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Biomedical subjects

M H Wolff

Publications and source records attributed to M H Wolff.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Oral contraceptive use and vaginal candida colonization].

Fungal vaginal infections/colonisations can be divided into a symptomatic vaginal candidiasis and an asymptomatic vaginal Candida-carriage. The latter seems to be a predisposing factor for the development of a symptomatic vaginal candidiasis. The fungal organism isolated most frequently is Candida albicans, followed by Candida glabrata, which was previously also known as Torulopsis glabrata. To a lower extend, other Candida species such as Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei can be prevalent in the vulvovaginal region. Predisposing factors for vaginal candidiasis are gravidity, diabetes mellitus or a therapy with immunosuppressive agents. Also gestagenes showed to be a pre-disposing factor for vaginal candidiasis. Divergent results concerning the predisposition to vaginal candidiasis or colonisation due to oral contraception have so far been reported. Therefore we performed a study with two healthy collectives of female volunteers (n = 2 x 60) which were different concerning the taking of oral contraceptives. Overall, in 17% of the subjects (20/120) yeast could be cultured out of the vaginal secretions. There was no evidence for a higher rate of Candida-colonisation in subjects taking oral contraceptives. Further, there was no evidence for a relationship between the length of the taking of oral contraceptives and the rate of vaginal yeast-carriage. Also the type of oral contraceptive (combination or sequential contraceptive) had no influence on the frequency of Candida-carriage. Candida albicans was the most prevalent yeast (16/20), followed by Candida glabrata (4/20).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Morphological changes in human embryonic lung fibroblasts caused by cytotoxins of various Clostridium species].

A total of 243 strains of 35 Clostridium species were tested for cytotoxin production in cooked meat medium or liver broth within 48-72 h at 37 degrees C, using human embryonal lung fibroblasts in tissue-culture as indicator cells. Cytotoxin could be detected in the culture-filtrates of all toxigenic strains of C. chauvoei, C. difficile, C. histolyticum, C. novyi types A and B, C. septicum and C. tetani, but not in the atoxigenic ones. The cytotoxin of C. novyi correlated with alpha-toxin in the culture filtrate. All strains of C. perfringens and C. novyi D tested were not cytotoxic for lung fibroblasts despite their pathogenicity for guinea-pigs. Further cytotoxigenic strains were found among C. hastiforme, C. limosum, C. oceanicum, C. putrificum, C. ramosum, C. sordellii, C. sporogenes, and C. subterminale. The morphological changes in lung fibroblasts caused by the culture filtrates were characteristic and species-specific and corresponded with pathogenicity for guinea-pigs and/or mice. No cytotoxin was produced by C. absonum, C. barati, C. bifermentans, C. botulinum (atoxic), C. butyricum, C. cadaveris, C. carnis, C. clostridioforme, C. cochlearium, C. glycolicum, C. innocuum, C. malenominatum, C. mangenotii, C. paraputrificum, C. putrefaciens, C. rectum, C. tertium, and C. tyrobutyricum.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed1986

Does restriction enzyme analysis reveal changes in herpes simplex virus DNA after latency in mouse ganglia?

Possible changes in the herpes simplex virus (HSV) genome after latent infection in mice were studied by restriction enzyme analysis. Lumbosacral ganglia of C 57 Bl mice, genitally infected with a low passage strain of HSV-1 were explanted 3-8 month post infectionem and cocultivated with human embryo fibroblasts. Four virus isolates reactivated from the ganglia were compared with the original virus inoculated into the mice. The cleavage patterns yielded by 7 restriction enzymes - i.e. Eco RI, Hind III, Bam HI, Kpn I, Xba I, Bg1 II, HpaI - did not indicate any differences.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

[Varicella-zoster virus infection and the serologic determination of first-infection immunity].

