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Biomedical subjects

T Baumann

Publications and source records attributed to T Baumann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Diagnostic imaging of inflammatory and tumorous diseases of the colon].

The detection of inflammatory and tumorous conditions of the colon is one of the main topics in current abdominal radiology. The barium enema was introduced first in 1923 by Fischer, and has represented the workhorse of intestinal diagnostics for decades. The widespread use of endoscopy and the ongoing technical improvements in CT and MRI, however, have led to an inevitable displacement of this technique. Nevertheless, radiographs and enema are frequently employed in the initial work-up of patients with suspected colonic disease. This article provides an overview of the most important entities of inflammatory and tumorous changes of the colon.

Barium↗
PubMed2006

[Clinical, radiological and arthroscopical aspects in nail patella syndrome. Literature review based on an affected family].

Nail patella syndrome (NPS) is an autosomal dominant hereditary disorder affecting the nails, skeletal system, kidneys, and eyes. Skeletal features include absent or hypoplastic patellae, patella dislocations, elbow abnormalities, talipes and iliac horns on plain films. The existing literature focuses on clinical and radiographic findings in patients with NPS. We also report the case of a 40-year-old male patient and his family affected by NPS and includes clinical, radiographic as well as arthroscopic findings. Arthroscopic findings in this case are characterized by multiple synovial plicae in the knee joint leading to cartilage defects on the corresponding cartilage surfaces. A review of the recent literature suggests that the occurrence of synovial plicae might be related to NPS and might account for at least part of the characteristic symptoms of these patients. Therefore, in cases of unspecific knee pain associated with NPS arthroscopy of the knee joints and plicae resection seems to be recommendable.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[MRI for the detection of anorectal fistulas].

MRI is accepted as one of the major diagnostic tools for the detection of anorectal fistulas and abscesses. Noninvasiveness and high accuracy are advantageous hallmarks of this technique. In general, the purpose of imaging anal fistulas is to reduce the risk of recurrence, incontinence and non-healing. To achieve these goals, the applied method must provide the proctologist with detailed information. In this context, MRI acts as a guide for surgeons to accurately plan fistula operations. Another aspect is the follow-up of conservatively treated patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease. In 2000, subtraction MR fistulography was introduced as new imaging technique. This review provides an overview of the entire spectrum of diagnostic modalities for anorectal fistulas with emphasis on subtraction MR fistulography.

Abscess↗
PubMed2004

Shell structure of the near-dripline nucleus 23O.

Breakup reactions were used to study the ground-state configuration of the neutron-rich isotope 23O. The 22O fragments produced in one-nucleon removal from 23O at 938 MeV/nucleon in a carbon target were detected in coincidence with deexciting gamma rays. The widths of the longitudinal momentum distributions of the 22O fragments and the one-neutron removal cross sections were interpreted in the framework of a simple theoretical model which favors the assignment of Ipi = 1/2+ to the 23O ground state.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Probing the geometry and interconnectivity of pores in organic aerogels using hyperpolarized 129XE NMR spectroscopy.

Hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe NMR was used for the first time to probe the geometry and interconnectivity of pores in RF aerogels and to correlate them with the [resorcinol]/[catalyst] (R/C) ratio. We have demonstrated that HP 129Xe NMR is an ideal method for accurately measuring the volume-to-surface-area (Vg/S) ratios for soft mesoporous materials without using any geometric models. The Vg/S parameter, which is related both to the geometry and the interconnectivity of the porous space, has been found to correlate strongly with the R/C ratio and exhibits an unusually large span: an increase in the R/C ratio from 50 to 500 results in about 5-fold rise in Vg/S. Unlike conventional techniques, HP 129Xe NMR spectroscopy probes the geometry and interconnectivity of the nano- or mesopores in soft materials, providing new insights into the pore structure.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Numerical modelling of the generation and transport of heat in a bottom ash monofill.

Municipal solid waste is incinerated to reduce its volume, toxicity and reactivity. Several studies have shown that the resulting bottom ash has a high exothermic capacity. Temperature measurements in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash landfills have found temperatures up to 90 degrees C. Such high temperatures may affect the stability of the landfill's flexible polymer membrane liner (FML) and may also lead to an accelerated desiccation of the clay barrier. The purpose of this study was to gain detailed knowledge of temperature development under several disposal conditions in relation to the rate of ash disposal, the variation of layer thickness, and the environmental conditions in a modern landfill. Based on this knowledge, a simulation was developed to predict temperature development. Temperature development was simulated using several storage periods prior to the deposition and several modes of emplacement. Both the storage time and the mode of emplacement have a significant influence on the temperature development at the sensitive base of the landfill. Without a preliminary storage of the fresh quenched bottom ash, high temperatures at the bottom of a landfill cannot be avoided.

