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Biomedical subjects

H Barthelmes

Publications and source records attributed to H Barthelmes.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Ernst Schweninger, personal physician of the German chancellor and director of the Charite Dermatology Clinic 1884-1902].

Ernst Schweninger was at the age of 33 years already world renowned for being Bismarck's personal physician. In 1884, his grateful patient made him chief of the Department of Dermatology in Berlin and Professor of Dermatology. The subsequent years were marked by political struggles within the university, but he still produced a number of scientific publications, and is still remember for his first description of anetoderma type Schweninger-Buzzi. Dermatology and his activities at the Berlin clinic from whose direction he resigned in 1902 accounted for only one period in his life. His main interest was the physiologic-dietetic therapeutic method which he applied also to dermatology. Later on, he dissociated himself from scientific medicine and became the founder of a school for natural healing methods. The present report is designed to keep alive the memories of this politically active physician.

Berlin↗

Detection of autoantibodies against tissue transglutaminase in patients with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.

OBJECTIVE: Endomysial autoantibodies (EmA) are specific for celiac disease. The target antigen has been identified as tissue tranglutaminase (tTG). Our aim was to study the accuracy of a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for easy detection of tTG autoantibodies. METHODS: Thirty-one sera from patients with histologically proven celiac disease and 23 healthy controls were examined for EmA using monkey esophagus and human umbilical cord as substrate. IgA-tTG autoantibodies were determined by newly developed ELISA. Additionally, sera from patients with dermatitis herpetiformis (n = 20), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; n = 32), chronic liver disease (n = 36), and diabetes mellitus (n = 19) were tested. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the tTG autoantibody ELISA accounted for 90% detection in patients with untreated celiac disease. The specificity was 76% owing to positive values in the lower range in patients with IBD (15%), chronic liver disease (36%), and diabetes (22%), all of whom were negative for EmA. In dermatitis herpetiformis patients 90% were EmA-positive. Of these, only 47% showed elevated tTG autoantibodies. Preincubation of sera from dermatitis patients with tTG abolished immunofluorescent staining of endomysial structures. CONCLUSION: Detection of mid- to high-titer tTG autoantibodies is highly specific for celiac disease. However, in the low-titer range, overlap exists with liver disease, IBD, and diabetes. Tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies may evolve as a new screening and follow-up method for celiac disease. Although tTG seems to be a major autoantigen in dermatitis herpetiformis, the low sensitivity of both tTG ELISA and immunofluorescence using human umbilical cord suggests differential involvement of tTG in this disease.

Animals↗

Beware of the heart: the multiple picture of cardiac involvement in myositis.

A 42-yr-old woman with dermatomyositis had two myocardial infarctions, episodes of acute chest pain and an acute lung oedema. These events were initially misinterpreted as atherosclerotic ischaemic heart disease accompanying the autoimmune disease. The lack of improvement of cardiac symptoms with anti-ischaemic and immunosuppressive drugs indicated other mechanisms. Intracoronary drug provocation as well as myocardial biopsy revealed a coincidence of small-vessel disease and vasospastic angina as a cause for the severe cardiac symptoms. After initiating therapy with high doses of calcium channel blockers, marked improvement of cardiac symptoms occurred. In the pathogenesis of cardiac involvement in dermatomyositis, two different mechanisms should be considered: inflammatory processes due to dermatomyositis and vasoconstriction caused by an impaired regulation of vascular tone, such as abnormal vessel reactivity or disturbed neuropeptide release. Signs of this generalized vasopathy are Raynaud's phenomenon, Prinzmetal's angina and small-vessel disease, which can coincide. In patients with severe cardiac symptoms and autoimmune diseases, Prinzmetal's angina should be excluded by intracoronary drug provocation using acetylcholine.

Angina Pectoris, Variant↗

An operationalized procedure for the recognition of premorbid personality types in biographical case notes on psychiatric patients.

A method for the assessment of six premorbid personality types from biographical data in psychiatric case histories is described. Trained raters have to fill in a list comprising 106 items as descriptors of a patient's premorbid behavioural development. The assignment to the types in question (the "manic type" and its rare variant, the "happy-go-lucky type", the "melancholic type", the "anxious insecure type" and its rare variant, the "unrealistic dreamy type", and finally, the "nervous tense type") is computed on the basis of the item scores by forming type scores and comparing their height intraindividually. The subject under study is assigned to the type reaching the comparatively highest value. Two raters independently analyzed 261 records from which all information on mental disorders in family members and the patient himself/herself as well as all biographical data from the first manifestation of a symptom disorder onwards had been erased by technical assistants. In 106 of the records, a global assignment to the types of premorbid personality had already been performed by one of the authors of the typology. The scores for the same type assessed by the two ratings correlated highly with each other (0.77 to 0.80), the concordance of types reached a kappa-value of 0.55 (P < 0.001), and the results of the operationalized typing agreed in the same order with the result of global typing in the subsample of n = 106.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Percutaneous absorption of hematoporphyrin derivative--fluorescence- and electron microscopic studies].

