Biomedical subjects

S Pohl

Publications and source records attributed to S Pohl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Evaluation of a single-locus real-time polymerase chain reaction as a screening test for specific detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in ICU patients.

The aim of the present study was to determine the diagnostic value of a single-locus real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) recently proposed for rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from clinical samples (IDI-MRSA; Infectio Diagnostic, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada). This test, which was developed on the basis of studies of the sequence analysis of the mecA gene carried by staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), was used to screen nasal swabs of 320 intensive care unit (ICU) patients at admission. The results were compared with those of conventional culture of swabs from several body sites. When compared with culture of swabs from the nose, throat, and wounds, the diagnostic values of the real-time PCR test from nasal swabs were as follows: 92.3% sensitivity, 98.6% specificity, 75.0% positive predictive value, and 99.6% negative predictive value. Fifteen (4.7%) samples could not be evaluated because the PCR reaction was inhibited, even after the samples were frozen and thawed for retesting. Culture of nasal swabs showed that 78 of the patients were colonized with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. Unexpectedly, 4 (5.1%) of these samples gave false-positive results in the IDI-MRSA. These isolates were all single clones, as shown by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and spa typing. Reliable results were obtained with the IDI-MRSA assay, even in a patient population with a low prevalence (approximately 4%) of MRSA and even when compared with swabs of different body sites. Nevertheless, further work is needed to reduce the inhibition rate of the PCR and to explain why false-positive results were obtained with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2001

Cloning and functional pharmacology of two corticotropin-releasing factor receptors from a teleost fish.

Although it is well established that fish possess corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and a CRF-like peptide, urotensin I, comparatively little is known about the pharmacology of their cognate receptors. Here we report the isolation and functional expression of two complementary DNAs (cDNAs), from the chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta, which encode orthologues of the mammalian and amphibian CRF type 1 (CRF(1)) and type 2 (CRF(2)) receptors. Radioligand competition binding experiments have revealed that the salmon CRF(1) and CRF(2) receptors bind urotensin I with approximately 8-fold higher affinity than rat/human CRF. These two peptides together with two related CRF-like peptides, namely, sauvagine and urocortin, were also tested in cAMP assays; for cells expressing the salmon CRF(1) receptor, EC(50) values for the stimulation of cAMP production were between 4.5+/-1.8 and 15.3+/-3.1 nM. For the salmon CRF(2) receptor, the corresponding values were: rat/human CRF, 9.4+/-0.4 nM; urotensin I, 21.2+/-2.1 nM; sauvagine, 0.7+/-0.1 nM; and urocortin, 2.2+/-0.7 nM. We have also functionally coupled the O. keta CRF(1) receptor, in Xenopus laevis oocytes, to the endogenous Ca(2+)-activated chloride conductance by co-expression with the G-protein alpha subunit, G(alpha16). The EC(50) value for channel activation by rat/human CRF (11.2+/-2.6 nM) agrees well with that obtained in cAMP assays (15.3+/-3.1 nM). We conclude that although sauvagine is 13- and 30-fold more potent than rat/human CRF and urotensin I, respectively, in activating the salmon CRF(2) receptor, neither receptor appears able to discriminate between the native ligands CRF and urotensin I.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Combined mechanical and antibiotic periodontal therapy in a case of Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Papillon Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) is a rare entity and, as such, it is almost impossible to evaluate an effective therapy in a randomized controlled study. The amount of success reported after therapy for prepubertal periodontitis (PP) in PLS is highly variable from case to case. The goal of this case report is to evaluate the effects of a combined mechanical and antibiotic periodontal therapy regimen in the management of PLS. METHODS: A male patient was diagnosed as suffering from PP associated with PLS at the age of 7 years. He showed hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles, as well as advanced periodontal disease already affecting permanent teeth with maximal probing depth and vertical attachment loss of 12 mm and 11 mm, respectively. Subgingival debridement was performed with simultaneous administration of oral 250 mg amoxicillin 3 times daily and 250 mg metronidazole twice daily for one week. Clinical parameters were assessed and subgingival plaque was collected from all teeth prior to therapy and 7 and 26 months after treatment. Selective cultures for A. actinomycetemcomitans were incubated for each individual tooth and DNA probe analysis was performed for various periodontal pathogens. RESULTS: Prior to combined mechanical and antibiotic treatment, all teeth but one harbored Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans subgingivally. However, at 7 and 26 months after therapy A. actinomycetemcomitans could be detected neither by culture nor by DNA probes. Clinical parameters improved markedly and teeth erupting after therapy did not exhibit attachment loss of more than 1.5 mm during the observation period. CONCLUSIONS: Eradication (suppression beneath detection levels) of A. actinomycetemcomitans seems to play a significant role in the successful treatment of localized prepubertal periodontitis in PLS.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans↗

