Biomedical subjects

J Gregor

Publications and source records attributed to J Gregor.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Inflammatory response to acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

We report a case of a 60-year-old man with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated using thrombolysis, and complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS). Plasma interleukin (IL) 1 beta, IL 6, IL 8, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), and soluble adhesion molecule (sICAM 1, sE-selectin) levels were measured at 3-h intervals. This observation showed the effect of AMI and CS on the plasma interleukin levels. Remarkable changes were found in the plasma TNF alpha level, which reached two significant peaks. The peak of the first elevation caused by AMI (80.11 pg/ml, vs. normal value 4.35 pg/ml, SD 21.3 pg/ml) was seen 6 h after the onset of the symptoms. After the period of significant decrease, TNF alpha level was increasing until the end of the observation period because of CS (the last TNF alpha level was 204.1 pg/ml). The plasma IL 1 beta level was continually increased during the period of observation (maximal IL 1 beta level 32.1 pg/ml, normal value < 10 pg/ml). The plasma IL 6 level reached the first peak caused by AMI nine hours after the onset of the symptoms (362.85 pg/ml, normal value (10 pg/ml). Because of CS, after the short period of decrease, the plasma IL 6 level was increasing until the end of the observation period (the last IL 6 level was 859.61 pg/ml). The plasma IL 8 level was also elevated throughout the time of observation (max. value 1652 pg/ml, vs. normal value < 30 pg/ml). The soluble adhesion molecule levels (sE-selectin and sICAM 1) were elevated throughout the period of observation without any significant peak.

Cell Adhesion Molecules↗

PubMed2001

[Lateral cervical cyst in 13-year-old girl].

We present a clinical description of a 13-year-old girl with lateral cervical cyst. We particularly emphasize the need for ultrasonographic examination during routine diagnostics of so-called cervical tumors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

[Inhalation of high-doses of ipratropium bromide (Atrovent) does not cause any changes in systemic or pulmonary hemodynamics].

BACKGROUND: Parasympatolytics are recommended as the first choice remedy in patients with the chronic obstructive lung disease. Though their side effects are rare, some physicians are afraid of they can in high doses influence the cardiovascular system. The aim of the work was to ascertain whether the inhalation of 0.12 mg of ipratropium bromide might affect the systemic and pulmonary circulation. METHODS AND RESULTS: 15 patients (10 males, 5 females, average age 61.8 +/- 10.3 years) with chronic obstructive lung disease (13) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (2) were examined during the period of disease stabilisation. Results of the right-side catheterization were not statistically changed (p < 0.91) 30 or 60 minutes after the inhaling of 0.12 of ipratropium. Also the value of the pick expiratory forced rate (PEFR) was not statistically increased (p < 0.25). CONCLUSIONS: Inhaling of 0.12 mg of ipratropium in patients with serious chronic pneumopathies did not affect systemic or pulmonary hemodynamics. Such dose appears to be safe even for patients with the chronic ischaemic hart disease.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed2000

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the setting of severe, acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: more effective and less expensive.

OBJECTIVE: The use of noninvasive ventilation for patients with acute respiratory failure has become increasingly popular over the last decade. Although the literature provides good evidence for the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation in addition to standard therapy compared with standard therapy alone in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (avoiding intubation and improving hospital mortality), the associated costs have not been rigorously measured. Adding noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) to standard therapy in the setting of a severe, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients with respiratory acidosis who are at high risk of requiring endotracheal intubation is both more effective and less expensive. DESIGN: Economic evaluation based on theoretical model. SETTING: This analysis base case was modeled for a tertiary care, teaching hospital. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Carefully selected patients with severe exacerbations of COPD. INTERVENTION: The two alternative therapies compared were standard therapy (oxygen, bronchodilators, steroids, and antibiotics) and standard therapy plus NPPV. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: As the hypothesis was dominance, the main outcomes modeled and calculated were costs, mortality rate, and rates of intubation between the two interventions. To determine clinical effectiveness, we used a meta-analysis of randomized trials evaluating the impact of NPPV on hospital survival. A decision tree was constructed and probabilities were applied at each chance node using research evidence and a comprehensive regional database. To provide data for this economic evaluation, MEDLINE literature searches were conducted. Bibliographies of relevant articles were reviewed, as were personal files. To estimate the costs of the alternative therapeutic approaches, eight types of hospitalization days were costed using the London Health Sciences Center costing data. Sensitivity analyses were performed, varying all assumptions made. The meta-analysis yielded an odds ratio for hospital mortality in the NPPV arm, compared with standard therapy, of 0.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.66). By using baseline case assumptions, we found a cost savings of $3,244 (1996, Canadian), per patient admission, if NPPV were adopted in favor of standard therapy. These findings present a scenario of clear dominance for treatment with NPPV. Sensitivity analyses did not alter the results appreciably. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that from a hospital's perspective, NPPV and standard therapy for carefully selected patients with acute, severe exacerbations of COPD are more effective and less expensive than standard therapy alone.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2000

