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Biomedical subjects

C Baumgartner

Publications and source records attributed to C Baumgartner.

161 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy: new aspects and outlook.

Experiences gathered while exploring the usefulness of intravenous immunoglobulin for children with idiopathic (immune) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are reviewed in view of further investigations characterizing the effects of IgG i.v. in other immune diseases without detectable antibody deficiency. The most pertinent factors to be considered are i) the heterogeneity of an immune disease investigated; ii) the criteria used to evaluate the effects of the IgG therapy; iii) the IgG preparations used and i.v. dose-fractionation. Controlled, prospective clinical trials will be required to further explore the practical usefulness of IgG i.v.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1984

Differentiation and cytokinetic analyses of normal and neoplastic lymphoid cells in B and T cell malignancies of childhood.

The labelling index (LI) of untreated B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B NHL) in children was significantly higher (P less than 0.002) than the LI of untreated T cell malignancies (median LI 27.7% and 10.3%, respectively). In B NHL abdominal tumour material showed a significantly higher in vitro incorporation of tritiated thymidine (3H-dT) than extra-abdominal tumour material (P less than 0.01). Sequential immunological, cytochemical and cytokinetic studies revealed tumour cells in up to three marker-defined subpopulations of lymphoid cells. In all 14 patients examined the LI of E-Ia+sIgM+ cells was higher than the LI of E+Ia+/-sIgM- cells; in all eight patients with Ia+ and Ia- tumour cells the former had a higher LI than the latter (P less than 0.002). In all T cell neoplasia (T ALL/NHL) investigated malignant cells were found in two of the three marker-defined subsets of lymphoid cells. In 10/13 patients the E-rosette positive blast cells had a higher LI than the E-rosette negative T blast cells. For the small group of patients with T cell malignancies no significant difference in the overall LI between OKT9+ stage I (early thymocyte) and OKT9- stage II (cortical thymocyte) neoplasias could be found. However, within the malignant clone of a T cell malignancy the expression of the OKT9 (transferrin receptor) but not the cortical thymocyte (HTA-1) antigen was related to the in vitro 3H-dT incorporation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Expression of HLA-DR antigens and cell proliferation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of children.

Non-T, non-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children can be further subdivided into common, null/undifferentiated and pre-B ALL. The overall labelling indices (LI) showed comparable values for these 3 subtypes of ALL. By sequential immunological, cytochemical and cytokinetic studies on single bone marrow cells, combined with morphological evaluation, blast cells could be attributed to the compartments of E-Ia+sIgM- and E-Ia-sIgM- cells, in pre-B/B ALL also to the compartment of E-Ia+sIgM+ cells. In all 30 patients investigated, the LI of Ia+ blast cells was higher than the LI of Ia- blast cells (p less than 0.001). However, no correlation between the percentage of Ia+ blast cells and the overall LI could be found in these patients (r = 0.284; p greater than 0.1).

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1984

Psychomotor and social development of breast-fed and bottle-fed babies during their first year of life.

Until about 30 years ago breast-feeding was the natural and common method of infant feeding. With increasing technical possibilities in food industry, transfer of birth into hospital and displacement of female activities outside the family, the frequency of breast-feeding decreased, being replaced by artificial feeding methods. This work treats the impact of the two feeding methods (breast and bottle feeding) on the psychomotor and social development of the baby in the first year of life. The theoretical part gives a review of the mother-child interaction and the psychomotor and social development. As hypotheses have been proposed the suppositions that breast-feeding in the first three months of life leads to essential developmental advances in psychomotor and, above all, social maturity. This is due to the intensive visual and olfactorial experience and perception, the advantages of nutrients in breast-milk and, last not least, to the infant's autonomy regarding food quantity and time intervals. The quality of mother-child interaction is essentially influenced by the feeding method, because distance and proximity have an essential influence on their relation. As an important sign of intellectual maturity was regarded to fear reaction to strangers. The empirical part examines the hypotheses by comparing the development of breast-fed and bottle-fed babies. The psychomotor and social development of breast-fed babies clearly differs from that of bottle-fed ones and leads at the age of 12 months to significant developmental advantages of the psychomotor and social capabilities. Some suggestions are given to ensure mental health in the first year of life.

Bottle Feeding↗
PubMed1983

Reactivity of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and normal bone marrow cells with the monoclonal anti-B-lymphocyte antibody, anti-Y 29/55.