PubMed2000

Active hair growth (anagen) is associated with angiogenesis.

After the completion of skin development, angiogenesis, i.e., the growth of new capillaries from pre-existing blood vessels, is held to occur in the skin only under pathologic conditions. It has long been noted, however, that hair follicle cycling is associated with prominent changes in skin perfusion, that the epithelial hair bulbs of anagen follicles display angiogenic properties, and that the follicular dermal papilla can produce angiogenic factors. Despite these suggestive observations, no formal proof is as yet available for the concept that angiogenesis is a physiologic event that occurs all over the mature mammalian integument whenever hair follicles switch from resting (telogen) to active growth (anagen). This study uses quantitative histomorphometry and double-immunohistologic detection techniques for the demarcation of proliferating endothelial cells, to show that synchronized hair follicle cycling in adolescent C57BL/6 mice is associated with substantial angiogenesis, and that inhibiting angiogenesis in vivo by the intraperitoneal application of a fumagillin derivative retards experimentally induced anagen development in these mice. Thus, angiogenesis is a physiologic event in normal postnatal murine skin, apparently is dictated by the hair follicle, and appears to be required for normal anagen development. Anagen-associated angiogenesis offers an attractive model for identifying the physiologic controls of cutaneous angiogenesis, and an interesting system for screening the effects of potential antiangiogenic drugs in vivo.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Antimicrobial activity of human cervical mucus.

The antibacterial activity of human cervical mucus (CM) was examined on standardized microbial colonized agar plates (agar diffusion test). In parallel, the lysozyme content of CM was determined by means of a turbidimetric test system in aliquots of the same CM specimens. Suspensions of living lyophilized Micrococcus lysedeikticus were used as bacterial substrate. Testing was performed in a total of 133 CM samples, obtained at mid-cycle from sexually active women from unselected infertile couples with a median age of 30 (range 21-42) years. All mucus specimens showed considerable antibacterial activity with clearly visible circular inhibition zones around the CM-filled holes in the colonized agar plates. Related to the effect of hen's egg white (HEW)-lysozyme on the same plates, the median activity of the CM specimens in the agar diffusion test was equivalent to 33.0 (range 6.4-391.4) microg/ml HEW-lysozyme. However, there was a wide inter-individual range of antibacterial effects of cervical secretions. The cervical index did not significantly influence the outcome of either test. The pH of the endocervical CM also was not correlated with the antibacterial effect. Sexual activity leading to the presence of spermatozoa in CM considerably increased its antibacterial effect. The activity was markedly higher in samples obtained within hours after intercourse compared with those taken after sexual abstinence of >/=5 days (P < 0.05). In microbially colonized CM specimens compared to sterile CM, all obtained under hormonally standardized conditions, the antibacterial activity in the agar plate test was significantly lower (P < 0.05). The results of this pilot study demonstrate the considerable antibacterial activity of human CM.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Genetic engineering of recombinant glycoproteins and the glycosylation pathway in mammalian host cells.

