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Biomedical subjects

M Gassner

Publications and source records attributed to M Gassner.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

[Why do farmers die more often from lung diseases?].

During the period 1988-1992 deaths from lung diseases were more frequent among the farming population according to Swiss mortality data. The age-standardized proportional mortality rate (PMR) is 127 for all the lung diseases (ICD-8 460-519), 140 for bronchitis and asthma (ICD-8 490-493), 137 for asthma alone (ICD-8 493) and 841 for pneumoconiosis due to organic dust (ICD-8 516.1 + .2). Stock-farmers showed a mortality pattern for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease opposite to that of vegetable farmers and wine-growers. This increased mortality among farmers is paradoxical in the light of the more frequent tolerance for aeroallergens among the children of farmers, the conservative style of housing and living as well as received ideas about working in natural and therefore healthy air. Insufficient knowledge of the multifactorial risks of natural pathogenic organic substances and of dangerous work are just as important for the pathogenesis of these diseases and deaths as the changed social and cultural values with the consequences on insurance policy. These factors affect optimal prophylaxis (limitation of air pollution, safety measures, job change and measures in order to achieve adequate social security).

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Immunological-allergological reactions with changed environmental conditions].

Is the increased incidence of allergic diseases a by-product of technologic development? Can this hypothesis be supported by measurable alterations in immunoreactivity? Continuous sero-epidemiologic monitoring since 1983 in children from Grabs prove a statistically significant increase in allergic sensitization, in particular against grass pollen. An etiologic link between the increased prevalence of hay fever and growing volume of motor vehicle traffic is suggested by: 1. the temporal correlation: Prevalence of hay fever has increased simultaneously with the raise of emission of photo-oxidants. High ozone and pollen immissions do also coincide over the course of the day. 2. pathophysiology: Ozone prolongs and intensifies exposure to allergens by reducing bronchociliary clearance and increasing permeability for inhaled antigens. Children from farmers exhibit a lower morbidity for hay fever in spite of a more intense exposure to both photo-oxidants and grass pollen. They show that not only exposure but also adaptive mechanisms may be important in assessing correlations with aerial pollutants.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1990

[Significance of fecal streptococci in the detection of bacteriologic contamination of drinking water].

Because of their increased environmental resistance faecal streptococci are a good indicator of a contamination dating back a long time. Under the new Federal German Drinking Water Regulations, examination of faecal streptococci is not mandatory. On the basis of 190 samples of water from natural springs it was shown that, if the water was examined only in respect of E. coli and coliform bacteria there were no objections in 22% of water that was faecally contaminated, so that such water escaped detection. Hence, it is advisable to perform the faecal streptococci test in water that is frequently or potentially infected with bacteria.

Colony Count, Microbial↗
PubMed1982

[Costovertebral dysplasia. A receptor defect of sclerotome development?].

8 subjects with costovertebral dysplasia in 4 interrelated families are described. The cases occurred from 1949 to 1978 and all showed the analogous generalized malformation of the vertebrae and ribs. One child with concomitant chromosomal anomaly (Down's syndrome) died at the age of 7 days. Follow-up in the 7 cases shows no decrease in life expectancy or any other malformation, and in particular non bronchopneumonial complications. Case reports and comparisons of the prevalence of neural tube defects in this isolated population and in Switzerland rule out increased risk of neural tube defects for costovertebral dysplasia. The pedigree of kindred over 8 generations is consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. As the cause of the malformation a possible receptor defect of the mesodermal sclerotomes is discussed.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1981

[Trampers in India - Description of a population (author's transl)].

50 trampers in India and Sri Lanka were studied in a semistructured interview by a questionnaire for socio-demographic data, for their medical and psychiatric history and their drug-experience. The MPI (Eysenck) and SSS (Zuckermann) were applied as tests for describing personality. Most of the trampers are around 25 years, stem from medium economical strata, have an education of high school or university. Nearly all of them are experienced drug-users (mainly hashish), most of them for long time without increase of intake and without bodily or mental or social deterioration. In the MPI the score for extraversion and neuroticism is within the (English) norm rage. Female probands showed a higher score of neuroticism than males. The total score in the SSS was significantly higher than in the standard population, mainly due to significantly elevated scores in the scale for disinhibition and boredom susceptibility.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Magnetic relaxation analysis of dynamic processes in macromolecules in the pico- to microsecond range.

A formalism based on the theory of Markov processes and suitable for the analysis of multiple internal motions in macromolecules is presented. Computer calculations of specific motional models for (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation, treated as special cases of the proposed formalism, demonstrate the potential of this approach for discriminating between different motional models on the basis of NMR relaxation data.

Macromolecular Substances↗
PubMed1977

The phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system of Staphylococcus aureus. 3. 1H and 31P nuclear-magnetic-resonance studies on the phosphocarrier protein HPr; tyrosine titration and denaturation studies.

The phosphocarrier protein HPr has been investigated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at 270 MHz in order to evaluate structural properties of the whole molecule and its active site. The titration behaviour of the three tyrosines of the HPr protein was analysed by monitoring the chemical shifts of the aromatic proton resonances of these residues as a function of pH. It was found that the HPr protein contains a lot of slowly exchanging NH backbone protons which suggested a relatively rigid secondary structure of the protein molecule itself although it contains no disulfide bridges. The HPr protein shows a sharp reversible denaturation behaviour at alkaline pH values. Between pH 10.8 and 11.1 two C-2 proton resonance peaks for the single histidine residue could be observed together with abrupt changes in the aromatic and aliphatic absorption region of the HPr protein which are due to chemical exchange processes. The NMR spectrum of the HPr protein is only changed a little upon raising the temperature from 14 degrees C to 70 degrees C. At 76 degrees C all resonances in the spectrum broaden and almost disappear. This process is irreversible.

Bacterial Proteins↗