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K Fuchs

Publications and source records attributed to K Fuchs.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Endogenous [3H]flunitrazepam binding in human embryonic kidney cell line 293.

Specific endogenous [3H]flunitrazepam binding sites were identified and characterized in membranes from the human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line 293. A large part of these binding sites exhibited an intermediate affinity for [3H]flunitrazepam and a microM affinity for diazepam, clonazepam, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-methyl-N-(1-methylpropyl)-3-isoquinolinecarboxam ide (PK 11195) or 4'-chlorodiazepam (Ro 5-4864). These sites, thus, resembled neither gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor associated nor 'peripheral' benzodiazepine binding sites. A small part of the binding sites labeled by [3H]flunitrazepam seemed to belong to 'peripheral' benzodiazepine binding sites exhibiting a nM affinity for PK 11195, and another small part of the binding sites seemed to exhibit a high affinity for flunitrazepam and PK 11195. Although small amounts of mRNA for alpha 1-, beta 3- and gamma 2-subunits of GABAA receptors could be identified in HEK 293 cells, neither the actual expression of GABAA receptors in these cells nor a coassembly of endogenous subunits with transfected GABAA receptor subunits could be demonstrated by binding studies.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

[Prevalence of E. multilocularis in foxes in Styria taking into consideration biometrical methods].

The results of a survey covering whole of Styria/Austria, which was based on a biometrical sampling plan, showed the prevalence rate of E. multilocularis among foxes to be 3.6% (18 out of 500 examined foxes). There is however a significant regional difference in the prevalence rate. All 18 infected foxes were found in the North-West of Styria, which results in an estimated proportion of 9% in this region. The study could not reveal any significant difference between male and female foxes concerning the infection rate. The age distribution was 67 percent juvenile foxes (< 1 year) to 33 percent adults. The biometrical methods enable us to determine an exact spatial spread of the parasite and thus makes it possible to find out any potential risk for the population.

Aging↗
PubMed1994

Immunoaffinity purification of gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors containing gamma 1-subunits. Evidence for the presence of a single type of gamma-subunit in GABAA receptors.

Two polyclonal antibodies were raised against the gamma 1-subunit of gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors. One of these antibodies could be used for the immunopurification of GABAA receptors containing gamma 1-subunits. These receptors exhibited [3H]muscimol and [3H]flunitrazepam binding, and their benzodiazepine binding properties were dramatically different from those of receptors precipitated by anti-gamma 2- or anti-gamma 3-antibodies. Western blot analysis of the immunopurified GABAA receptors indicated that the gamma 1-subunit exhibits an apparent molecular mass of 45-51 kDa. Furthermore, in addition to gamma 1-subunits, beta 2/3-, alpha 1-, alpha 2-, alpha 3-, and alpha 5-subunits could be detected in immunoaffinity column eluates from total brain. In contrast, gamma 2- or gamma 3-subunits could not be identified in GABAA receptors immunopurified by anti-gamma 1-antibodies. Similarly, gamma 1- and gamma 3-subunits or gamma 1- and gamma 2-subunits could not be identified in GABAA receptors purified by anti-gamma 2- or anti-gamma 3-antibodies, respectively. These data seem to indicate that GABAA receptors contain only a single type of gamma-subunit.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

gamma-Aminobutyric acidA receptors displaying association of gamma 3-subunits with beta 2/3 and different alpha-subunits exhibit unique pharmacological properties.