The analysis of many natural glycoproteins and their recombinant counterparts from mammalian hosts has revealed that the basic oligosaccharide structures and the site occupancy of glycosylated polypeptides are primarily dictated by the protein conformation. The equipment of many frequently used host cells (e.g. BHK-21 and CHO-cells) with glycosyltransferases, nucleotide-sugar synthases and transporters appears to be sufficient to guarantee complex-type glycosylation of recombinant proteins with a high degree of terminal alpha2-3 sialylation even under high expression conditions. Some human tissue-specific terminal carbohydrate motifs are not synthesized by these cells since they lack the proper sugar-transferring enzymes (e.g. alpha1-3/4 fucosyltransferases, alpha2-6 sialyltransferases). Glycosylation engineering of these hosts by stable transfection with genes encoding terminal human glycosyltransferases allows to obtain products with tailored (human tissue-specific) glycosylation in high yields. Using site-directed mutagenesis, unglycosylated polypeptides can be successfully converted in N- and/or O-glycoproteins by transferring glycosylation domains (consisting of 7-17 amino acids) from donor glycoproteins to different loop regions of acceptor proteins. The genetic engineering of glycoproteins and of host cell lines are considered to provide a versatile tool to obtain therapeutic glyco-products with novel/improved in-vivo properties, e.g. by introduction of specific tissue-targeting signals by a rational design of terminal glycosylation motifs.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Development of a new microparticle-enhanced turbidimetric assay for C-reactive protein with superior features in analytical sensitivity and dynamic range.

Novel assay techniques were applied to a newly developed microparticle-based assay for C-reactive protein (CRP). By using two different sized microparticles covalently coated with two monoclonal antibodies of different reactivity, high analytical sensitivity and a high upper measuring limit could be simultaneously attained, resulting in a remarkably wide dynamic range. This range was further increased by calculating the signal (reaction rate) optimally with a new software capability of COBAS INTEGRA, a clinical chemistry analyzer. The assay showed high precision between 2 mg/l and 160 mg/l with use of only 2.5 microl specimen. The detection limit was estimated as 0.3 mg/l CRP. The assay was four to eight times more sensitive and precise than existing turbidimetric or nephelometric assays with comparable upper measuring limits. The assay also showed good linearity and correlated well with commercial assays. This new microparticle-based CRP assay provides the accuracy and precision that are required to determine CRP at low concentrations where new clinical implications such as prognosis of cardiovascular diseases are envisaged. The assay's wide dynamic range will additionally lead to a reduction in the number of repeated analyses, thus improving the efficiency of CRP determinations in clinical laboratories.

Angina Pectoris↗

PubMed1998

Eradication of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans from the oral cavity in adult periodontitis.

Eradication of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans from the oral cavity seems to be a prerequisite for successful therapeutic outcome in patients periodontally infected with the organism. In view of the limited number of subgingival samples obtained in recent studies one cannot conclude, however, whether eradication has actually been achieved. In the present study clinical and microbiological parameters were monitored in 10 adult patients with A. actinomycetemcomitans-associated periodontitis during successive non-surgical and adjunctive metronidazole plus amoxicillin (or ciprofloxacin) (AB) therapy. In every patient, 13 extracrevicular samples and subgingival samples from the deepest site of every tooth present were selectively cultivated for A. actinomycetemcomitans. The organism was isolated in 47 +/- 29% subgingival and 64 +/- 31% extracrevicular samples. Six weeks following subgingival scaling, A. actinomycetemcomitans was detected in 37 +/- 30% subgingival and 55 +/- 38% extracrevicular samples (n.s.). Three months after antibiotic therapy, the organism was recovered from only 1 patient. At baseline, 7.5 +/- 4.2% sites had a probing pocket depth (PPD) > or = 7 mm. This proportion dropped to 2.3 +/- 2.4% after scaling (p < 0.05) and to 0.3 +/- 0.4% after AB (p < 0.05). The proportion of sites with clinical attachment loss (CAL) > or = 6 mm dropped from 23.3 +/- 13.3% to 17.7 +/- 13.4% (p < 0.05) and to 16.8 +/- 14.6%. Statistical analysis revealed that the organism was strongly related, at baseline, to PPD > or = 7 mm (odds ratio 9.8, p < 0.001). Six weeks after scaling, the organism was associated with CAL > or = 6 mm (odds ratio 1.8, p = 0.02). After scaling, high counts of A. actinomycetemcomitans in excess of 10(4) CFU/ml significantly interfered with attachment gain of > or = 2 mm (odds ratio 0.24, p = 0.001). Based on the present findings, eradication of A. actinomycetemcomitans seems to be possible with adjunctive antibiotic treatment. Elimination of the organism after scaling was only weakly associated with clinical improvement.

