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Biomedical subjects

A Oehling

Publications and source records attributed to A Oehling.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Variations of the circadian rhythm of cAMP in bronchial asthma after administration of fenoterol.

In the study of the physiology and therapeutic response of bronchial asthma the evaluation of adrenergic activity is of fundamental importance. References in the literature indicate a reduction of the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP in asthmatic patients, as well as a reduction in the response to beta-adrenergic stimulants. This work intends to expose the possible effects of the prolonged administration of beta-stimulants (as employed in bronchial asthma therapy) on the levels of circulating cyclic nucleotides. From another perspective, we wish to relate the clinical improvement after beta-adrenergic therapy and the levels of cyclic AMP. Ten patients suffering from bronchial asthma were selected for the study, and cyclic AMP levels were determined at different hours during the day (in order to evaluate its circadian rhythm), before and after treatment with 5 mg of Fenoterol (beta-stimulant), three times a day during 20 days. The results showed a statistically significant (p less than 0.002) reduction in the levels of cyclic AMP in the asthmatics. An increase in circulating cyclic AMP was observed after treatment, remaining high throughout the day, and differing from pre-treatment levels by 4.9 p.Moles after 9 hours to 2 p.Moles 13 hours after initiation of treatment. Prolonged administration of Fenoterol modifies the circadian rhythm of cyclic AMP, causing an increase in its circulating levels. The magnitude of this increase is of less amplitude than the one observed after the administration of a single dose of Fenoterol and immediate determination.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The viral factor in the etiology of acute asthma attacks in children.

Over the last decade firm proponents of a viral etiology have risen, alongside those considering mycoplasma as prime agent in the induction of bronchospasm. Since we are not convinced as to the validity of the viral hypothesis, we decided to study a group of asthmatics to detect the different viral antigens serologically, in order to determine which can play a decisive role in the pathogenesis of the asthmatic crisis. Without previous etiologic selection, 37 children admitted as emergency cases with severe asthmatic crises, were chosen for the study. All were being treated as asthmatics and were diagnosed as bacterial or mixed asthmatics according to the Ciba Symposium criteria; the ages ranged from one to eleven years. Four patients presented infections by RS virus and of these, two showed an accompanying infection by Coxsackie B3 and B5. Only one patient presented antibodies against mycoplasma pneumoniae. The incidence of maxillary sinusitis was 75.6%. We found the only 13.5% of the children showed specific antibodies, against any of the 16 viral antigens tested. That is, we find that in parallel with the bacterial infection, there exists a viral infection which is manifested by the increment of specific antibody titers after ten days. The asthmatic symptoms disappeared after antibiotic and corticoid therapy, as opposed to the resistance to this form of treatment reported by McIntosh.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A study of the circadian rhythm in 3, 5 cAMP in bronchial asthma after administration of ketotifen.

A study of the circadian rhythm of cAMP is carried out in ten patients suffering from mixed bronchial asthma, with a marked bacterial component and with sensitizations due to pneumo-allergens (house dust and Dermatophagoides). Cyclic AMP levels were determined before and after treatment with Ketotifen (HC-20511). At the same time, cAMP levels were determined in a control group of 10 healthy subjects in order to realize a comparative study with the asthmatic group. Blood was drawn beginning at 5 AM. at four hour intervals for 24 hours. During this period, medication was withdrawn from these patients, although in some cases antibiotics and mucolytics were administered later; these same patients were treated with Ketotifen in a dose of 1 mg every 12 hours for 5 days. In the blood samples, cAMP levels were determined through a method based on Gilman's technique (comparative protein binding) using the Cyclic AMP Assay Kit (The Radiochemical Center, England). Among the results obtained, there is a clear elevation of cAMP levels in all the determinations after the administration of Ketotifen, maintaining the circadian rhythm with a maximum peak in cAMP levels 5 hours after the drug was given. Thus an increase in all values when compared with basal levels were found arguing in favour of a protective action of this substance carried out through stabilization of the mast cell membrane and thus impeding the release of histamine.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Study of lymphocyte subpopulations in contact dermatitis by sensitization to chrome and/or nickel.

