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Biomedical subjects

R Strauss

Publications and source records attributed to R Strauss.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Tuberculosis in Austria 1995-99: geographical distribution and trends.

A descriptive analysis of routine surveillance data on tuberculosis (TB) from 1995 to 1999 was performed in Austria. The federal states of Vienna and Upper Austria showed the highest yearly incidences for all five years. In general, however, a decrease of the yearly incidence was observed for all federal states except for Carinthia (where there was a small increase of 3.2 %). In the cities of Vienna, Linz, Wels, Salzburg, Klagenfurt and St-Pölten, as well as in the regions of Eastern Tyrol, Southern Carinthia, and Southern Burgenland, the incidence was above average (>19 cases/100,000 for each). The number of cases per year and per district reported by the statutory reporting system were clearly in excess of those reported by hospitals. The comparison of the two datasets, however, showed a highly significant regional correlation of age standardised morbidity rates at district level. The findings are prone to reporting bias and might not reflect the real TB situation. The responsible health authorities should therefore consider the results as a 'working hypothesis in order to review the reporting behaviour at district level.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2002

Herbal ephedra/caffeine for weight loss: a 6-month randomized safety and efficacy trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine long-term safety and efficacy for weight loss of an herbal Ma Huang and Kola nut supplement (90/192 mg/day ephedrine alkaloids/caffeine). DESIGN: Six-month randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial. SUBJECTS: A total of 167 subjects (body mass index (BMI) 31.8+/-4.1 kg/m(2)) randomized to placebo (n=84) or herbal treatment (n=83) at two outpatient weight control research units. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome measurements were changes in blood pressure, heart function and body weight. Secondary variables included body composition and metabolic changes. RESULTS: By last observation carried forward analysis, herbal vs placebo treatment decreased body weight (-5.3+/-5.0 vs. -2.6+/-3.2 kg, P<0.001), body fat (-4.3+/-3.3 vs. -2.7+/-2.8 kg, P=0.020) and LDL-cholesterol (-8+/-20 vs. 0+/-17 mg/dl, P=0.013), and increased HDL-cholesterol (+2.7+/-5.7 vs. -0.3+/-6.7 mg/dl, P=0.004). Herbal treatment produced small changes in blood pressure variables (+3 to -5 mm Hg, P< or =0.05), and increased heart rate (4+/-9 vs. -3+/-9 bpm, P<0.001), but cardiac arrhythmias were not increased (P>0.05). By self-report, dry mouth (P<0.01), heartburn (P<0.05), and insomnia (P<0.01) were increased and diarrhea decreased (P<0.05). Irritability, nausea, chest pain and palpitations did not differ, nor did numbers of subjects who withdrew. CONCLUSIONS: In this 6-month placebo-controlled trial, herbal ephedra/caffeine (90/192 mg/day) promoted body weight and body fat reduction and improved blood lipids without significant adverse events.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed2001

Pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis due to Bacillus cereus.

We present a case of a rapidly progressive pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis and pneumonia in a 52-year-old woman with severe aplastic anemia. Bacillus cereus was isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, blood cultures, and pseudomembrane biopsy specimens; despite intensive antibiotic treatment, the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a B. cereus infection that has caused pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis, possibly because of the production of bacterial toxins.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2001

Drosophila Pax-6/eyeless is essential for normal adult brain structure and function.

A role for the Pax-6 homologue eyeless in adult Drosophila brain development and function is described. eyeless expression is detected in neurons, but not glial cells, of the mushroom bodies, the medullar cortex, the lateral horn, and the pars intercerebralis. Furthermore, severe defects in adult brain structures essential for vision, olfaction, and for the coordination of locomotion are provoked by two newly isolated mutations of Pax-6/eyeless that result in truncated proteins. Consistent with the morphological lesions, we observe defective walking behavior for these eyeless mutants. The implications of these data for understanding postembryonic brain development and function in Drosophila are discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Changes in quality of life after medical intensive care.

OBJECTIVES: To determine outcome and changes in health-related quality of life (QOL) in medical intensive care patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective comparison of QOL before and 6 months after intensive care unit (ICU) admission in a 12-bed noncoronary medical ICU of a university hospital. PATIENTS: All 325 consecutively admitted adult patients who spent at least 24 h on the ICU were eligible. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: QOL measurements were collected before and 6 months after ICU admission. Comorbidity classified by the Charlson index was 2.44 +/- 1.96. Mean stay in the ICU was 10.4 +/- 15.1 days, mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 23 +/- 10. Cumulative mortality was: ICU 24 %, hospital 34 %, 6 months 43 %. Relative to baseline, follow-up interviews of 185 survivors revealed no significant changes in the overall QOL score (p = 0.93). The subscales basic physiological activities (p = 0.07) and normal daily activities (p = 0.15) showed a nonsignificant deterioration. A significant improvement was noted for the domain emotional state (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Six months after admission to a medical ICU most survivors had regained their preadmission health-related QOL. Multivariate analysis showed that preadmission QOL, age, and severity of illness were most strongly associated with follow-up QOL. Of the survivors 86 % were living at home, and all but one of those previously in employment had returned to their former work. Most patients (94%) would undergo ICU treatment again if necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Task-specific association of photoreceptor systems and steering parameters in Drosophila.