Malignant lymphocyte populations in peripheral blood of patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, leukemic variant of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and hairy cell leukemia can be characterized by the use of a monoclonal murine antibody (anti-Y 29/55) which is directed against a cell membrane component normally confined to the sessile nonrecirculating cells of the B-lymphocyte population in lymphoid tissues. The present report describes the reactivity of the anti-Y 29/55 antibody with bone marrow cells obtained from children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia using an indirect immunofluorescence method in combination with morphological and cytokinetic studies. In 25 patients (acute lymphoblastic leukemia subtype: 14 common; 4 pre-B-cell; 4 null; and 3 T-cell), a maximum of 2% of cells (small lymphocytes) were stained. One patient presented with blasts exhibiting cytoplasmic and surface immunoglobulin M (IgM) (pre-B-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia). About 11% of this patient's blast cells showed a positive reaction with anti-Y 29/55. They could not be differentiated by morphological criteria from the anti-Y 29/55-negative blast cell population. In another patient with pre-B-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, only 1% of anti-Y 29/55-positive cells was found. In bone marrow of children with relative lymphocytosis, 1.4 to 8.7% of mononuclear cells reacted with anti-Y 29/55. Morphologically, these cells were small lymphocytes and predominantly expressed surface IgM. In two of these children, a further subdivision of bone marrow cells could be achieved by combining anti-Y 29/55 and cytoplasmic IgM reactivity with [3H]thymidine pulse labeling. These studies revealed that the actively proliferating, normal pre-B-cell population was anti-Y 29/55-nonreactive, whereas a nonproliferating population of anti-Y 29/55-reactive, cytoplasmic IgM-positive cells probably represented B-cells with surface immunoglobulin M reacting when cytoplasmic IgM was assessed. We conclude that the reactivity of the monoclonal anti-B-cell antibody (anti-Y 29/55) is restricted to surface immunoglobulin-positive bone marrow cells and that neither leukemic or normal pre-B-cells nor common, null-cell, or T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia blasts react.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1981

High-dose intravenous gammaglobulin for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in childhood.

Seven children with chronic or intermittent and six with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were treated with large intravenous doses of polyvalent, intact immunoglobulin (Ig). In all patients the platelet count rose sharply within 5 days, but the initial response and the subsequent course varied from patient to patient. Among children with chronic ITP the initial response was more marked in splenectomised than in non-splenectomised patients. Among those with acute ITP the two who remained Ig dependent had a smaller initial response than the four patients who required no maintenance treatment. During the 90-110 days of observation five of six patients with chronic ITP could be maintained with Ig alone. No untoward effects of Ig therapy were observed.

Child↗
PubMed1981

Low- and high-risk non-T and non-B and T-cell acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) in childhood: different duration of remission and survival.

In a prospective, nonrandomized trial clinical (initial WBC and chest film) and immunological (surface immunoglobulin and rosetting with pretreated sheep red blood cells) criteria were used to stratify 69 children with previously untreated acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL). Forty of 61 evaluable patients had low-risk ALL (initial WBC less than or equal to 20,000/mm3, no mediastinal mass) and were treated less intensively. Twenty-one of 61 patients had high-risk ALL (initial WBC greater than 20,000/mm3 and/or mediastinal mass) and were treated more intensively. Of the high-risk patients 15 had non-T non-B and 6 T ALL. Sixty of 61 patients went into complete remission. After a median observation period of 27 months, 32 of 40 low-risk, 7 of 14 high-risk non-T non-B, and none of 6 high-risk T ALL patients were in continuous first remission. Thirty-six of 40 low-risk, 9 of 15 high-risk non-T non-B, and none of 6 T ALL patients were alive. Despite more intensive treatment, the duration of remission and the survival were significantly shorter in the high-risk than in the low-risk patients. Among the high-risk ALL, non-T non-B ALL did better than T ALL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

High-dose intravenous gammaglobulin therapy of refractory, in particular idiopathic thrombocytopenia in childhood.

A new immunoglobulin (Ig) for intravenous use was given in high doses to 4 children with refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and 2 children with idiopathic aplastic anemia (IAA). Within 5-10 days after initiation of Ig therapy the platelets of the children with ITP rose to 300,000-650,000/mm3 and could be maintained at normal levels with one Ig infusion every 1-3 weeks. No reaction was observed in the 2 patients with IAA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

[Sea-blue histiocytes and Gaucher-like cells. Occurrence and significance].

Sea-blue histiocytes (SBH) and Gaucher-like cells are macrophages containing a pigment related to or identical with ceroid or lipofuscin. While an occasional cell may be found in the normal bone marrow, large numbers of SBH can be observed in various conditions mainly associated with increased cellular breakdown or with disturbances of lipoid metabolism. We have examined smears and/or sections of bone marrow and spleens of 722 patients with various hematological disorders. In only four instances large numbers of SBH could be found, twice in the bone marrow, once in the spleen and once in both organs. Two of these patients were suffering from immune thrombocytopenia. Gaucher-like cells have a different morphologic appearance although the pigment shows the same cytochemical characteristics as in SBH. Gaucher-like cells are mainly found in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and are thought to be related to the increased breakdown of granulocytes. The exact mechanisms responsible for the formation of these pigment macrophages are not yet known. In the author's view it does not seem justifiable to speak of a special "syndrome of the blue macrophages".

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Symmetrical necrosis of globus pallidus with severe gait disturbance in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome given allogeneic marrow transplantation.