Actinobacillus Infections↗

PubMed1998

Deep pockets or blueprint for change: traumatic brain injury (TBI) proactive strategy.

The Pacific Conference scheduled for October 1-3, 1988, is a critical event in the development of an integrated community-based plan for a comprehensive continuum of services to address the "silent epidemic," Traumatic Brain Injured (TBI). This paper provides insights of the complex nature and the special problems faced by the TBI survivors; their families, natural supports and caregivers, as well as the health, social and educational care providers in Hawaii. Process for the development of the community plan is presented.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Sensitivity enhancement of optical immunosensors with nanoparticles.

In recent years, several optical sensor techniques have been developed for the direct monitoring of biomolecular recognition processes at the surface of a sensor chip. Applications of these immunosensors for the determination of substances in serum could be demonstrated only for a few analytes due to the lack of sensitivity. Beside nonspecific binding of serum components to the sensor surface, the analytical sensitivity of these sensors is limited by the molecular weight of the analyte, so that smaller analyte molecules give only a moderate sensor response. In order to enhance the sensor signal, the use of mass labels, such as latex particles, was proposed in the literature. However, detection limits comparable to those of conventional ELISA techniques could not be realized so far. We demonstrate the optimization of a "nanoparticle enhanced immunosensor assay" for the detection of thyroid stimulating hormone, with respect to the particle coating, size, and nonspecific binding. The developed prototype assay requires a sample volume of 225 microL and has a measuring range up to 35 mIU/L. For the first time, we obtained a detection limit of 0.03 mIU/L (0.1 pm), which is fully competitive to conventional ELISA techniques. The assay allows serum samples to be measured with good precision and dilution linearity. The sensor can be reused several times and shows an excellent correlation to a commercial enzyme immunoassay.

Antibodies↗

PubMed1997

Hypoglycosylation of a brain glycoprotein (beta-trace protein) in CDG syndromes due to phosphomannomutase deficiency and N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase II deficiency.

Human beta-trace protein is a major intrathecally synthesized polypeptide constituent of human cerebrospinal fluid. We have previously shown that this protein is almost quantitatively modified with biantennary complex-type N-linked oligosaccharides which show "brain-type" glycosylation characteristics (Hoffmann,A. et al., J. Neurochem., 63, pp. 2185-2191, 1994). In the present study human beta-trace protein from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome (CDGS) due to phosphomannomutase (PMM) deficiency and N-acetyl-glucosaminyltransferase II (GlcNAc-T II) deficiency as well as from control individuals was studied by Western blot analysis. The protein from pooled CSFs was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography. The protein from the five patients with CDGS PMM deficiency showed three protein bands upon SDS-PAGE analysis corresponding to the di-, mono-, and unglycosylated polypeptide forms. Carbohydrate structural analysis of the enzymatically liberated N-glycans was performed applying mapping by HPAEC-PAD, methylation analysis as well as MALD/TOF-MS. Essentially identical oligosaccharide structures were detected in beta-TP from type I patients and control adult pooled CSF. The beta-trace protein from two patients with GlcNAc-T II deficiency showed a single di-N-glycosylated protein band with a significantly lower molecular weight than the di-glycosylated polypeptide from control patients and the beta-trace protein from pooled adult CSF. Beta-TP from GlcNAc-T II deficiency patients shared only three oligosaccharides out of the 13 observed in beta-TP from controls or patients with PMM deficiency. The major oligosaccharide structures of the glycoprotein from patients with GlcNAc-T II deficiency were found to be monoantennary asialo- or monosialylated lactosamine-type chains with proximal fucose and bisecting GlcNAc.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Microbial ecology of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Eikenella corrodens and Capnocytophaga spp. in adult periodontitis.