Visual motion processing enables moving fruit flies to stabilize their course and altitude and to approach selected objects. Earlier attempts to identify task-specific pathways between two photoreceptor systems (peripheral retinula cells 1-6, and central retinula cells 7 + 8) and three steering parameters (wingstroke asymmetry, abdomen deflection, hindleg deflection) attributed course control and object fixation to peripheral retinula cells 1-6-mediated simultaneous reactions of these parameters. The present investigation includes first results from fixed flying or freely walking ninaE17 mutants which cannot synthesize the peripheral retinula cells 1-6 photoreceptor-specific opsin. Retention of about 12% of the normal course control and about 58% of the object fixation in these flies suggests partial input sharing for both responses and, possibly, a specialization for large-field (peripheral retinula cells 1-6) and small-field (central retinula cells 7 + 8) motion. Such signals must be combined to perceive relative motion between an object and its background. The combining links found in larger species might explain a previously neglected interdependence of course control and object fixation in Drosophila. -Output decomposition revealed an unexpected orchestration of steering. Wingstroke asymmetry and abdomen deflection do not contribute in fixed proportions to the yaw torque of the flight system. Different steering modes seem to be selected according to their actual efficiency under closed-loop conditions and to the degree of intended turning. An easy experimental access to abdominal steering is introduced.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Short-term prognosis in critically ill patients with cirrhosis assessed by prognostic scoring systems.

The short-term prognosis of acutely ill patients with cirrhosis is influenced by the degree of hepatic insufficiency and by dysfunction of extrahepatic organ systems. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the prognostic accuracy of the Child-Pugh classification, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II system and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) for predicting hospital mortality in patients with cirrhosis when used 24 hours after admission to a medical intensive care unit (ICU). Prospective data were recorded on 143 patients. Cumulative mortality rates were 36% in the ICU, 46% in the hospital, and 56% at 6-month follow-up. By using the area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves, the SOFA showed an excellent discriminative power (AUROC 0.94), which was clearly superior to the APACHE II (AUROC 0.79) and the Child-Pugh system (AUROC 0.74). Hospital mortality rates below and above a cutoff of 8 SOFA points were 4% and 88%, respectively (P <.0005). The SOFA score also reflected resource use during the ICU treatment as measured by daily workload and length of stay. The SOFA is an easily applied tool with excellent prognostic abilities and can be used to enhance clinical judgment of prognosis as well as providing patients and families with objective information.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Highwire regulates synaptic growth in Drosophila.

The formation, stabilization, and growth of synaptic connections are dynamic and highly regulated processes. The glutamatergic neuromuscular junction (NMJ) in Drosophila grows new boutons and branches throughout larval development. A primary walking behavior screen followed by a secondary anatomical screen led to the identification of the highwire (hiw) gene. In hiw mutants, the specificity of motor axon pathfinding and synapse formation appears normal. However, NMJ synapses grow exuberantly and are greatly expanded in both the number of boutons and the extent and length of branches. These synapses appear normal ultrastructurally but have reduced quantal content physiologically. hiw encodes a large protein found at presynaptic terminals. Within presynaptic terminals, HIW is localized to the periactive zone surrounding active zones; Fasciclin II (Fas II), which also controls synaptic growth, is found at the same location.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Changing prevalence of oral manifestations of human immuno-deficiency virus in the era of protease inhibitor therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine temporal trends in the prevalence of oral manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). STUDY DESIGN: Five hundred seventy HIV-infected adults recruited consecutively were examined by using established presumptive clinical criteria for HIV-associated oral lesions. Prevalence of oral lesions before the widespread use of HIV protease inhibitors (February 1995 through August 1996, 8% of the early sample, n = 271) was compared with lesion prevalence in a more recent period of greater protease inhibitor use (December 1996 through February 1999, 42% of the late sample, n = 299). RESULTS: Overall prevalence of oral lesions significantly decreased from early to late periods, 47.6% to 37.5%, respectively (P =.01), with some variation by lesion type. Prevalence of hairy leukoplakia (25. 8% to 11.4%; P <.01) and necrotizing periodontal diseases (4.8% to 1. 7%; P =.03) decreased, whereas HIV salivary gland disease increased (1.8% to 5.0%; P =.04). Changes in prevalence of oral candidiasis (20.3% to 16.7%), aphthous ulcers (3.7% to 3.0%), oral warts (2.2% to 4.0%), herpes simplex virus lesions (1.8% to 2.0%), and Kaposi's sarcoma (1.1% to 0.3%) were not statistically significant (P >.20 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: The pattern of oral opportunistic infections is changing in the era of protease inhibitor use.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2000

Defective pigment granule biogenesis and aberrant behavior caused by mutations in the Drosophila AP-3beta adaptin gene ruby.