Contact dermatitis is a hyperergic reaction mediated predominantly by T lymphocytes in which the target tissue is the skin. In this way and taking as a starting point that contact dermatitis is a reaction typically mediated by T lymphocytes, our aim is to study the possible existence of an unbalance between the lymphocyte subpopulations OKT-4+ and OKT-8- (T mu and T gamma) in comparison to a normal population and if, on the other hand, any of these subpopulations are involved in the increase of lymphocytes that form E active rosettes. We can see that there are no significant variations with regard to the number and function of the lymphocyte populations in individuals with contact dermatitis when we compare them to a control group. On the other hand, we consider it very important to emphasize that we have failed to detect differences in the parameters of lymphocyte populations and subpopulations studied before and after contact with the causal antigen responsible for the cutaneous condition.

Chromium↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Circulating immune complexes in pollinosis and chronic bronchopathies. Effect of immunotherapy.

The aim of this study is to investigate a possible presence of CIC in pollinic patients with or without specific immunotherapy and in bronchial asthmatic patients with or without immunotherapy. The determination of CIC is carried out by means of precipitation with 3.5% PEG and a posterior determination of C4 of the precipitates as well as optical density. In our results we have found either normal values or similar ones to the control group in all the groups of patients studied, and which therefore proves to us on the one hand that in pollinosis there are no elevated levels of CIC and on the other hand that immunotherapy does not modify the levels of CIC.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epsilon-amino-caproic acid in the treatment of Osler's hereditary angioneurotic edema.

This clinical entity described for the first time by Osler in 1888 presented a great therapeutic problem during many decades because of its severity. Landerman and later on Donaldson and Evans established the pathogenic mechanisms of this disease finding a deficiency in the inhibitor of the first activated component of complement, an alpha 2 aminoglycoprotein, to be the mechanism responsible of the same. More concretely, alterations in the plasmin, kinin and kallikrein systems are those that will lead to a change in vascular permeability with resultant tissue alterations. Four cases of hereditary angioneurotic edema are studied in female patients aged between 15 and 50 years and with family history consistent with angioneurotic familiar edema in which there were six cases of death due to edema of the glottis. Once the diagnosis had been made the patients were subjected to treatment with EACA at doses of 2.5 gm every 6 hours. The determinations of complement were similar in the four cases, with marked decreases in C4 and C1 inhibitor with a decrease in total complement in three cases. Regarding secondary effects, vomiting was found only in one cases, which as the dose was reduced did not necessitate termination of treatment. In summary, considering the results obtained in the cases above, we believe that due to its good tolerance and moderate cost, epsilon-amino-caproic acid at the abovementioned dosage is an excellent pharmacological agent in the treatment of Osler's hereditary angioneurotic edema.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cytochemical markers for T mu and T gamma. A comparative study.

A procedure is described for the cytochemical detection of esterase alpha naphtyl acetate (ANAE) and beta glucuronidase (BG) activity in the circulating lymphocytes of man. The number of BG positive cells (TBG) as evaluated on the smears of Ficoll Urovision purified cells, correlated well with the number of T gamma (EA gamma rosette forming cells with ox red blood cells) in the same blood samples of a group of healthy persons and patients, with pollinosis, atrophic rhinitis and bacterial asthma. In healthy persons, the number of T gamma cells by rosette method was 12.5 +/- 0.5% whilst BG positive cells were 14.0 +/- 14%. The patients had an equal number of BG positive cells and T gamma too. The present study broadly confirms ANAE activity as a cytochemical marker for T mu cells. These results tested that T lymphocytes can be accurately enumerated by cytochemical evaluation of ANAE activity in human lymphocytes and suggested the usefulness of BG activity in the enumeration of T lymphocytes in man.

Asthma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use and limitations of laser nephelometry.

The quantitative determination of several proteins in serum and liquor received new impulses with Laser Nephelometry. The method is characterized by its speed, precision, accuracy, high sensitivity, good correlation when compared with radial immunodiffusion and the possibility of automatization. The detection of mycotic antigens and precipitating antibodies against organic dusts and against DNS and the detection of immune complexes show the flexibility of the new method.

Antibodies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunologic study of carcinoma of the digestive tract. Effects of the tumor stage. I. Cellular immunity in the preoperative period.

We studied the behavior of the cellular immune system in two types of carcinoma of frequent clinical occurrence: large bowel and gastric cancers. We contrasted both types of neoplasia with respect to the behavior of cellular immunity in the preoperative period, according to the evolutive stage of the tumor. Two hundred and nine subjects were studied: 86 with gastric adenocarcinoma, 63 with adenocarcinoma of colon-rectum and 60 healthy controls. Total lymphocytes were quantitated, as were B and T cell subpopulations, and T cell function by measuring the response to PHA. Summarizing the results, a clear depression in cellular immunity was observed in stage III of gastric cancer. In large bowel cancer the repression of cellular immunity is of lesser magnitude than in gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunotherapy with bacterial ribosomal antigens in bronchial asthma. II. Immunological study.