Using surviving human skin, percutaneous absorption following topical application of hematoporphyrin derivative was investigated. Hematoporphyrin derivative gave strong red fluorescence, which was dependent from it's actual concentration, from the used kind of vehicle, from preparation time, and from time between preparation and application of hematoporphyrin derivative solution. Ultrastructural investigation verified cytoplasmatic membranes and mitochondria as the principal targets also after topical application followed by irradiation with visible light.

Hematoporphyrin Derivative↗

[The value of humoral immune phenomena in children and adolescents with circumscribed scleroderma].

Sera taken from 35 children and teen-agers with different clinic variants of the circumscribed scleroderma were investigated for the presence of FANA, anti-DNA-, anti-DNP-, anti-ENA-(extractable nuclear antigens)-, and anti-Ro/SSA-antibodies. In 85.7% of the patients, humoral immune phenomena were ascertainable. Whereas FANA above all in patients with clinically rapidly progredient running linear form (71%) were present, anti-dsDNA- and anti-DNP-antibodies may be worth as hint upon a visceral manifestation. Therefore, they may be valid as leading antibodies for a subset of the circumscribed scleroderma, which is being designated by extracutaneous participation and the skin mostly exhibit a linear variant. The frequency of the evidence of the characteristic immune phenomena in patients with circumscribed scleroderma, which are typically in systemic lupus erythematosus, is considered as hint to the immune pathogenesis of the disease. The functional defects of the kidneys, catched with the isotope-clearance refer to a possible systemic character of the disease-process. Humoral immune phenomena are suitable for differentiation of the cutaneous and extracutaneous progress forms, in which high titer of FANA with homogeneous pattern of fluorescence, anti-dsDNA- and anti-DNP-antibodies have a special importance. Compared to it anti-ssDNA-antibodies and anti-Ro/SSA-antibodies characterize the high degree of activity of cutaneous and extracutaneous progress forms.

Adolescent↗

Correlation between the phenotype and the functional capacity of activated T cells in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus.

Activated T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were determined using monoclonal antibodies against activation antigens. Elevated percentages of HLA-DR+ T cells were found in association with active disease. In contrast, we observed an increase in IL-2 receptor-bearing T cells in only six out of 16 patients with active disease. In vitro assays, like spontaneous proliferation, response to IL-2, production of IL-2, and immunoglobulin synthesis have shown that the different patterns of activation antigens are related to different functional stages of T-cell activation. The possible therapeutic consequences are discussed.

Antigens, Surface↗

[Heart antibodies in sarcoidosis].

By means of indicret immunofluorescence sera of 56 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis of the x-ray stages I-III--among them 25 patients with additional heart involvement--were examined to detect heart antibodies. At all x-ray stages of pulmonary sarcoidosis muscle antibodies were identified. Patients who were treated with glucocorticosteroids showed more antibodies against heart musculature than those ones without therapy. By reason of the results of the indirect immunofluorescence no reliable differentiation was possible between a group with pulmonary sarcoidosis and a group with pulmonary sarcoidosis and additional heart involvement. Similar results could be obtained by use of both animal muscle antigen and human myocardiac antigen so that the use of human myocardiac tissue does not seem to be necessary in order to demonstrate antibodies in case of sarcoidosis. The frequency of the proof of antibodies against muscle antigen draws the attention to an early or systemic affection of the muscular system in sarcoidosis.

Adult↗

Circadian rhythms in endogenous depression.

A comprehensive study of circadian rhythms was carried out in 16 drug-free patients with endogenous depression, 10 of whom were reinvestigated after clinical remission, and 10 healthy controls. No free-running periods were observed in body temperature, urinary excretion of potassium and free cortisol, or any other variable. Moreover, there was little, if any, indication of phase-advance. The circadian variation of several variables was reduced during depression, e.g., motor activity, body temperature, and (less markedly) urinary potassium, but not cortisol. The circadian worsening of mood tended to occur around the time of awakening during depression, i.e., several hours later than after remission or in normal controls. In patients with circadian variation of self-rated mood, the acrophase of this variable correlated significantly with that of urinary free cortisol. This indicates an entrainment of the disease process to the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion, probably via circadian variations of neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus. The other circadian phenomena observed in depression can adequately be explained by masking effects (negative or positive) of psychopathological symptoms (e.g., early morning awakening) on overt circadian rhythms.

Adult↗