Information on intraoral distribution of putative periodontal pathogens might be essential for controlling different forms of periodontal disease. Colonization may be either promoted or impeded by other bacteria competing in the subgingival ecosystem. In recent investigations microbial associations between dental organisms have been determined in a multitude of subgingival plaque samples within multiple patients and described by odds ratios, in most circumstances without taking into account the correlated structure of the observations within a single individual. The present investigation had 3 major objectives: (i) to describe the intraoral distribution of some facultatively anaerobic, Gram-negative rods, i.e. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Eikenella corrodens-like organisms and Capnocytophaga spp., in a multitude of subgingival and extracrevicular samples of 10 adult subjects with A. actinomycetemcomitans-associated periodontitis; (ii) to analyse possible inconsistencies of microbial associations between these periodontal organisms; and (iii) to determine factors increasing the likelihood of isolating these bacteria in a given subgingival site by employing Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE) methods. Clinical examinations were carried out at 6 sites of every tooth present. In each subject, 13 extracrevicular (2 cheek mucosa, 3 tongue, 4 gingival, 2 tonsillar samples, 1 palatinal, 1 saliva sample) and between 22 and 44 subgingival samples from deepest sites of every tooth present (n = 296) were selectively cultivated for A. actinomycetemcomitans, E. corrodens and Capnocytophaga spp. In extracrevicular material, A. actinomycetemcomitans, Capnocytophaga spp. and E. corrodens were isolated in 9, 10 and 6 patients, and from 65, 82 and 15% samples, respectively. The organisms were recovered from 51, 62 and 27% subgingival plaque samples, respectively. Heterogeneity tests did not reveal significant inconsistencies of microbial associations between bacteria in subgingival plaque. Mantel-Haenszel's odds ratios ranged between 2.0 for A. actinomycetemcomitans and Capnocytophaga spp. and 18.7 for Capnocytophaga spp. and E. corrodens. An exchangeable working dependence structure was employed in the GEE approach. The odds of isolating A. actinomycetemcomitans was increased by factor 3.7 in 4-6 mm deep pockets, and 9.5 in > or = 7 mm deep pockets. The odds of presence of E. corrodens was increased by factor 10.8 in the case of presence of Capnocytophaga spp. and 2.1 in the case of presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans. Capnocytophaga spp. were associated with bleeding on probing and molar sites. Presence of E. corrodens was associated with clinical attachment loss but not periodontal probing depth. Results of the present study indicated an association of A. actinomycetemcomitans with periodontal pathology. Whereas this organism and Capnocytophagae were widely distributed in extracrevicular ecosystems of the mouth, E. corrodens only occasionally appeared in saliva or on mucous membranes of the oral cavity. In general, GEE methods seem to allow to determine factors associated with the presence of periodontal organisms in a multivariate approach and considering the correlated structure of the data.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Group B Streptococcus impairs erythrocyte deformability in neonates more than in adults.

