Rainer Schmidt — Page 3

PubMed2002

RESIS3D--online information about spatial and temporal spreading of resistant pathogens.

Considering resistances of supposed or identified pathogens is of vital importance in antibiotics therapy. Additionally local details play a very important role. So the resistance situation can be different on two wards of the same facility. Furthermore it is possible that there is spatial extension of resistances across the wards that the physicians suppose a future resistance development in a specific unit. The idea of RESIS3D is to visualize spatial and temporal development of resistant pathogens and to give the attending physician (as well as the laboratory) important information for using antibiotics. RESIS3D is an addition to our computer-based therapy adviser called ICONS for calculated antibiotics therapy in intensive care medicine.

Drug Resistance↗

PubMed2002

Applying temporal abstraction and case-based reasoning to predict approaching influenza waves.

The goal of the TeCoMed project is to send early warnings against forthcoming waves or even epidemics of infectious diseases, especially of influenza, to interested practitioners, pharmacists etc. in the German federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The forecast of these waves is based on written confirmations of unfitness for work of the main German health insurance company. Since influenza waves are difficult to predict because of their cyclic but not regular behaviour, statistical methods based on the computation of mean values are not helpful. Instead, we have developed a prognostic model that makes use of similar former courses. Our method combines Case-based Reasoning with Temporal Abstraction to decide whether early warning is appropriate.

Germany↗

PubMed2001

Heterogeneity of TT virus related sequences isolated from human tumour biopsy specimens.

TT viruses have recently been reported in serum samples from varying percentages of human blood donors and in patients with chronic liver disease. However, no association with human pathology has yet been reported. In a pilot study we analysed 162 biopsy specimens from various human cancers and from colon polyps for the presence of TT virus related sequences by polymerase chain reaction using three sets of nested primers for TT virus detection. All gels were subjected to Southern blot hybridisation, and DNA from hybridising bands was cloned and sequenced. A total of 54.3% of tumour specimens contained identifiable TT virus related sequences. Specimens from hypopharynx, larynx, endometrial, ovarian and bladder cancers were 14-35% positive and gastrointestinal cancers (oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum) and colon polyps 57-100% positive. Lung cancers (68.4%), mammary cancers (50%), multiple myelomas (85.7%) and human leukaemias (53.3%) also revealed a high prevalence of TT virus related sequences. Since normal control tissues were not available for the tumour biopsy specimens tested, these data do not permit conclusions concerning a possible causal relationship between the virus infections and carcinogenesis. Another aspect, however, deserves attention: the heterogeneity of TT virus clones obtained from the specimens tested here was striking: 66 novel sequences, probably belonging to new types were identified. Only 16 clones corresponded by more than 97% of their sequences to established prototypes. Even individual tumours commonly contained sequences substantially diverging in nucleic acid composition. Up to five different types were identified within an individual tumour. The high variability of these virus types suggests that additional primer combinations within the highly conserved region of the genome would detect a still higher rate of positive tumours.

Biopsy↗