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Biomedical subjects

E Franke

Publications and source records attributed to E Franke.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Effect of energy source and xylanase addition on energy metabolism, performance, chemical body composition and total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) of broilers.

Three diets containing either no supplemented fat (LF), 12% soybean oil (SO) or 12% coconut oil (CO) were fed to broilers to examine energy utilization in two experiments. Heat production and energy retained as fat and protein were measured in the first experiment using a respiration technique in combination with C- and N-balance and controlled (pair-fed) feeding conditions. Growth performance, carcass composition, chemical body composition and total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) were evaluated in a second experiment under ad libitum feeding conditions (from hatching to day 35). Moreover, each of the three diet types was tested with or without the addition of a xylanase-containing enzyme preparation in the growth experiment. Energy utilization (experiment 1), expressed as the ratio between total retained energy and metabolizable energy intake, amounted to 0.33, 0.36 and 0.39 in LF-, SO- and CO-fed groups, respectively. Applying ad libitum feeding conditions in the second experiment caused a significant reduction in feed intake and weight gain in broilers fed the CO-diet. The feed-to-gain ratio was significantly lower in birds given the fat-supplemented diets. The highest degree of fatness as indicated by the highest percentage of abdominal and visceral fat and by highest total fat content was found in birds fed the CO-diet. The higher the body protein content and the lower the body fat content, the higher the TOBEC value should be. This was confirmed when LF-fed broilers were compared to their CO-fed counterparts. However, fat type seemed to be related to TOBEC values since SO-fed broilers had similar TOBEC values as CO-fed birds, whereas chemical body composition was comparable to LF-fed broilers. Xylanase addition significantly increased weight gain up to 21 days of age and decreased the feed-to-gain ratio slightly, whereas none of the other parameters were influenced by this treatment. An interaction between energy source and enzyme supplementation was not observed. It is concluded that feeding of coconut oil was most effective in terms of energy retention, but failed to induce an adequate performance under ad libitum feeding conditions due to a reduced voluntary feed intake. TOBEC measurements in relation to chemical body composition were rather inconclusive.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Pneumonectomy in cystic fibrosis.

A 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, 36% and 14% of predicted values, respectively) developed severe right-sided lung infections with abscess formations and complete atelectases unresponsive to medical therapy. In both patients, unilateral emergency pneumonectomy resulted in rapid clinical improvement. Despite her severe underlying lung disease, the girl experienced a remarkable increase in quality of life; 2 years after surgery, she died from respiratory failure. The male patient has now survived for 4 years, and lung transplantation still remains a therapeutic option for him. We believe that pneumonectomy is a valuable rescue therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis and intractable unilateral lung infections who are at high risk of dying while waiting for lung transplantation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The optimization of helper T lymphocyte (HTL) function in vaccine development.

Helper T lymphocyte (HTL) responses play an important role in the induction of both humoral and cellular immune responses. Therefore, HTL epitopes are likely to be a crucial component of prophylactic and immunotherapeutic vaccines. For this reason, Pan DR helper T cell epitopes (PADRE), engineered to bind most common HLA-DR molecules with high affinity and act as powerful immunogens, were developed. Short linear peptide constructs comprising PADRE and Plasmodium-derived B cell epitopes induced antibody responses comparable to more complex multiple antigen peptides (MAP) constructs in mice. These antibody responses were composed mostly of the IgG subclass, reactive against intact sporozoites, inhibitory of schizont formation in liver invasion assays, and protective against sporozoite challenge in vivo. The PADRE HTL epitope has also been shown to augment the potency of vaccines designed to stimulate a cellular immune response. Using a HBV transgenic murine model, it was found that CTL tolerance was broken by PADRE-CTL epitope lipopeptide, but not by a similar construct containing a conventional HTL epitope. There are a number of prophylactic vaccines that are of limited efficacy, require multiple boosts, and/or confer protection to only a fraction of the immunized population. Also, in the case of virally infected or cancerous cells, new immunotherapeutic vaccines that induce strong cellular immune responses are desirable. Therefore, optimization of HTL function by use of synthetic epitopes such as PADRE or pathogen-derived, broadly crossreactive epitopes holds promise for a new generation of highly efficacious vaccines.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Efficacy of sodium stibogluconate alone and in combination with allopurinol for treatment of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.