The infection rate of varicella-zoster virus was determined by three tests--complement fixation reaction, enzyme-immune test and indirect immunofluorescence. The results of the three tests largely agreed with one another in demonstrating that infection starts relatively late in young children, but reaches 60%-70% at the end of the first decade of life, 90% at the end of the second decade. Results of both the enzyme immune and the indirect immunofluorescence tests indicated persistence of first-infection immunity until the older age groups. The complement fixation reaction deviated in its results, especially for the oldest age groups.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1985

Orbital infarction in sickle cell disease.

Bone infarction is common in sickle cell disease; however, involvement of the orbit is not. Only four cases have been reported in the English literature. We describe a patient who presented with headache, proptosis and lid edema due to infarction of the sphenoid bone. The combination of radionuclide bone imaging and computed tomography (CT) of the orbit were useful in differentiating bone infarction from other etiologies of proptosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Esophageal scintigraphy. Esophageal bronchus.

In this report, an esophageal bronchus was identified with radionuclide esophageal imaging. The esophageal bronchus, which arises independently from the esophagus, was demonstrated at the time of gastroesophageal reflux, with tracer being seen in the right lung.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1982

Typing of herpes simplex virus strains by analysis of the early proteins.

In Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infected cells treated with the arginine analogue canavanine, early (alpha -) viral proteins accumulate and show a typical pattern in the acrylamide gel. This paper investigates the possibility of using this pattern for typing of HSV strains. Twenty strains were analyzed by this method and results were compared with typing by neutralization test. For 18 strains both methods agreed. Two strains regarded as intermediary strains by neutralization test could be clearly typed by the analysis of the early proteins.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1981

The influence of different modes of immunization on the experimental genital herpes simplex virus infection of mice.

Previous investigations, which simulated the usual sequence of the human Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, had shown that the oral infection of mice with HSV-1 caused only weak protection from genital infection with HSV-2, although the course of infection was attenuated and lethality diminished. This heterologous, heterotopic model was compared with a homologous, heterotopic and a heterologous, homotopic model. The results did not differ very much, although the homologous immunization protected best from lethal outcome, the homotopic immunization best from local infection. Three different preparations of a killed vaccine from purified HSV-1 virion had little effect on the course of the local infection, although protection from lethal outcome was as good as with live virus. In contrast, a crude UV-inactivated vaccine protected nearly completely from local infection. Latent infection in the lumbosacral ganglia was significantly inhibited by immunization with live virus, but only slightly prevented by killed vaccine. The prevalence of latent infection correlated with the extent of vaginal infection. The results show that neither the viral type nor the inoculation site used for immunization with live virus are very critical. Moreover, they allow the conclusion that generalized type-dependent immune factors seem to be engaged in protection against lethal disease; these may be circulating humoral antibodies. On the other hand, locally induced immune factors (probably cellular) are apparently of prime importance for the protection from acute local and latent ganglionic infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Seroepidemiologic investigations of hepatitis in the tropics. A study on volunteers of the German volunteer service.

Sera from 349 volunteers of the German Volunteer service (GVS), who had lived in tropical or subtropical countries for about two years were tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen two years were tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBS-antigen), antibody to Hepatitis B surface antigen (anti--HBS), and antibody to Hepatitis A antigen (anti-HA) by radioimmunoassay. The findings were compared with those from a control group whose sex, age and occupational status corresponded with the volunteer group. The incidence of HBS-antigen was equal in both groups (1%). Anti-HA was found in 34% and anti-HBS in 19% of the volunteers but only in 26% and 7%, respectively, of the members of the control group. The greatest occurence of anti-HA was found among volunteers of the health service (46%) and technical service (35%) and of anti-HBS among the health service (29%), economic service (26%) and agricultural service (21%). Returned volunteers from West Africa showed a higher frequency (anti-HA 38%, anti-HBS 30%) than those from other countries (anti-HA 30%, anti-HBS 17%). The increased frequency of hepatitis corresponded with an increase in the morbidity rate from 25.5/10 000/year prior to service to 244/10 000/year during the service.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Serological studies on the antigenic relationship between herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus.

