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Biomedical subjects

K Förster

Publications and source records attributed to K Förster.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Patients' mailbox and electronic prescription].

Electronic prescribing shall contribute essentially to improved healthcare services from 2006 onwards in Germany. The desired improvements, however, can only be achieved with "real" telematic solutions. The alternative of pharmaceutical prescription transmission via secure network connections or via electronic health card provides a considerable empowerment to the patients. Electronic prescribing, however, does not provide direct advantages to patients. Benefits for them can be realised by a drug documentation system, ready to identify contraindications or multiple prescriptions. The patients' acceptance of the system to be established therefore largely depends on the concurrent introduction of both elements.

Computer Security↗
PubMed2001

A novel metastatic animal model reflecting the clinical appearance of human neuroblastoma: growth arrest of orthotopic tumors by natural, cytotoxic human immunoglobulin M antibodies.

Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood is associated with poor prognosis in patients with advanced tumor stages. Natural human cytotoxic anti-NB IgM antibodies present in the serum of healthy humans are discussed as a potential novel immunotherapeutic regimen against human NB because these antibodies have been shown to affect growth arrest of solid s.c. xenografts of human NB in nude rats. Subcutaneously induced tumors, however, exhibit a different growth pattern compared with the typical growth pattern of NB tumors in humans. Therefore, we developed in this study a novel metastatic tumor model in nude rats that reflects the clinical appearance of human NB and used this model to study the therapeutic efficacy of human anti-NB IgM. Intra-aortal injection of human NB cells in nude rats resulted in the development of large invasive adrenal gland tumors and micrometastases in the liver and bones. Apparently, adrenal glands provide most favorable growth conditions for human NB cells, as documented by the preferential and rapid growth of NB cells in this location. We studied three different treatment protocols of natural human anti-NB IgM. Anti-NB IgM completely inhibited tumor formation and metastases when injected simultaneously with human LAN-1 NB cells (P < 0.05). When antibody treatment was started 6 days after tumor cell injection (i.e., micrometastatic stage), tumor growth was inhibited by 90% (P < 0.05). An anti-NB IgM therapy directed against established tumors (14 days after tumor cell injection) shrank adrenal gland tumors by 90% (P < 0.05). Analysis of the tumors revealed both complement activation and an induction of apoptosis as two independent mechanisms of antitumor function. This study strongly suggests human anti-NB IgM antibodies as new agents for the therapy of neuroblastoma.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1997

Neonates at risk of atopy show impaired production of interferon-gamma after stimulation with bacterial products (LPS and SEE)

Recent studies demonstrate reduced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion in neonates who became atopic later in life. The underlying pathomechanism is still unknown. We therefore examined the effects of bacterial products on neonatal IFN-gamma production acting through different T-cell- or antigen-presenting-cell (APC)-stimulating mechanisms: cord-blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) were incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), staphylococcal enterotoxin E (SEE), or a combination of both and restimulated with PMA and ionomycin. LPS and SEE as single stimuli induced IFN-gamma production to the same extent in CBMC of neonates with high and low risk of atopy. In contrast, a combination of LPS and SEE had a multiplying effect on IFN-gamma secretion only in CBMC of neonates with low risk of atopy. Phenotype analysis revealed that only memory T cells showed impaired IFN-gamma synthesis (median 3.6% IFN-gamma-producing cells vs 14.2% in controls: P < 0.01), whereas IFN-gamma production by naive T cells did not differ in either group. Taken together, these results point to the existence of a disturbed function of costimulatory mechanisms in neonates at high risk of atopy, provoking reduced memory T-cell IFN-gamma production.

Antigen Presentation↗
PubMed1988

[Torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia in idiopathic QT syndrome: successful treatment with AAI pacing].

A 30-year-old woman with an idiopathic long QT-syndrome developed recurrent episodes of torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia. Therapy with beta blocking agents and exhairesis of the left ganglion stellatum had failed to suppress these life-threatening tachyarrhythmias. After implantation of an AAI pacemaker system these ventricular arrhythmias disappeared. The patient remained without ventricular arrhythmias up to the time of discharge and during a 5 months' follow-up.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Long-term treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with verapamil or propranolol in matched pairs of patients: results of a multicenter study.

