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Biomedical subjects

J Haller

Publications and source records attributed to J Haller.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Determination of cartilage thickness in the ankle joint. an MRT (1.5)-anatomical comparative study].

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of MRI in the measurement of cartilage thickness of the ankle joint in comparison to pathologic and histologic specimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The ankle joints of four fresh cadaver feet were imaged on a 1.5T MR-unit in the coronal plane. Standard T1-weighted spin echo (SE) and a T1-weighted 3D-GE (FLASH-3D) sequence with fat saturation were applied. Following MR imaging, the talus was explanted and cut parallel to the MR images for macroscopic evaluation and histologic specimens were prepared. MRI measurements of the cartilage thickness of the talus were carried out in two ways: without and with consideration of a transition zone of intermediate signal intensity between hyperintense cartilage and hypointense cortical bone. The data were compared with the anatomic specimens as the gold standard expressing the difference as a percentage value. On histologic specimens thickness of deep calcified cartilage layer was measured. RESULTS: Measurements without the transition zone showed a mean underestimation of talus cartilage thickness of 46.8% (41.3-52.1) for T1-SE and 47.5% (43.1-52.1) for fat saturated FLASH-3D images. Considering the transition zone the mean values were 25.0% (23.1-26.2) and 14.1% (6.7-21.5). The histologic specimens showed a three-fold increase of thickness of deep calcified cartilage layer. CONCLUSIONS: Measurements of the cartilage layer of the ankle joint on MR images are only accurate if the transition zone (calcified cartilage layer) is considered and the optimal pulse sequence (FLASH-3D-fat-sat) is applied.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Factors related to plasma folate and vitamin B12. The SENECA study.

The effects of body weight, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, living situation, smoking status, alcohol consumption, energy intake and animal protein intake, chronic diseases, health judgement, and ability to perform activities of daily living on plasma folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in elderly people were studied. Cross-sectional data were collected in 570 males and 554 females, aged 70-75 years and living in 17 towns in 11 European countries. The data collection was part of the SENECA study on nutrition and health in the elderly. Most of the associations with plasma vitamin B12 and plasma folate were either non significant or very small, with the exception of the relation between subjective health judgement and plasma folate levels in women. The anthropometric, life-style, and dietary factors do not seem to be major risk factors for low plasma vitamin B12 and folate concentrations in this relatively healthy elderly population.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

The vitamin status of young British adults.

Using biochemical indices thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, folic acid, cyanocobalanin, carotene and biotin status were assessed in a sample of 243 young British adults. Using conventional definitions the number of individuals whose vitamin status can be described as adequate, marginal or deficient was determined. Vitamin status was related to alcohol intake and smoking. The status of ascorbic acid, cyanocobalamin, alpha-tocopherol, folic acid and in males retinol, was adequate in the majority of cases. In the cases of riboflavin and pyridoxine the status of a substantial minority was either borderline or deficient. The thiamin and biotin status of a minority of both sexes, and retinol in the females, was marginal. In males alcohol was associated with better retinol, ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol and pyridoxine status and lower levels of biotin. Lower carotene values were associated with drinking alcohol. In both sexes those who smoked had lower ascorbic acid, folic acid and carotene values. In males smoking was additionally associated with lower riboflavin and biotin; in females cyanocobalamin and alpha-tocopherol were lower. As all the subjects were students volunteers, care should be taken in generalizing the data to other groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The effects of the alpha 2 adrenoceptor blocker idazoxan on defeat-induced immobility and plasma corticosterone in rats is antagonized by administration of adrenocorticotrophin-antiserum.

Adult male Wistar rats were introduced into the home cage of residents accustomed to aggressive encounters. The attacks of the residents induced lasting immobility in the subjects. The alpha-2 adrenoceptor blocker idazoxan (which elicits an increase in brain norepinephrine release probably by the blockade of presynaptic autoreceptors) induced an enhancement of defeat-induced corticosterone secretion as well as a reduction in immobility. Pre-treatment with adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) antiserum abolished both the increased adrenomedullar stress reaction and the reduction in immobility. It is concluded that norepinephrine-induced corticosterone secretion is involved in the immobility-lowering effects of alpha-2 adrenoceptor blockers. In previous experiments we have shown that the norepinephrine-induced increase in the aggressiveness of the residents depends on the ability to secrete corticosterone. Therefore it appears that the effects of norepinephrine on social conflict are at least partly mediated by corticosterone. This implies the involvement of acute corticosterone changes in fight/flight behaviours.

Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

The effect of alpha 2 adrenoceptor blockers on aggressive behavior in mice: implications for the actions of adrenoceptor agents.

The effects of three alpha 2 adrenoceptor blockers (idazoxan, yohimbine and CH-38083) on isolation-induced aggressive behavior was studied in male mice. The three drugs produced different behavioral profiles. Idazoxan reduced aggressiveness dose-dependently by decreasing the duration of offensive/aggressive interactions and increasing the duration of defensive behaviors. The other two drugs produced only parts of the dual action of idazoxan: yohimbine affected mainly defensive behaviors, while CH-38083 affected only the time spent with fighting. Saline injections per se also influenced behavior and, in contrast to alpha 2 adrenoceptor blockers, induced an increase in aggressiveness. These results are different from those previously obtained in rats, which show bell-shaped dose-response curves in response to alpha 2 adrenoceptor blockers (small doses increased, while large doses decreased aggression). It is postulated that the strong behavioral reaction of mice to the injection per se may mask the aggression-heightening effects of small doses of alpha 2 adrenoceptor blockers in this species. A theory is also presented regarding the complexity of adrenoceptor interactions when both pre-, and postsynaptic alpha 2 adrenoceptors are blocked.

Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

[Primary chronic polyarthritis of the knee joint].

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, multisystemic disease. The characteristic feature is persistent inflammatory synovitis. The knee joint is commonly involved with synovial hypertrophy, chronic effusion, and frequently ligamentous laxity. Pain and swelling behind the knee may be caused by extension of inflamed synovium into the popliteal space (Baker's cyst). Plain radiographs of the knee joint remain the basic radiological procedure, although early in the disease they might not provide significant changes. Sonography sufficiently reveals synovial fluid and Baker cysts, but cannot be recommended for evaluation of synovial proliferations or pannus formation. Computer tomography has only limited indications and may be used for the evaluation of subtle erosive lesions or the quantitation of osteoporotic changes. Magnetic resonance imaging has shown excellent visualization of cartilage, fluid, synovium and soft tissues and is the method of choice for the demonstration of early affection and the evaluation of pannus activity and therapy control. With administration of contrast agents (gadolinium), dynamic studies may demonstrate inflammatory activity. Modern MR sequences, such as T1 SE "fat sat" or magnetization transfer, further improve the discrimination of cartilage, pannus and synovial fluid.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1996

Male reproductive systems under chronic fluoxetine or trimipramine treatment.

Adult male Long-Evans rats (n = 9 per group) received daily exposure for 4 weeks to fluoxetine (0.75 mg FLUOX/kg body weight) or trimipramine (1.6 mg TRIMI/kg body weight). Separate tests of copulation, sexual motivation, and intermale aggressive behaviors were used to evaluate functional changes during chronic exposure to either typical or atypical antidepressant drugs with more or less serotonin specificity. Circulating hormones, primary and secondary sex structures, and concentrations of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) from mesolimbic tissue were assessed at necropsy. Results of tests with estrous females and untreated males revealed progressive disruption to sexual performance and aggressive responsiveness over time of treatment with TRIMI and, to a lesser extent, with FLUOX. By contrast, motivation, testosterone, and all measures of reproductive physiology were indistinguishable from controls. Ratios of transmitter metabolites relative to the parent compounds indicated similar reductions of 5-HT turnover with FLUOX and TRIMI. However, influences on DA turnover were significantly less with FLUOX than with TRIMI. Conclusions are that long-term intervention with antidepressant drugs may disrupt sociosexual exchanges without compromising male rats' interest in sexual contact or integrity of their reproductive physiology. Lessened disruption of sociosexual behaviors with this regimen of chronic FLUOX treatment may be related to the greater selectivity on serotonin relative to dopamine turnover.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1996

Individual differences in plasma catecholamine and corticosterone stress responses of wild-type rats: relationship with aggression.

