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J Georgi

Publications and source records attributed to J Georgi.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

In polymyalgia rheumatica serum prolactin is positively correlated with the number of typical symptoms but not with typical inflammatory markers.

OBJECTIVES: Hyperprolactinaemia has been associated with the active phase of human systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study, we investigated the role of prolactin (PRL) in relation to the number of typical symptoms and serum markers of systemic inflammation in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS: One hundred and two PMR patients presented with typical symptoms such as adynamia, bilateral muscular pain in shoulders, upper arms or neck, bilateral muscular pain in the pelvic girdle, headache, morning stiffness, arthralgia, symptoms of depression, fever, initial weight loss (>4 kg/month), and transient visual symptoms. If one of the mentioned symptoms was present, the corresponding item was scored with one point (maximum unweighted item points=10). PRL, interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients and 31 age-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Fifteen PMR patients with elevated PRL had a higher number of symptoms as compared with patients with normal levels (P=0.003). PRL was correlated with the number of symptoms (all PMR patients: r(rank)=+0.380, P<0.001) and duration of morning stiffness (all PMR patients: r(rank)=+0.335, P=0.002) irrespective of prior corticosteroid treatment. However, PRL did not correlate with markers of systemic inflammation such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, serum IL-1ra, IL-2, sIL-2R, IL-6, TNF, and sVCAM. CONCLUSION: The number of symptoms in PMR patients was positively correlated with PRL, but PRL was not correlated with serum markers of inflammation. This indicates that PRL is not a pro-inflammatory stimulus in patients with PMR. The inter-relationship between PRL and symptoms or duration of morning stiffness may be more a sign of central nervous system involvement, as it can be observed in people with depressed mood or under psychological stress.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

A high-resolution phantom for MRI.

Assessment of spatial resolution is an important step to test the performance of new sequence techniques-especially ultrafast techniques with dedicated k-space trajectories or interpolation algorithms. Measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF) is a rather difficult procedure, but using suitable resolution phantoms allows a simple visual evaluation of spatial resolution. In contrast to commonly used test objects with a very restricted number of resolution patterns we developed a phantom containing resolution patterns from 0.1 to 1.5 mm in steps of 0.1 mm. One resolution pattern consists of five parallel Plexiglas strips with the distance of the strips being equal to their thickness. Together with a Plexiglas cuboid the resolution patterns are mounted on a Plexiglas plate on the bottom of the cylindrical phantom. An aqueous solution of manganese chloride is used to fill the phantom. High resolution cross sections (pixel size: 50 microm) through the resolution patterns were measured to confirm the correct dimensions of the phantom. To verify the appropriateness of the 0.1 and 0.2 mm stacks micro-CT images with a pixel size of 25 microm were acquired additionally for both patterns. Besides visual inspection evaluation of the profile function of signal intensity across the stacks demonstrates that the resolution patterns are sufficiently correct. T(1)-weighted SE sequences with slightly different pixel sizes as well as T(1)- and T(2*)- weighted gradient echo sequences were applied to demonstrate some possible applications of this phantom. In conclusion, the proposed phantom is well suited to assess the spatial resolution qualitatively (i.e., visually) and quantitatively over a wide range in steps of 0.1 mm.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

The adrenal steroid status in relation to inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor) in polymyalgia rheumatica.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the correlation between inflammatory cytokines and adrenal hormones in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and to compare the ratio of serum cortisol and androstenedione (ASD) or dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) in normal subjects with PMR patients. METHODS: In 102 patients with PMR (32 beginning and 70 chronic disease) and 31 age-matched and sex-matched healthy subjects, ASD, cortisol, DHEAS, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) were measured by immunometric assays. RESULTS: Serum levels of IL-6 were elevated in patients with PMR as compared with normal subjects (10.0 +/- 1.6 vs 2.1 +/- 0.1 pg/ml, P = 0.01), which was not found for TNF. In PMR patients, serum levels of IL-6 were positively correlated with serum levels of ASD (P < 0.001), cortisol (P < 0.001), and DHEAS (P = 0. 038) irrespective of corticosteroid treatment. Serum levels of cortisol in relation to IL-6 were significantly lower in patients with chronic disease and long-standing corticosteroid administration as compared with patients with recent onset of the disease and without corticosteroid therapy (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In PMR, as expected, there was an increase in IL-6 serum levels that was associated with elevated serum levels of ASD, DHEAS, and cortisol which was more marked in patients with recent-onset disease and without corticosteroids. However, serum levels of cortisol in patients with and without corticosteroids were lower than expected by considering the inflammatory status (increased IL-6). This may indicate a change in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responsiveness to inflammatory stimuli such as IL-6 during chronic disease. Furthermore, there seems to be a shift of biosynthesis to cortisol in relation to DHEAS or ASD in chronic disease.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed2000

IgE-mediated sensitization to mould allergens among patients with allergic respiratory diseases in a desert environment.

