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Biomedical subjects

A Falkenbach

Publications and source records attributed to A Falkenbach.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Polyserositis in adult Still's disease with onset during pregnancy [corrected].

We report about a 25-year-old female patient, who met all the criteria of adult-onset Still's disease except for the typical nonpruric rash. The disease exacerbated during pregnancy. Polyserositis was the predominant clinical manifestation. The histological examination of the bone marrow biopsy revealed changes similar to those seen in a myelodysplastic syndrome. The clinical condition improved after therapy with high-dose steroids and cyclophosphamide.

Abortion, Therapeutic↗
PubMed1993

[Incidence of Lyme borreliosis in a rheumatologic patient sample. Study of 153 patients of an internal medicine-rheumatologic ambulatory clinic].

PROBLEM: Arthritis of the large joints is considered a typical manifestation of Lyme disease. With an estimated incidence in the population of about 2%, Lyme disease arthritis would be expected to be a fairly common diagnosis in a rheumatology unit. METHODS: In 153 successive patients seen in a rheumatology clinic of the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, who had historical or clinical evidence of arthritis, the IgG antibody titers against Borrelia burgdorferi in the serum were compared with the clinical presentation. RESULTS: Twelve patients had positive or borderline positive antibodies titers. In three of the 153 patients, the diagnosis of Lyme disease-associated arthritis appears possible, although not probable. CONCLUSIONS: At least in the greater area of Frankfurt, Lyme disease as a differential diagnosis of arthritis is apparently of no great significance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Bone metabolism before and after irradiation with ultraviolet light.

The beneficial effects of ultraviolet light on cutaneous vitamin D synthesis, calcium metabolism, and bone formation are well known. Regarding the increasing fear of side effects from ultraviolet B (UV-B), lamps with less energy in the UV-B range have been developed. Two spectra with differences in the emission of UV-B have therefore been evaluated for their influence on calcium metabolism. A group of 24 healthy male volunteers was subdivided into two treatment groups. Group 1 was exposed to lamps with higher energy of total UV-B but less energy at the wavelengths below 300 nm than the lamps used in group 2. All subjects were irradiated ten times within 12 days. Exposure time was 3 min in the first session and time of exposure was increased by 10% in every following irradiation (suberythematous doses only). Before the first irradiation, 3 days after the last exposure, and after 4 more weeks, the serum parameters of bone metabolism were determined by standard laboratory methods. Significantly increased levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were found in both groups. There was only a slight increase of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Parathyroid hormone decreased significantly in group 2 only. The data would suggest beneficial effects on bone metabolism for both regimens. The observed effects were more pronounced when shorter wavelengths (group 2) were applied, although the total energy of UV-B was lower in these lamps.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Cyclosporin treatment in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased serum activity of beta-glucuronidase.

The serum activity of beta-glucuronidase (beta-gluc) has been presumed to indicate the disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In 10 patients with RA the serum beta-gluc was repeatedly determined after the initiation of a treatment with cyclosporin for one year. A significant increase of beta-gluc was found after 8, 12 and 16 weeks compared to the values before treatment, while the concentration of the soluble interleukin 2-receptor decreased. The data reveal, that beta-gluc is not a useful indicator of the disease activity during cyclosporin treatment.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1992

[Primary prevention of osteopenia].

In industrialized countries the clinical and socioeconomic importance of osteoporosis has been well recognized in recent years. Various treatments have been introduced for secondary prevention in established osteoporosis. There is, however, a deficit in the primary prevention of osteopenia. In every age group physical exercise stimulates mineralization of the bone. With regular training adolescents can achieve a higher peak bone mass. In old age the physiologic decrease of bone mass can be retarded by physical exercise. A diet rich in calcium has positive effects on mineralization of the bone. Estrogens have proved efficacious in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Abstinence from nicotine and alcohol contributes to the prevention of osteopenia.

Bone Diseases, Metabolic↗
PubMed1991

[Serum level of beta-glucuronidase as potential indicator of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)].

The lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase is involved in the degradation of glycosaminoglycans to monosaccharides. beta-glucuronidase-activity has been found to correlate well with histomorphological changes in active arthritis. By use of a new--enzyme kinetic--assay serum activity of beta-glucuronidase was measured in 32 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 23 patients with systemic lupus erythematodes (sLE) and compared to 120 healthy volunteers. In 72% of the patients with RA and 65% of the patients with sLE increased beta-glucuronidase-activity was found (greater than 97.5. percentile of healthy volunteers). There was no correlation with an estimated score of disease activity, duration of morning stiffness, or blood sedimentation rate. The determination of beta-glucuronidase revealed increased serum levels in most of the patients with RA and sLE. The role of beta-glucuronidase as a predictor of joint destruction remains to be evaluated in a prospective study. For this evaluation the use of the enzyme-kinetic method described here is recommendable.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Pain in chronic arterial occlusive disease--the effect of improved macrocirculation on pseudo-radicular irritation].

In chronic obliterating arteriopathy the maximum walking distance does not correlate well with the ankle arm index of arterial pressure measured by Doppler ultrasound. Beside reduced macrocirculation and microcirculatory maldistribution in skeletal muscle, pseudoradicular irritation was established as a relevant factor for the onset of pain during walking. The present study investigates the influence of the macrocirculation on hyperalgesia at rest in intermittent claudication. In 35 patients with chronic obliterating arteriopathy of the lower limbs (stage II according to Fontaine) the ankle/arm index of arterial pressure and the walking tolerance, as well as the pain at rest on applying pressure to the calf muscles were determined before and 3 weeks after percutaneous transluminar angioplasty (PTA). All 3 parameters improved after dilatation. Improved macrocirculation leads not only to a decreased production and improved clearance of pain-inducing metabolites in muscle tissue, but also--through a decrease of sympathetic stimulation of the muscle--to an elevation of the pain threshold. Apart from the reduction in pain-inducing metabolites, an absence of booster effects on pseudoradicular irritation and the regeneration of sensitive cutaneous afferents with resultant inhibition of reflex pain development are considered as possible factors in the achievement of pain relief following PTA.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMed1990

[The morphology and clinical significance of pathologic changes of the adrenals and hypophysis in AIDS].

A semiquantitative morphometric technique (point counting) was applied to the pituitary and adrenals taken at necropsy from 130 AIDS patients (4 women, 126 men, mean age 39 [22-71] years) to ascertain the nature, extent and location of the pathological lesions. Abnormalities were found in 32% of the pituitaries and 76% of the adrenals. Only 17 patients had normal findings in both organs. The predominant lesions were due to opportunistic infections or infiltration by Kaposi's sarcoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The commonest finding was necrotizing cytomegalovirus adrenalitis (n = 68); in one third of the cases this had caused severe destructive lesions involving over 50% of the parenchyma. The almost total destruction of the adrenals noted in some cases suggests that cytomegalovirus adrenalitis may run a progressive course; its clinical significance has hitherto been underestimated.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Abnormalities in cholesterol metabolism cause peripheral neuropathy and dementia in AIDS--a hypothesis.

The AIDS dementia complex and peripheral neuropathy in AIDS are considered to be direct or indirect manifestations of HIV infection, yet the pathogenesis in unclear. There are parallels between AIDS and Tangier disease clinically and histopathologically and in lipid metabolism. The neurological disorders in AIDS may be caused by dysfunction of cellular cholesterol transport. Substitution of high density lipoprotein is recommended in the treatment of severe polyneuropathy and dementia in AIDS.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1990

[The effect of the Finnish dry sauna on bronchial asthma in childhood].

More than 400,000 sauna baths have been built in Germany. Frequently, children with bronchial asthma and their parents raise the question whether sauna bathing might be hazardous for the lungs. In present study the effects of sauna bathing on the ventilation have been evaluated by use of peak-flow meters. Only one 12-years old girl suffered an attack of bronchial asthma while using a cold shower, probably as a result of breathing cold air. No other complications have been observed. Sauna bathing can be recommended for children with bronchial asthma, since advantages in the resistance against infections and in psychosocial development can be expected.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Detection of dsDNA antibodies in diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus--comparative studies of diagnostic effectiveness of 3 ELISA methods with different antigens and a Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test].