Lysosomal protein trafficking is a fundamental process conserved from yeast to humans. This conservation extends to lysosome-like organelles such as mammalian melanosomes and insect eye pigment granules. Recently, eye and coat color mutations in mouse (mocha and pearl) and Drosophila (garnet and carmine) were shown to affect subunits of the heterotetrameric adaptor protein complex AP-3 involved in vesicle trafficking. Here we demonstrate that the Drosophila eye color mutant ruby is defective in the AP-3beta subunit gene. ruby expression was found in retinal pigment and photoreceptor cells and in the developing central nervous system. ruby mutations lead to a decreased number and altered size of pigment granules in various cell types in and adjacent to the retina. Humans with lesions in the related AP-3betaA gene suffer from Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, which is caused by defects in a number of lysosome-related organelles. Hermansky-Pudlak patients have a reduced skin pigmentation and suffer from internal bleeding, pulmonary fibrosis, and visual system malfunction. The Drosophila AP-3beta adaptin also appears to be involved in processes other than eye pigment granule biogenesis because all ruby allele combinations tested exhibited defective behavior in a visual fixation paradigm.

Adaptor Protein Complex alpha Subunits↗
PubMed1999

Warfarin safety and efficacy in patients with thoracic aortic plaque and atrial fibrillation. SPAF TEE Investigators. Stroke Prevention and Atrial Fibrillation. Transesophageal echocardiography.

Patients with atrial fibrillation and with documented aortic plaque who were assigned to adjusted-dose warfarin therapy (international normalized ratio 2.0 to 3.0) had an annual rate of cholesterol embolization of 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1% to 5.3%/patient-year). Warfarin-assigned patients with plaque had a lower rate of embolic events (5.9%/year; 95% CI 3.0 to 12) than those on combination low-dose warfarin (international normalized ratio <1.5) plus aspirin (17.3%/year; 95% CI 11 to 27; p = 0.01).

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Childhood obesity.

Approximately 10% of children are obese. Twin and adoption studies demonstrate a large genetic component to obesity, especially in adults. However, the increasing prevalence of obesity over the last 20 years can only be explained by environmental factors. In most obese individuals, no measurable differences in metabolism can be detected. Few children engage in regular physical activity. Obese children and adults uniformly underreport the amount of food they eat. Obesity is particularly related to increased consumption of high-fat foods. BMI is a quick and easy way to screen for childhood obesity. Treating childhood obesity relies on positive family support and lifestyle changes involving the whole family. Food preferences are influenced early by parental eating habits, and when developed in childhood, they tend to remain fairly constant into adulthood. Children learn to be active or inactive from their parents. In addition, physical activity (or more commonly, physical inactivity) habits that are established in childhood tend to persist into adulthood. Weight loss is usually followed by changes in appetite and metabolism, predisposing individuals to regain their weight. However, when the right family dynamics exist--a motivated child with supportive parents--long-term success is possible.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Pathophysiologic correlates of thromboembolism in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: II. Dense spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (The Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation [SPAF-III] study).