BACKGROUND: The importance of fungal allergens in the development of allergic diseases in a desert environment is uncertain. This study evaluated the prevalence of IgE sensitization to moulds among patients with allergic respiratory diseases in Kuwait - a desert country. METHODS: A total of 810 patients (male:female ratio 1.4) with a mean age of 32.3 years (range 2-76 years) with extrinsic asthma or allergic rhinitis were studied. Sera from the patients were tested by the CAP-RAST method for specific IgE to 6 fungi (Penicillium, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Candida, Alternaria and Helminthosporium). For comparison house dust mite and Bermuda grass were also assessed. RESULTS: The overall positivity to at least one mould was 20.9%. Among 120 matched control subjects, the value was 5. 8%. The value was much higher among patients with asthma alone (45. 8%) or both asthma and rhinitis (28.3%) than those with rhinitis alone (11.8%; p < 0.001). Asthmatic children had the highest sensitization rate (66.0% in the 7- to 12-year age group), which declined sharply with age. Among asthmatics, Candida and Aspergillus had the highest sensitization rates (23.1 and 21.3%, respectively), followed by Helminthosporium (18.8%), Cladosporium (15.9%), Alternaria (14.6%) and Penicillium (13.9%). The values for mite and Bermuda grass were 41.2 and 54.6%, respectively. Among asthmatic children, severe asthma was significantly more frequent among mould-positive (51.6%) than mould-negative patients (17.5%; p < 0. 0001). CONCLUSIONS: Even in this desert environment, sensitization to moulds is quite common among patients with allergic respiratory diseases, with a striking preponderance among children with asthma. Mould allergy could also be an important factor determining asthma severity in this environment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Favorable role of interleukin 10 in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between the antiinflammatory molecule interleukin 10 (IL-10) and disease symptoms, IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS: In 102 patients with PMR, we determined the severity of the disease by the presence of typical clinical symptoms (symptom score with a maximum of 10 points). IL-10, IL-1beta, TNF, and IL-1ra were measured in all patients and 31 age matched healthy controls by enzyme immunometric assays. RESULTS: Compared to patients with elevated serum levels, patients with normal serum levels of IL-10 (below the mean + 3 SD of controls, 7.79 pg/ml) more often had adynamia (p = 0.045), bilateral muscular pain in shoulders, upper arms or neck (p = 0.045), bilateral muscular pain in the pelvic girdle (p < 0.001), headache (p = 0.014), morning stiffness (p < 0.001), symptoms of depression (p = 0.013), and initial weight loss (p = 0.011), and had a higher symptom score (5.5+/-0.4 vs 3.7+/-0.3; p < 0.001). The overall symptom score correlated negatively with IL-10 serum levels (Rrank = -0.421, p < 0.001). IL-10 correlated negatively with IL-1beta (p = 0.013) and TNF-alpha (p = 0.039). The association between elevated serum levels of IL-10 and low serum levels of IL-1beta and TNF was observed only in patients with corticosteroid treatment. In these patients, elevated serum levels of IL-10 were positively associated with an increased ratio of IL-1ra to IL-1beta. CONCLUSION: Elevated serum levels of IL-10 were associated with a more mild form of PMR. This study indicates a favorable role of IL-10 in patients with PMR.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Cotrimoxazole in Wegener's granulomatosis--a prospective study].

During the last 3 years 34 patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (W. G.) were treated 37 times with co-trimoxazole (Co-trim). In 10 patients with locoregional disease the progression of W. G. could be stopped in each case. In 27 cases (24 patients) with generalized W. G. in complete remission achieved with cyclophosphamide and prednisolone (Cyc/Pred) a relapse occurred in more than 50% (14/27) of the cases.

Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis↗
PubMed1976

[The effect of daily controlled oral hygiene on the oral health of children in a town with drinking water fluoridation (Karl Marx Stadt)].

Under the conditions of an optimized (with regard to caries prevention) fluoride content of the drinking uater, the authors studied (in the framework of an oral hygiene measure covering 32 months) in 149 children 6.5-8 years of age the effects of supervised daily dental and oral care on dental health. The improvement in oral hygiene (OHI) by 33% is in harmony with an additional caries reduction by 33.3% (DMF/S index) and a decrease of the PM index by 47%. A wider use of oral hygiene actions as secondary preventive measures is, therefore, recommended also for towns with fluoridated drinking water.

Child↗
PubMed1976

Cuterebra encephalitis in a dog.

Encephalitis was diagnosed in a 3 1/2-month-old puppy, based on neurological signs, and cerebrospinal fluid examinations. Verminous encephalitis from a migrating Cuterebra sp. larva in the right cerebral hemisphere was confirmed at necropsy.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A retrospective study of the concept of spirituality as understood by recovering individuals.

In 62 individuals recovering from substance abuse, materialism and spiritualism and cognitive patterns were quantified, before (retrospectively) and after recovery with the Mathew Materialism Spiritualism Scale (MMSS) and a Cognitive Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ). MMSS was also administered once to 61 general controls. Recovering individuals showed highly significant prerecovery to postrecovery increases in spirituality on most subscales of MMSS and changes in cognitive patterns. Sixteen controls who met the criteria for alcoholism on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST-positive) were separated from the others. Prerecovery MMSS scores did not differentiate the recovering individuals from MAST-positive controls. However, the prerecovery MMSS scores obtained by recovering individuals were significantly lower than the scores obtained by the MAST-negative controls. On the other hand, after recovery, recovering individuals showed higher MMSS spirituality scores in comparison to MAST-positive controls. The only MMSS item that differentiated recovering individuals after recovery from MAST-negative controls was mysticism with the recovering group obtaining higher scores.

Adult↗