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Biomedical subjects

A Tschopp

Publications and source records attributed to A Tschopp.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

[Cutaneous diphtheria imported from tropical countries].

Two cases of imported cutaneous diphtheria from tropical areas are described. Vacationing in the Seychelles, a 29-year-old man injured his left malleolus a few weeks before his return to Switzerland. The wound did not heal and an ulcer developed. Microbiologic investigation yielded toxinogenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae. There were no signs of systemic intoxication. The man had not been vaccinated against diphtheria since childhood. In the second case a 51-year-old woman returned from Thailand and Nepal with two very painful ulcers between the toes of her right foot, which was reddish-coloured. Microbiologic investigation again yielded toxinogenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae and there was no sign of systemic intoxication. Treatment with erythromycin brought about complete healing of the ulcers.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Dynamic cell culture system: a new cell cultivation instrument for biological experiments in space.

The prototype of a miniaturized cell cultivation instrument for animal cell culture experiments aboard Spacelab is presented (Dynamic cell culture system: DCCS). The cell chamber is completely filled and has a working volume of 200 microliters. Medium exchange is achieved with a self-powered osmotic pump (flowrate 1 microliter h-1). The reservoir volume of culture medium is 230 microliters. The system is neither mechanically stirred nor equipped with sensors. Hamster kidney (Hak) cells growing on Cytodex 3 microcarriers were used to test the biological performance of the DCCS. Growth characteristics in the DCCS, as judged by maximal cell density, glucose consumption, lactic acid secretion and pH, were similar to those in cell culture tubes.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

[Treatment continuity in schizophrenic patients in ambulatory care. A 5-year follow-up].

A hundred schizophrenic patients, who were treated in hospital since 1978, referred for out-patient (OP) treatment and consecutively included in a five-year follow-up investigation, were examined regarding their consistency of OP treatment. 16% were not rehospitalised during these five years, whereas 84% were, half of them within thirteen months of hospital discharge. 92% of all the patients, discontinued or ended their OP treatment after an average of 16.2 months. Five years after the beginning of the investigation, 41% were in touch with the OP clinic. The choice of depot neuroleptics instead of short-working ones had no influence on the occurrence of further hospital admissions but shows a correlation with consistency of treatment.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

[Incidence of broken homes in schizophrenic patients. A study of 239 patients treated at a social psychiatric department].

259 schizophrenics, 102 women and 157 men, of whom 80 were enlisted from a night clinic, 46 from the Psychiatric University Hospital and 113 from an out-patient clinic, were examined with regard to the frequency of broken home situations during their childhood. 20% had, before they were 18 yrs. old, lost a parent by death and 20% by a traumatic separation. 58% had, before they were 18 yrs. old, lost a parent or had lived together with a parent who was seriously ill or badly disturbed. No relation between the age of first illness and a broken home could, according to these research results, be established. The hypothesis that there is a higher rate of broken home situations by schizophrenics with an early outbreak of the illness, could therefore not be confirmed. Neither could a difference in the occurrence of broken home situations between males and females be observed, with the exception of the frequency of loss of parents by death, which was higher by females. The frequency of the factor 'broken home' in our examines is quite similar to the values round by Bleulers' research, 1940-1945 on male schizophrenics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Factors determining the success of nicotine withdrawal: 12-year follow-up of 532 smokers after suggestion therapy (by a faith healer).

In 1973, 532 heavy smokers with an average age of 38 years for the men and 34 years for the women were questioned prior to treatment by the faith healer Hermano, and requestioned 4 months, 1 year, 5 years, and 12 years after the therapeutic ritual. The average cigarette consumption of the men had been 31 per day and that of the women 24 per day. From the moment of treatment, 40% of the subjects remained nonsmokers (with no relapse) after 4 months, 32.5% after 1 year, 20% after 5 years, and 15.9% after 12 years. At the time of the 12-year follow-up, 37.5% of the subjects were nonsmokers, the majority of them having stopped smoking again after suffering a relapse. In order to investigate the factors determining the success of nicotine withdrawal, those subjects who for 12 years had uninterruptedly abstained from smoking (N = 73) were compared and contrasted with those who for 12 years had continued to smoke almost without interruption (N = 31). Personality factors, sociodemographic features, and characteristics of smoking behavior showed no demonstrable connection with the tendency to relapse. On the other hand, it did prove possible to explain 16% of the variance in the responses to treatment: in particular, high alcohol consumption, markedly addictive smoking, rare attendance at church, and the attitude that "you have to believe in the treatment" were found to be conducive to relapse and addiction.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Mortality of schizophrenic patients--a study of 170 cases].

170 schizophrenic patients, who were treated, between 1971 and 1973, in a mental hospital, in 2 night clinics and a social psychiatric outpatient clinic, were examined, 12 to 13 years later, with regard to rate of death. 7 of the 46 night clinic patients, 1.4% per year, and 2 of the 46 hospital patients, 0.4% per year, had died, all of them by suicide or a psychotic motivated self-destructive act. 16 of the 78 outpatients had died, 1.5% per year, whereby 10 committed suicide (0.99% per year). In comparison with the Swiss mortality tables and accounting for sex and age factors, the death rate by the examined schizophrenics is significantly higher.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Lymphocyte reactivity during spaceflight.

Over twenty years of spaceflight have demonstrated that man can easily survive and work in weightless conditions. However, a number of physiological changes may affect crew performance in space. Besides the well known disturbances of the vestibular and cardiovascular systems, bone demineralization, and decrease of erthrocyte mass, certain immunological alterations have been observed in space crews after flight. One of them--the reduction of lymphocyte reactivity to mitogens--was the subject of our investigations during the flight of Spacelab 1 from 28 November - 8 December 1983.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1984

Cell sensitivity to gravity.

