Biomedical subjects

A Schaub

Publications and source records attributed to A Schaub.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

[Quality of life. Construct validation and the development of a modular system].

The construct Quality of Life (QoL) is investigated by metaanalysis of eight (inter)nationally validated questionnaires in a multicenter study. Data have been collected in a mentally healthy (n = 479), a depressed (n = 171) and a schizophrenic (n = 139) sample. Conventional psychometric criteria and a facet analytical methodology have been applied. The resulting questionnaire "Modular System for Quality of Life" (MSQoL) consists of a core module with 47 items (one "G-factor" and six subdimensions), which is sufficiently valid for all three samples. Additionally, there are four specific modules (demography, family, partnership, profession). No specific modules can be identified for the psychopathological subgroups. The validated radex structure for subjective QoL offers the opportunity for a cumulative research design and for adaptations to the actual setting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Two families of GTPases dominate the complex cellular response to IFN-gamma.

IFN-gamma induces a number of cellular programs functional in innate and adaptive resistance to infectious pathogens. It has recently become clear that the complete cellular response to IFN-gamma is extraordinarily complex, with >500 genes (i.e., approximately 0.5% of the genome) activated. We made suppression-subtractive hybridization differential libraries from IFN-gamma-stimulated primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and from a mouse macrophage cell line, ANA-1, in each case with reference to unstimulated cells. Of approximately 250 clones sequenced at random from the two libraries, >35% were representatives of one or the other of two small unrelated families of GTPases, the 65-kDa and 47-kDa families. These families dominate the IFN-gamma-induced response in both cell types. We report here the full-length sequences of one new 65-kDa and two new 47-kDa family members. The 65-kDa family members are under transcriptional control of IRF-1, whereas the 47-kDa family members are inducible in embryonic fibroblasts from IRF-1(-/-) mice. Members of both GTPase families are strongly up-regulated in livers of wild-type mice infected with the pathogenic bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, but not in IFN-gammaR(0/0) mice. These GTPases appear to be dedicated to the IFN-gamma response, since resting levels are negligible and since neither family shows any significant relationship to any other described family of GTPases. Understanding the role of these GTPases in IFN-gamma-mediated resistance against pathogens is the task for the future.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Training schizophrenic patients to manage their symptoms: predictors of treatment response to the German version of the Symptom Management Module.

This study examined whether patient demographic and clinical characteristics were predictors of differential treatment response in a sample of 57 schizophrenic patients who received the German version of the Symptom Management Module. Psychopathology, global functioning and knowledge about schizophrenia were assessed as dependent variables. Overall, patients improved over the treatment period on most dimensions of psychopathology as well as knowledge about psychosis. There was little evidence of differential treatment response as a function of either sociodemographic or clinical variables. However, gender was related to changes in psychopathology from pre- to posttreatment, with females improving less than males. Possible implications of these findings were discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1998

Performance of the SE-9000 automated haematology analyser in a laboratory serving a haematological oncology unit.

The performance of the SE-9000 automated haematology analyser in a laboratory receiving a high number of abnormal specimens from haematological oncology patients was assessed according to formal protocols for the evaluation of blood cell counters. Linearity over a useful working range, precision in clinically important ranges and negligible carry-over were demonstrated in this group of patient samples confirming the results of previous investigators. The comparability of instrument derived differential leucocyte counts from both normal and distributionally abnormal samples with those obtained by visual microscopy using the NCCLS H-20 A protocol was very good. The sensitivity of flags for the detection of immature granulocytes and myeloid blast cells was high and this can be attributed to the incorporation of a new measuring channel (Immature Myeloid Information or IMI channel). The number of unrecognized abnormalities was low and when compared with the poor sensitivity of the routine 100-cell visual differential leucocyte count, the analyser was judged suitable for monitoring patients with haematological malignancies. The performance of flags such as 'left shift' and 'atypical lymphocytes' can be improved by taking into consideration distributional abnormalities such as neutrophilia and lymphocytosis. The trigger level for these flags should be adapted to the clinical need particularly in cases of neutropenia following chemotherapy, and in lymphoproliferative disorders and infection.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[Coping-oriented group therapy for patients with schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorders. An exploratory study].

The controlled study presented here was designed to examine the influence of the degree of structure of a coping-orientated therapy, the changes between the beginning and the end of therapy concerning satisfaction with therapy, psychopathology, attitude towards medication, coping behaviour and social variables, the effects on the days of hospitalisation within one year after the end of treatment and the relevant variables to predict the outcome twelve months later. It could be shown that patients in a relatively unstructured supportive group therapy wished to discuss topics that are very similar to those of coping-orientated therapy, that coping-orientated therapy results especially in an increase in knowledge about illness and treatment and that the therapeutic outcome after a one-year period can best be predicted by the degree of active coping strategies, social adaptation, trust in medication and cognitive variables.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1993

Functional cortical interaction patterns in visual perception and visuospatial problem solving.

To explore the integration of functional neuronal interactions in human higher cortical functions, we applied multivariate mathematical techniques to regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) increases induced by mental activity. rCBF was measured using the intravenous xenon-133 clearance technique with 32 bihemispheric detectors in 84 normal volunteers at rest and during both a visuoperceptual accuracy task and a visuospatial problem solving task. Both paradigms activated rCBF in bilateral premotor, motor and postcentral regions. Bilateral prefrontal activation occurred during problem solving but not during the perceptual accuracy task. Partial correlations coefficients and factor analysis identified significant interactions between numerous cortex regions in both tasks. There were highly ordered and integrated patterns of functional interaction patterns between cortex areas subserving elementary subfunctions of complex behavior. Cortical interaction analysis by such techniques is a useful tool to describe the functional anatomy of large-scale neurocognitive networks in the intact human brain. Imaging functional interactions between active cortex areas are complementary to other experimental neurophysiologic methods to explore brain-behavior relationships in health and disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

[Short- and long-term treatment results in perianal dermatitis using proctalgen: a controlled prospective study].

In a controlled study the short and long-term therapeutic efficiency and compatibility of Proctalgen was tested in the therapy of perianal dermatitis. The study includes 30 patients of whom 23 had previously been treated with other remedies. After a treatment period of 21 days, 18 patients (60%) were cured. 11 of the 18 cured patients were interviewed three years later and seven of them (64%) were still without any symptoms. None of the patients showed irritations of the rectal mucosa. Proctalgen has proved its short and long-term therapeutic efficiency especially in the treatment of patients with a short history and with no previous therapy and shows a good compatibility. Therefore Proctalgen is an excellent attribute to the therapeutics of perianal dermatitis especially because it is free of corticosteroids and anaesthetics.

Adult↗