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Biomedical subjects

H Mertz

Publications and source records attributed to H Mertz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Milker's nodules].

Milker's nodule is a parapox virus infection seen mostly on the hands of dairy farmers. We saw 15 cases over a period of two years in the County of North Jutland. Clinically, milker's nodule goes through a papular, a nodular and a crusted stage. Most patients were seen when the infection was in the nodular stage, an often painful condition requiring treatment. Three patients developed an erythema multiformelike secondary eruption. Lesions from nine patients were removed for histological examination. The histology of all lesions was consistent with milker's nodule. In three of seven patients parapox virus was demonstrated by electron microscopy. Treatment was commonly curettage followed by cauterization.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Caroli's disease].

Caroli's disease (CS) is a rare malformation of the bile duct with multiple segmental communicating dilatations of intrahepatic bile ducts affecting the whole of or parts of the liver. The disease is presumably of autosomal recessive hereditary character. Caroli described two types: the rare isolated variety (type 1), is characterized by recurring episodes of cholangitis. The more frequently occurring type 2 is associated with congenital hepatic fibrosis, and consequently there are also symptoms of portal hypertension. Both types may make their first appearance at a very early age. A case story is presented. In the light of the development of carcinoma in 7% of the patients, the authors recommend that patients who cannot be operated radically should have regular, clinical follow-ups including ultrasonography and biopsies if necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Rectal afferent function in patients with inflammatory and functional intestinal disorders.

Chronic symptoms of abdominal pain and discomfort are reported by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and functional disorders of the gut, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It has recently been suggested that transient inflammatory mucosal events may result in long-lasting sensitization of visceral afferent pathways. To determine the effect of recurring intestinal tissue irritation on lumbosacral afferent pathways, and to identify a plausible mechanism that could account for the overlap in symptomatology between IBD and IBS, we compared rectal afferent mechanisms in patients with Crohn's disease (inflammation limited to the ileum) with those observed in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS. Continuous volume ramp and phasic pressure step distension of a rectal balloon were performed in 9 healthy male control subjects, 12 male patients with isolated ileal Crohn's disease and 9 male patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS using an electronic visceral stimulation device. The response of rectal afferents to distension was evaluated by measuring thresholds for the perception of physiological (stool) and aversive (discomfort) sensations, viscerosomatic referral patterns, skin conductance responses, receptive relaxation, and rectoanal reflex responses. In response to slow ramp distension, thresholds for aversive sensations were significantly higher in Crohn's disease patients, but similar between the two other groups. In response to rapid phasic distension, IBS patients reported discomfort at lower distension pressures, while all other thresholds were similar between groups. Skin conductance responses to aversive distension were greatly reduced in Crohn's disease patients while IBS patients had greater responses when compared to normals. Changes in viscerosomatic referral patterns and receptive relaxation rate were similar in Crohn's disease and IBS patients. These findings demonstrate that chronic ileal inflammation is associated with increased thresholds for discomfort and greatly diminished systemic autonomic reflex responses. In contrast, IBS patients show lowered thresholds for discomfort associated with increased autonomic responses. The findings in Crohn's patients may result from descending bulbospinal inhibition of sacral dorsal horn neurons in response to chronic intestinal tissue irritation.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Effects of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) on rectal afferent nerves in humans.

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) released in the gastrointestinal mucosa from immune cells or enterochromaffin cells may play a role in the modulation of rectal afferent function. In the current study we evaluated the effects of peripherally administered CRF on afferent mechanisms in the human rectum. We used rectal balloon distention in seven healthy volunteers to evaluate the effect of CRF (1 microgram/kg) on visceral afferents originating in the rectum which are involved in the following functions: thresholds and intensity of conscious perception, receptive relaxation, reflex inhibition of internal anal sphincter and a viscerosomatic reflex. Rectal mechanoreceptors were stimulated either by distending the rectum using a volume ramp (40 and 400 mL/min), or by intermittent phasic distention. CRF decreased the thresholds and increased the intensity for the sensation of discomfort in response to both ramp and phasic distention. During slow ramp distention, CRF also lowered the stool threshold. CRF increased rectal compliance during slow ramp distention without affecting the rate of receptive relaxation or the inflection point of the compliance curve. CRF had no effect on viscerosomatic referral patterns, or on the rectoanal inhibitory reflex. These findings are consistent with a dual effect of CRF on afferent pathways mediating perception of aversive rectal sensations, and on rectal smooth muscle.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Nephrotic syndrome in familial Mediterranean fever--effect of colchicine therapy].

