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Biomedical subjects

M Herrmann

Publications and source records attributed to M Herrmann.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[Antibiotic prophylaxis using cefuroxime in bile duct endoscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To assess prospectively the effectiveness of a single prophylactic dose of cefuroxim before therapeutic endoscopy, in view of the general practice not to give antibiotics routinely. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective study endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography with drainage (PTCD) together with simultaneous stone extraction, dilatation or stent implantation were performed in 99 patients (51 men, 48 women; mean age 60.6 +/- 19.2 years). Group A (n = 49) received 1500 mg cefuroxim i.e. 30 min before the procedure, while none was given to group A patients (n = 50). Several blood cultures were taken up to 60 min after the endoscopy. The number of septicaemias (bacteraemia with fever, rigor, circulatory reactions, leukocytosis or leukopenia) were noted. Bile cultures were obtained in 56 patients with indwelling biliary drainage. RESULTS: Incidence of bacteraemia was 6.1% (3 of 49) in group A, 16% (8 of 50) in group B, but this difference is not statistically significant. The septicaemia rate was 6.1% in group A and 10% in group B (not significant). There were eleven positive blood cultures with 12 different microorganisms, Escherichia coli in four (A: n = 3). In vitro cefuroxim sensitivity was 53.3%. 25 different bacterial species were isolated from 73.2% of bile cultures, of which 53.4% were sensitive to cefuroxim and 8.2% moderately so. CONCLUSION: Although the obtained differences between the two groups were not statistically different, the reduction in bacteraemia/septicaemia rate may be of clinical use. Further studies are needed with higher dosages or antibiotic combinations to improve these results.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

What triggers anti-dsDNA antibodies?

Analysis of somatic mutations revealed that induction of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies from SLE patients are antigen driven and thus T cell dependent. Since DNA per se has repeatedly been shown not to be immunogenic, various mechanisms leading to the production of anti-dsDNA-antibodies have been discussed including the role of oligonucleosomes. In the present study we demonstrate that the percentage of macrophage engulfing apoptotic cell material was significantly reduced in SLE as compared to control patients. These data suggest that, in contrast to a non-inflammatory clearance of apoptotic cell, phagocytosis of apoptotic cell material may be decreased in SLE patients, possibly leading to a presentation of autoantigens and thus possibly triggering an autoantibody response to nucleoproteins.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1996

[Topographic-anatomic aspects of laparoscopic management of inguinal hernia].

Accidental injury of important anatomic structures is a factor frequently mentioned in the discussion of the sense of laparoscopic hernia repair via the transabdominal or extraperitoneal approach. We describe the topographic anatomy of the inguinal region and point out important structures in this area as found in our anatomic preparations of eight specimens at the Department of Anatomy of the University of Ulm. These observations are correlated with a meta-analysis of published data on complications of this new technique for inguinal hernia repair. It is concluded that complications of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair can be avoided if the topographic anatomy of the inguinal region is sufficiently taken into consideration.

Hernia, Inguinal↗
PubMed1996

Neuroimmune control of interleukin-6 secretion in the murine spleen. Differential beta-adrenergic effects of electrically released endogenous norepinephrine under various endotoxin conditions.

In a previous study we demonstrated a superfusion technique which allows for investigation of nerve-immune cell interaction in murine spleen. We demonstrated that under septic-like conditions in the presence of bacteria and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), electrically induced inhibition of interleukin 6 (IL-6) secretion was attenuated by the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol. This effect was now investigated more closely under various endotoxin conditions in order to dissect effects of bacteria and endotoxin: (A) bacteria-rich conditions (without penicillin/streptomycin [P/S] and without LPS), (B) LPS-enriched conditions (with P/S and with LPS), and (C) bacteria-free conditions (with P/S and without LPS). Under bacteria-rich conditions, norepinephrine (Emax = 10(-6) M, p = 0.012) and isoproterenol (Emax = 10(-6) M, p = 0.048) concentration-dependently inhibited IL-6 secretion from murine spleen slices in contrast to bacteria-free conditions. In a bacteria-free environment the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol did not attenuate the electrically induced inhibition of splenic IL-6 secretion. The insertion of bacterial filters in front of the superfusion chambers to avoid direct contact between bacteria and cells increased the electrically-induced inhibition of IL-6 secretion (p = 0.0036). Added LPS did not change the electrically-induced release of norepinephrine from presynaptic nerve terminals in murine spleen. The study demonstrates two different beta-adrenergic effects on IL-6 secretion of murine spleen slices under bacteria-rich or bacteria-free conditions.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

