributed to G Herrmann.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

[Therapeutic occlusion of an erroneously implanted aortocoronary venous bypass using transluminal balloon embolization].

Today, therapeutic occlusion of blood vessels can be performed not only by surgical ligation, but also by various transluminal embolization techniques. The use of hardly steerable emboli (e.g. metal coils or gel foam) is, however, associated with the risk of embolic displacement into the circulation. The present case describes the embolization of an ACVB-graft erroneously implanted to a cardiac vein, by means of a catheter system with a detachable silicone-rubber balloon (Bard-Parker mini-balloon system).

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1987

[Management of rejection following heart transplantation using oral steroid medication].

After 47 orthotopic heart transplantations with long-term immunosuppression (cyclosporin A, 3-10 mg/kg; azathioprine, 1-2 mg/kg; prednisolone 0.1 mg/kg) there were 306 episodes of acute rejection. In 44 of these (14.8%) the oral prednisolone dosage was increased, from a mean of 10.8 +/- 2.95 mg/d to 36.6 +/- 7.2 mg/d, followed by stepwise reduction to the original maintenance dose. Compared with the customary intravenous bolus administration (1.0 g/d for three days: success rate 89%), the oral schedule was successful in 33 of the 44 episodes of rejection (75%). It is concluded that in selected patients acute rejection episodes after heart transplantation can be successful treated by an increase in the oral dose of steroids without changing the dosage of the other two immunosuppressive drugs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Therapeutic effect of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine, caffeic acid oxidation product, and trisodiumphosphonoformate on cutaneous herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in guinea pigs.

The influence of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU), caffeic acid oxidation product (KOP), and trisodiumphosphonoformate (TPF) on the course of the primary cutaneous herpes simplex virus infection was investigated by means of a guinea pig test model. The antiviral substances were applied in an ointment with 10% urea as a penetration mediator. When the treatment was initiated 15 minutes after virus inoculation, 3% BVDU effectively inhibited the development of herpetic vesicles and 0.1% BVDU prevented the appearance of herpetic satellites. Under the same conditions 1% and 3% KOP ointments inhibited the appearance of satellites; and 0.5% TPF ointment completely inhibited the development of cutaneous herpes lesions. Prophylactic drug administration given 24, 20, and 4 hours before virus inoculation was without any protective effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Results of orthotopic heart transplantation for ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

From July 1983 to May 1987, 172 orthotopic heart transplantations were performed in 165 patients. Of these, 46 recipients (39 male, 7 female), aged between 26 and 56 years (mean age 47), suffered from ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Postoperative immunosuppression consisted of a triple drug regimen of cyclosporine A, azathioprine and, in the last 31 patients, low-dose steroids. The actuarial survival in this group of patients at 1 year and at 2 years was 71.9%. There were five early deaths: three due to acute rejection and two from multiple-organ failure and sepsis. Of the eight late deaths, two could be attributed to acute cardiac rejection and four to bacterial infections. In two patients, sudden death occurred in the presence of accelerated graft atherosclerosis. Mild-to-moderate coronary artery lesions were seen in five other patients undergoing angiography one year after transplantation. Apart from the well-known postoperative risk factors in cardiac transplant recipients, accelerated graft atherosclerosis appears to be an additional hazard in the subgroup surgically treated for ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Late increase in luminal diameter of aortocoronary venous bypass grafts associated with an increase in the vascular region under supply.