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetic disorder virtually restricted to people originating from the Middle East. It is characterized by short, self-limiting, febrile attacks of peritonitis, synovitis, pleuritis or an erysipelas-like erythema. Without treatment systemic amyloidosis often develops and causes death in renal failure, usually at an early age. Two siblings with FMF and renal amyloidosis are presented. One had nephrotic syndrome, the other severe proteinuria. Continuous colchicine treatment reverse the nephrotic syndrome and in both patients the proteinuria was reduced. It is concluded, that even though colchicine can improve severe renal amyloidosis, early diagnosis of FMF is crucial because continuous colchicine treatment prevents both the febrile attacks and the amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed1995

Altered rectal perception is a biological marker of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Lowered visceral perception thresholds have been suggested as a biological marker of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The current study sought to determine the prevalence of altered rectal visceral perception in patients with IBS and the correlation of altered perception thresholds with subjective symptoms. METHODS: Anorectal manometry and rectal perception thresholds to balloon distention were determined in 100 patients with IBS and 15 control subjects. Gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms were assessed by questionnaire. Perception thresholds and symptoms were reassessed after 3 months in 15 patients with IBS. RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of patients showed altered rectal perception in the form of lowered thresholds for aversive sensations (discomfort), increased intensity of sensations, or altered viscerosomatic referral. Hypersensitivity was found only for aversive sensations in response to rapid phasic distention; stool thresholds and thresholds in response to slow ramp distention were normal. Cluster analysis by physiological parameters identified three IBS subgroups with predominant patterns of symptoms. Longitudinal evaluation indicated a correlation between changes in perception thresholds and symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: Because altered rectal perception is present in almost all patients with IBS and perception thresholds correlate with temporal changes in retrospective symptom severity, altered rectal perception represents a reliable biological marker of IBS.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The effect of octreotide on human gastric compliance and sensory perception.

Somatostatin or its analogue octreotide (OCT) has previously been shown to modulate gastric emptying, intestinal motor activity and visceral sensation. In the current study we sought to determine the effect of a single dose of OCT (1.25 micrograms kg-1 s.c.), which has previously been shown to have both motor and sensory effects, on proximal gastric compliance and on conscious perception of gastric distention. Gastric distention was performed in 13 healthy male volunteers, by either slow ramp distention (60 ml min-1) or by intermittent pressure steps (phasic distention; 4-20 mmHg) using an electronic distention device. Compliance curves (pressure-volume relationship), and thresholds for innocuous (fullness) and noxious sensations (discomfort, pain) were determined following vehicle or OCT injection. OCT consistently and significantly reduced the rate of the gastric accommodation reflex by 50%, resulting in a reduced compliance at distention pressures greater than 10 mmHg during phasic distention. In contrast, no effect was observed on the compliance curve obtained during ramp distention. OCT selectively increased the threshold for fullness during both ramp and phasic distention. During phasic distention, OCT decreased the volume thresholds for noxious (pain) sensations experienced at volumes greater than 300 ml, without affecting the corresponding pressure threshold. These findings suggest that at low distension volumes, OCT in the dosage used has a direct inhibitory effect on afferents mediating innocuous gastric sensations. The hyperalgesic effect observed during phasic distention may be secondary to OCT's inhibitory effect on the gastric accommodation reflex.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Evidence for the hypersensitivity of lumbar splanchnic afferents in irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The pathways underlying rectal hypersensitivity to balloon distention in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are not known. The aim of this study was to characterize the involvement of sacral and thoracolumbar afferents in the perception of rectal distention. METHODS: Rectal balloon distention was performed in 15 normal control subjects, 6 patients with spinal cord injury, and 50 patients with IBS using a slow-volume ramp (40 mL/min) or rapid phasic step distension. Additional studies were performed in the presence of 2% intrarectal lidocaine. RESULTS: Patients with spinal cord injury with lesions below T7 reported sensations only during phasic distention. Sixty percent of patients with IBS (n = 50) were hypersensitive for discomfort during phasic distention, whereas only 4% were hypersensitive during ramp distention. Less than 15% of patients were hypersensitive for the sensation of stool. In normal patients, lidocaine increased thresholds in response to slow ramp distention by 40%-70% but had no effect on perception in response to other types of distention. Lidocaine had no effect on (1) thresholds in response to either ramp or phasic distention in normosensitive or hypersensitive patients with IBS or (2) the rate of receptive relaxation or rectal compliance in any group. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid phasic distention preferentially stimulates splanchnic afferents. Hypersensitivity of these afferents in patients with IBS is unaffected by mucosally applied lidocaine.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Subacute cor pulmonale due to microscopic pulmonary tumour cell embolization.

