Biomedical subjects

U Kaben

Publications and source records attributed to U Kaben.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

[Fungal infection].

Untreated dermatological mycoses are easy to diagnose. Once treatment with corticosteroids has been initiated the diagnosis of a mycosis can be difficult. In the immunosuppressed patient (AIDS patients) typical dermatological manifestations can be lacking. Systemic antimycotic therapy requires precise detection of the pathogen concerned. Mistakes still made in surgical practice are incision of a tumour in the case of tinea profunda and the extraction of nails affected by fungi. In the healthy person yeasts are transient organisms present in the mouth and intestinal tract in contrast, the mouth and intestinal tract of patients in risk make up a reservoir of candida infection that can affect the internal organs. Cryptococcosis and aspergillosis are inhaled mycoses. Factors predisposing to mycoses influence the duration and the outcome of the course of illness. The most important of these factors in surgical practice is the immunosuppression. Systemic mycoses are difficult to recognize. In many cases organ mycoses can be diagnosed by CT. Continuous investigations of diagnostic cultures and serological tests can contribute to the diagnosis. Only cryptococcosis can be ascertained early by specific antigen demonstration in the serum. For this reason continuous serological testing for cryptococci is essential in AIDS patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMed1998

[Early detection and diagnosis of invasive mycoses].

An invasive mycosis may cause death in high-risk patients. An early systemic antimycotic therapy can save life. Therefore, a continuous mycological monitoring in one week intervals is necessary in high-risk patients beginning with the day of admission. This monitoring should be done three to five times a week when an organ manifestation is suspected. Due to the continuous monitoring, the assignment of the results is much easier for the clinician. The goal of the mycological monitoring is to obtain an early hint of a fungus infection. The results of the culture as well as serum titers of antigen and antibodies have to be interpreted in connection with the clinical picture of the underlying disease and the actual risk of infection. Negative results do not rule out a mycosis! Positive results do not always proof an invasive mycosis. Only by interpreting the time course of the mycological findings and the patient's clinical status, an invasive mycosis may be diagnosed with some certainty. In any case, additional procedures like radiological techniques (i.e. CT-scan), histology etc. should be used.

Antifungal Agents↗

PubMed1997

[Use of fluconazole as antimycotic prophylaxis in radiotherapy of patients with head and neck tumors].

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of Candida stomatitis and resulting interruptions in radiation therapy in 50 patients suffering from squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck region receiving fluconazole (100 mg/d) in comparison to a historical control group without specific prophylaxis. 20 of the control patients (40%) demonstrated Candida stomatitis with 7 of them (14%) requiring interruptions of radiation therapy. In contrast, none of the patients with fluconazole had evidence of Candida stomatitis and subsequent interruption of anticancer therapy. Laboratory monitoring for the presence of Candida species was performed in 15 other patients before and after therapy with fluconazole. Candida albicans was identified less frequently after therapy when compared to the pretreatment status. However, C. glabrata and C. krusei were isolated in some of the patients probably due to decreased drug susceptibility of these species. The results demonstrate the clinical usefulness of prophylactic fluconazole applications in patients suffering from head and neck tumors with the aim to reduce Candida stomatitis and resulting interruptions in radiation therapy.

Antifungal Agents↗

PubMed1997

[Persistence and variability of yeasts isolated from hospitalized patients: a comparison of results from Rostock and Dresden].

We investigated the yeast colonizations of hospitalized patients at time of the admission to hospital (< or = 3d; 1161 patients) and during stay in hospital (> 3d-several months; 568 patients). At admission to hospital 58% of patients had yeasts in one of the investigated specimens. During stay in hospital the part of patients with yeasts increased up to 81.7%. We established remarkable differences in proof of yeasts in patients of different area of risk. The spectrum of yeasts of the patients in Rostock and Dresden shows a similar shift in frequency of the different Candida species. C. albicans was the predominant yeast. But during hospitalization we saw an elevation of patients with C. glabrata infection from 7.4 to 22.5% and C. krusei infection from 2.8% to 11.8%. There were a remarkable correlation to the area of risk. In 30.8% of the patients we observed a change in yeast spectrum: from negative cultures to positive specimens or from one Candida species to another one.

Candida↗

PubMed1994

[Analysis of Candida-specific antibodies in saliva].

We developed an enzyme immunoassay for the estimation of candida-specific IgA antibodies in saliva. In patients with stomatitis prothetica (n = 46) we found a higher concentration (p < 0.05) before therapy in comparison to normal controls.

Antibodies, Fungal↗

PubMed1992

[In vitro proliferation of human bone marrow cells--inhibition by components of Candida albicans].

Candida albicans (CA) components influence the proliferation of human bone marrow cells in vitro (colony-forming assay). Number of colonies per 10(5) bone marrow cells after cultivation with rHuGM-CSF (maximal plateau colony formation): 46.2 +/- 9.1 (n = 6); after cultivation with rHuGM-CSF in combination with CA proteins: 0.05 mg protein/ml: 33.4 +/- 4.6 (n = 3); 0.10 mg protein/ml: 20.8 +/- 3.6 (n = 3).

Bone Marrow Cells↗

PubMed1989

[Precipitating keratin antibodies in psoriasis vulgaris].

A microprecipitation method was used to test sera of psoriasis patients and control persons for precipitating keratin interfilament antibody (KIF-Ab). Precipitating KIF-Ab were detected in 83% of the psoriasis patients. The sera of only 20.5% of controls without dermatological diseases and 40% of nonpsoriatic patients contained KIF-Ab. The mean KIF-Ab titer of the control and psoriasis group did not differ significantly. The different therapy had different effects on the detectability of precipitating KIF-Ab. Upon completion of dithranol treatment and clinical healing, all sera reacted with KIF from psoriasis scales (pso-sc). PUVA treatment lowered the Ab-titer as well as the number of seropositive sera. These results were confirmed by means of immunoblot and immunodot techniques. Sera from psoriasis patients contained Ab of the IgG and IgM-types against 65, 55 and 45 kD proteins. KIF-IgA-Ab were found frequently in the cases of severe forms of psoriasis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

[Cryptococcosis of the skin].

In a woman patient who had received a kidney transplant 9 years previously, we diagnosed a cryptococcosis of the skin on the right arm. The results of clinical and mycological investigations and the forms of treatment applied are discussed.

Cryptococcosis↗

PubMed1988

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract and fungal infection in acute leukemia patients.

For prevention of infection we used an SD design including antibacterial (trimethoprim 480 mg/daily, sulfamerazine 720 mg/daily, and polymyxin 0.25 mg/daily) and antifungal (4-6 million IU nystatin/daily) components. We analyzed retrospectively 138 treatment periods in 108 patients. The intensified chemotherapy resulted in severe granulocytopenia below 0.1 x 10(9)/liter over 25.2 days. In 19 patients there was suspicion of major fungal infection; therefore they were given amphotericin B and 5-fluocytosine. Fourteen of them died; major fungal infections were documented in 5 cases. In 18% of all the deceased we found major fungal infections. There was a correlation between fungal infection, the late stages of the hematological malignancy, and the lesions on the oropharyngeal mucosa. However, in terms of the serological and culture findings no correlation appeared to exist between the group with and the group without fungal infection. The SD regime is meant to suppress the Candida cell concentration in the digestive tract but has no influence on Aspergillus in the respiratory tract.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1988