Biomedical subjects

P Herzig

Publications and source records attributed to P Herzig.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Simplest tasks have greatest dual task interference with balance in brain injured adults.

Attention difficulties and poor balance are both common sequel following a brain injury. This study aimed to determine whether brain injured adults had greater difficulty than controls in performing a basic balance task while concurrently completing several different cognitive tasks varying in visuo-spatial attentional load and complexity. Twenty brain injured adults and 20 age-, sex- and education level-matched controls performed a balance-only task (step stance held for 30 s), five cognitive-only tasks (simple and complex non-spatial, visuo-spatial, and a control articulation task), and both together (dual tasks). Brain injured adults showed a greater centre of pressure (COP) excursion and velocity in all conditions than controls. Brain injured adults also demonstrated greater interference with balance when concurrently performing two cognitive tasks than control subjects. These were the control articulation and the simple non-spatial task. It is likely that distractibility during these simple tasks contributed to an increase in COP motion and interference with postural stability in stance. Performing visuo-spatial tasks concurrently with the balance task did not result in any change in COP motion. Dual task interference in this group is thus unlikely to be due to structural interference. Similarly, as the more complex tasks did not uniformly result in increased interference, a reduction in attentional capacity in the brain injured population is unlikely to be the primary cause of dual task interference in this group.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Atopic eczema in early childhood could be protective against Type 1 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: According to the Th1/Th2 paradigm Type 1 diabetes and atopic diseases are assumed to be mutually exclusive on the individual level. We analysed the association between Type 1 diabetes and atopic diseases in a case-control design in order to test the hypothesis that atopic diseases in early childhood could protect against Type 1 diabetes. METHODS: We carried out a nationwide population-based case-control study enrolling 760 cases newly-diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes under five years of age between July 1992 and December 1995 and 1871 controls randomly selected from the general population and individually matched on sex, age and place of residence. Information on atopic diseases was obtained by a mailed parent-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed by multivariate logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders (family history of diabetes, social status, duration of overall breast feeding, number of children in family, maternal age at delivery). RESULTS: Atopic eczema was less frequent in diabetic (13.3%) than in non-diabetic children (18.0%) and was significantly associated with a reduced risk of Type 1 diabetes. The adjusted odds ratio was 0.71 (95% CI 0.53-0.96). Hay fever and asthma were not significantly associated with diabetes risk (OR 0.98 (95% CI 0.47-2.01) and 1.46 (95% CI 0.70-3.06), respectively). CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: In this large population-based case-control study in pre-school children an inverse association was observed between atopic eczema and Type 1 diabetes. Thus, in accordance with the Th1/Th2 paradigm development of atopic eczema in early childhood could be protective against childhood Type 1 diabetes.

Asthma↗

PubMed2001

On the generation of point groups in spaces of various dimensions.

In this paper the use of Clifford algebra in the parametrization of point groups in spaces of various dimensions is shown. Higher-dimensional spaces are of great interest especially when modulated crystals or quasicrystals are studied. While the quaternion units, which are useful to parametrize rotations in 3 dimensions, can be identified with rotations, the basic Clifford units may be regarded as mirrors from which all proper and improper symmetry operations can be generated. The practical implementation of this method of parametrization is demonstrated for the group of the hypercube in the 4-dimensional space, and generalisations to spaces of dimensions higher than 4 are suggested.

Mathematics↗

PubMed1999

Temporal, seasonal, and geographical incidence patterns of type I diabetes mellitus in children under 5 years of age in Germany.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: To estimate the national incidence of Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in children under 5 years of age in Germany and to analyse temporal, seasonal, and geographical patterns of the diabetes incidence. METHODS: During 1993-1995 newly diagnosed subjects were prospectively registered by the hospital-based 'German Paediatric Surveillance Unit' with monthly inquiries in all paediatric departments in Germany. Level of ascertainment was estimated by capture-recapture-analysis using two independent regional data sources. RESULTS: During 1993-1995 the national incidence was 8.10 (95 %-CI: 7.61, 8.61) per 100 000 person-years, ranging in-between lower rates in west European countries and higher rates in northern Europe. Degree of ascertainment was about 85 %. Male to female ratio was 1.11 (95 %-CI: 0.98, 1.25). Compared with results of previous regional studies in the east and the south-west of Germany a 3- and 1.3-fold incidence increase was observed, respectively. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis showed season, geographical region, and interactions of age at onset with sex and calendar year to be independent significant predictors of the incidence. Incidence variation by age was different between boys and girls. A significant incidence increase by calendar year was found in 3- and 4-year-old children only. In summer and fall the incidence was higher than in winter and springtime, in the northern parts of the country higher than in the southern parts. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: This study reports first national incidence data of Type I diabetes in children under the age of 5 years in Germany. Observed marked temporal, seasonal, and geographical incidence variations strongly support the causal role of environmental factors in disease aetiology.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1996

[Ranking of color-coded duplex ultrasonography (CCDU) in the staging of breast tumors].

PURPOSE: of the study was to detect vessels indirectly in conspicuous focal findings of the breast by means of measurement of blood flow by using colour-coded duplex sonography (CCDS) and to examine whether additional criteria can be defined to determine the pathological relevance of breast tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective study 149 patients were investigated, in whom either palpable breast lesions had been noticed or focal findings in imaging diagnostics. The perfusion in the focus and its surroundings (if present) was demonstrated and documented by means of CCDS. The investigation results were compared and contrasted with the histological findings after the operation. RESULTS: Indirect detection of the vessels depended on the size of the malignant tumours and was successful in 41.7% of cases with a tumour diameter of < or = 1 cm, in 90% of cases with a diameter of 1-2 cm and in 100% of cases with a diameter of > 2 cm. Carcinoma and metastases could be detected with a sensitivity of 87.5% and overall specificity of 56.9%. No typical perfusion pattern allowing appraisal of the pathologic relevance was seen. Postoperative scars did not show perfusion in any case. CONCLUSIONS: CCDS is of limited suitability only for determining the relevance of breast tumours, but provides additional diagnostic information especially on T1 tumours having a diameter between 1 and 2 cm. According to our results obtained so far, CCDS appears to be reliable and informative in differential diagnosis of tumour recurrence and an older scar.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991