Pedal aneurysms.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Aneurysm↗
PubMed1996

Effect of disruption of the enniatin synthetase gene on the virulence of Fusarium avenaceum.

Production of the phytotoxic compound enniatin has been proposed to play a role during the infection process of plants by enniatin-synthesizing Fusarium species. Enniatins are cyclohexadepsipeptides synthesized by the multifunctional enzyme enniatin synthetase. To test the hypothesis that enniatin contributes to pathogenicity, enniatin-nonproducing mutants were constructed by gene disruption of the enniatin synthetase gene of a virulent Fusarium avenaceum strain. Four independent enniatin nonproducing mutants were characterized that did not express enniatin synthetase, as proved by RNA and protein blot analysis. The virulence on potato tuber tissue of the enniatin-nonproducing strains was significantly reduced compared with the virulence of the parent strain and three enniatin-producing transformants. Therefore, we conclude that enniatin production contributes to the virulence of Fusarium avenaceum.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1996

Retroviruses and systemic lupus erythematosus.

In some animal models of autoimmune diseases the roles of exogenous and endogenous retroviruses are clearly defined. In ungulates caprine arthritis encephalitis virus, equine infectious anemia virus or Maedi-Visna virus infections cause a well-defined autoimmune disease and the appearance of seropositivity of the animals is of diagnostic value. Likewise, in MRL lpr/lpr mice insertion of a retrotransposon into the fas gene could clearly be shown to cause survival of autoreactive lymphocytes. Despite intensive research in this field over a long period of time, molecular data on retroviral involvement in either etiology or pathology of human SLE and other autoimmune rheumatic diseases remain rather scarce. However, the analysis of retroviral antibodies and antigens in human autoimmune disease is undoubtedly important with regard to the search for retroviruses as disease-causing agents.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

DNA encapsidation by viruslike particles assembled in insect cells from the major capsid protein VP1 of B-lymphotropic papovavirus.

Capsids of polyomaviruses--small, nonenveloped DNA viruses--consist of the major structural protein VP1 and the minor structural proteins VP2 and VP3. The contributions of the individual capsid proteins to functions of the viral particle, such as DNA encapsidation, cell receptor attachment, entry, and uncoating, are still not clear. Here we show that viruslike particles assembled in nuclei of insect cells from VP1 of the monkey B-lymphotropic papovavirus (LPV) are sufficient to unspecifically encapsidate DNA. LPV VP1 expressed in large amounts in insect cells by a baculovirus vector assembled spontaneously in the nuclei to form viruslike particles. After metrizamide equilibrium density gradient purification and nuclease digestion, a fraction of these particles was shown to contain VP1-associated linear, double-stranded DNA with a predominant size of 4.5 kb. The fraction of DNA-containing VP1 particles increased with time and dose of baculovirus vector infection. The DNA-containing particles, further purified by sucrose gradient centrifugation, appeared as "full" particles in negative-staining electron microscopy. As shown by DNA hybridization, the encapsidated DNA consisted of insect cell and baculoviral sequences with no apparent strong homology to LPV sequences. Three non-LPV VP1-derived host proteins with apparent molecular masses of approximately 14, 15, and 16 kDa copurified with the DNA-containing particles and may represent insect cell histones encapsidated together with the DNA. A similar species of host DNA was also found in purified LPV wild-type virions. These data suggest that LPV VP1 alone can be sufficient to encapsidate linear DNA in a sequence-independent manner.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Weightings of items on the Code-Müller Protocols: the effects of clinical experience of aphasia therapy.