In a previous study, a significant inverse relation was found between the luminal size of aortocoronary venous bypass grafts and the vascular resistance of the coronary region that was perfused by the bypass graft in late stages after bypass surgery. This observation suggested that changes in the graft-dependent vascular area could influence the luminal size of the vein graft, even when they occurred several years after operation. Whereas it is well established today that aortocoronary vein grafts often decrease in luminal diameter after implantation, an increase in the bypass lumen has so far not been reported. Therefore, changes in luminal diameter of 27 vein grafts in 21 patients who underwent at least two postoperative angiographic studies (first study 8 +/- 5 months after surgery, second study 58 +/- 32 months after surgery) were compared with the size of the vascular region supplied by the bypass. The graft diameter was found to be unchanged between the two studies (3.3 +/- 0.6 versus 3.4 +/- 0.7 mm, p = NS) when the dependent vascular area was unchanged. A significant increase in graft diameter from 2.8 +/- 0.8 to 3.9 +/- 0.9 mm (p less than 0.001) was observed in nine patients in whom the area of perfusion had increased between the two studies because of the development of occlusion or obstruction of major coronary branches that were now perfused from the grafted vessel by way of collateral vessels. These data support the contention that the luminal size of aortocoronary vein grafts can adapt to the needs of the dependent myocardial vascular region even late after operation rather than being the result of a nonreversible degenerative process as commonly assumed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia following heart transplantation.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia represents a rare complication that is associated with a high mortality following heart transplantation. The cases of two heart transplant recipients who developed Pneumocystis pneumonia within the first 3 postoperative months are reported. Both patients had severe clinical symptoms of the disease; the diagnosis was confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage, and the patients were treated with a combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. Both patients recovered and are well at the time of this report.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Efficacy of 5-vinyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (VaraU) against herpes simplex virus type 2 strains in cell cultures and against experimental herpes encephalitis in mice: comparison with acyclovir and foscarnet.

The sensitivity of different herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) strains to inhibition by 5-vinyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (VaraU) was evaluated in comparison to 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine (ACV; acyclovir) and trisodiumphosphonoformate (Na3PFA; foscarnet), using a plaque inhibition assay in primary rabbit testes (PRT) cells as well as in human embryonic lung fibroblast (HELF) cell cultures. The order of decreasing activity found was ACV much greater than VaraU greater than Na3PFA in PRT cells and ACV greater than VaraU much greater than Na3PFA in HELF cells, with 50% inhibition doses (ID50) of 1.8, 8.8, and greater than 110 microM for the three drugs in HELF cells, respectively. After 72hr of drug treatment, inhibition of HELF cell proliferation by VaraU (ID50, greater than 1000 microM) was less than that by ACV and Na3PFA, resulting in high selectivity indexes of greater than 100 against HSV-2 for VaraU and ACV. Their in vivo efficacy was assessed in a mouse encephalitis model. Using a treatment schedule of three daily intraperitoneal (ip) doses over a period of 5 days, only the survival times of mice were considerably prolonged by VaraU (150 or 300 mg/kg per day; P less than 0.05 or P less than 0.001, respectively). In contrast, ACV treatment (150 mg/kg per day) led to a nearly complete prevention of encephalitis and death (P less than 0.001). Similar therapy results with VaraU application through the drinking water were obtained using only one-sixth of the high ip dose (approximately 50 mg/kg per day) but over a prolonged period of treatment. Under similar conditions no therapeutic effect of oral Na3PFA was observed.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1987

A classification of cardiac allograft rejection. A modification of the classification by Billingham.

We herein propose a classification of rejection in cardiac allografts based on the original Stanford work. Our modified classification, as a work hypothesis, defines the following grades: mild acute rejection (A-1), corresponding to Billingham's "mild rejection"; mild acute rejection with probable conversion to moderate rejection (A-2); moderate acute rejection (A-3), comparable to Billingham's "moderate rejection"; and severe acute rejection (A-4), morphologically identical with the respective grade in the Billingham classification. The resolution of rejection has been classified into two grades--early (A-5a) and late (A-5b) resolution--according to the development of granulation tissues. We also grade the degree of vasculopathy (B-1, B-2) and chronic rejection (C), which is characterized by aggressive fibrosis and persistent vasculopathy. Mild rejection with possible conversion to moderate rejection is defined by an increasing quantity of retrogressive changes in myocytes. Changes not related to transplantation are characterized in our classification by descriptive diagnosis. The proposed classification was validated by 1 year of clinical experience and by the evaluation of possible prognostic aspects of the classification.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1987

Effect of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)- and 5-vinyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil on Epstein-Barr virus antigen expression in P3HR-1 cells: comparison with acyclovir.