A randomized, open, controlled clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerance, and safety of sodium stibogluconate plus allopurinol and sodium stibogluconate alone as treatment of patients with mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. In phase 1 of the study, all 22 patients with severe disease had improvement of their lesions, but only two had clinical cure (both of these patients received sodium stibogluconate alone). In phase 2, which included 59 patients with moderate disease, the cure rate among sodium stibogluconate recipients was 75% (21 of 28) compared with 63.6% (14 of 22) among the sodium stibogluconate plus allopurinol recipients. The rates of clinical adverse events were similar among both groups. Thrombocytopenia was more frequent in the sodium stibogluconate plus allopurinol recipients, but the difference was not statistically significant. Eight patients (two sodium stibogluconate recipients and six sodium stibogluconate plus allopurinol recipients) withdrew from the study because of severe thrombocytopenia. In this study, the addition of allopurinol to sodium stibogluconate provided no clinical benefit as treatment of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Preliminary evidence for cyclosporin A as an alternative in the treatment of recalcitrant juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of cyclosporin A (CyA) with and without methotrexate (MTX) in refractory juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and juvenile dermatomyositis (JDMS). METHODS: Twenty-two patients (17 with JRA, 5 with JDMS) with refractory disease were studied retrospectively. All received CyA at a mean dose of 3.2 mg/kg/day over a mean period of 16 mo (range 6-42). All other medications except nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, prednisone, and hydroxychloroquine were discontinued. In addition, 16/22 patients received concomitant MTX. RESULTS: Improvements in laboratory variables, joint counts, joint swelling, and morning stiffness were observed in most of the children with JRA. Muscle strength increased and muscle enzyme levels decreased in the patients with JDMS. CyA treatment permitted prednisone to be discontinued in 5/20 and reduced by greater than 50% in 10/20 patients. There was no evidence of hepatic or bone marrow toxicity or lymphoproliferative disease. Serum creatinine increased in 13/22 patients, but the actual values all remained within normal limits. CONCLUSION: CyA may be an effective agent in the treatment of refractory JRA and JDMS and concomitant MTX seems to be well tolerated. These preliminary data also suggest that combined CyA/MTX therapy may be associated with further improvement in clinical outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Development of the ultrastructural features of neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive neurons in the rat visual cortex.

Immunohistochemical studies have localized neuropeptide Y into a small population of non-pyramidal neurons in the mammalian cerebral cortex. In the rat, these cells are distributed in layers II-VI and are characterized at the ultrastructural level by an abundance of cytoplasm containing a plethora or organelles, most conspicuous of which are cisternae of granular endoplasmic reticulum stacked in parallel arrays. In the present study, we used electron microscopic immunocytochemistry to examine the ultrastructural development of neuropeptide Y-labelled neurons in the rat visual cortex from birth, when they first appear in this cortical area, until postnatal day 32. At birth and in the subsequent few days, neuropeptide Y neurons, found exclusively in layers V and VI, often show a deeply infolded nucleus and little cytoplasm containing few organelles. At the end of the first postnatal week, labelled cells are still restricted to layers V and VI and display immature features. However, at this stage, cells often show irregularly enlarged proximal dendrites filled with organelles. During the second postnatal week, neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive cell bodies appear for the first time in layers II and III, and at the end of this week they have a distribution similar to that observed in the adult. Labelled cells are overall more differentiated than at earlier ages showing some of the ultrastructural features which distinguish them in the adult. No differences in maturation are evident between immunoreactive neurons located in the superficial layers and those in the deep layers, suggesting that the neuropeptide Y neurons in the more superficial layers express the peptide after having completed their migration and have acquired their characteristic ultrastructural features. Maturation proceeds during the third postnatal week. At the end of this stage, neuropeptide Y-containing cells acquired their mature nuclear and cytoplasmic features and an adult complement of synapses.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Abnormality of gangliosides in erythrocyte membranes of schizophrenic patients.

The pattern of gangliosides in membranes of erythrocytes was examined in healthy donors, in acute schizophrenics without neuroleptic treatment and in alcohol-dependent patients. 7 different gangliosides could be detected. Healthy donors were characterized by the following ganglioside pattern: GX = 5.8%; GT1b = 6.7%; FucGD1b = 5.2%; GD1a = 12.6%, GD3 = 9.2%, SPG = 43.5%, and GM3 = 17.0%. In schizophrenic patients the GM3 and GD3 fractions were increased. No difference was found between the control group and the alcoholics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Development of the ultrastructural features of somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in the rat visual cortex.

The peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunocytochemical technique has been used to examine the development of the ultrastructural features of somatostatin (SRIF)-immunoreactive neurons in the visual cortex of the rat between embryonic day 17 and postnatal day 32. In the adult, stained neurons are distributed in layers II through VI and characterized by an abundance of cytoplasm containing a plethora of organelles, most conspicuous of which are cisternae of granular endoplasmic reticulum organized in parallel arrays. In embryonic tissue, SRIF-positive cells are present in the subplate and in the border between the cortical plate and marginal zone. These cells possess scanty cytoplasm containing a few organelles; synapses onto immunoreactive perikarya and dendrites are evident at this stage. At birth and in early postnatal life, labelled cells are confined to the subplate region. Already at this age a number of cells display signs of ultrastructural features which characterize them in adult life. At the end of the first postnatal week, SRIF-immunoreactive neurons span a considerable spectrum of maturity. At one extreme are a few cells with little cytoplasm surrounding a large nucleus and at the other are the majority of labelled neurons showing abundant cytoplasm including prominent arrays of granular endoplasmic reticulum. Labelled cells first appear in the more superficial layers at the beginning of the second postnatal week and attain a distribution similar to that observed in adult animals at the end of this week. At this time their ultrastructural features closely resemble those of their adult counterparts, and differences in cytoplasmic maturity between superficial and deep labelled cells are not evident. This suggests that the SRIF-producing neurons in the superficial layers begin to express this peptide after they complete their migration and have acquired their morphological features. Maturation proceeds during the third postnatal week; at this stage most cells acquire their mature nuclear and cytoplasmic features and an adult complement of synapses. However, a number of SRIF-immunoreactive cells contain a particularly prominent accumulation of cytoplasmic organelles and appear hypertrophic.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Cholinergic neurons and fibres in the rat visual cortex.

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme, was localized immunocytochemically in neurons and fibres in the rat visual cortex using a monoclonal antibody. ChAT-labelled cells were non-pyramidal neurons, primarily of the bipolar form, distributed in layers II through VI but concentrated in layers II & III. Their perikarya contained a large nucleus and a small amount of perinuclear cytoplasm. The somata and dendrites of all labelled cells received Gray's type I and type II synapses. ChAT-stained axons formed a dense and diffuse network throughout the visual cortex and particularly in layer V. Electron microscopy revealed that the great majority formed type II synaptic contacts with dendrites of various sizes, unlabelled non-pyramidal somata and, on a few occasions, with ChAT-labelled cells. However, a very small number of terminals appeared to form type I synaptic contacts. This study describes the morphological organization of the cholinergic system in the visual cortex, the function of which has been under extensive investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Identification of Brugia malayi in vectors with a species-specific DNA probe.

We evaluated the potential value of a cloned sequence of genomic DNA of Brugia malayi as a species-specific probe. Clone pBm 15 reacted with all stages of 8 different geographic isolates of B. malayi and cross-hybridized with microfilariae of B. timori. It did not hybridize with Wuchereria bancrofti or with B. pahangi, W. kalimantani, Dirofilaria repens, Breinlia booliati or Cardiofilaria species, animal filariids that can be sympatric with B. malayi. P32-labeled clone pBm 15 correctly identified mosquitoes infected even with 1 infective larva of B. malayi. This specific DNA probe should be an invaluable tool to monitor control programs of Brugian filariasis.

Aedes↗
PubMed1981

Effect of hypotension on the results of kidney storage and the use of dopamine under these conditions.

The influence of the length and severity of hypotension on the results of kidney preservation was examined in dogs. Successful 24-hr hypothermic kidney storage was possible, if the donor animal was subjected to hypovolemic hypotension (mean blood pressure 60 mm Hg) for a duration 1 to 4 hr. If the blood pressure was lowered to 50 mm Hg, successful kidney preservation could not be obtained. It was concluded that the level of hypotension was of more importance than its duration. After 24 hr of cold ischemia, the function of kidneys from hypotensive donors could be improved significantly if dopamine was given to the recipient. The preservation injury itself could not be counteracted by dopamine because dopamine did not improve the function of kidneys which were removed from normotensive donors but were stored for 24 hr under hypothermia.

Animals↗