We analyzed transesophageal echocardiograms from 772 participants in the Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation (SPAF-III) study, characterizing spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) in the left atrium or appendage as faint or dense. The association of dense SEC with stroke risk factors and anatomic, hemodynamic, and hemostatic parameters related to specific thromboembolic mechanisms was evaluated by multivariate analysis. Spontaneous echocardiographic contrast was present in 55% of patients and was dense in 13%. Age (odds ratio [OR] 2.4/decade, P <.001), constant atrial fibrillation (OR 6.9, P <.001), history of hypertension (OR 3. 2, P <.001), and current tobacco smoking (OR 2.6, P =.04) were independent clinical predictors of dense SEC. Multivariate analysis of clinical, echocardiographic, and hemostatic parameters yielded age as the sole independent clinical predictor of dense SEC (OR 2. 4/decade, P <.001). Other independent predictors were measures of left atrial/appendage flow dynamics, left atrial size (OR 2.4/cm diameter, M-mode, P <.001), atherosclerotic aortic plaque (OR 2.8, P =.002), and plasma fibrinogen >350 mg/dL (P <.001). Results were similar when SEC of any density was analyzed. In conclusion, SEC occurred in more than half of these patients with prospectively defined nonvalvular atrial fibrillation but was usually faint. Dense SEC was strongly associated with previously reported clinical predictors of stroke, linking them to thromboembolism through atrial stasis. Diverse pathophysiologic factors including atrial stasis, fibrinogen level, and aortic plaque influence SEC.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Spatial analysis of Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) in Austria.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To investigate the geographical distribution of Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) and morbidity for coronary heart disease, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction by spatial analysis of the standardized morbidity rates (SMR) on district level. To identify clusters by Moran's I Statistic and the Regional Spatial Autocorrelation Coefficient (RSAC) of Munasinghe and Morris. To investigate demand factor morbidity and supply factor health care infrastructure on the district level as reasons for geographical disparity. To describe characteristics of the cluster population and intervention centres. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective record linkage study. SETTING: All hospitals and cardiological centres in Austria (n = 150) which performed the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS). PATIENTS: All Austrian residents who were diagnosed for myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease or angina pectoris in 1995 (n = 87,174). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One 'positive' PTCA cluster (all SMRs > or =0.96) and one 'negative' PTCA cluster (all SMRs < or =0.59) were identified. They differed significantly in morbidity rate, intervention rate and available cardiological beds. The tendency to inverse relation between PTCA utilization and morbidity in the 'negative' cluster supported the thesis of 'inverse care law'. Austrianwide no significant correlation was found between the SMR of PTCA-application and both demand factor and supply factors. Nevertheless, differences between the clusters concerning number and capacity of intervention centres and density of specialists pointed to supply factors as reasons for geographical disparity. The ongoing trend of steady expansion of existing intervention centres and establishment of new ones will reduce the extent of geographical variation in future.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗
PubMed1999

A snail tale.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Effects of morbidity, age, gender and region on percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) utilisation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate changes in the use of PTCA application in respect to morbidity, gender, region and age, and to investigate the morbidity as related to geographical variation. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective record linkage study. SETTING: All hospitals and cardiological centres (n = 156) which performed the Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS). PATIENTS: All Austrian residents who were diagnosed for myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease or angina pectoris in 1993-1995 (1993: n = 73.077; 1994: n = 80.173; 1995: n = 84.896). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The intervention rate (IR = PTCA/indication) increased from 0.03-0.04 (33%) between 1993 and 1995 with differences in genders (males: 24%, females: 27.7%) and regions (Vorarlberg: -7.5%, Burgenland: 65.3%). Male morbidity started to increase at about 60 y and female morbidity at about 70 y. Morbidity as a demand factor did not correlate with PTCA application. The intervention rate was significantly lower for females in Austria in general (P < 0.001) as it was in every Federal State (P < 0.001). This pattern was constant during 1993-1995 with the highest difference in Salzburg and the lowest in Styria. Austrian men were about three times more likely to have received PTCA application than women (crude Odds Ratio = 2.8, 95% CI = 2.6-3, P-value < 0.001). Logistic regression modelling revealed age as main confounder (adjusted Odds Ratio = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.31-1.42, P < 0.001). The > or = 5% intervention rate peak was between 30-75 y for males and between 30-65 y for females whereas morbidity of > or = 1% started for males at about 50 y and for females at about 60 y. Marked geographical differences of the intervention rate were observed (Upper Austria, Salzburg IR = 0.07, Styria IR = 0.02) but could not be explained by the demand factor morbidity (Pearson's correlation coefficients 1993: 0.039, P = 0.71; 1994: 0.155, P = 0.133; 1995: 0.087, P = 0.399). CONCLUSIONS: The highest intervention rates were in the age groups with the lowest morbidity. Women received significantly fewer interventions than men by age and region. The demographic strata with lowest use rate were women aged 64 y and more. Marked geographical differences of PTCA application were stated but could not be explained by the demand factor morbidity. Further studies on supply factors as well as on economic and social factors are needed in order to develop public health strategies to guarantee equal utilisation rates for the whole Austrian population.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Microbial emissions in collection of residential garbage].

Two exemplary investigations with different questions were carried out in Munich and Stuttgart by sampling bio-aerosols due to and during the collection and emptying of different types of waste bins. The emissions were regarded qualitatively and quantitatively, in order to answer the question, whether and to which amount differences of bio-aerosol emissions occurred due to the kind of wastes collected. The lowest emissions of airborne microorganisms were found during the collection of the paper waste fraction. In comparison, the amounts of them during the collection of unseparated household wastes as well as source separated bio-wastes and the remaining residual waste fraction were higher. Between the three latter, no significant differences could be found, only a tendency of higher values for the thermotolerant mould A. fumigatus during the collection of bio- and residual wastes was observed. Maybe this was caused by special features of the different sampling locations, but it could also be due to the longer collection intervals (bio- and residual wastes were partially collected every two weeks, unseparated wastes every week).

Air Microbiology↗