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Biomedical subjects

J Müller

Publications and source records attributed to J Müller.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Assay of functional activity of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin in plasma.

We introduce a novel assay for measuring active alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1X) in human plasma. The assay works on the principle that cathepsin G, immobilized in microtiter plates, preferentially binds alpha 1X, which then can be specifically quantified immunologically. alpha 1X activity can be detected even after 50,000-fold dilution of normal plasma. A linear range was defined for reproducible quantification. There was no interference by alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor or alpha 2-macroglobulin. The assay is designed to detect conditions having decreased alpha 1X activity to further elucidate the biological function of this prominent acute-phase protein.

Cathepsin G↗
PubMed1990

[Severe liver involvement by Capillaria hepatica].

Human hepatic capillariasis is a rare disease, which predominantly affects children aged 1 to 4 years and has a poor prognosis in extensive infections. This is the first case observed in Germany. The main symptoms are those of severe parasitosis: persistent high fever, hepatomegaly, and excessive hypereosinophilia. Diagnosis is confirmed by the finding of intracellular typical eggs in liver biopsy. There is a lack of established therapy; our 18 months old girl developed liver fibrosis. She survived under a prolonged treatment with high doses of Thiabendazole and two single doses of Ivermectine. Decortin was given to inhibit further granulomatous processes in the liver.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[Emergencies and management by the family practitioner].

4.6% of all consultations realized by family doctors (including consultations in the doctor's practice, visits to the patients' homes, medical on-call service) can be characterized as emergency consultations. In the provision of health care by family doctors those circumstances that require medical intervention without delay are to be characterized as emergency situations (even if life is not immediately threatened). 11.6% of all emergency calls are made because of a cold (in particular, in the case of small children) or a hurt (open wound, contusion, or fracture). According to physicians, 54.5% of the emergency consultations were based on urgent circumstances. In those cases where only life-threatening circumstances were registered as emergency cases, 15.2% of the above percentage of emergency consultations were underestimated by the patients as to their urgency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Multiple sclerosis with early manifestation in children].

From the starting point of cases reported in literature, five of the authors' own cases are reported in which multiple sclerosis had its origins not later than in the fourteenth year of the patient's life. There is no basic difference from adult cases in respect of neurological symptoms, course, and cerebrospinal-fluid condition, but unmistakably, well remitting episodic courses were in the foreground, multilocular failures preponderated, and cerebral symptoms predominated over spinal symptoms. As in adult cases, females were more commonly affected. There were inflammatory changes in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Coordinate action of a proximal homeoprotein binding site and a distal sequence confers the Ultrabithorax expression pattern in the visceral mesoderm.

Spatially regulated expression of the homeotic gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx) in the visceral mesoderm can be mimicked in transformed Drosophila embryos by expression of a Ubx--beta-galactosidase fusion gene. Here we show that a proximal homeoprotien binding sequence downstream of the Ubx transcription start site, the B element, is required for this pattern. A distal upstream Ubx sequence, but not the B element, is sufficient to confer the pattern if linked to an hsp70 TATA box in a heterologous construct. The pattern in this case requires Ubx function, like endogenous Ubx expression in the visceral mesoderm, suggesting that the distal upstream sequence contains an important target sequence for autoregulation. We propose that the B element, in the context of the Ubx promoter, functions to mediate enhancer function of the distal sequence. Thus, the visceral mesoderm pattern requires coordinate action of a proximal and a distal regulatory element.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Percutaneous occlusion therapy of idiopathic varicocele as an alternative to operation].

Percutaneous sclerotherapy of varicocele is performed at the Kantonsspital of St. Gallen since 1983 as an alternative to the conventional operation. The main indication to treat varicocele was an associated fertility disorder. Success rate was around 60%. Adverse reactions of the treatment occurred in only 6.5%. The procedure can be done on an outpatient basis, is well tolerated by patients, economic and is associated with only minimal complications.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Pseudohypoparathyroidism--a case report].

The clinical picture of pseudohypoparathyroidism described by Albright and co-workers represents a morphological, functional and laboratory-chemical combination of symptoms which in the classical case is characterized by proportionate nanism, round face, oligophrenia and neuromuscular overexcitability, radiological changes as well as hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia in increased parathormone. On the basis of casuistics typical findings are demonstrated and discussed with the data in literature.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

SC-1, a functional human monoclonal antibody against autologous stomach carcinoma cells.