Plasma noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A), and corticosterone (CS) responses to social and nonsocial stressors were studied in male members of a strain of wild-type rats, widely differing in their level of aggression. The aggressiveness was preliminarily established by measuring the latency time to attack (ALT) a male intruder in a standard resident-intruder test. Animals were then provided with a jugular vein cannula for blood sampling during stress exposure. Implanted rats were randomly assigned to 3 experimental treatments: social stress (defeat experience, SD), nonsocial stress (presentation of a shock-prod, SP) and control (animals undisturbed in their home cages, CTR). A significant correlation was found between ALT and the amount of time spent in burying the probe in SP rats: the more aggressive the animal, the higher the rate of burying behavior. SD induced a much stronger effect on plasma NA, A, and CS concentrations than SP. A significant negative correlation was found between ALT scores and values of the area under the response time curve for NA and A, in both SD and SP situations: the more aggressive the animal, the higher the catecholaminergic reactivity to the stressors. On the contrary, no evidence of a correlation between aggressiveness and plasma corticosterone responses was found, neither in SD nor in SP rats. These findings in an unselected strain of wild-type rats confirmed that an aggressive/active coping strategy is associated with a high sympathetic-adrenomedullary activation and support the concept of individual differentiation in coping styles as a coherent set of behavioral and neuroendocrine characteristics.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

The physiology of social conflict in rats: what is particularly stressful?

The involvement of the opponent's behavior in the aggression-induced stress response was tested. Subjects (male Wistar rats) faced stimulus rats previously submitted either to mediobasal hypothalamic lesion (MBHL) or to sham operation. MBHL intruders were more aggressive but were also more ready to submit compared with sham-operated rats; as residents they were more efficient in inducing submissive behavior in the opponent. The subject's stress response at 15 min was neither dependent on the intensity of aggressive behavior nor on residence status but on dominant-submissive relationships. The submission of the stimulus rat reduced corticosterone plasma levels in the subjects, while the subjects' own submissive behavior elicited a very significant increase in its plasma corticosterone. In contrast, plasma glucose seemed to depend on residence status, whereas plasma free fatty acids reacted to any novel event (including cage switch).

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

Compression of the pituitary stalk elicits chronic increases in CSF vasopressin, oxytocin as well as in social investigation and aggressiveness.

The neurochemical and behavioural effects of a novel stereotaxic surgical method developed for interrupting the nerve fibres running through the rat pituitary stalk to the posterior pituitary gland was studied. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) content as well as changes in aggressiveness were measured in rats one week and one month after the surgical intervention. The main results are as follows: (1) the compression of the pituitary stalk elicits a chronic increase in water consumption, as well as in CSF vasopressin and oxytocin content; (2) the surgical intervention increased the frequency of clinch fighting after one week. The increase in aggressiveness accentuated after one month and, in addition, operated animals showed reduced scores of resting while exploratory and social behaviours increased; (3) there was a strong positive correlation between water consumption, vasopressin, and aggressiveness; (4) oxytocin changes showed a positive correlation with variation in social behaviour. The surgical intervention may serve as a model for lesions of the pituitary stalk and formation of ectopic neurohypophyses in humans.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

[Injuries to the lateral ligaments of the ankle joint: study technic and demonstration by means of MRI].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the visualisation and extent of injury of lateral ankle ligaments using MRI. METHODS: 56 patients with the clinical diagnosis of sprained ankles were investigated. Evaluation of the anterior (AFTL) and posterior fibulotalar ligament (PFTL) was performed with the foot in dorsiflexion (20 degrees) and of the fibulo calcanear ligament (FCL) in plantarflexion (45 degrees). Axial T1w-SE and T2w-TSE images were obtained. Full-length visualisation of ligaments in one slice and the extent of injury were evaluated. 12 ankle injuries were confirmed by operation. RESULTS: With MRI full-length visualisation of lateral ankle ligaments was possible in 86%. A partial/complete rupture of the AFTL was noticed in 33/64% and of the FCI in 29/39%, and of the PFTL in 27/5%. Sensitivity/specificity of MRI when compared to surgery was 100/100% for injuries of the AFTL, 64/100% for the FCL, and 33/78% for the PFTL. CONCLUSION: Full-length visualisation of ligaments, achieved by appropriate combination of foot position and imaging plane is essential for evaluation of injured ankle ligaments on MRI. High assessment for ligamentous injuries on MRI in relation to surgery was found.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Vitamin B-6 malnutrition among elderly Europeans: the SENECA study.