Group B beta-haemolytic Streptococcus (GBS) may cause severe septic shock and death in neonates, whereas this is rarely the case in adults. As impaired red blood cell (RBC) deformability might disturb microcirculation in septic shock, the in vitro effects of GBS (1.7 x 10(8) cfu/ml) on RBC deformation (rheoscope) and haemolysis were studied in blood from preterm infants, term neonates, and adults. Furthermore, RBC deformation was studied in term neonates with GBS sepsis. RBC deformation at a shear stress of 4 Pa decreased significantly within 5 minutes of GBS incubation in preterm infants (-13%) and term neonates (-9%). In adults RBC deformation did not change during the first 15 minutes, but decreased significantly after 30 (-10%) and 60 minutes (-13%). In the term infants there was little further decrease in RBC deformation between 5 and 60 minutes of GBS incubation; RBC deformation in preterm infants decreased by 19% after 60 minutes compared with the preincubation values. RBC deformation in septic neonates was significantly decreased at shear stresses of 1, 2, and 3 Pa (-19%, -18%, and -9%). Sixty minutes of incubation of RBC from adults and neonates with GBS and without GBS resulted in haemolysis below 4%. It is concluded that neither neonatal nor adult RBC are haemolysed by GBS. In vitro, neonatal RBC deformability is more impaired than that in adults. This may contribute to the high risk of neonates for compromised microcirculation and circulatory shock as a result of GBS sepsis.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Clinical relevance of sperm morphology assessment using strict criteria and relationship with sperm-mucus interaction in vivo and in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship of the differentiated morphological pattern of semen samples according to strict criteria and sperm-mucus interaction in vivo and in vitro. PATIENTS: One hundred sixty-three randomly chosen couples with long-standing infertility (median duration of infertility 4 years, range 1 to 19 years). SETTING: Outpatient clinic of the fertility unit at the Women's University Hospital of the University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sperm morphology assessment using strict criteria (Tygerberg or Norfolk classification) parallel to standard methods of sperm analysis: Evaluation of the cervical factor of patients' female partners, including a microbial screening of genital secretions of both partners; Examination of sperm migration ability in vivo under hormonally controlled conditions for the cervical mucus (CM) quality and in vitro with the crossed sperm-CM penetration test performed with CM of patients' partners, as well as with CM and spermatozoa of donors; Determination of the selection capacity of CM with regard to sperm morphology by means of a biological model; Prospective analysis of the differentiated morphological pattern with respect to couples' subsequent fertility within 6 months. RESULTS: Using stict criteria, amorphous sperm heads were the most frequently found sperm anomaly (severely amorphous forms: median, 28%; range, 4% to 62%). The morphology index offered a median of 45% (range, 7% to 80%). Results correlated significantly with routine sperm analysis, including standard morphology. The morphological pattern differed significantly in samples offering adequate or inadequate ability to penetrate CM in the standardized sperm-CM penetration test or in the postcoital test, with the percent of severely amorphous heads as the most important parameter. Neck and tail defects did not play an important role. During passage of mucus columns in vitro, the rate of pathological spermatozoal forms was reduced significantly, from a median of 65% to a median of 38%. Better functional capacity of spermatozoa with normal head morphology also was reflected by a significantly higher pregnancy rate under natural conditions of conception. CONCLUSIONS: Sperm morphological properties, determined with strict criteria, are important factors for sperm ability to penetrate the mucus barrier at the uterine cervix before reaching the site of fertilization, but sperm morphology is only one among other parameters determining the complex phenomenon of sperm-mucus interaction.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Anaerobes in ejaculates of subfertile men.

The clinical significance of micro-organisms in semen samples of asymptomatic subfertile patients is a matter of constant debate. Usually little attention is paid to anaerobic bacteria as they are sensitive to transportation and culturing, and differentiation is difficult, costly and time-consuming. In the present study, special screening was carried out for anaerobes in ejaculates in addition to the routine microbial cultures of genital secretions of both partners. In addition to standard semen analysis and evaluation of sperm ability to penetrate cervical mucus (CM) in vivo (post-coital testing) and in vitro using a standardized test system, semen samples from 126 randomly chosen males of couples with a median duration of infertility of 4 years were examined for colonization with anaerobic bacteria. All couples were without clinical signs or symptoms of genital tract infection. The special care taken for anaerobic growth in semen samples gave a high rate of positive cultures and showed that nearly all ejaculates (99%) were colonized with anaerobic micro-organisms, and potentially pathogenic species were found in 71% of men. This rate was more than four times higher than that obtained with routine cultures and standard transportation (16%). Anaerobic bacterial growth of > or = 10(6) colony forming units (CFU)/ml was seen in 42% (total range 10(3)-10(8) CFU/ ml). In addition, aerobic growth was found in 96% (> or = 10(6) CFU/ml in 21%), potentially pathogenic species in 61% of semen specimens. There were no marked differences in the prevalence of anaerobic micro-organisms in patients with reduced or normal sperm count, motility or morphology. Nor was there any significant difference in anaerobic colonization between samples with impaired or good ability to penetrate CM of female partners (in vivo or in vitro), or the CM of fertile donors in the in-vitro sperm-cervical mucus penetration test (SCMPT) in this asymptomatic group of patients. There was no clear association between microbial colonization and subsequent fertility in vivo within an observation period of 6 months. The results of this study suggest that anaerobic bacteria are often not detected when routine methods for microbial evaluation are used. This should be considered during assisted reproduction and in patients with symptoms of genital tract infection and should lead to further studies in infertile patients where subclinical infection or inflammation is indicated by specific markers in semen samples.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Simultaneous isolation of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans from subgingival and extracrevicular locations of the mouth.

