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Biomedical subjects

M Kundi

Publications and source records attributed to M Kundi.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Prognostic relevance of cellular morphology in multiple myeloma.

Morphological characteristics of tumor cells have been employed in the prognosis of lymphomas and solid tumors. This report documents an attempt to predict survival from the known cytologic heterogeneity in multiple myeloma. Myeloma cells in bone marrow smears from patients at diagnosis were evaluated by assigning them to morphologically defined categories. Cox's multivariate regression model for censored survival data was used to generate optimal weights, which served as coefficients in two regression equations to estimate death risk from cellular morphology. Step-wise procedures excluded redundant parameters. "Myeloma morphology score" (MMS) discriminates significantly (p less than 0.0001) among 3 stages, with median survival times of 42.5, 30.7, and 9.1 mo. For clinical routine application, "myeloma progression score" (MPS), the weight sum of the proportion of plasmablasts and the extent of bone marrow plasma cell infiltration, is suggested as a simple prognostic tool. Its discriminative power is very high [p less than 10(-9)]. Median survival times of greater than 71.5, 23.4, and 6.1 mo were found for good, moderate, and poor risk groups, respectively. However, staging is not confined to three subgroups, grouping is flexible, and pairs of data can be matched. This fact may prove to be valuable in designing prognosis-controlled clinical trials or theoretical studies on cellular differentiation. Preliminary results suggest changes in morphology due to disease progression and/or the effect of therapy on tumor kinetics. Most importantly, staging according to MPS or MMS may facilitate the adaption of therapy to the current state of the disease in patients with multiple myeloma.

Austria↗
PubMed1983

[Presentation of a new dichotic hearing test for the measurement of functional hemispheric asymmetries].

A newly developed dichotic test was tried on a clinical population of 197 primary school children. The results show a right ear advantage; that is better achievements in reproduction of verbal material presented to the right ear. This effect can only be reliably proved by double presentation of the material, once in inverse form. Changes in the test performance while doing the test; as well as the importance of the intervening variable, dominance of one word over the other within a pair simultaneously presented are discussed - first of all a statistical analysis was made to isolate the words that dominate most clearly in their setting. As a result of the recorded item-total (subtest) correlation as well as the estimation of reliability, there is a possibility to develop a more reliable test instrument in a second step. With cluster analysis the diagnostic value of the dichotic examination was shown in a group of 60 subjects, especially with a view to the formal pathogenesis of achievement disorders in early primary school age.

Child↗
PubMed1982

Results of LSA2-L2 therapy in 26 children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Twenty-six children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 17 boys and nine girls, were treated with the LSA2-L2 protocol. Seven children had stage I or II, 16 Stage III and three Stage IV according to Murphy's staging system. Eight children had their primaries in peripheral lymph nodes, eight in the abdomen, six in the mediastinum and four in other sites. All tumors were classified histologically according to four different classifications. Overall disease-free actuarial survival is 53.6%. Complete responders show a disease-free survival of 77.8%. Fourteen children survived for 9-56 months. Included are all seven children with Stage I or II who survive irrespective of histologic type of the tumor. Of the remaining 12 children in Stage III or IV three children died in remission and nine of progressive disease. Eight of these nine patients did not attain complete remission. Whereas four of five children with the convoluted type of NHL survive, four of five patients with the Burkitt's type (small noncleaved follicle center cell lymphomas) died of progressive disease. According to Rappaport's classification, four of six children with diffuse undifferentiated lymphoma (DUL) are dead due to tumour progression. Considering the classification of lymphoblastic lymphomas introduced by Nathwani et al., 23 five of seven children suffering from lymphoblastic lymphomas but only two of eight children with nonlymphoblastic lymphomas belong to the survivors. Therefore histologic findings do hold prognostic significance in our series of children with NHL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

[Progress in the treatment of juvenile leukemias].

Between January 1979 and December 1980 64 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were treated in 9 pediatric clinics in austria according to the BFM study 76/790-protocol. For remission induction all patients received an 8 week multidrug regimen (West-Berlin ALL-protocol). High risk patients were defined according to a risk score at diagnosis and additionally treated with a 6 week reinforced reinduction protocol during the first half year after diagnosis. Maintenance therapy was stopped after about 22 months. The life table-analysis after 30 months showed a 75.5% disease free survival for the total group of patients. Compared with a control group of 228 patients treated between 1974 and 1980 in 9 different clinics in Austria according to 3 consecutive national treatment regimens (modifications of Memphis protocol VII and VIII), therapeutic results were markedly improved. After a follow-up of 36 to 90 months the overall oumulative remission rate was 37.7%. The results could be improved especially in the group of high risk patients for replase by 35% in contrast to the historical studies. A prognostic difference between low- and high risk-patients was not seen in the BFM study (84.3% vs. 69.9%). Without doubt, the marked improvement of prognosis is due to the intensification of therapy.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1982

[Effect of various furniture covering fabrics on heat regulation and comfort].