A newly developed mode of vaccination with bacterial ribosomal antigens was evaluated in 83 patients with bacterial bronchial asthma. The response of the immune system to two years of immunotherapy was studied by serial determinations, every six months, of the following parameters: E; Ea and EAC rosettes; B-cell surface immunoglobulins; PHA-induced blast transformation, and IgG, IgA, IGM, IgD and IgE immunoglobulins. At basal conditions, patients showed a slight depression in the function of cell-mediated immunity, an increase in Ea rosette formation and decreased values of IgA. After vaccination with ribosomal antigens, an enhanced T-cell response to PHA was observed, followed by normal values of Ea rosettes and increased values of IgA. A statistically significant correlation (p less than 0.001) was evident between Ea rosettes and IgA. Nearly half of the bacterial asthmatic patients in our series presented elevated levels of IgE (greater than 125 U/ml) that remained unchanged even after specific treatment. The immunomodulating action of bacterial ribosomal therapy is discussed.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunologic study of carcinoma of the digestive tract. Influence of tumor staging. II. Humoral immunity in the preoperative period.

The studies of levels of circulating immunoglobulins in cases of solid neoplasia in man have yielded discordant results, especially in cases of colon and rectal cancer. The possible prognostic value of the quantitation of these parameters has been discussed, and some have even suggested that certain fluctuations in immunoglobulin levels may indicate the development of metastases. We studied the behavior of humoral immunity in 88 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, 63 patients with cancer of the colon and 60 healthy controls. The cancer patients were grouped according to tumor stage. Serum levels of IgG, IgA and IgM were determined in the preoperative period. The results show a significant decrease in IgG titers in all stages of gastric cancer but more so in the initial stages of development. In the cases of cancer of the colon, the IgG reduction was most evident in the advanced stages of disease. IgA levels were significantly elevated in stage III of gastric cancer and all stages of cancer of the large intestine. IgM levels in gastric cancer behave in a similar manner as IgA, and is elevated in the final stages of cancer of the colon.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Etiological factors in child bronchial asthma.

Available statistics regarding the different activating mechanisms of asthma vary greatly and they are a product of an era wherein only the extrinsic factors were considered to be fundamental in the etiology of bronchospasm. For the present study were selected 700 clinical case histories of children suffering from bronchial asthma. Emphasis was placed on the sex, age of onset, family history, presence of associated allergic disorders, intracutaneous tests and their relation to the anamnesis and evolution of the disease in the treatment period for no less than three years. A purely bacterial cause, without other types of sensitization involved, was present in 54% of the cases, on the contrary, purely extrinsic factors were present in 10% of the cases, summing up to 46%, if their role in the mixed group is taken into consideration. The high percentage of bacterial asthma (94.7%) was found fundamentally in children below one year of age. The results obtained in this demonstrate the great importance of the bacterial factor in child bronchial asthma.

Allergens↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Frequency of sensitization to different pollen groups and results of specific immunotherapy.

Of all the diseases produced by the inhalation of allergens, it is perhaps pollinosis in which specific immunotherapy with pollen antigens is most indicated. For this reason, the present work studies the symptoms and the results of skin tests, before and after the completion of a correct and specific course of immunotherapy for three years. We selected 345 patients with a clear history of pollinosis, suffering from rhinitis (90.7%), conjunctivitis (71%), bronchial asthma (51%) and urticaria (4.3%). The most sensitizing pollens were those of grasses, which affected 97.68% of the patients, followed by flowers (70.14%), shrubs (59,13%) and trees (47.82%). Multiple pollen sensitizations were found in 88.2%, but only 27.24% were sensitive to grass pollens alone. After specific polyvalent treatment with aqueous extract a notable improvement was found in the results of the skin tests (73.8%) and in clinical symptoms (87%). On the other hand, we found a deterioration in the skin test results in 5.9% and a worsening of symptoms in 1.5%. These unfavourable results were probably due to the failure to include all sensitizing pollens in the immunotherapy extract. These results suggest to us that the only worthwhile treatment for pollinosis is immunotherapy based on a polyvalent and specific extract individually prepared, whether aqueous or depot type, according to the skin test results.

Desensitization, Immunologic↗