[Cross-sectional study of choice of drug therapy in the acute phase of treatment in acute myocardial infarct--part 1].

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of acute myocardial infarction is undergoing changes. In the treatment of acute myocardial infarction in particular the following proved useful: thrombolysis, administration of anti-aggregating drugs, beta-blockers and inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme. An decisive part is played by the interval between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of hospital treatment. OBJECTIVE: To describe treatment of patients hospitalized at intensive care units for acute myocardial infarctions. Investigate differences between faculty and other hospitals. METHOD: The authors investigated by means of questionaires in a prospective study during the first three months in 1996 all patients who were hospitalized on account of acute myocardial infarction. The investigation was implemented in seven intensive care units of faculty hospitals and in nine intensive care units of hospitals and information on diagnosis, pharmacotherapy and results of therapy were assembled. During the first 24 hours of treatment more detailed information was procured. RESULTS: Antiaggregants were used in 88%, nitrates in 77.8%, thrombolytics, beta-blockers and and ACE inhibitors in ca 30% patients. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was used in ca 7% patients. CONCLUSIONS: The authors describe treatment of the acute stage of myocardial infarction. In faculty hospitals in 1996 thrombolysis, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, beta-blockers and nitrates by the i.v. route were used more frequently.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed1999

Regulation of bacterial photosynthesis genes by oxygen and light.

Most bacteria have the capability to adapt to changes in their environment. Facultatively phototrophic bacteria like Rhodobacter can switch from aerobic respiration to anoxygenic photosynthesis in the absence of oxygen. The formation of the photosynthetic apparatus is primarily regulated by oxygen tension. The amount of photosynthetic complexes is influenced by the light intensity in anaerobic cultures. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of Rhodobacter photosynthesis genes by oxygen and light.

Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial↗

PubMed1999

Cytokines and adhesion molecules in the course of acute myocardial infarction.

The plasma levels of interleukin 1 beta (IL 1beta), interleukin 6 (IL 6), interleukin 8 (IL 8), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), E-selectin, ICAM 1 and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been studied in 24 patients with acute myocardial infarction in the course of 96 h. The plasma IL 1beta and IL 6 levels were continually elevated during the 96 h study period (the peak of plasma IL 1beta level was 22.2 pg/ml, S.D. 8.6, P < 0.001, normal values of IL 1beta are less than 10 pg/ml, the mean peak plasma concentration of IL 6 was 184.9 pg/ml, S.D. 134.7, vs. normal values of 15.57 pg/ml, S.D. 2.4, P < 0.001). The mean plasma IL 8 level was increased for the duration of the study, the mean plasma IL 8 level was 103.0 pg/ml, S.D. 23.4 (normal value was below 30 pg/l, S.D. 8.0) P < 0.001. The plasma TNF-alpha level was elevated throughout the time of observation without any significant peak. The mean plasma TNF-alpha concentration was 46.8 pg/ml, S.D. 2.13, vs. normal value 4.35 pg/ml, S.D. 1.23, P < 0.001. The plasma E-selectin level reached the mean level of 145.1 ng/ml, S.D. 75.4, vs. normal value 29.1-63.4 ng/ml, P < 0.001 at an interval of 15-42 h after the onset of the symptoms. The plasma ICAM 1 level showed only a slight significant increase during the first 36 h. The plasma CRP concentration increased later than IL 6, and reached a peak at 42 h after the onset of the symptoms (69.2 mg/l, S.D. 29.9, vs. 1.2 mg/l, S.D. 4.7, P < 0.0001). We conclude that cytokines and adhesion molecules can play an important role in the mechanisms of tissue injury in the process of ischemia and reperfusion.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Edema of pregnancy: a comparison of water aerobics and static immersion.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the edema-relieving effects of static immersion with water aerobics. METHODS: Eighteen healthy women between 20 and 33 weeks' gestation were studied standing on land, immersed to the axilla, and participating in a water aerobics class, each for 30 minutes. RESULTS: Water aerobics and the static immersion led to a similar diuresis, 187 and 180 mL, respectively. Both were significantly greater than standing 30 minutes on land, 65 mL (P < .01). The dilutional effect as measured by a decline in urine specific gravity was also similar between static immersion and water aerobics and greater than standing on land (P < .01). Standing on land led to a small increase in leg volume compared with water aerobics or static immersion (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Water aerobics had diuretic and edema-relieving effects similar to static immersion. When women develop edema of pregnancy, water aerobics classes may be used as a potential treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Prefrontal enlargement of CSF spaces in agoraphobia: a qualitative CT-scan study.