Two polyclonal antibodies were raised against the gamma 3-subunit of gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors. These antibodies were able to precipitate GABAA receptors from brain membrane extracts, and the precipitated receptors exhibited benzodiazepine binding properties that were dramatically different from those of receptors precipitated by anti-gamma 2 antibodies. The anti-gamma 3 antibodies were used for immunopurification of GABAA receptors containing gamma 3-subunits. Western blot analysis of the immunopurified GABAA receptors indicated that the gamma 3-subunit exhibits an apparent molecular mass of 43-46 kDa. Furthermore, in addition to gamma 3-subunits, beta 2/3-, alpha 1-, alpha 2-, alpha 3-, alpha 4-, and alpha 6-subunits could be detected in immunoaffinity column eluates from total brain and cerebellum, respectively. These data indicate that gamma 3-subunits can combine with most alpha-subunits to form a multiplicity of GABAA receptors with distinct pharmacology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Demonstration of HCV-RNA and HBV-DNA in the serum of HBsAg negative patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Forty patients with chronic liver disease and HCC were analyzed for infection with hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) viruses. All patients were negative for HBsAg, 16 were alcoholics, 6 had previous blood transfusions and 18 had sporadic chronic hepatitis. Antibodies to HCV were determined by EIA 2nd generation. HBV-DNA was detected by PCR using primers of the precore region. Analysis of HCV-RNA was done with nested PCR amplifying the 5' non-coding region of the HCV genome, using primers complementary to nucleotides 1-20 and 305-320 and nested primers complementary to nucleotides 21-31 and 271-286 of the HCV-J1. Anti-HCV were positive in 35/40 patients (87.5%). HCV-RNA was detected by PCR in 34 patients (85%) all of them positive for the anti-HCV. HCV-RNA was detected in 70.5% of the alcohol abusers, in 100% of patients with history of transfusion(s) and 94.1% of patients with cryptogenic chronic liver disease. HBV-DNA was detected in only 2 patients. In conclusion, there is a high rate of HCV and a low rate of HBV viremia detected by PCR in Spanish patients with HCC HBsAg negative. No patient without anti-HCV presents HCV-RNA. Our results suggest that persistent HCV replication may play a role in hepatic carcinogenesis, as HBV-DNA could be found in only 5% of our HCC patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Determinants of hospital stay after modified radical mastectomy.

The most expeditious way of reducing surgical costs is through reducing hospital stay. Multivariate analysis was used to identify potentially alterable factors affecting postoperative hospital stay for 73 consecutive patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy by 6 surgeons during a 12-month period. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify independently significant preoperative variables associated with hospital stays equal to or greater than the median of 5 days. Intraoperative techniques and postoperative management were then evaluated using Cox proportional hazards model, with length of stay as the dependent variable after consideration for the significant independent preoperative factors. Age, history of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) risk were significantly associated with prolonged stay (more than 4 days) in univariate analysis. Only age (P < 0.001) and cardiac history (P = 0.013) were significant independent predictors of hospital stay in multivariate analysis. After consideration for age and cardiac history, the only significant intraoperative or postoperative factor associated with hospital stay was the use of dressings incorporating Steri-Strips. This study suggests that the attribution of the reduction in hospital stay to discharge with drains in place is due to numerous factors, only one of which is the willingness to send patients home with the drains.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

[Huntington chorea: (CAG)n repeats on gene IT 15 in Austria].

In March 1993 the gene IT 15 was identified on chromosome 4p and it was demonstrated that it contained an unstable (CAG)n trinucleotide repeat that is elongated in patients with Huntington's chorea (HC). Persons with more than 37 (CAG)n repeats tend to have a higher risk of developing the disease. Testing the (CAG)n repeats in Austrian HC patients with PCR techniques shows correspondence between the clinical diagnosis of HC and genotypes [more than 42 (CAG)n repeats]. There was a weak correlation between the number of (CAG)n repeats and age of onset, however, this finding is without diagnostic value due to the scatter of the values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Twenty-four-hour gastric luminal pH in normal subjects: influence of probe position, food, posture, and duodenogastric reflux.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the gastric pH at different levels in the stomach under varying physiological circumstances. METHODS: Simultaneous 24-hour ambulatory gastric pH monitoring was performed with multiple electrodes in 24 normal subjects, divided into groups of six, to study the influence of food, the supine posture, and physiological duodenogastric reflux on gastric pH in different parts of the stomach. In 18 subjects, simultaneous recordings were made from two electrodes positioned 5 and/or 10 cm below the manometrically-defined lower border of the lower esophageal sphincter and, in six subjects, from three electrodes, one positioned 5 cm below the lower esophageal sphincter and two others positioned 5 and 8 cm proximal to the pylorus. RESULTS: During the daytime fasting period, pH was homogenous across the stomach with most time being spent between pH 1 and 2. Marked similarities in recorded pH were noted when two probes were placed in the stomach at the same level, indicating regional consistency in the pH of the chyme. This finding was observed when probes were free from each other or tethered together. Food increased pH most in the fundus, less in the midstomach, and least in the antrum. At night, when supine, alkaline shifts occurred in the distal stomach, most likely because of physiological duodenogastric reflux. These were commonly recorded in the antrum but only occasionally in the proximal stomach. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of the gastric pH environment requires standardization of the probe position, of feeding, and of posture, and global measurement of gastric pH requires simultaneous recording in both the proximal and distal stomach.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Variability of the envelope regions of HCV in European isolates and its significance for diagnostic tools.