Antibodies to double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA, dsDNA-Ab) are frequently found in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), especially during active disease and differ with respect to immunoglobulin class and avidity. The detection of anti-dsDNA is one of the diagnostic criteria for SLE according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Most of the commercial ELISA test systems have great advantages in routine laboratory testing but often detect dsDNA-Ab which are not specific for SLE and therefore give false positive results for non-SLE patients. The newly developed ELISA presented here, using human recombinant dsDNA (h-Rek) is compared to two commercial ELISA tests with genomic dsDNA from salmon testes (L-dsDNA) or plasmid dsDNA (P-dsDNA) and to the Chrithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test (CLIF) as well. In this study 143 sera were tested, 48 derived from patients with SLE, 40 from rheumatoid arthritis patients, 26 from non-rheumatoid patients whose sera were ANA-negative but L-dsDNA-Ab-positive and 30 from healthy volunteers. All patients were followed and clinically defined by the rheumatology outpatient clinic of our hospital. The prevalence for SLE of all sera was 32%. The sensitivity was 0.73 (h-Rek), 0.83 (L-dsDNA), 0.81 (P-dsDNA) and 0.57 (CLIF); specificity was determined 0.84 (h-Rek), 0.62 (L-dsDNA), 0.63 (P-dsDNA) and 0.98 (CLIF). The diagnostic efficiency of the L-dsDNA- and P-dsDNA-assay was identical, 0.69, and amounted to 0.81 for the h-Rek and 0.84 for the CLIF. Comparing all the ELISA tests and CLIF, the human recombinant dsDNA ELISA is much more sensitive than the CLIF, but considerably more specific than the ELISA assays using genomic or plasmid DNA, whereas the diagnostic efficiency is very close to that of the CLIF. This new generation of anti-dsDNA ELISA using human recombinant dsDNA seems to be a much better diagnostic tool for the detection of highly specific anti-dsDNA antibodies in the diagnosis of SLE than other commercial ELISAs. These results can only be explained by the use of a human recombinant antigen instead of undefined genomic or recombinant plasmid DNA for immobilization.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low radon doses sensitize MCF-7 human breast cancer cells to taxol.

We studied whether human breast cancer cells show increased sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agent taxol when they have been treated with low radiation doses (1.7-3.2 x 10(-3) Gy) from the gas radon. To this end, MCF-7 cells were cultivated in a medium either with or without dissolved radon for 3 days and then exposed to taxol (50 nM). Cells exposed to low doses of radon and then to a concentration of 50 nM of taxol exhibit a lower proliferation rate and a lower viability than cells treated with the same concentration of taxol but not irradiated. These findings indicate an important interaction of radon and taxol in the inhibition of MCF-7 cell growth.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Decrease of respiratory burst in neutrophils of patients with ankylosing spondylitis by combined radon-hyperthermia treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To define the respiratory burst activity of neutrophils, the total anti-oxidative status of plasma, and the parameters of systemic inflammation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) before and after a combined radon-hyperthermia treatment in the thermal tunnels of Böckstein-Bad Gastein in Austria. METHODS: In 20 patients with AS the effects of a total of 15 hours of radon-hyperthermia-treatment spread over a period of three weeks were studied. The respiratory burst activity of neutrophils was measured fluorometrically using dichlorofluorescein diacetate, the total anti-oxidant status was measured using azinodiethyl-benzthiazoline-sulphonate, and inflammation parameters were determined by routine laboratory assays. RESULTS: Before treatment, the basal neutrophil respiratory burst in patients (n = 20) was 409 +/- 62 fluorescence arbitrary units (AU; mean +/- SEM) and 359 +/- 37 AU in controls (n = 9; p > 0.5); the stimulated respiratory burst (fMet-Leu-Phe, 10(-6) M) was 1,027 +/- 133 AU in patients and 1,152 +/- 218 AU in controls (p > 0.5). After treatment, the basal neutrophil respiratory burst in patients (n = 19) was 137 +/- 16 and in controls it was 174 +/- 35 AU (n = 8; p > 0.1); the stimulated respiratory burst was 670 +/- 66 and 1,305 +/- 82 AU, in patients and controls respectively (p < 0.001). No effects of treatment on the total anti-oxidant status of the plasma or on the parameters of inflammation were detected. CONCLUSION: Combined radon-hyperthermia treatment reduces the respiratory burst activity of the blood circulating neutrophils in patients with AS. If respiratory burst activity from the neutrophils plays a role in the pathophysiology of ankylosing spondylitis, the observed reduction may be related to the beneficial effects of radon-hyperthermia treatment.

Adult↗