A case of a clinically occult ovarian carcinoma leading to subacute cor pulmonale in a 62-year-old woman is described. The patient was admitted to hospital with increasing respiratory distress. Physical examination and echocardiography showed signs of pulmonary hypertension. She died from circulatory failure. Autopsy revealed a bilateral ovarian carcinoma with diffuse carcinosis of the peritoneum. No gross evidence of pulmonary embolism was present, but microscopic investigation revealed tumour-related microangiopathic lesions causing the lethal pulmonary hypertension.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Sleep and duodenal motor activity in patients with severe non-ulcer dyspepsia.

The prevalence of sleep disturbances was studied in patients with severe non-ulcer dyspepsia. It was also considered if the change in sleep pattern was associated with changes in the rhythmic fasting motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract, and if motor events correlate with the patient's symptoms. Motor activity in the duodenum was monitored over a 24 hour period under freely ambulatory conditions in 10 healthy controls and in 10 patients with severe non-ulcer dyspepsia using a transnasally placed catheter with six solid state pressure transducers connected to a digital data logging device. Symptoms and sleep disturbance were assessed by questionnaire and diary. Based on their symptoms, the patients were separated into two groups: those with dyspepsia symptoms only (non-ulcer dyspepsia; n = 5) and those with dyspepsia and additional functional symptoms thought to arise from the lower gastrointestinal tract (non-ulcer dyspepsia+irritable bowel syndrome; n = 5). When compared with either the control or the non-ulcer dyspepsia+irritable bowel syndrome group, non-ulcer dyspepsia patients had a considerably decreased number of migrating motor complexes during the nocturnal period (0.7 v 4.6), a decreased percentage of nocturnal phase I (5.2% v 78.0%), and an increased percentage of the nocturnal period in phase II (94% v 15.4%). Patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia+irritable bowel syndrome were not different from normal controls. Four of the non-ulcer dyspepsia patients and all of the non-ulcer dyspepsia+irritable bowel syndrome patients reported difficulties with sleep. Clusters of high amplitude tonic and phasic activity, not accompanied by subjective reports of discomfort were noted in several patients in both groups during the study. In eight of 10 patients, abdominal pain was reported during normal motor activity, while in one patient, pain correlated with phase III of the migrating motor complex. In contrast with previous reports in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, our findings suggest an abnormality of diurnal rhythmicity--shown in changed sleep and changed rhythmic duodenal motor activity--in patients with chronic abdominal pain thought to arise from the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1993

The gastrin-receptor antagonist L-365,260 inhibits stimulated acid secretion in humans.

We investigated the effect of a novel gastrin-cholecystokinin-B receptor antagonist, L-365,260 [(3R)-3(N'-3-methylphenyl)ureido)-1,3-dihydro-5-phenyl- 2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one], on gastric acid secretion in humans. In a double-blind, four-period crossover study, eight subjects received single oral doses of placebo or of 2.5, 10, or 50 mg L-365,260, followed by an intravenous infusion of pentagastrin at doses of 0.05, 0.4, and 2 micrograms/kg/hr for successive 30-minute periods. L-365,260 caused a dose-dependent inhibition of pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion. A single oral dose of 50 mg L-365,260 produced 50% inhibition of the gastric acid output response to pentagastrin (0.4 micrograms/kg/hr) when the mean (+/- SD) plasma L-365,260 concentration was 502 +/- 108 ng/ml. Plasma L-365,260 concentrations (all doses combined) and the inhibition of gastric acid output were correlated with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.45 (p < 0.05). Single oral doses of L-365,260 up to 50 mg did not inhibit basal gastric acid output or alter plasma gastrin concentrations. L-365,260 was well tolerated at oral doses up to 50 mg. These findings show that L-365,260 is an orally active antagonist at gastrin-cholecystokinin-B receptors in humans.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Effects of the somatostatin analogue octreotide on rectal afferent nerves in humans.