1. This CT study was designed to assess brain morphology in 21 patients with agoraphobia and 21 normal control subjects matched for age and sex. 2. Internal and external CSF spaces were evaluated by qualitative assessment on a 3-point scale (normal, questionable, abnormal). 3. Patients showed bilateral enlargement of prefrontal CSF spaces (p < .05). The rating abnormal" was given in the left hemisphere to 6 (28.6%) of the patients, to 4 (19%) of the patients in the right hemisphere, but to none (0%) of the normal controls. 4. These findings suggest that alterations in brain morphology are involved in the etiology of agoraphobia.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Relationships between the chemical structure of antimycobacterial substances and their activity against atypical strains. Part 14: 3-Aryl-6,8-dihalogeno-2H-1,3-benzoxazine-2,4(3H)-diones.

A set of eight derivatives of 6,8-dichloro-3-phenyl-2H-benzoxazine-2,4(3H)-dione and nine derivatives of 6,8-dibromo-3-phenyl-2H-1, 3-benzoxazine-2,4(3H)-dione, substituted on the phenyl ring, was prepared by the reaction of the corresponding salicylanilides with ethyl chloroformate. The compounds were evaluated in vitro for antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium kansasii, and Mycobacterium avium. Their activity increases with increasing hydrophobicity and electron-withdrawing ability of the substituents on the phenyl ring.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1998

[Qualitative evaluation of brain structure in CT in panic disorders].

This CT study was designed to assess brain morphology in panic disorder with and without agoraphobia. Twenty-one patients and 21 normal control subjects matched for age and sex were investigated. Frontal and parieto-occipital cortex, temporal cortex, lateral ventricles and 3rd ventricle were evaluated by qualitative assessment on a 3-point scale (normal, questionable, abnormal). Patients showed significant bilateral enlargement of cortical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces (p < 0.01). The rating "abnormal" was given to none (0%) of the normal controls, but to 7 (33.3%) of the patients. Explorative analysis showed that these abnormalities were predominantly located in prefrontal regions. No qualitative differences were seen in the temporal cortex, lateral ventricles or third ventricle. These findings support the hypothesis that alterations in brain morphology are involved in the etiology of panic disorder. The lack of a correlation between CSF enlargement and duration of illness suggests that frontal CSF enlargement is a neurobiological vulnerability marker in panic disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[Quantitative assessment of brain morphology with CT in agoraphobia].

This CT study was designed to assess brain morphology in agoraphobia. 21 patients and 21 normal control subjects matched in age and sex were investigated. Frontal and parietooccipital cortex, temporal cortex, lateral ventricles and third ventricle were evaluated by qualitative assessment on a 3-point scale (normal, questionable, abnormal). Patients showed significant bilateral enlargement of prefrontal cortical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces (p < .05). The rating "abnormal" was given to none (0%) of the normal controls, but to 6 (28.6%) of the patients in the left hemisphere, and to 4 patients (19%) in the right hemisphere, respectively. No qualitative differences were seen in the temporal cortex, lateral ventricles and third ventricle. These findings support the hypothesis that alterations in brain morphology are involved in the etiology of agoraphobia. The lack of a correlation between CSF enlargement and duration of illness suggests that prefrontal CSF enlargement is a neurobiological vulnerability marker in agoraphobia.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

DNA sequencing and analysis of the low-Ca2+-response plasmid pCD1 of Yersinia pestis KIM5.