One hundred and twenty-two professionals engaged in aphasia therapy (graduates and undergraduates) ranked and weighted the relevance of the items of the Code-Müller Protocols (CMP) for assessing perceptions of psychosocial adjustment to aphasia using the multiattribute utility technique (MAUT). The degree of clinical experience with aphasia had a significant influence on participants' weightings of the items 'ability to follow interests and hobbies' and 'receiving speech therapy'.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Timing of surgery in patients with acute infective endocarditis.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical intervention in patients with active infective endocarditis is generally considered as indicated in few high-risk patients who have developed severe complications such as heart failure, persistent septicemia or recurrent arterial embolism, but the question of when to intervene is still subject to discussion. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Unit, University clinic. PATIENTS, INTERVENTIONS AND RESULTS: From 1984 to 1994, 130 patients (87 male, mean age 43.2 +/- 12.7 years) underwent heart valve replacement or reconstruction for infective endocarditis of native or prosthetic valves. 89 of them had acute infection requiring urgent surgical treatment. Over-all operative mortality was 12.3%. Certain preoperative factors were investigated regarding their influence on postoperative death. Statistical analysis revealed functional class according to NYHA as well as extravalvular involvement of the infection as significant risk factors or mortality. Emergency operation was not significantly associated with increased operative mortality, neither were the causative organism, a history of arterial embolism or persistent septicemia. CONCLUSIONS: In active infective endocarditis the optimal time to perform surgery is before the onset of severe end-stage heart failure or spread of the infection to extravalvular tissue. If one of these complications is imminent, urgent intervention is indicated.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Biosynthetic modulation of sialic acid-dependent virus-receptor interactions of two primate polyoma viruses.

Sialic acids are essential components of the cell surface receptors of many microorganisms including viruses. A synthetic, N-substituted D-mannosamine derivative has been shown to act as precursor for structurally altered sialic acid incorporated into glycoconjugates in vivo (Kayser, H., Zeitler, R., Kannicht, C., Grunow, D., Nuck, R., and Reutter, W. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 16934-16938). In this study we have analyzed the potential of three different sialic acid precursor analogues to modulate sialic acid-dependent virus receptor function on different cells. We show that treatment with these D-mannosamine derivatives can result in the structural modification of about 50% of total cellular sialic acid content. Treatment interfered drastically and specifically with sialic acid-dependent infection of two distinct primate polyoma viruses. Both inhibition (over 95%) and enhancement (up to 7-fold) of virus binding and infection were observed depending on the N-acyl substitution at the C-5 position of sialic acid. These effects were attributed to the synthesis of metabolically modified, sialylated virus receptors, carrying elongated N-acyl groups, with altered binding affinities for virus particles. Thus, the principle of biosynthetic modification of sialic acid by application of appropriate sialic acid precursors to tissue culture or in vivo offers new means to specifically influence sialic acid-dependent ligand-receptor interactions and could be a potent tool to further clarify the biological functions of sialic acid, in particular its N-acyl side chain.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Preferential recognition of specific DNA motifs by anti-double-stranded DNA autoantibodies.

Although antibodies (Ab) specific for double-stranded (ds) DNA are thought to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the fine structure of their DNA targets remains elusive. We have adapted a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-assisted immunoprecipitation method to define the binding sites in DNA sequences recognized by high affinity anti-dsDNA Ab of SLE patients. SLE sera were used to bind templates from a pool of double-stranded oligonucleotides (ON). A central part of 20 base-pair random sequence was flanked by restriction endonuclease recognition sites and sequences complementary to predefined PCR primers. Immunoselected ON were precipitated, isolated from the immune complexes and then subjected to a further immunoprecipitation step after amplification by PCR. After five cycles of immunoprecipitation and PCR, the resulting ON were cloned. Sequence analysis revealed that sera from SLE patients and two human monoclonal anti-dsDNA Ab obtained from SLE patients preferentially select sequences expected to form non-B-DNA structures. Inhibition studies of the Farr assay confirmed the increased affinity of the selected epitopes for anti-DNA Ab as compared to random B-DNA.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1995

Antimicrobial susceptibilities of Stomatococcus mucilaginosus and of Micrococcus spp.