The effects of three different materials for furniture fabrics (wool, polyacrylonitrile and Skai) on thermophysiological parameters and comfort were studied. In a laboratory design male, middle aged subjects were tested three times for three hours in a climate chamber, being exposed to internal and external thermal strains as well as to stress inducing situations. The outcome of this research suggests an essential influence of the structure of the tested materials but only small influences by the kind of fibres. The test situation "Skai" induced markedly different effects on skin temperature, skin moisture level and self rated thermal comfort as compared to both textile materials: A high sweat secretion followed by a continuously increasing moisture accumulation could be observed, especially for areas of the body surface which were tight contact with the material. Simultaneously a distinct skin temperature decrease at the back was found, which can be interpreted as a consequence of a high heat conduction due to the material itself as well as by sweat vaporization when the back was lifted from the backrest. The differences between the natural fibre- and synthetic fibre materials were generally small and occurred merely under heat stress conditions, where a pronounced reactivity of skin temperatures, skin moisture and heart rate could be observed testing the synthetic textile material. Being asked about thermal comfort, the subjects attributed their ratings to uncomfortable room climate conditions rather than to properties of the materials on which they were seated.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Efficacy of specific immunoglobulin against TBE (author's transl)].

The efficacy of passive immunization against tickborne encephalitis (TBE) was evaluated in Vienna by means of a telephonic survey. It was learned that in 1979 after a tickbite in endemic areas, of TBE, approximately one out of 1,000 unvaccinated persons came down with the disease. Administration of TBE immunoglobulin after exposure reduced the incidence of the disease to 1:2,500. thus showing a rate of protection of approximately 60%. The survey also showed that in 1979 one third of those at risk (frequent walks in forests) had already undergone active immunization with the Austrian TBE vaccine.

Austria↗
PubMed1981

[Effect of BCG vaccination of the newborn infant on the incidence and course of juvenile leukemias].

As a retrospective study the clinical data of 613 leukaemic children were collected. 269 of them were born in Austria, fell sick between 1967 and 1976 and were not older than 5 years at the onset of disease. BCG-vaccination, which is performed in Austria within the first three days after birth, was checked by means of hospital reports, birth protocols and central BCG record. All data were stored and evaluated by electronic data processing. Besides a significant decrease of mortality, which we could demonstrate in earlier studies, the following correlations between BCG-vaccination of newborn and leukaemia were found: Reduction of morbidity, decrease of case fatality, increase of 5 years survival rate, increase of mean survival time, delayed onset of disease, decrease of frequency of myeloic and chronic leukaemia. With the exception of the slight reduction of morbidity all correlations are significant.

BCG Vaccine↗
PubMed1980

Rheospirography for determination of respiratory volume.

The method of rheospirography was investigated in 26 voluntary test persons. By means of a spirometric measuring method and after calibration, quantitative statements about size and changes of respiratory minute volume and inspiratory volume could also be evaluated. Computerizing the computation method, rheospirography is suitable for long-term monitoring in intensive care patients.

Computers↗
PubMed1978

[BCG vaccination and leukemia. Epidemiologic studies on the effect of BCG vaccination on leukemia].

The possible influence of BCG vaccination on leukemia mortality of infants was investigated by various authors. The methods used were prospective trials, retrospective studies and epidemiological analyses. In some of these studies a protective effect of BCG vaccination was observed, in other studies no influence was found. Up to now this problem is subject to controversial discussions. An epidemiological analysis of the Austrian data using trend analyses, regression analyses and analyses of rank correlation showed an inverse correlation between BCG vaccination rate of newborns and leukemia mortality in the age group 0--5 years. From this correlation a protection rate of 0.77 could be calculated.

Austria↗
PubMed1978

[Evaluation of procedures for hygienic disinfection of hands: comparison of two methods, for artificially contaminating hands and use of an automatic colony-counter (author's transl)].