The low-Ca2+-response (LCR) plasmid pCD1 of the plague agent Yersinia pestis KIM5 was sequenced and analyzed for its genetic structure. pCD1 (70,509 bp) has an IncFIIA-like replicon and a SopABC-like partition region. We have assigned 60 apparently intact open reading frames (ORFs) that are not contained within transposable elements. Of these, 47 are proven or possible members of the LCR, a major virulence property of human-pathogenic Yersinia spp., that had been identified previously in one or more of Y. pestis or the enteropathogenic yersiniae Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Of these 47 LCR-related ORFs, 35 constitute a continuous LCR cluster. The other LCR-related ORFs are interspersed among three intact insertion sequence (IS) elements (IS100 and two new IS elements, IS1616 and IS1617) and numerous defective or partial transposable elements. Regional variations in percent GC content and among ORFs encoding effector proteins of the LCR are additional evidence of a complex history for this plasmid. Our analysis suggested the possible addition of a new Syc- and Yop-encoding operon to the LCR-related pCD1 genes and gave no support for the existence of YopL. YadA likely is not expressed, as was the case for Y. pestis EV76, and the gene for the lipoprotein YlpA found in Y. enterocolitica likely is a pseudogene in Y. pestis. The yopM gene is longer than previously thought (by a sequence encoding two leucine-rich repeats), the ORF upstream of ypkA-yopJ is discussed as a potential Syc gene, and a previously undescribed ORF downstream of yopE was identified as being potentially significant. Eight other ORFs not associated with IS elements were identified and deserve future investigation into their functions.

Calcium↗

PubMed1998

[Relation between chemical structure and antimycobacterial activity against atypical strains. XIII. Thiosalicylanilides].

On the basis of a preliminary study of antimycobacterial activity of thiobenzanilides a series of eight thiosalicylanilides have been prepared. Synthetized compounds have been examined in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium fortuitum. All compounds have been found very active. The values of minimal inhibitory concentrations are summarized in Table 1. 3',4'-Salicylanilide was selected for the following research. The compound have been found inactive in vivo (on experimental murine tuberculosis).

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Frontal CSF enlargement in panic disorder: a qualitative CT-scan study.

Brain morphology was assessed qualitatively in CT scans of 21 patients with panic disorder and 21 normal control subjects. Patients showed significant bilateral enlargement of frontal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces. These findings suggest that alterations in brain morphology are involved in the etiology of panic disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

The complete genome sequence of Escherichia coli K-12.

The 4,639,221-base pair sequence of Escherichia coli K-12 is presented. Of 4288 protein-coding genes annotated, 38 percent have no attributed function. Comparison with five other sequenced microbes reveals ubiquitous as well as narrowly distributed gene families; many families of similar genes within E. coli are also evident. The largest family of paralogous proteins contains 80 ABC transporters. The genome as a whole is strikingly organized with respect to the local direction of replication; guanines, oligonucleotides possibly related to replication and recombination, and most genes are so oriented. The genome also contains insertion sequence (IS) elements, phage remnants, and many other patches of unusual composition indicating genome plasticity through horizontal transfer.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1997

A focus-of-attention preprocessing scheme for EM-ML PET reconstruction.

The expectation-maximization maximum-likelihood (EM-ML) algorithm belongs to a family of algorithms that compute positron emission tomography (PET) reconstructions by iteratively solving a large linear system of equations. We describe a preprocessing scheme for automatically focusing the attention, and thus the computational resources, on a subset of the equations and unknowns. Experimental work with a CM-5 parallel computer implementation using a simulated phantom as well as real data obtained from an ECAT 921 PET scanner indicates that quite significant savings can be obtained with respect to both time and space requirements of the EM-ML algorithm without compromising the quality of the reconstructed images.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1997

[An invasive approach in patients with non-Q myocardial infarct. Yes or no?].

The objective of the presented retrospective work was to evaluate the expedience of general indication of an invasive procedure in patients with non-Q myocardial infarction (non-Q IM). The group is formed by 40 patients with non-Q IM, after a first coronary attack. The authors investigated the premorbid condition, the clinical course, early and late mortality, they evaluated the coronarographic findings of those who were subjected to angiographic examination and compared conservatively treated patients with those who had a revascularization operation. The results are in favour of an invasive procedure in all patients with a non-transmural IM, in particular when the lesions are in the anterolateral area.

Adult↗