Human monoclonal antibodies were isolated from stomach carcinoma patients by the fusion of spleen and lymph node lymphocytes with the heteromyeloma line SPM4-0. Initial screening was carried out on autologous primary tumor cell cultures in an adhesion assay in order to select surface-reactive functional antibodies. This was followed by live cell immunoperoxidase staining assays. The human monoclonal antibody SC-1 was found to selectively react with cultured cells isolated from autologous and allogeneic stomach carcinoma patients, and with cryostat sections of the primary tumors. More extensive screening revealed that the antibody showed no reactivity with a wide range of tumor tissues and normal cells. Some reactivity was present on fetal tissues. SC-1 inhibits movement of the autologous tumor cells and identifies a protein with a molecular weight of 50,000. This study demonstrates that, with the use of selective screening assays on primary tumor material, it is possible to isolate antibodies which not only result from an immune response in the patient but also interfere with intercellular processes of tumor cells.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1989

Sequence-directed DNA bending upstream of the streptokinase promoter.

A 450-base pair (bp) HinfI restriction fragment from the chromosome of Streptococcus equisimilis H46A contains the early coding region of the streptokinase gene (skc), the skc promoter, and a stretch of DNA 5' to the--35 region of the skc promoter. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide (PA) gel electrophoresis at two different temperatures showed that this fragment migrates anomalously slowly on PA gels, suggesting the existence of a bent DNA conformation. Inspection of the nucleotide sequence confirmed this suggestion by revealing numerous oligomeric dA.dT tracts, some of which are in phase with the helix screw. Computer analysis of the sequence predicted the existence of two bending loci, one of which is located upstream of the skc promoter. In addition to showing DNA bending, the 450-bp HinfI fragment contains multiple 13-bp sequences homologous to the Escherichia coli integration host factor DNA-binding consensus sequence. Insertion of IS1 into a site immediately upstream of the--35 region decreased the expression level of skc in E. coli, suggesting that DNA conformation upstream of the promoter has a role in skc expression.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Adaptation of aldosterone biosynthesis to sodium and potassium intake in the rat.

The steroidogenic response of rat adrenal zona glomerulosa to stimulators is variable and depends on the activity of biosynthetic steps involved in the conversion of deoxycorticosterone (DOC) to aldosterone (Aldo). Corticosterone methyl oxidations (CMO) 1 and 2 are stimulated by sodium restriction and suppressed by potassium restriction. These slow alterations are accompanied by the appearance or disappearance of a specific zona glomerulosa mitochondrial protein with a molecular weight of 49,000. Induction of CMO 1 and 2 activities and the appearance of the 49 K protein can also be elicited in vitro by culture of rat zone glomerulosa cells in a medium with a high potassium concentration. The 49 K protein crossreacts with a monoclonal antibody raised against purified bovine adrenal cytochrome P-450(11 beta). The same antibody stains a protein with a molecular weight of 51,000 in rat zona fasciculata mitochondria and in zone glomerulosa mitochondria of rats in which CMO 1 and 2 activities have been suppressed by potassium restriction and sodium loading. The 51 K crossreactive protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by chromatography on octyl-sepharose. In a reconstituted enzyme system, it converted DOC to corticosterone (B) and to 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone (18-OH-DOC) but not to 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH-B) or Aldo. A partially purified 49 K protein preparation from zona glomerulosa mitochondria of rats kept on a low-sodium, high-potassium regimen converted DOC to B, 18-OH-DOC, 18-OH-B and Aldo. According to these results, rat adrenal cytochrome P-450(11 beta) exists in two different forms, with both of them capable of hydroxylating DOC in either the 11 beta- of the 18-position, but with only the 49 K form capable of catalyzing CMO 1 and 2. The adaptation of aldosterone biosynthesis to sodium deficiency or potassium intake in rats is due to the appearance of the 49 K form of the enzyme in zona glomerulosa mitochondria.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1989

Formaldehyde exposure at various workplaces.

The results of formaldehyde determinations in the air at various workplaces in the period 1980-1988 are presented. The airborne concentrations varied between less than 0.01 and 10.9 mg m-3 (mean 0.7 mg m-3). For ambient air monitoring, active sampling and capillary gas chromatography are reliable and sensitive methods. Formic acid excretion in urine is an unspecific and insensitive biological indicator for monitoring low-dose formaldehyde exposure.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1989

Novel shuttle vectors for improved streptokinase expression in streptococci and bacterial L-forms.