If crossreacting antibodies between varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) exist, one would expect more positive reactions with VZV in a group of HSV positive patients than in a group of HSV negative patients. This statement can only apply to a group of individuals where positive and negative reactions with respect to HSV and VZV are evenly distributed. Such a distribution can only be found among children. Therefore, the relationship between HSV-1 and VZV was the only one which was considered in this investigation, since the incidence of HSV-2 antibodies in children is very rare. The sera from 197 children were examined using the neutralization test (NT), the complement fixation test (CFT) and the indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFT) and could be classified as either HSV positive (80) or HSV negative (117). The children's ages were similar in both groups. Approximately the same proportion of VZV positive sera was found in both groups when examined using IFT (53% in the HSV positive and 47% in the HSV negative group). However, when the CFT was applied the proportion of VZV positive sera in the two groups differed markedly (22% of the HSV positive sera and 38% of the HSV negative sera). These findings suggest that crossreactivity observed between HSV and VZV in acute HSV and VZV infections is evidently not dependent on crossreacting antibodies but is apparently confined to the cellular level of the immune response.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

The proteins of varicella-zoster-virus.

[35S] methionine-labelled Varicella-Zoster-Virus (VZV) was partly purified by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Enveloped virus, checked by electron microscopy, was analyzed by high resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A polypeptide pattern of at least 31 proteins could be identified on the fluorogram. The molecular weight of the proteins, estimated by co-electrophoresis with marker proteins, ranged from 18,000 to 240,000 daltons. Immunoprecipitation using a specific human antiserum showed at least 14 proteins.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1977

[Quantitative IgM-testing and prenatal rubella infection (author's transl)].

Cord blood of 686 newborns was tested for IgM-levels in connection with an epidemic occurrance of rubella infection in Bonn and its vicinity. In 17 samples IgM was higher than 30 mg/100 ml and in 102 samples higher than 20 mg/100 ml. In 121 cases the cord blood was examined for rubella antibodies and in 85 children it was also checked for the persistence of rubella antibodies at the end of the first six months of life. No unexpected prenatal rubella infection was found. Two children of this group had clinical and serological criteria for rubella embryopathy at birth. In addition 39 cases of verified rubella infections during pregnancy were investigated. In 13 cases abortion was performed during the first trimenon following a rubella infection; the presence of rubella virus embryotic tissue could be proven in 9 cases. A prenatal rubella infection became apparent by illness of the mother during the pregnancy and/or embryopathy of the newborn in 26 children. In 16 of these children prenatal rubella infection was confirmed by the detection of rubella specific IgM which was associated in all instances with elevated levels of IgM, and/or the persistence of rubella antibodies after the sixth month of life. The remaining 10 children had neither clinical nor serological signs. The mothers of 9 of these children had been ill after the 16th week of pregnancy. In at least 21 cases (81%) of 26 maternal rubella infections during the first trimenon of pregnancy the virus passed the placenta. In 13 cases the pregnancy was interrupted; of the remaining 13, 6 children (46%) had embryopathy.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1976

[Rubella virus hemagglutination inhibition IgM antibodies: the method of absorption of IgG by staphylococcal protein A as compared with density gradient ultracentrifugation (author's transl)].

The elimination of IgG by adsorption to Protein A of S. aureus was used for the demonstration of rubella virus specific IgM by hemagglutination inhibition. The validity of the method was proved by comparison with the results of density gradient centrifugation. The adsorption procedure led to false positive results in 9 of 56 cases and to false negative results in 12 of 46 cases, i.e. 20.7% of the results were discordant, when the sera were tested with short incubation time (30 min. room temperature) and the residual IgG (and IgA) were not excluded by controls with 2-ME (table 1 and table 2). By prolonged incubation time (18 hrs + 4 degrees C) and controls with 2-ME, false positive results were avoided, and the number of false negative results was reduced to 9 (table 2 and table 3). The latter occured mostly in cases where the disease had started 3 or more weeks ago and the titer in the IgM fraction of the sera was low (fig. 3). Under these conditions the absorption of IgG by staphylococcal Protein A proved to be a simple, specific and reliable procedure for the demonstration of rubella virus IgM within 2-3 weeks after the onset of the disease.

Bacterial Proteins↗