Inadequate vitamin B-6 status is common among elderly people. It is still unclear to what extent factors other than reduced vitamin B-6 intake are responsible for this. We studied the vitamin B-6 intake and status [measured as plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)] in 546 elderly Europeans, aged 74-76 years, with no known vitamin B-6 supplement use. In addition, we examined interrelations and associations with other dietary and lifestyle factors, including indicators of physical health. Overall, 27% of the males and 42% of the females had dietary vitamin B-6 intakes below the mean minimum requirements (.015 mg/g protein and/or < 1.0 mg/day), and 22% of both males and females had low plasma PLP levels (< 20 nmol/L). Plasma PLP was positively associated with vitamin B-6 intake, alcohol intake, and serum albumin, and was weakly negatively associated with body mass index. Although the serum albumin levels fell within the normal range, these findings suggest that this transport protein is related with vitamin B-6 status of elderly people, either directly or as a result of underlying health problems. It is concluded that, based on the references for younger adults, the vitamin B-6 status of elderly people is marginal. Trials are needed to quantify functional and health consequences of improving the vitamin B-6 status of elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Changes in the vitamin status of elderly Europeans: plasma vitamins A, E, B-6, B-12, folic acid and carotenoids. SENECA Investigators.

OBJECTIVE: Determination of the plasma vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of a number of elderly populations to describe their micronutrient status and examine geographical patterns and the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with sex, age, food and alcohol intake. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: Twelve small towns in ten European countries and one in the USA. SUBJECTS: Randomized sample of 1175 subjects of both sexes born in the period 1913-1918, stratified according to age and sex. INTERVENTIONS: Blood plasma collection and determination of alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, alpha-carotene, all-trans- and cis-beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, vitamin B-12, folic acid and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. From the original sample examined in 1988/1989, measurements were repeated in 938 subjects in 1993. RESULTS: There were very large within and between country differences in the micronutrient levels with no definite geographical pattern emerging. The retinol levels decreased significantly between 1988/1989 and 1993 (-0.2 mumol/l, P = 0.0001), unlike the total carotene levels (0.01, NS) while the alpha-tocopherol (0.7 mumol/l, P = 0.002), folic acid (1.1 nmol/l, P < 0.01) and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (12 nmol/l, P = 0.0001) levels increased significantly. Vitamin B-12 levels increased nonsignificantly in men (17.2 pmol/l, P = 0.77) and decreased significantly in women (-37 pmol/l, P = 0.012). The prevalence of biochemical vitamin A deficiency was zero in both 1988/1989 and 1993, that of vitamin E deficiency decreased from 1.1% to 0.6% and for vitamin B-6 from 23.3% to 5.7%. Vitamin B-12 biochemical deficiency increased from 2.7% to 7.3% and for folic acid from zero to 0.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the median micronutrient plasma levels over a 4-y period varied, exceeding 30%-40% in some elderly populations. This was reflected in changes, mostly decreases, in the prevalences of vitamin deficiency.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Mental health: minimental state examination and geriatric depression score of elderly Europeans in the SENECA study of 1993.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the mental health of the European elderly and its correlations with micronutrient plasma levels, education and ability to carry out activities of daily living. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Eleven small towns in nine European countries. SUBJECTS: Randomised sample of 880 subjects of both sexes born in the period 1913 to 1918, stratified according to age and sex. INTERVENTIONS: The mental status was assessed by means of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). RESULTS: The overall mean MMSE score was 26.7 and this was also the mean for both sexes. MMSE scores below 23 were found in 8.5% of the men and 10.9% of the women. The overall mean GDS score was 3.9, 3.2 for the men and 4.6 for the women. GDS scores above the cut-off of 5 were found in 11.6% of the men and 27.5% of the women. There were many correlations between the MMSE and the GDS scores and education, Activities of Daily Living scores, subjective health and plasma micronutrient levels, particularly the carotenoids. No geographical pattern of the distribution of MMSE and GDS scores was discernible. CONCLUSIONS: The overall cognitive function of these elderly subjects aged 74 to 79 years was on the whole well preserved. The GDS scores suggest that the prevalence of depression was high in this sample. Education and higher plasma levels of certain vitamins and carotenoids appear to be associated with lower risk of developing dementia.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Azalanstat (RS-21607), a lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase inhibitor with cholesterol-lowering activity.