Cultures of human lymphocytes exposed in microgravity to the mitogen concanavalin A showed less than 3 percent of the activation of ground controls. This result supports the hypothesis, based on simulations at low g and experiments at high g, that microgravity depresses whereas high gravity enhances cell proliferation rates. The effects of gravity are particularly strong in cells undergoing differentiation.

Cell Differentiation↗
PubMed1984

Bioprocessing in space: human cells attach to beads in microgravity.

Attachment to a substrate and survival of human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells have been tested in an incubator installed in the flight-deck of the Space Shuttle 'Challenger' during its eighth mission. HEK cells are producing the enzyme urokinase and are presently investigated as candidates for electrophoretic separation in an apparatus developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. Attachment of HEK cells to a substrate is mandatory for survival and production of urokinase after electrophoretic separation. Analysis of the samples shows that cells adhere, spread and survive in microgravity (< 10(-3) x g) conditions as well as the ground controls at 1 x g. This result represents an important step towards further bioprocessing in space.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed1983

Hypergravity promotes cell proliferation.

When HeLa cells, chicken embryo fibroblasts, sarcoma Galliera cells, Friend leukemia virus transformed cells and human lymphocytes are cultured in a hypergravitational field (e.g. 10 X g) proliferation rate is increased by 20-30%, whereas glucose consumption per cell is lower than at 1 X g. Tracking of cell movements on gold-coated substrates reveals that cell migration is hindered at high-g. These findings suggest that under gravitational stress the cell is either capable of shifting to other metabolic pathways and/or consumes less energy at high-g than at 1 X g. This work describes ground-based investigations related to experiments to be performed on future Spacelab missions.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MalaQuick versus ParaSight F as a diagnostic aid in travellers' malaria.

In this study we assessed whether travellers can perform malaria rapid tests, following the provided information leaflet, and correctly interpret performed and pre-prepared test strips. Two Plasmodium falciparum testing systems, namely MalaQuick (ICT) and ParaSight F were used. Test performance and test interpretation of pre-prepared tests were compared. There was no significant difference in test performance between the 2 tests. Interpretation of prepared test strips in both test systems was very reliable in blood parasite densities between 0.1% and 2%, but major problems were encountered at low parasitaemia (< 0.1% blood parasites) and also in ParaSight F test strips showing high parasitaemia (> 2% blood parasites). Low parasitaemia ParaSight F test strips were correctly interpreted by 52.1% compared with 10.8% correct interpretations with MalaQuick (P < 0.0001). Correct interpretation of highly positive (> 2% blood parasites) pre-prepared test strips was higher with MalaQuick (96.8%) than with ParaSight F (33.8%), P < 0.0001. Both tests were associated with high levels of false-negative interpretations which render them unsuitable as self-diagnostic kits. Efforts must be made to assist lay individuals in test performance by technical test improvement, by equiping the test strips with an additional reading aid for interpretation, and by providing instruction by a skilled person.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Does geometry of the lumbosacral inclination have an effect on the etiology of isolated osteochondrosis of L5/S1?].

Men and women with isolated osteochondrosis L5/S1 (excluding transitional anomalies) were compared against a corresponding group of healthy volunteers to see whether there is any geometric or statistical evidence that might constitute predisposing factors for isolated osteochondrosis L5/S1. Arithmetic means, variances, standard deviations, and correlation coefficients were calculated for all the characteristics determined for the two groups. Multiple linear discriminant analysis was used to try to reproduce any classifications our groupings of the characteristic bearers on the basis of their characteristics. It was found that the position of the sacrum in the pelvis and the extent of lumbar lordosis play a major role. To detect a predisposition for isolated osteochondrosis L5/S1, it is thus necessary to evaluate: the position of the sacrum with regard to the pelvis and the degree of lumbar lordosis-excluding that of the fifth lumbar vertebra-in the angle system. This evaluation can be performed by measuring the dorsal inclination of the sacrum (the delta angle) and the Albrecht inclination.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy for assessing myocardial rejection in the transplanted rat heart.

Traditionally, detection of heart rejection after heart transplantation is based on histologic grading of endomyocardial biopsy specimens. The value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining heart rejection was assessed in rejecting and nonrejecting isografts and allografts using energy-rich phosphate spectroscopy. In 46 rats a heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation was performed, and animals were divided into the following groups: six isografts (no rejection), five untreated allografts (severe rejection), and 35 immunosuppressed allografts (mild to moderate rejection). One week after transplantation magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed, and data were correlated to histologic findings (rejection grades according to Stanford and the New International Working Formulation classifications and relative volume of viable myocardium). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows detection of moderate to severe rejection with significant alterations in the energy-rich phosphates such as a decrease in the ratio of phosphocreatine/inorganic phosphate, phosphomonoester/inorganic phosphate, and beta-adenosine triphosphate/inorganic phosphate. A significant correlation was found between spectroscopic changes (phosphocreatine/inorganic phosphate) and histologic rejection (correlation coefficient r = 0.47, p < 0.005) and/or the amount of relative volume of viable myocardium and phosphocreatine/inorganic phosphate (r = 0.58) or beta-adenosine triphosphate/inorganic phosphate (r = 0.63), respectively. In conclusion magnetic resonance spectroscopy permits detection of moderate to severe degrees of heart rejection with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 61%. Changes in the energy-rich phosphates correlate with the histologic grading of heart rejection and the relative volume of viable myocardium. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy appeared to be a valid technique for detecting myocardial rejection after heart transplantation in the reported experimental model.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