The in vitro susceptibilities of 63 isolates of Stomatococcus mucilaginosus and of 188 isolates of Micrococcus spp. to 18 antimicrobial agents were determined by the agar dilution method. Many beta-lactams, imipenem, rifampin, and the glycopeptides were shown to be active in vitro against Stomatococcus and Micrococcus isolates, whereas the activities of antibiotics such as some aminoglycosides, erythromycin, and fosfomycin against an important number of these microorganisms are limited.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1995

Fast and high-affinity binding of B-lymphotropic papovavirus to human B-lymphoma cell lines.

Binding of B-lymphotropic papovavirus (LPV) to host cells differing in susceptibility to viral infection was determined by a newly established, direct, nonradioactive virus binding assay, which allows quantitative description of the binding characteristics by receptor saturation and Scatchard analysis. LPV binding to the highly susceptible human B-lymphoma cell line BJA-B K88 is specific, saturable, and noncooperative. Binding occurs very fast, with an association rate constant (k1) of 6.7 x 10(7) M-1s-1, and is of high affinity, with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 2.9 x 10(-12) M; and the virus-receptor complex is stable, with a half life of 70 min. The binding affinities of receptors on four other highly, moderately, or weakly susceptible human B-lymphoma cell lines were similar, with up to twofold variation around a mean Kd value of 3 x 10(-12) M, suggesting the presence of the same LPV receptor on all of these cell lines. This view is further supported by the finding that in all cases a terminal sialic acid is necessary for LPV binding. Tunicamycin has been shown to drastically induce LPV susceptibility and LPV binding in weakly and moderately susceptible B-lymphoma cell lines (O.T. Keppler, M. Herrmann, M. Oppenländer, W. Meschede, and M. Pawlita, J. Virol. 68:6933-6939, 1994). The hypothesis that the constitutively expressed and tunicamycin-induced LPV receptors are identical is strengthened by our finding that both receptor types displayed the same high affinity. LPV susceptibility of different B-lymphoma cell lines was correlated with receptor number but not with receptor affinity. The numbers of receptors per cell on highly and moderately susceptible cell lines ranged from 2,000 to 400 and were directly proportional to LPV susceptibility. This indicates that the number of high-affinity receptors per cell is a key regulating factor for the LPV host range.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Poststroke depression. Is there a pathoanatomic correlate for depression in the postacute stage of stroke?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study is aimed at the pathoanatomic correlates of depression in the postacute stage of patients with stroke. METHODS: Of a consecutive series of 104 stroke patients, a subgroup of 47 patients with single demarcated unilateral lesions was selected. Clinical examination, neuroradiological CT scan examination, and psychiatric assessment were performed within a 2-month period after the acute stroke. Depression was assessed with the Cornell Depression Scale, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and according to modified DSM-III-R criteria. The neuroradiological examination of all patients was performed on the same scanner, and lesion location, lesion volume, and ventricle-to-brain ratio were analyzed. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in depression scores between patients with left and right hemisphere lesions and no correlation between the severity of depression and the anteriority and the volume of lesion or brain atrophy. Major depressive disorders were only found in nine patients with left hemisphere lesions, all involving the basal ganglia, whereas none of the patients with right hemisphere stroke exhibited major depression. CONCLUSIONS: Lesions in the vicinity of the left hemisphere basal ganglia tend to play a crucial role in the development of major depression after the acute stage of stroke. The pathophysiological implications of this finding are discussed.

Brain↗
PubMed1995

[Determining patient staff with regard to needs and requirement profile for neuropsychologists, speech therapists and occupational therapists of acute care neurologic clinics in Germany].

The directors of neurological emergency-care departments were asked about the number and work profile of psychologists, occupational and speech therapists in their institutions. A majority of departments in West Germany employed their own speech and occupational therapists. In East Germany, a majority had their own psychology service. Work profiles and demands for personnel did not differ between the East and West. On the basis of the results, recommendations are made for the number of therapists required in neurological emergency-care departments.

Acute Disease↗