Following the original description of HCV in 1989 a tremendous amount of sequence data is now available. Based on the 8 complete nucleotide sequences published so far at least 4 genotypes can be distinguished. Partial sequences of additional HCV isolates indicate the existence of further genotypes. A serological typing is not yet possible. For detection of virus, reverse transcription and amplification of the 5' non coding region is most commonly performed. This region of the genome is highly conserved among all isolates. In this study we used regions of the E1 and E2 gene in order to classify HCV isolates. The nucleotide sequences of regions in E1 and E2 gene of different European isolates from Germany, Croatia, Hungary, and Rumania were determined and compared to recently published RNA sequences of American and Japanese HCV isolates. The cDNA, obtained by reverse transcription of viral RNA extracted from sera was amplified by nested PCR, cloned and sequenced. Within 564 nucleotides (nt) of E1 we found 87-90% homology (and 89-92% homology at aa level) compared to sequences of Japanese origin and 73-74% homology (77-81% at aa level) compared to the prototype HCV sequence (ptHCV-I). In all characterized isolates the sequence of E2 (643 nucleotides) showed a homology of about 83% at the nucleotide level as compared to genotype II sequences, and a homology of about 70% to genotype I. Our results confirm the existence of two hypervariable regions in the E2 gene of genotype II sequences. Our results also indicate together with other reports from European HCV isolates that genotype II is predominant in Europe.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

No proof of linkage between schizophrenia-related disorders including schizophrenia and chromosome 2q21 region.

We examined linkage between schizophrenia and schizophrenia-related disorders and five genetic markers on chromosome 2 in fourteen families ascertained through affected probands in St. Louis and Vienna. The chromosomal region 2q21 was considered a candidate locus for schizophrenia because of a report of a balanced translocation 2;18 (q21;q23) in a schizophrenia family. Linkage analyses were conducted for three disease models: a narrow model including schizophrenia only; an intermediate model including a spectrum of schizophrenia-related disorders; and a broad model including major affective disorders. Multipoint linkage analyses excluded linkage across the region (about 50 cM) for the intermediate disease model. The same was generally true for the broad affection status model. None of the two-point and multipoint analyses showed definite linkage of schizophrenia to any marker. The most prominent positive association was between D2S44 and a broad affection status model, giving a two-point lod score of 1.71 at 0.20 recombination fraction.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Immunization with recombinant woodchuck hepatitis virus nucleocapsid antigen or hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid antigen protects woodchucks from woodchuck hepatitis virus infection.

Woodchucks were immunized with recombinant woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) nucleocapsid antigen (WHcAg) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) nucleocapsid antigen (HBcAg) and challenged with 10(6) WHV ID50. Six out of six woodchucks immunized with WHcAg and four out of six immunized with HBcAg were protected from WHV infection. Woodchucks immunized with WHcAg or HBcAg developed high serum antibody titres against WHcAg or HBcAg. Antibodies against WHc and HBc displayed little cross-reactivity (< 1%). This confirms and extends previous reports of protection against homologous challenge after immunization with HBcAg/WHcAg which are both internal viral antigens. As the dominant B-cell epitope(s) on particulate WHcAg and HBcAg appear not to be conserved it also demonstrates that antibodies against HBcAg/WHcAg are not important for this protection. Woodchucks immunized with WHcAg/HBcAg reacted with a fast serum antibody response against viral envelope proteins upon challenge with WHV, indicative of functional intrastructural/intermolecular T-cell help as one potential mechanism of protection after immunization with an internal viral antigen.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

[The laryngeal mask versus intubation in difficult intubation conditions in the Franceschetti-Zwahlen-Klein syndrome (Treacher-Collins syndrome)].

A twenty-nine-year-old man suffering from Franceschetti syndrome requiring a retinal detachment operation was successfully anaesthetised using the laryngeal mask airway. The laryngeal mask has many advantages compared to endotracheal intubation in patients suffering from craniofacial abnormalities i.e. hypoplasia of the mandibular bone and ventral position of the larynx. In these cases the laryngeal mask is easily placed. However, the facilities of fibreoptic bronchoscopy should be readily available. The physician should have gained confidence in using a laryngeal mask before employing this device in cases of difficult intubation.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Evidence for the existence of differential O-glycosylated alpha 5-subunits of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor in the rat brain.