The effects of a 2-year treatment with high-dose propranolol (mean, 340 +/- 135 mg/day) and verapamil (mean, 493 +/- 136 mg/day) were compared in two groups of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Both groups were broadly identical at the beginning of the trial and were formed of matched pairs. Out of 137 patients entering the study, 37 pairs completed the 2 year follow-up. The mean group symptomatology (NYHA-classification) improved significantly only following verapamil treatment. Individual improvement was seen more often following verapamil (V), but deterioration was almost exclusively seen during propranolol (P) treatment. Reduction of the Sokolow-index was significant in the V group only. Reduction in the resting heart rate and maximum gradient was more pronounced following P. No correlation could be found between the change in clinical symptoms and electrocardiographic, echocardiographic or hemodynamic data, nor to the dosage of V or P administered. From clinical and echocardiographic findings and in respect of side effects, V is advantageous over P in the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, although a considerable number of patients improve after P. Objective data do not allow one to anticipate responders or non-responders to either treatment.

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic↗
PubMed1978

Age dependent kinetic studies of cytoplasmic and lysosomal enzymes of the normal and D-galactosamine injured rat liver.

Rats of two age groups (6 weeks and 30 months) received (1) a single dose of 600 mg D-galactosamine (GalN)/kg body weight by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, (2) a single dose of 600 mg GalN/kg body weight i.p. combined with 20 mg prednisolone/kg body weight subcutaneously at the beginning of the experiment. The kinetic studies disclose that GalN produces more severe changes in old than in young animals, represented by the activities of cytoplasmic (glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase) and lysosomal (beta-acetylglucosaminidase beta-glucuronidase, cathepsin D) enzymes. Prednisolone diminishes the morphological liver changes as well as the biochemical disturbances in young rats. There is only a protecting effect in morphological changes of old animals within the first 12 h. The prevention of cytoplasmic enzyme activity increase is limited to the first 12 h.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1976

[The effect of prednisolone on the development of the galactosamine hepatitis of young and old rats (author's transl)].

The present work reports on kinetic and morphological studies of one hundred female albino rats after the administration of galactosamine and galactosamine and prednisolone. The results demonstrate a significant higher increase of the serum transaminasess got and gpt in the older than in the younger rats as well as a protecting effect of prenisolone against galactosamine produced disturbances. In the thirty months old rats the protection against morphological and biochemical disturbances was only demonstrable for the first twelve hours after the administration of galactosamine.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1976

[Incorporation of 14-C-Glycine during galactosamine hepatitis of young and old rats (author's transl)a*].

The present work reports on incorporation of 14-Cglycine in the proteins of three liver fractions after the application of D-Galactosamine and D-Galactosamine + Prednisolone. 164 females albino rats were used in the experiments. The results demonstrate a higher rate of glycine incorporation in thirty months than in six weeks old animals. There is also a different age depending effect of prednisolone. The results are discussed in the light of reports from the literature.ports from the literature.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diabetes mellitus and eating disorders: a multicenter study on the comorbidity of the two diseases.

Because diet is a key issue in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, it is assumed that these patients are prone to eating disorders. In a multicenter study, we have therefore assessed the prevalence of eating disorders in 662 patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (n = 340) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 322). A two-stage study combining self-rating questionnaires and a standardized interview was carried out. We found a prevalence of eating disorders of 5.9% (lifetime prevalence of 10%), irrespective of gender and type of diabetes; 4.1% of the whole sample reported intentional insulin undertreatment or omission. When patients were stratified according to IDDM and NIDDM, there was no difference in the prevalence of all eating disorders (point prevalence 5.5% vs. 6.5%, lifetime prevalence 10.0% vs. 9.9%). Prevalence of bulimia nervosa (BN) was more frequent in IDDM patients (point prevalence 1.5% vs. 0.3%, lifetime prevalence 3.2% vs. 1.9%) and binge eating (BED) was more frequent in NIDDM patients (point prevalence 1.8% vs. 3.7%, lifetime prevalence 2.6% vs. 5.9%). We conclude that eating disorders seem to be equally frequent in IDDM and NIDDM patients. However, there might be different features of eating disorders in both types of diabetes.

Adolescent↗