In the present study, a total of 619 subgingival and extracrevicular samples from 66 early-onset periodontitis, 42 adult periodontitis/gingivitis and 36 treated Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-associated periodontitis patients were selectively cultivated for presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans. The organism was recovered from 68% cases with early-onset periodontitis, 24% cases with adult periodontitis/gingivitis and 50% of treated patients. Associations between recovery from pooled subgingival plaque and samples from extracrevicular locations as well as between different extracrevicular samples, were not heterogeneous with regard to different groups with the exception for cheek/saliva comparisons (odds ratios: early-onset periodontitis 825; adult periodontitis 8.1; treated patients 117; 0.05 < p < 0.1). For associations between recovery of A. actinomycetemcomitans from pooled subgingival plaque/extracrevicular samples, Mantel-Haenszel's odds ratios of between 12.2 and 21.6 were calculated (p < 0.0001). The organism was isolated from 17 cheek mucosa samples of 18 patients identified as still harboring the organism after therapy. Present results point to the considerable value of cheek mucosa samples especially in treated patients to diagnose persistent A. actinomycetemcomitans colonization of the oral cavity.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Pharmacokinetics and effects on intracranial pressure of sufentanil in head trauma patients.

Ten patients with head trauma received an intravenous bolus of sufentanil (2 micrograms kg-1) followed at 30 min by infusion of sufentanil (median 150 micrograms h-1) and midazolam (median 9.0 mg h-1) over 48 h. Median (range) values of pharmacokinetic parameters for sufentanil were: t1/2,z = 16 (7-49) h; CL = 1215 (519-2550) ml min-1; CLR = 7 (2-38) ml min-1; Vss = 10.0 (6.8-24.2) 1 kg-1. Decreases in intracranial pressure (ICP) (from 16.1 +/- 1.7 to 10.8 +/- 1.3 mm Hg; P < 0.05) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) (from 85.5 +/- 3.9 to 80.2 +/- 4.9 mm Hg; P < 0.05) were observed within 15 min of the bolus injection of sufentanil and remained unchanged thereafter. Thus, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP = MAP-ICP) was stable.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Trisomy 12 in chronic lymphoid leukemias--a metaphase and interphase cytogenetic analysis.

Trisomy 12 has been shown to be one of the most common chromosome abnormalities in chronic lymphoid leukemias of B-cell origin, and some studies suggested that it predicts poor overall survival. We have prospectively studied 42 patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and three patients with B-prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) for the incidence of trisomy 12 and other chromosome 12 aberrations applying fluorescence in situ hybridization (ISH) and conventional G-banding analysis. Dual-color hybridization experiments using centromere-12-specific DNA probes were performed for interphase cytogenetics. A subset of patients (n = 11) was analyzed using a DNA library for painting of chromosome 12. The incidence of trisomy/partial trisomy 12 was 18% (8/45 patients; 6/42 with B-CLL and 2/3 with B-PLL) by fluorescence ISH, and 11% (5/45 patients; 4/42 with B-CLL including one patient with partial trisomy 12q13-qter, and 1/3 with B-PLL) on G-banding analysis. Four patients with trisomy 12 were detected by ISH alone. One of these patients only had 4.5% interphase cells with three fluorescence signals indicating the presence of a small subclone with trisomy 12. On G-banding analysis, three of the four patients had a normal karyotype, and one patient had no analyzable metaphases. In conclusion, fluorescence ISH to interphase nuclei is a sensitive method for detecting trisomy 12 in patients with chronic lymphoid leukemias.

Chromosome Banding↗