Agents that inhibit hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis reduce circulating cholesterol levels in experimental animals and humans, and may be of pharmacological importance in the prevention of atherosclerosis. Azalanstat (RS-21607), a synthetic imidazole, has been shown to inhibit cholesterol synthesis in HepG2 cells, human fibroblasts, hamster hepatocytes and hamster liver, by inhibiting the cytochrome P450 enzyme lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase. When administered orally to hamsters fed regular chow, RS-21607 (50 mg/kg/day) lowered serum cholesterol in a dose-dependent manner (ED50 = 62 mg/kg) in a period of 1 week. It preferentially lowered low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apo B relative to high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and apo A-1. It also lowered plasma cholesterol levels in hamsters fed a high saturated fat and cholesterol diet. RS-21607 inhibited hepatic microsomal hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase activity in hamsters in a dose-dependent manner (ED50 = 31 mg/kg), and this was highly correlated with serum cholesterol lowering (r = 0.97). Cholesterol lowering by azalanstat and cholestyramine was additive, and the increase in HMG-CoA reductase brought about by cholestyramine was attenuated significantly by azalanstat. In vitro studies with HepG2 cells indicated that this modulation of reductase activity was indirect, occurring at a post-transcriptional step, and it is proposed that a regulatory oxysterol derived from dihydrolanosterol (or lanosterol) may be responsible for this regulation. Azalanstat does not appear to lower circulating cholesterol in the hamster by up-regulation of the hepatic LDL receptor, suggesting that other mechanisms are involved. Orally administered azalanstat (50-75 mg/kg) stimulated hepatic microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity by 50-400% in hamsters, and it is postulated that this may result from modified cholesterol absorption and bile acid synthesis.

Acetates↗
PubMed1995

Serum vitamin D concentrations among elderly people in Europe.

Vitamin D status decreases with age, mainly as a result of restricted sunlight exposure, reduced capacity of the skin to produce vitamin D, and reduced dietary vitamin D intake. We measured wintertime serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in 824 elderly people from 11 European countries. 36% of men and 47% of women had 25(OH)D concentrations below 30 nmol/L. Users of vitamin D supplements and/or sunlamps had higher 25(OH)D (median 54 nmol/L) than non users (median 31 nmol/L). Surprisingly, lowest mean 25(OH)D concentrations were seen in southern European countries. Low 25(OH)D concentrations could largely be explained by attitudes towards sunlight exposure and factors of physical health status, after exclusion of users of vitamin D supplements or sunlamps. Problems with daily living activities and wearing clothes with long sleeves during periods of sunshine were strong predictors of low wintertime serum 25(OH)D concentrations. These findings show that free-living elderly Europeans, regardless of geographical location, are at substantial risk of inadequate vitamin D status during winter and that dietary enrichment or supplementation with vitamin D should be seriously considered during this season.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

The impact of long-term vitamin supplementation on cognitive functioning.

The possibility that the taking of vitamin supplements may influence cognitive functioning was explored. One hundred and twenty-seven young healthy adults took either ten times the recommended daily dose of nine vitamins, or a placebo, under a double-blind procedure, for a year. After 12 months better performance on two measures of attention was found in females who had taken the vitamin supplement, even though the blood status of nine vitamins reached a plateau after 3 months. The use of regression equations demonstrated the association between improved thiamin status and improved performance on a range of measures of cognitive functioning in females rather than males. Although it was not possible to establish the reason for a beneficial response in females rather than males, the evidence that females respond differently to dietary factors was discussed.

Adolescent↗