Testing procedures for the Hygienic Disinfection of hands, two kinds of artificial contamination have been compared: Application of one drop of bacterial suspension onto each fingertip as described in the DGHM-"Richtlinien" and immersion of hands as described in our previous papers. When using our method, fingertips released higher numbers of testbacteria. Since pre- as well as post-values were elevated, disinfection-tests applying one of each contamination method resulted in log10 reductions which did not differ significantly. Using an automated scanning colony counter we were able to save 2/3 of time otherwise required for manual counts. Up to 10(2) colonies per plate manual counts were practically identical with the counters results, whereas with higher colony-numbers the counter showed an increasing tendency to under-estimate the numbers of colonies. Since colonies of skin-staphylococci are not recognised by the automated counter, we cultured our rinsing-fluids on nutrient agar containing 0.05% of sodium-desoxycholate in order to inhibit the autochthonous skin flora. This supplement influenced the colony counts of our test-bacterium to a very minor degree only, the reduction factors were not at all altered.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1977

[Changes in the benefit of immunization].

The beneficial effects and the risks of vaccinations may be calculated by means of special formulas (N,Q,D). Changes in the effect of vaccinations may be substantiated by constant (eventually computerized) reevaluation of the present epidemiologic situation with the help of the above mentioned formulas. Another possibility lies in the calculation of the epidemiologic trend and determination of Rlim, the latter meaning the borderline number of complications of a certain disease, when risks as consequence of the disease or of the vaccination are about equal (D = 0). The follow-up of the epidemiologic situation over many years allows the estimation when this will be the case or, in other words, when the vaccination against the disease in question is not meaningful any more and has lost its beneficial effect and practical importance. In case of smallpox the risk of importation of the disease is practically zero; this means that N and Q less than 1 and D less than 0 thus underlining the view that the compulsory vaccination of the newborn is obsolete. A follow up of the case mortality of whooping cough in Austria over the past 15 years leads to the conclusion that Rlim, when calculated according to Ehrengut (that means that deadly risks of vaccination, r, are considered to be 2,4 x 10(-5), has been reached already in 1971. When calculated according to the WHO(r = 0,1 x 10(-5)) this will be the case by the end of 1976. In case of BCG vaccination the borderline mortality (Rlim) is not yet reached in Austria. The total number of deaths from tuberculosis that have been prevented by vaccination is already very low. The beneficial effect of this vaccination is much more expressed however when the prevention of leucemic deaths, as quoted by Davignon et al. (1970, 1971) and Rosenthal et al. (1972), is taken for granted. More observations will be necessary to clarify that point.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

[Usability of three alcohols for a standard disinfection method to be employed for the evaluation of procedures for the hygienic disinfection of hands (author's transl)].

Following a former suggestion (4) always to evaluate, the efficacy of procedures for Hygienic disinfection of hands in comparison with the results of a certain standard disinfection method, Ethanol, iso- and n-Propanol were tested in various concentrations and for various times of action on their usability in such a standard method. The disinfecting power was dependent upon (i) the alcohol (Ethanol less than iso-Propanol less than n-Propanol), (ii) the concentration (Ethanol: 60 less than 70 less than 80% ml/ml, iso-Propanol: 50 less than 60 less than 70, n-Propanol: 40 less than 50 less than 60 = 70) and (iii) the time of action (0,5 less than 1 less than 2 min). n-Propanol proved to be the fastest acting disinfectant. However, as standard disinfection method iso-Propanol (60% ml/ml) being used for 1 min has been proposed. Furthermore, the following results that have been obtained also in former investigations (8) could be confirmed: (i) there is no systematic difference between the release of test-bacteria from the fingertips of right and left hands of test-persons (ii). The efficacy of procedures for Hygienic disinfection of hands is besides other factors influenced by the testpersons. This factor may be eliminated by using the same testpersons for both, the disinfection procedure under investigation and the standard method. The results of both may, then, be related to each other and the efficacy of the former may be evaluated in comparison to the latter.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed1977

[Testmethod for the evaluation of procedures for the hygienic disinfection of hands. Part 1: Discription of testmethod (author's transl)].

A detailed test design for the evaluation of procedures for the hygienic disinfection of hands is described together with suitable methods for statistical analysis of the results. In principle the release of testbacteria from the finger-tips of artificially contaminated hands is measured before and after disinfection. A procedure under test is accepted if it is not less effective than a standard-disinfection procedure. As such the disinfection with iso-propanol 60% (ml/ml) applied through 1 min was agreed upon. This standard procedure is to be performed the same day with the same day with the same testpersons and under identical environmental conditions prior to the procedure under test.

1-Propanol↗