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Biomedical subjects

S Diehl

Publications and source records attributed to S Diehl.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Serum manganese superoxide dismutase is a new tumour marker for malignant melanoma.

Malignant melanoma in its disseminated stage is incurable. The most widely accepted criteria for the prognostic evaluation of melanoma are histopathological and clinical parameters, and the identification of additional simple, serological tumour markers is thus of paramount importance. Manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) belongs to a family of metalloproteins that catalyse the metabolization of oxygen radicals in order to protect these cells from radical damage. In patients with epithelial ovarian carcinomas, serum MnSOD levels have been shown to be elevated in accordance with the progression of their clinical disease. Recently, an overexpression of MnSOD was shown to suppress the malignant phenotype of human malignant melanoma cells. Therefore, we determined serum MnSOD concentrations in 33 patients with malignant melanoma at different clinical stages. Whereas MnSOD serum levels in normal subjects (n = 11) and in dermatological patients with type I allergies (n = 10) or chronic non-allergic urticaria (n = 7) were below 200 ng/ml, the MnSOD serum concentrations in melanoma patients were statistically elevated in all clinical stages compared with normal (p < 0.005). These data suggest that elevated MnSOD serum concentrations correspond to tumour load and correlate with progression of malignant melanoma. Measurement of MnSOD serum levels might therefore provide a sensitive tool for monitoring the clinical course of melanoma.

Adult

Streptococcal and staphylococcal superantigens (ETA, SEB): presentation by human epidermal cells and induction of autologous T cell proliferation in vitro.

Streptococcal and staphylococcal toxins are responsible for skin-related clinical conditions, e.g. scarlet fever and toxic shock syndrome. Skin involvement may result from a hypersensitivity reaction to these toxins; however, their precise mode of action has still to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the capacity of human epidermal cells to present streptococcal erythrogenic toxin A (ETA) or staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) to autologous T-lymphocytes in vitro. We found a significant T-lymphocyte proliferation response to minute amounts of ETA (p < 0.01) and SEB (p < 0.02) when co-cultured with freshly isolated autologous human epidermal cells. We suggest that human skin may serve not only as an entry for microbial toxin-producing strains but also as an important target for streptococcal and staphylococcal toxin-binding and subsequent T cell proliferation.

Adult

[HELLP syndrome--postpartum].

This report is on a 35-year-old II-para (status post-Caesarean Section due to breech presentation, at that time normal pregnancy) progress, who was hospitalized with hypertension and proteinuria during the 40th week of pregnancy. Both symptoms occurred initially three days before hospitalization. Blood pressure was within the high normal range (140/90 mmHg) as a result of medication with Dihydralazine (50 mg/die). After induction of labour with prostaglandin (PGE2), the patient delivered normally, and the highest blood pressure measured was 140/90 mmHg, following a subsequent curettage under general anaesthesia, which had to be performed due to incomplete deliver of the placenta. Two hours post delivery, sudden epigastric pain occurred, followed by nausea and vomiting. Blood chemistry showed the development of a severe post-partal HELLP-Syndrome with acute renal failure. The case demonstrates, that the life threatening picture of the HELLP-Syndrome may develop without preexistent severe hypertension or proteinuria. For this reason a post-delivery screening of blood chemistry should be mandatory in cases of severe epigastric or right-upper-quadrant pain.

Acute Kidney Injury

Light microscopical morphometric classification of oncocytic and chromophobe pituitary adenomas.

Light microscopical morphometry was performed on 10 adenomas with oncocytic parts (26%-50% oncocytes, group I), on 9 oncocytic adenomas with 51%-75% oncocytes (group II), and on 12 oncocytic adenomas with 76%-100% oncocytes (group III). We measured the area and circumference of nuclei and areas of cells. Furthermore, shape factors for area and circumference of nuclei and the quotients of nuclei area/cell area were calculated. Data of about 40,000 single measurements were evaluated statistically. There is a clear positive correlation of cell areas compared to the proportion of oncocytes in the respective adenoma. A gradual, steady enlargement of cells can be observed, whereas enlargement of nuclei is seen to a much less extent. Consequently the quotients of area of nuclei/area of cells become smaller with increasing oncocytic transformation, evidence that enlargement of cells takes place in favour of cytoplasm. The three adenoma groups differ significantly from each other in their average cell sizes. Regarding nuclear sizes, the difference is mainly to be seen between group II and III. Comparison of adenomas containing oncocytes with large cell and small cell chromophobe adenomas also show significant differences in sizes of cells and nuclei. Large cell chromophobe adenomas show distinctly larger nuclei, which is looked upon as a display of their endocrine activity. On the other hand, oncocytic adenomas bear comparatively small nuclei in an extended cytoplasm which may well be related to their endocrine inactivity.

Adenoma, Chromophobe

Immunohistochemical analyses of oncocytic and chromophobe pituitary adenomas.

Immunohistochemical analyses using antibodies against the major pituitary hormones, the alpha-subunit of glycoprotein hormones, chromogranin and synaptophysin were performed on 10 adenomas with oncocytic parts (26%-50% oncocytes, Group I), on 9 oncocytic adenomas with 51%-75% oncocytes (Group II), and on 12 oncocytic adenomas with 76%-100% oncocytes (Group III). Only 11 of the 31 investigated adenomas (35%) showed negative immunostaining for all major anterior pituitary hormones. FSH-content could be shown in 16 of 31 adenomas (52%), LH-content in 12 of 31 adenomas (39%), TSH-content in 3 of 31 adenomas (10%). Comparing all three groups of adenomas, there are no differences in the immunoreactivity to alpha-subunit (24 of 31 adenomas, 77%), chromogranin (26 of 31 adenomas, 84%), and of synaptophysin (13 of 31 adenomas, 42%). Considering the high percentage of cells of oncocytes showing alpha-subunit immunoreactivity we regard oncocytomas as originating very often from TSH-gonadotropin cell complexes of the anterior hypophysis. Alpha-subunit might become a reliable marker for oncocytomas. The finding of immunoreactivity to chromogranin in most cases confirms morphological studies that oncocytes contain some secretory granules. In most cases, the studied oncocytomas did not react to synaptophysin showing different results from other adenomas of the anterior hypophysis.

Adenoma

Comparison of the detection of cervical human papillomavirus infection by filter DNA hybridization of cytologic specimens and by in situ DNA hybridization of tissues.

Cellular samples and subsequent cone biopsy samples from the same site in 18 patients were screened for infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 (HPV 16/18) by DNA hybridization. Filter hybridization of cells collected using cervical swabs was significantly less sensitive (with only 4 positive results) in detecting HPV 16/18 DNA sequences than was in situ hybridization of tissue sections (with 16 positive results). The in situ hybridization results correlated well with the cytologic and histologic findings of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grades II (mild dysplasia) and III (severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ).

Autoradiography