The effect of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)- and 5-vinyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (BrVaraU, VaraU) in comparison to 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine (ACV) on the proliferation of human lymphoblastoid P3HR-1 cells in culture and on the expression of Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen (VCA) in the same cells was evaluated. After 7 days of cell growth, at 100 mumol/l the total number of new generations in drug-treated cultures was similar or 5 and 10% below that in drug-free control cultures, for VaraU, ACV, and BrVaraU, respectively. During the same time the percentage of VCA-expressing cells decreased from 6.3% in drug-free cultures to 1.3, 1.5, and 2.0% in cultures treated with VaraU, ACV and BrVaraU, respectively. In VaraU-treated cultures a further decrease in the percentage of VCA-positive cells down to 0.5% was revealed 7 days after drug removal. VaraU was also effective in reducing the proportion of VCA-expressing cells at 10 and 1 mumol/l. At 14 days after drug removal, the inhibitory effect of ACV was nearly reversed, whereas BrVaraU showed a prolonged VCA- suppressing effect.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1987

[Heart transplantation--postoperative management].

Heart transplantation represents a widely accepted therapeutic modality for patients with end-stage myocardial failure. With increasing experience, 1-year survival rates of over 75% and 5-year survival rates of over 60% have been achieved, mainly due to patient selection, standardized surgical techniques as well as improved postoperative management. During early follow-up, particular attention should focus on diagnosis and treatment of graft rejection and infection, which require individualized immunosuppression, while in the later postoperative course coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension, chronic renal insufficiency and malignancy become more important as potential complications. The general principles in the management of these patients are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

In-situ hybridisation with HBV-cDNA as a sensitive method for the diagnosis of hepatitis B infection in persistent acute hepatitis.

Liver biopsies of 97 patients with persistent acute hepatitis, a morphologically distinct form of hepatitis with only slightly elevated transaminase values, were screened immunohistochemically for HBs and HBc, and with in-situ hybridisation for HBV DNA. Besides the 37 in part inconstantly immunohistochemically-positive patients, 47 others showed exclusively cytoplasmatic HBV DNA, localizing at least the major part of the replication of viral DNA to the cytoplasm of liver cells. A diffuse distribution pattern of HBV DNA-positive liver cells was accompanied by stronger morphological changes than focally accentuated positivity. In HBc-positive cases, distribution of HBV DNA corresponded mainly to the cytoplasmic type of HBc.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

Morphological changes after intra-arterial chemotherapy of the liver.

The livers of twenty patients given intra-arterial chemotherapy to treat malignant tumors of the liver or liver metastases, were examined histologically. The results show that cytostatic chemotherapy primarily affects tumor cells, but also causes toxic damage to liver tissue. Besides necrosis of single cells or groups of cells and cholestasis in about one-third of the cases sclerosing cholangitis is a major complication. After chemoembolization, which produces a more marked therapeutic effect with regard to tumor necrosis, extensive necrosis of liver tissue, arteries, bile ducts, and nerves is most conspicuous. Nevertheless, in view of the positive therapeutic effects observed, intra-arterial chemotherapy is recommended for palliative therapy.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1986

Kidney-derived urinary antigens assayed with monoclonal antibodies for the detection of renal damage.

For the quantitation of kidney-derived Urinary Antigens (UA) monoclonal antibodies specific for antigens localized in cells of defined subunits of the nephron were applied in sandwich ELISA. Antigen excretion was measured in the urine of healthy individuals, patients suffering from various diseases, kidney transplant recipients, and healthy volunteers receiving therapeutic doses of antibiotic drugs. In healthy individuals, in patients with diseases primarily affecting the glomerulus, and in inactive phases of chronic diseases antigen excretion was low. Toxic drug effects enhanced antigenuria. Excretion of some or all of the antigens always indicated tubular alterations. The tests thus provide information on location and extent of acute primary tubular damage.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1986

Parathyroid hormone in coronary artery disease--results of a prospective study.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) influences the calcium metabolism of many different mammalian cell types; indeed, hypertension due to changes in muscle tone is a frequent symptom of hypercalcemic hyperparathyroidism. In a blind study of 81 patients with various forms of heart disease undergoing coronary angiography, the plasma concentrations of the midcarboxyl regional PTH immunoreactivity were determined. PTH concentrations were elevated in 26 of the 56 patients exhibiting organic coronary artery disease (CAD). The plasma PTH levels were highest in those patients with CAD affecting three vessels and in patients with evidence of myocardial infarction. PTH levels were not influenced by previous drug treatments, and did not correlate to stress hormone levels. We propose that increased PTH levels may be a marker for initiation or potentiation of calcium-dependent changes in vascular smooth muscle behavior inducing coronary functional and anatomic lesions typical of CAD.

Adult↗