Air Movements↗
PubMed2003

In situ sensing of volatile organic compounds in groundwater: first field tests of a mid-infrared fiber-optic sensing system.

A prototype mid-infrared sensor system for the determination of volatile organic pollutants in groundwater was developed and tested under real-world conditions. The sensor comprises a portable Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, coupled to the sensor head via mid-infrared transparent silver halide fiber-optic cables. A 10 cm unclad middle section of the 6-m-long fiber is coated with ethylene propylene copolymer in order to enrich the analytes within the penetration depth of the evanescent field protruding from the fiber sensor head. A mixture of tetrachloroethylene, dichlorobenzene, diethyl phthalate, and xylene isomers at concentrations in the low ppm region was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively in an artificial aquifer system filled with Munich gravel. This simulated real-world site at a pilot scale enables in situ studies of the sensor response and spreading of the pollutants injected into the system with controlled groundwater flow. The sensor head was immersed into a monitoring well of the aquifer system at a distance of 1 m downstream of the sample inlet and at a depth of 30 cm. Within one hour, the analytes were clearly identified in the fingerprint region of the IR spectrum (1300 to 700 cm(-1)). The results have been validated by head-space gas chromatography, using samples collected during the field measurement. Five out of six analytes could be discriminated simultaneously; for two of the analytes the quantitative results are in agreement with the reference analysis.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed2002

Evidence for a new low-lying resonance state in 7He.

Low-lying resonance states in 7He(6He+n), formed after fragmentation reactions of a 227 MeV/nucleon 8He beam on a carbon target, have been studied. Coincidences between 6He nuclei and neutrons, corresponding to the one-neutron knockout channel in 8He, were selected. The relative energy spectrum in the 6He+n system shows a structure, which is interpreted as the 7He ( Ipi = 3/2(-)) ground state, unbound with 0.43(2) MeV relative to the 6He+n system and a width of Gamma = 0.15(8) MeV overlapping with an excited ( Ipi = 1/2(-)) state observed at 1.0(1) MeV with a width of Gamma = 0.75(8) MeV.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Constitutive expression of macrophage-inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) mRNA in bone marrow gives rise to peripheral neutrophils with preformed MIP-2 protein.

Macrophage-inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) is a major CXC chemokine involved in the migration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) to sites of inflammation. Although cell culture experiments have identified different cell types that can produce MIP-2, the cellular sources in vivo are not clearly defined. By using immunohistochemical staining and analysis of chemokine mRNA expression, the present study aimed to localize cells producing MIP-2 in tissues of normal mice and mice challenged with Yersinia enterocolitica. The results showed a constitutive expression of MIP-2 mRNA in bone marrow (BM) of normal mice, but not in other organs such as spleen, lung, or liver. MIP-2 protein was found in all organs tested but it was exclusively associated with PMNs that stained positive with the cell surface marker Gr-1. Bacterial infection caused a 5-fold increase in the number of MIP-2-positive PMNs recruited to spleens concomitant with a strong increase of splenic MIP-2 mRNA. This correlated well with a 3-fold loss of MIP-2-producing cells in BM. Because MIP-2 mRNA expression in PMNs was increased after stimulation with TNF, the results indicate that newly recruited PMNs can supplement their MIP-2 content through TNF-stimulated transcription. Together, the data imply a constitutive production of MIP-2 by a subset of PMNs in BM and argue for the possibility of a rapid mobilization of MIP-2 through its storage in circulating PMNs.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Temperature development in a modern municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash landfill with regard to sustainable waste management.

Municipal solid waste is treated in incineration plants to reduce the volume, the toxicity and the reactivity of the waste. The final product, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash, was considered as a material with a low reactivity, which can safely be deposited in a MSWI bottom ash landfill, or which can be used, e.g. in road construction after further treatment. However, temperature measurements in MSWI bottom ash landfills showed temperatures up to 90 degrees C, caused by exothermic reactions within the landfill. Such high temperatures may affect the stability of the flexible polymer membrane liner (FML) and may also lead to an accelerated desiccation of the clay barrier. At the beginning of this study it was uncertain whether those reported results would be applicable to modern landfills, because the treatment techniques in MSWI and landfills have changed, bottom and fly ash are stored separately, and the composition of the incinerated waste has changed significantly since the publication of those results. The aim of this study was to gain detailed knowledge of temperature development under standard disposal conditions in relation to the rate of ash disposal, the variation of layer thickness, and the environmental conditions in a modern landfill. Temperatures were measured at nine levels within the body of a landfill for a period of nearly 3 years. Within 7 months of the start of the disposal, a temperature increase of up to 70 degrees C within the vertical centre of the disposal was observed. In the upper and central part of the landfill this initial temperature increase was succeeded by a decrease in temperature. The maximum temperature at the time of writing (May 2000) is about 55 degrees C in the central part of the landfill. The maximum temperature (45.9 degrees C) at the FML was reached 17 months after the start of the deposition. Since then the temperatures decreased at a rate of 0.6 degrees C per month. Temperature variation within each individual layer corresponds to the temperature of the underlying layer and the overall surface-to-volume ratio of the landfill. The temperatures in the uppermost layer are significantly influenced by the ambient temperatures.