Somatostatin (Som) administered intrathecally to humans has been shown to exert potent analgesic effects on somatic pain, and anecdotal evidence suggests that Som may also relieve visceral pain. In the current study, we used rectal balloon distension in seven healthy volunteers to evaluate the effect of the Som analogue octreotide (Oct; 1.25 microgram/kg sc) on four pathways mediated by different visceral afferents that originate in the rectum: conscious perception, receptive relaxation, reflex inhibition of internal anal sphincter, and a viscerosomatic reflex. Rectal mechanoreceptors were stimulated either by distending the rectum tonically (volume ramp at 20-40 and 400 ml/min) or phasically (intermittent pressure steps of 60 s duration). Pressure thresholds for nonnoxious and noxious sensations in response to slow tonic distension were increased in the presence of rectal lidocaine (20 ml of 2% solution), whereas those to phasic distension were unaffected. Oct significantly increased pressure and volume thresholds for nonnoxious and noxious sensations in response to slow tonic distension but did not further increase thresholds in the presence of intrarectal lidocaine. In contrast, no effect of Oct on rectal sensations was observed during rapid tonic or phasic distension. Oct had no effect on any of the monitored reflex responses. The effect of Oct on rectal sensation in the concentration used in this study was not associated with changes in the rectal wall pressure-volume relationship during any distension protocol. These findings indicate that the inhibitory effect of Oct on rectal sensation is likely to represent a direct effect on a subset of extrinsic primary afferent neurons, with receptive fields in the mucosa.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1991

[Periventricular cerebral hemorrhage in children with very low birth weights in the county of North Jutland. Retrospective study].

The object of this investigation was to determine the frequency of intracerebral periventricular haemorrhage in neonates with very low birthweights in an unselected material from the County of North Jutland. During the years 1988-1989 a total of 86 infants with low birthweights were born in the county. Intracerebral periventricular haemorrhage was diagnosed by means of ultrasonic scanning of the cerebrum and/or postmortem examination. Seven infants had to be excluded as neither of these examinations had been performed. The material thus consisted of 79 infants with a median weight of 1,196 gram (range 565-1,500 g) and a median gestational age of 30 weeks (range 25-37 weeks). Periventricular haemorrhage was found in a total of 13 infants, corresponding to 16% and the haemorrhages were found mainly in infants with gestational ages less than or equal to 29 weeks (32%). Haemorrhages with involvement of the parenchyma and/or dilation of the ventricular system comprised more than half of the cases of haemorrhage (8 out 13). The frequency of periventricular haemorrhage fell with gestational ages less than or equal to 30 weeks and the haemorrhages were less extensive. The respiratory distress syndrome and asphyxia were found to important risk factors for the development of periventricular haemorrhage.

Cerebral Hemorrhage↗
PubMed1991

Diagnosis of Campylobacter pylori gastritis.

Campylobacter pylori is a bacterium that inhabits gastric mucosa. It causes chronic active gastritis and is highly associated with duodenal ulcer. Campylobacter pylori has a urease enzyme (not present in man), which allows diagnosis by a [14C]urea breath test. We compared two noninvasive tests, the breath test and serum ELISA, to biopsy and histologic diagnosis. Twenty-two patients who underwent gastroduodenoscopy for evaluation of possible peptic ulcer disease entered the study. The breath test detected the organism in eight of eight patients biopsy-positive for the organism (sensitivity 100%). The breath test was negative in 12 of the 14 patients who were biopsy-negative (specificity 86%). The ELISA was performed in 14 patients. It was positive in 5 of 5 patients biopsy-positive for the organism (sensitivity 100%) and negative in 7 of 9 patients who were biopsy-negative (specificity 78%). We conclude that both the ELISA and the [14C]urea breath test are excellent noninvasive methods to detect Campylobacter pylori. However, only the breath test is suitable for following the response to treatment, as it detects the presence of the organism rather than an immune response to it.

Breath Tests↗