Novel shuttle vectors of small size and increased copy number capable of replication in Escherichia coli, L-forms of Proteus mirabilis, and streptococci were constructed from a streptococcal erythromycin-resistant plasmid and an Escherichia coli phasmid. The streptokinase gene, skc, was inserted into one of them, and skc expression was studied in Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus lactis, and in an L-form strain (LVI) of Proteus mirabilis. The new streptokinase shuttle plasmid, pMLS10 (7.3 kb), specified higher Skc yields in all hosts when compared to pSM752 constructed previously. In particular Proteus mirabilis LVI(pMLS10) proved to be the most productive host, exhibiting complete secretion of the active protein at yields as high as 24000 unit per ml.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗
PubMed1989

Streptokinase mutations relieving Escherichia coli K-12 (prlA4) of detriments caused by the wild-type skc gene.

A novel phenotype is described for Escherichia coli K-12 carrying the prlA4 allele determining a membrane component of the protein export mechanism. It is manifest as transformation deficiency for plasmids containing the cloned group C streptococcal streptokinase gene, skc. Streptokinase plasmid mutations relieving the prlA4 strain of this deficiency fell into three classes. Class 1 included skc::IS5 insertions, with IS5 integrated in a region encoding the Skc signal sequence and inactivating skc. Class 2 included IS1 insertions leaving skc intact but reducing skc expression, presumably by altering the function of the skc promoter as judged by an insertion site close to the -35 region. The most interesting class, 3, included skc deletions removing the entire signal sequence or a tetrapeptide from its hydrophobic core. The tetrapeptide deletion reduced the size, hydrophobicity, and predicted alpha-helicity of the central region of the Skc signal sequence but facilitated the export of mature Skc in both the wild type and the prlA4 mutant. These findings indicate that the incompatibility between prlA4 and skc is related to deleterious effects of the Skc signal sequence. The tetrapeptide deletion may function by altering the conformation of the signal sequence so as to render interaction with both the PrlA wild-type protein and the PrlA4 mutant protein less detrimental to the export mechanism. These findings also provide an explanation for the difficulties encountered in cloning streptokinase genes in E. coli plasmids and maintaining their structural stability.

DNA Mutational Analysis↗
PubMed1989

Potassium-induced aldosterone biosynthesis in cultured rat zona glomerulosa cells.

Rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells lost their ability to produce aldosterone from either endogenous precursors or added deoxycorticosterone within 2 days of primary monolayer culture in a medium with a potassium concentration of 6.3 mmol/l. The lost corticosterone methyl oxidase I and II activities were totally regenerated when the ambient potassium concentrations was raised to 31 mmol/l. The conversions of deoxycorticosterone to 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone were completely restored by culture in a high-potassium medium also in zona glomerulosa cells of rats in which aldosterone biosynthesis had been suppressed by potassium restriction and sodium loading. However, these conversions were not induced in zona fasciculata-reticularis cells. The induction of aldosterone biosynthesis was associated with the appearance of a mitochondrial 49,000 protein cross-reacting with an antibody raised against bovine adrenal cytochrome P-450(11) beta. Thus primary cultures of zona glomerulosa cells are promising models for studying in vitro the molecular mechanisms of long-term adaptation of aldosterone biosynthesis to sodium and potassium intake.

18-Hydroxycorticosterone↗
PubMed1989

[Hemodynamic effects of the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil following laparotomy under total intravenous anesthesia using midazolam].

Inhalational anesthetic agents, particularly nitrous oxide, are potentially hazardous to both the patient and operating room personnel. Recent efforts have been directed towards the development of intravenous anesthetic techniques using combinations of a hypnotic with an analgesic. The hypnotic used in such a combination should have a short elimination half-life, little or no influence on hemodynamics, and no side effects. Benzodiazepines are likely candidates for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) since they combine hemodynamic stability and paucity of unwanted effects with the ability to induce amnesia for the entire perioperative period. They do have long elimination half-lives; even midazolam, the shortest-acting benzodiazepine, has a half-life of 2 to 3 h. This disadvantage might be counteracted by the use of flumazenil, the recently introduced, specifically acting benzodiazepine antagonist. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of rapid awakening following flumazenil after major abdominal surgery with benzodiazepine-fentanyl TIVA. Six patients (4 male, 2 female) scheduled for elective laparotomies participated in this pilot study. The average duration of surgery was 2.2 +/- 0.9 h. The patients were given 2 mg flunitrazepam p.o. the evening before surgery and 1 h before being brought to the operating room. Baseline pre-induction values were obtained 15 min after inserting catheters and attaching the EEG electrodes. Fentanyl (0.005 mg/kg) was given as a bolus injection followed by a rapid midazolam infusion. The infusion rate was calculated using the method of Wagner et. al. from the data of Lauven et al. to give plasma concentrations of 500 ng/ml.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