A 21-year-old Caucasian man received an allogeneic marrow transplant (BMT) from his HLA-identical brother because of myelodysplastic syndrome. He remained red blood cell (RBC) transfusion dependent with persistent antibodies against the donor's RBC. Six months following BMT the patient suddenly developed a severe akinetic syndrome with gait disturbance and frequent falls and bilateral symmetrical lesions in basal ganglia. Concomitantly, micrococcus species septicemia from an infected Hickman catheter developed. Despite antimicrobial therapy and withdrawal of cyclosporin A, neurologic abnormalities persisted and were unresponsive to various therapies. Ischemic damage due to a vascular event during severe infection could be the most probable reason for the lesions seen in our patient, although infectious or toxic complications cannot be ruled out.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human hand and lip sensorimotor cortex as studied on electrocorticography.

We investigated functional topography of human hand and lip sensorimotor cortex using somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) from chronically indwelling subdural grid electrodes (ECoG) in 3 epilepsy patients during stimulation of median nerve, ulnar nerve, and lower lip. We used dipole modeling to determine the cortical location of each peripheral sensory field. The cortical locations were in the postcentral gyrus and showed a clear somatotopic organization from medial superior to lateral inferior in the order: ulnar nerve, median nerve, and lip. The source localizations agreed with the results of cortical stimulations and anatomical features on intraoperative photographs. The cortical regions of median and ulnar nerve each could be modeled by sequential tangential and radial dipoles. The cortical region of lip was different and could be explained mostly by tangential dipoles. These findings suggest a difference in the cortical organization of human lip and hand sensory cortex and are consistent with a larger representation of lip in the posterior bank of central fissure in area 3b than on the gyral surface in area 1, similar to findings in macaque. Further studies in a larger population of patients with ECoG or normal subjects with scalp-EEG and MEG are warranted to test this hypothesis.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Somatotopy of human hand somatosensory cortex as studied in scalp EEG.

We recorded somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in scalp EEGs during stimulation of the median nerve, the ulnar nerve and the individual digits in 3 normal subjects and in 1 epilepsy patient. In this patient we also measured SEPs from chronically indwelling subdural grid electrodes during electrocorticography (ECoG). We applied dipole modelling technique to study the 3-dimensional intracerebral locations and time activities of the neuronal sources underlying stimulation of different peripheral receptive fields. The sources underlying median nerve SEPs were located an average of 10.8 mm lateral inferior to those underlying ulnar nerve SEPs. Digit SEP sources showed a somatotopic arrangement from lateral inferior to medial superior in the order thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger, with some overlap or reversal for adjacent digits. The average distance between thumb and little finger was 12.5 mm. Thumb, index finger and middle finger were clustered around median nerve cortical representation, whereas ring finger and little finger were arranged around ulnar nerve cortex. In the epilepsy patient, the source localizations obtained in scalp EEGs showed good agreement with those on ECoGs. We conclude that SEPs recorded in scalp EEGs can be used to study functional topography of human somatosensory cortex non-invasively.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increased thrombin generation during fibrinogen and platelet recovery as an explanation for hypercoagulability in children with L-asparaginase therapy for ALL or NHL: a preliminary report.

Three out of 21 patients treated at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Switzerland for ALL or NHL with the respective BFM-90 protocols experienced thrombotic complications during Erwinia L-asparaginase therapy. We therefore investigated the development of the haemostatic imbalance in six children during the induction phase of both protocols. In the average, elevated thrombin generation was found simultaneously to an increase in fibrinogen, cross-linked fibrin degradation products and platelet counts between protocol days 28 to 35. This period thus seems to harbour an increased potential of hypercoagulability which could explain the accumulation of thrombotic complications described by Sutor et al. Moreover, day to day investigations just before and one day after L-asparaginase administration did not show any relevant change in the above named parameters, thus rather indicating a cumulative than a single dose effect of Erwinia L-asparaginase therapy on the coagulation system. These findings lead to the question if the prophylactic use of anticoagulants might reduce the hypercoagulability seen during L-asparaginase therapy, which is currently under investigation in our institutions.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Studies on the undecapeptide of ferricytochrome c using ESR, Mössbauer and visible spectroscopies.

The ESR, Mössbauer, and visible spectra of the undecapeptide of ferricytochrome c (HPp) were measured for both the solid peptide and solutions of the peptide at pH 1.5, 7, and 10. At the low pH, the iron exists in the HPp in the high-spin species. At neutral and alkaline pHs, the low-spin ferric species predominate. The results of these measurements support the previous suggestions concerning the ligands in the fifth and sixth position of HPp at the neutral and alkaline pHs. The spectra of lyophilized preparations of HPp show the presence of both high and low-spin ferric species. The study of the Mössbauer spectra of the lyohilized preparations as function of temperature shows that there exists a spin-spin equilibrium between the two spin states. The relative amounts of the two components vary with the preparation. In these preparations there exist two components, one of which exists in the equilibrium mixture and the second in the high-spin form.

Cytochrome c Group↗