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Biomedical subjects

K Lauer

Publications and source records attributed to K Lauer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Epidemiologic aspects of multiple sclerosis].

Epidemiology plays a prominent role in the search for environmental risk factors in multiple sclerosis (MS). The basic pattern with the predilection for temperate zones of the globe, whites, females and medium age groups was confirmed throughout. Whether or not MS is increasing in frequency is highly debated. Although no clear risk factors have been demonstrated so far, a certain association of the MS risk with the factors "low temperatures and precipitation", "consumption of animal proteins/fats or meat", "familiar occurrence of MS" and with a late occurrence of common childhood infections became obvious. Many other putative risk factors were not confirmed in most studies.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗
PubMed1992

Prognostic criteria in an epidemiological group of patients with multiple sclerosis: an exploratory study.

Demographic and clinical features and data on medical history and prior environmental exposure collected during an epidemiological long-term study of multiple sclerosis (MS) were tested for their possible prognostic value. Fifty-two benign MS patients were compared with 29 patients having a malignant course. A primary or secondary progressive course and cerebellar/lower brain-stem symptoms at onset indicated an unfavourable course, whereas no predictive value of sex or of any other type of onset symptomatology was found. Age at onset per se had no influence on prognosis but was associated with more rapid progression only by its relationship with a chronic progressive type of course. Prior illness, surgery, trauma and childhood exposure to defined environmental factors could not be identified as relevant for prognosis.

Demography↗
PubMed1992

Early prognostic factors for disability in multiple sclerosis, a European multicenter study.

The effects of initial clinical variables on short-term prognosis are analyzed in a cross-sectional study of 574 multiple sclerosis patients from 7 centers in 5 European countries. Patients with a primary progressive course had a 2.3 higher mean disability score (EDSS) than the primary remittent group after a mean duration of disease of 6.6 years. High age at onset was associated with a primary progressive course, and was also related to increased risk of a rapid shift to a secondary progressive course. Among the remittent patients without a secondary progressive course a high age at onset was significantly correlated to a higher disability score. In the whole remittent group the presence of pyramidal and cerebellar symptoms at onset predicted both a high disability score and a rapid shift to a secondary progression, while the effect was reverse for sensory and visual symptoms. No difference between the sexes was found.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The relationship between disability and memory dysfunction in multiple sclerosis.

We examined the relationship between memory impairment and functional disability in multiple sclerosis. Tests of memory, sensorimotor ability, and functional capacity were administered to fifty-six subjects with chronic-progressive or remitting-relapsing MS. Sensorimotor impairment, functional disability, and chronicity predicted impairment on various measures of memory acquisition, while age and type of diagnosis did not. After accounting for the effects of initial acquisition, delayed-recall performance was weakly-associated with disability. We suggest that: (1) Functional disability is associated with memory loss in MS; (2) MS-forgetting is caused by defective acquisition, rather by a deficit in consolidation or storage; (3) Level of disease activity, rather than type of MS diagnosis, determines the degree of memory impairment; and (4) MS disability needs to be evaluated multidimensionally, to account for both neurologic and functional impairment.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

[Multiple sclerosis mortality 1973-1987 in Baden-Württemberg in comparison with socio-geographical variables].

Mortality due to MS in the State of Baden-Württemberg (south-west Germany) during the years 1973-1987 was studied in its geographical distribution for a possible association with selected sociogeographic indices for that period. The overall rate for Baden-Württemberg (1.3/100,000) was lower than in the neighbouring state of Hesse (1.5/100,000). A relative excess of cases was found in the highland region of the Swabian Alps. In multivariate analysis, correlations were found with the characteristics "forest area/inhabitant", "oat cultivation" and "concentration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the drinking water", whereas climate and height above sea-level were not associated. These findings require replication elsewhere.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The history of nitrite in human nutrition: a contribution from German cookery books.

In order to settle the question of when saltpetre (nitrate) came in use as an additive to human food, a number of historic cookery books from Germany and Austria were reviewed. Obviously, the change from vegetable dyes to saltpetre for the coloring or color preservation, respectively, of meat occurred between 1600 and 1750, probably near 1700. The addition of sugar which favours the reduction of nitrate to the active agent nitrite became common practice during the 19th century. Thus some historic parallels to the appearance of colorectal cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis in the medical literature became apparent.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1990

The intrathecal immune response in multiple sclerosis: a different concept of 'specificity'.

A hypothesis is presented in which the immune response in multiple sclerosis is conceived as a primary response to an auto-antigen located within the immune system (e.g. a certain allotype or HLA epitope) which shows subsequent or simultaneous specificity for a greater number of nominal antigens [corrected]. The increased tendency of [corrected] such antibodies to self-aggregation might play a critical role in the pathogenesis.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1990

Mortality of multiple sclerosis in relation to geographic factors in France.

The multiple sclerosis (MS) mortality 1968-1977 in France, as reported by Alpérovitch and Bouvier, was tested for a possible correlation with a number of sociogeographic variables from relevant periods. The MS rate was associated with the main industry groups (metal processing and textile industry), with industry as a whole, and with the extent of oat cultivation. These findings are in agreement with observations in other countries and suggest a possible role of factors, somehow related to these features, in the etiology of MS.

France↗