Polyclonal antibodies were raised to synthetic peptides having amino acid sequences corresponding with the N- or C-terminal part of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor alpha 5-subunit. These anti-peptide alpha 5(2-10) or anti-peptide alpha 5(427-433) antibodies reacted specifically with GABAA receptors purified from the brains of 5-10-day-old rats in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were able to dose-dependently immunoprecipitate up to 6.3 or 13.1% of the GABAA receptors present in the incubation, respectively. In immunoblots, each of these antibodies reacted with the same two protein bands with apparent molecular mass of 53 or 57 kDa. After exhaustive treatment of purified GABAA receptors with N-Glycanase, each of these antibodies identified two proteins with apparent molecular masses of 46 and 48 kDa. Additional treatment of GABAA receptors with neuraminidase and O-Glycanase resulted in an apparently single protein with molecular mass of 47 kDa, which again was identified by both the anti-peptide alpha 5(2-10) and the anti-peptide alpha 5(427-433) antibody. These results indicate the existence of at least two different alpha 5-subunits of the GABAA receptor that differ in their carbohydrate content. In contrast to other alpha- or beta-subunits of GABAA receptors so far investigated, at least one of these two alpha 5-subunits contains O-linked carbohydrates.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Detection and characterization of hepatitis C virus sequence in the serum of a patient with chronic HCV infection.

A cDNA fragment corresponding to the nonstructural gene region of Hepatitis C virus was cloned and sequenced. cDNA was obtained by reverse transcription of viral RNA extracted from serum of a German patient with chronic post transfusion hepatitis. "Nested" PCR resulted in a cDNA fragment of 345 nt. The sequence showed a homology of 96% to the American prototype HCV.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Follow-up of hepatitis C virus infection in chimpanzees: determination of viraemia and specific humoral immune response.

Chimpanzees were inoculated intravenously with the H strain of hepatitis C virus (HCV), and analysed for viraemia using the polymerase chain reaction and for a humoral immune response using first and second generation anti-HCV ELISAs and an immunoblot assay (4-RIBA). In all seven chimpanzees studied, viraemia occurred several weeks before a significant increase in serum alanine transferase (ALT) activity, whereas the first circulating anti-HCV antibodies became detectable at the time of significant increase in ALT levels, provided the second generation ELISA or 4-RIBA was used. On the basis of the duration of viraemia the chimpanzees studied could be assigned to two different groups: those in which viraemia disappeared in conjunction with or shortly after seroconversion, and those remaining viraemic for many weeks after the appearance of antibodies. The clearance of HCV from the circulation did not correlate with the antibody pattern determined using 4-RIBA, i.e. the HCV-specific assays currently available do not enable us to predict whether an infected chimpanzee will develop persistent viraemia. Only two of the seven chimpanzees analysed developed anti-core protein (c-22) antibodies, which appeared at the same time as the first ALT peak, whereas all animals developed antibodies to the non-structural protein, c-33, and these antibodies persisted.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1991

Separation of alpha 1, alpha 2 and alpha 3 subunits of the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor complex by immunoaffinity chromatography.

Polyclonal antibodies raised to synthetic amino acid sequences of the rat gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor alpha 1-, alpha 2- and alpha 3-subunits selectively recognized single proteins with apparent molecular weight 51 kDa (P51), 53 kDa (P53) and 59 kDa (P59), respectively, in GABAA receptor preparations affinity purified from the brains of 5-10-day-old rats. The antibodies were coupled to Affigel 10, and the resulting immunoaffinity columns were used to isolate these proteins from affinity purified GABAA receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Identification of alpha 1-, alpha 2- and alpha 3-subunit isoforms of the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor in the rat brain.

GABAA receptors purified from the brains of 5- to 10-day-old rats were completely N- and O-deglycosylated using N-glycanase and/or neuraminidase plus O-glycanase. Intact or completely deglycosylated receptors were subjected to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis. Polyclonal antibodies directed against synthetic aminoacid sequences specific for the GABAA receptor alpha 1-, alpha 2- or alpha 3-subunits each identified an apparently single protein of about 51 kDa, 53 kDa or 59 kDa, respectively, in the intact receptors. In the deglycosylated receptors, however, three different proteins were identified by antibodies directed against the alpha 3-subunit and at least two different proteins were identified by antibodies directed against the alpha 2- or alpha 1-subunit.

Animals↗