Cities↗
PubMed2001

S17(0) determined from the Coulomb breakup of 83 MeV /nucleon 8B.

A kinematically complete measurement was made of the Coulomb dissociation of 8B nuclei on a Pb target at 83 MeV/nucleon. The cross section was measured at low relative energies in order to infer the astrophysical S factor for the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction. A first-order perturbation theory analysis including E1, E2, and M1 transitions was employed to extract the E1 strength relevant to neutrino-producing reactions in the solar interior. By fitting the measured cross section from E(rel) = 130 to 400 keV, we find S17(0) = 17.8(+1.4)(-1.2) eV b.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Characterization of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash by scanning electron microscopy and quantitative energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX).

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) is frequently used for morphological and qualitative chemical characterization of different materials. The applicability of this method for phase identification, is, however, often underestimated. The application of SEM/EDX for the characterization of different phases in fresh and altered municipal-waste incinerator bottom-ash samples with high lateral resolution is presented. Polished thin sections were prepared from the samples, but fresh fracture surfaces were also used. The EDX analyses were performed by using the correction procedures of a conventional standardless ZAF correction, a peak-to-background ZAF correction, and a correction method for light-element analysis. Because of their highly reactive properties the bottom-ash SEM samples require a special method of preparation. The method facilitates nondestructive preparation of the sensitive bottom-ash alteration phases (e.g. cement phases, hydroxides, salts) and their microstructures.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Spatial- and verbal-memory improvement by cold-water caloric stimulation in healthy subjects.

We investigated the effects of unilateral cold-water vestibular stimulation on healthy subjects' performance in two cognitive tasks known to be differentially mediated by the two cerebral hemispheres. In a first experiment (right-hemisphere task), subjects memorized object-location associations while being stimulated with cold water in the left ear or right ear or not at all (control group). In the second experiment (left-hemisphere task), subjects memorized a list of sequentially presented function words while being stimulated in the same manner as the subjects in the first experiment. A recall phase followed each encoding phase. In the first experiment, subjects who had been stimulated in the left ear recalled the object locations significantly faster than subjects who had been stimulated in the right ear and those in the control group. The second experiment yielded the reverse pattern: correct word recognition was faster for subjects who had been stimulated in the right ear than for subjects stimulated in the left ear and those of the control group. We suggest that unilateral caloric stimulation leads to a selective activation of contralateral cerebral structures and speeds up cognitive processes mediated by these structures. These results are discussed with respect to findings in neglect patients and functional-imaging studies in healthy subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Direct evidence for the breakdown of the N = 8 shell closure in 12Be

Partial cross sections and corresponding momentum distributions have been studied in the one-neutron knockout reaction ( 12Be,11Be+gamma) on a 9Be target at 78 MeV/nucleon. The resulting spectroscopic factors for the only two bound states of 11Be are 0.42+/-0.06 ( 1/2(+)) and 0.37+/-0.06 ( 1/2(-)), where the errors are experimental only. This result shows that N = 8 is not a good closed shell in the neutron-rich 12Be and that the last neutron pair is two-thirds in the ( 1s(2)+0d(2)) intruder configuration.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

[Comparison of the annual data of 2 stroke units in neurological clinics of acute hospitals].

The Stroke Unit concept of the German Neurological Society differs from its precedents in Scandinavia or the United Kingdom. Hallmarks of the German concept are very early onset of diagnosis and treatment, continuous surveillance of vital functions by bedside monitors and specialized care by a multiprofessional team. This comparison of two Stroke Units in Minden and Munich-Harlaching, working according to the new German concept, shows broad similarities in admission intervals, diagnostic procedures, treatment modalities and short term prognosis, with an exceedingly low in-hospital mortality of 3.4-5.6% and a high proportion of patients (64-69%) leaving the hospital with Barthel scores above 70. Ongoing studies will show how this kind of Stroke Unit treatment compares to general wards.

Aged↗