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Biomedical subjects

C Bauer

Publications and source records attributed to C Bauer.

431 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Intraoperative high dose rate brachytherapy in recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The survival of patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer usually is less than 12 months. In an attempt to improve this dismal prognosis, we investigated the role of intraoperative high dose rate brachytherapy (IOHDR) in the management of these patients. METHODS: From April 1992 to December 1996, 26 patients with locally recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma were treated with maximal surgical resection and IOHDR. Intraoperative radiation dose ranged from 10 to 20 Gy, prescribed at 0.5 cm depth. The residual tumor irradiated was microscopic in 16 patients (62%) and gross residual in 10 patients (38%). Six patients received postoperative external beam radiation therapy. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 28 months (range 6 to 54 months), seven of 15 evaluable patients (47%) failed in the area treated with IOHDR. The median time to local failure was 21 months (range 4 to 52 months). The median survival was 23 months (microscopic 24 months; gross 17 months), with a 4-year actuarial survival rate of 36%. Major morbidity was observed in 7 patients (47%) and usually was surgery-related. CONCLUSION: The use of IOHDR in association with radical resection increases local control in patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients with microscopic residual disease achieved a better result than do those with gross residual disease. Future strategies include the addition of limited EBRT dose to IOHDR, even for previously irradiated patients.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ophthalmomyiasis externa acquired in Germany: case report and review of the literature].

UNLABELLED: Infestation with larvae (maggots) is known as myiasis. Ophthalmomyiasis externa refers specifically to infestation that involves the lids and conjunctiva in man. Ophthalmomyiasis which originates from Germany is unusual, because the vector of the Oestrus ovis larvae is most prevalent in the warm climate of Mediterranean countries. The sheep nasal botfly (Oestrus ovis sp.) is responsible for most cases of external ophthalmomyiasis. This case report gives a detailed description of the larvae, their life cycle and an overview of infestations in Germany as well as the therapy of ophthalmomyiasis. CASE REPORT: At the end of August 1999, a 28-year-old man attended the outpatient department of Giessen University Eye Clinic with a foreign body sensation in his left eye. He reported that something hit his left eye while he was climbing on his motorbike in the early evening hours. Shortly afterwards he had a foreign body sensation in his left eye. On history taking he reported no other ophthalmologic problems in the past. Slitlamp biomicroscopy revealed white, vivid, approximately 1.5-mm-long, light-sensitive maggots on the conjunctiva and under the upper lid. These were removed mechanically and the conjunctiva rinsed with saline. Local therapy was not applied. CONCLUSION: Infestation with larvae of O. ovis has to be considered not only in tourists from Mediterranean countries, but also in Germany in the late summer.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A neural network model for the self-organization of cortical grating cells.

A neural network model with incremental Hebbian learning of afferent and lateral synaptic couplings is proposed,which simulates the activity-dependent self-organization of grating cells in upper layers of striate cortex. These cells, found in areas V1 and V2 of the visual cortex of monkeys, respond vigorously and exclusively to bar gratings of a preferred orientation and periodicity. Response behavior to varying contrast and to an increasing number of bars in the grating show threshold and saturation effects. Their location with respect to the underlying orientation map and their nonlinear response behavior are investigated. The number of emerging grating cells is controlled in the model by the range and strength of the lateral coupling structure.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

How to define a Minimal Clinically Individual State (MCIS) with pain VAS in daily practice for patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Pain is frequently the primary variable in symptomatic clinical trials for the evaluation of rheumatological disorders. The protocol of such trials mention a minimum level of pain as an entry criterion [e.g. a level above the Patient Acceptable Symptoms State (PASS)] and the changes in pain as the primary variable. Usually, the results are expressed at a group level as the mean changes in pain. However, the presentation at an individual level and, in particular, the percentage of patients with a Low Disease Activity State at the end of the study seems more clinically relevant. Pain is usually evaluated using a continuous variable such as a 0-100 visual analogue scale. The cut-offs permitting one to define both the entry criterion and the LDAS are not well established. The objective of this study was to evaluate such cut-offs using a patient-derived perspective. METHODS STUDY DESIGN: cross-sectional study. PATIENTS: consecutive out patients suffering from chronic rheumatic diseases familiar with the use of a VAS to evaluate their level of pain. DATA COLLECTED: two questions were asked the patients at the end of the visit: "Based on the experience you have because of your chronic rheumatic disorder, could you please specify the level of pain below which you consider your disease as inactive ? Moreover, could you please also specify the level of pain above which you consider taking a pain killer?" Before answering the second question, it was explained to the patient that their answer to the second question could be similar to their response to the first one. For the two questions, the cumulative percentage of patients (disease inactive and pain killer intake) were calculated for each level of pain. RESULTS: The underlying disease of the 137 evaluated patients (mean age: 57+/-16 and female sex: 76%) was rheumatoid arthritis (n = 59), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 19), SLE (n = 2), back pain (n = 20), or peripheral osteoarthritis (n = 37). The mean disease duration was 12+/-10 years. At the time of the study, the current level of pain evaluated on a 0-100 VAS was 33+/-22. The LDAS was 49, 36 and 25 for our patient population at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The pain killer intake level was 32, 48, 64 at the 25th, 50th, 75th percentile respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that LDAS and PASS may be distinct concepts. The methodological approach adopted here could be of interest for specifying the minimum level of symptoms at entry in a symptomatic trial (PASS) and also to present results in terms of the percentage of patients in good condition (LDAS) at the end of a trial.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The helminth fauna of the gastrointestinal tract of young cattle in northwest Germany].

Ten unmedicated animals of a controlled anthelmintic trial were used to analyse the present gastrointestinal helminth fauna of young cattle from the northwest of Germany. This survey done in August revealed Ostertagia ostertagi to represent the most prevalent and abundant species followed by Cooperia oncophora and Nematodirus helvetianus. O. lyrata, O. leptospicularis, C. zurnabada, C. punctata, Trichostrongylus axei, Haemonchus contortus, Bunostomum phlebotomum, Capillaria bovis and Trichuris discolor were less prevalent and abundant. These findings are closely similar to findings from investigations more than 20 years ago although since that time anthelmintics have been used increasingly.

Animals↗