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Biomedical subjects

R Baergen

Publications and source records attributed to R Baergen.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Detection of chlamydial antigenic material in ovarian, prostatic, ectopic pregnancy and semen samples of culture-negative subjects.

PROBLEM: The pathogenesis of long-term sequelae in Chlamydia trachomatis infection is poorly understood. While serology indicates previous chlamydial infection, culture studies are frequently negative. We wanted to know whether in chronic cases the bacterium is absent or persists in a dormant state where it evades detection. METHODS OF STUDY: Using immunoperoxidase (IP) staining and in situ hybridization (ISH), we examined tissues of culture-negative subjects. Ovarian biopsy specimens from 19 culture-negative women with pelvic adhesions and/or tubal infertility were analyzed by both methods. Samples of prostates from 10 culture-negative men undergoing prostatectomy for benign hypertrophy, two sets of semen samples from culture-negative sexual partners of 28 women with PID and/or bacterial vaginosis (BV), and ten endometrium-tube sample-pairs from ectopic pregnancies (EPs) were examined by IP only. RESULTS: Seven of the nineteen ovarian specimens tested positive for Chlamydia antigen or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (36%). Of the 10 hypertrophic prostates examined, 4 (40%) were positive. Of the 28 semen samples examined, 10 (35%) tested positive. Tissue samples of 3 cases of EP were positive by IP. CONCLUSIONS: 1. C. trachomatis antigen and nucleic acid can be frequently demonstrated in asymptomatic, culture-negative men and women with chronic infection. 2. Chlamydia antigens may have an etiologic role in benign prostate hypertrophy and EP. 3. Antigenic material may be sexually transmissible. 4. IP and ISH identify temporarily inactive bacteria that may continue to act as immunostimulants and potentially reactivate as Chlamydia infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Paternalism, risk and patient choice.

When patients request inappropriate dental treatment, the dentist must decide how to balance a concern with patients' well-being with respect for their choices. The usual paternalist inclinations found in clinical practice and in the literature are rejected. Only in certain situations is the dentist morally justified in setting aside patients' treatment requests. This position is supported by the analysis of a clinical case. There are also implications as to how dentists should respond to colleagues who provide treatments some regard as questionable.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cytokine expression in the placenta. The role of interleukin 1 and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist expression in chorioamnionitis and parturition.

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is known to be present in placental tissue and is implicated as an endogenous mediator of inflammation and parturition. This study was undertaken to assess the role of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) in the placenta. Placentas with acute chorioamnionitis, with meconium staining, and without significant inflammation were examined for immunohistochemical expression of IL-1 and IL-1ra. Interleukin 1 and IL-1ra immunoreactivity was variably noted in the amnion, trophoblast, vascular smooth muscle, stromal cells, fibrinoid, and decidua in all placentas. Interleukin 1 immunoreactivity was less intense than IL-1ra immunoreactivity, and both were generally more intense in acute chorioamnionitis. Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist was detected (approximately 5 to 6 ng/mL) in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women at term. Colocalization of IL-1 and IL-1ra in normal and inflamed placentas suggests that the balance between these proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators plays a role in parturition as well as in the pathogenesis of acute inflammation. An increase and/or imbalance in the IL-1 and IL-1ra expression associated with chorioamnionitis may precipitate preterm labor.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of proliferative activity of surface epithelial inclusion cysts of the ovary.

Surface epithelial inclusion cysts (SEICs) of the ovary are epithelial inclusions in the ovarian cortex believed to form from invagination of the surface epithelium at the time of ovulation. It has long been theorized that SEICs are related to the development of epithelial ovarian cancer. Ki-67 antigen is a marker of cell proliferation and has been shown to be prognostic in epithelial ovarian cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Ki-67 activity in SEICs to evaluate their possible connection to ovarian neoplastic proliferation. A retrospective review of benign ovaries removed at the time of pelvic surgery was performed. Slides were immunostained with Ki-67. Proliferation index, expressed as the percent of cells staining in SEICs, was calculated. Proliferative activity was scored as negligible, low, moderate, or high, at <5%, 5-10%, 11-40%, and >40%, respectively. Eighteen ovaries from 18 women were evaluated. The percentage of Ki-67 positive cells ranged from 0% to 7%. Ki-67 activity in SEICs of the ovary is negligible to low. Proliferative activity as assessed by Ki-67 staining does not explain any possible relationship of SEICs to epithelial ovarian cancer.

Adult↗