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Biomedical subjects

G Höffken

Publications and source records attributed to G Höffken.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Precapillary pulmonary hypertension of uncertain etiology].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 39-year-old man was hospitalized for investigation of increasing dyspnoea for 3 month. On admission he was found to have bilateral ankle oedema, an enlarged liver and loud systolic murmur over the lower sternum. INVESTIGATIONS: There were signs of right heart strain/hypertrophy on the chest radiogram and echocardiogram. After treatment of right heart failure cardiac catheterization indicated moderate precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) with a mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAPm) of 24 mm Hg and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of 470 dyn.s.cm-5 at rest. All known causes having been excluded, the PH was classified as idiopathic. TREATMENT AND COURSE: Evidence of acute pulmonary vascular reactivity was obtained with nitric oxide (NO) inhalation and oral diltiazem, a calcium-channel blocker. The latter, at a dosage of 3 x 120 mg daily, had after 13 days achieved a persisting reduction of PVR at rest and a reduction in PAP rise during exercise. CONCLUSION: After exclusion of other causes, the acute right heart failure was found to be due to primary pulmonary hypertension. The therapeutic efficacity of diltiazem as a vasodilator can be predicted from the response to inhaled NO.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Changes in the spectrum of the causative agents of community-acquired pneumonias (1982-1992)].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The picture of pneumonia acquired out of hospital is continually changing. Microbial aetiology as well as predisposing factors, course and prognosis of this disease were prospectively analysed over a period of 10 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In three prospective studies, undertaken between 1982 and 1992, data from 448 patients with out-of-hospital acquired pneumonia were analysed. Microbiological evidence was obtained through blood cultures, from purulent sputum or bronchial secretions, as well as by determining serum antibodies or antigens in urine. RESULTS: Proof of causative organism was achieved in 282 patients (64.1%), with identification of 337 different ones. The spectrum of causative microbes shifted during the study period from predominantly gram-positive bacteria to largely atypical organisms (from 12.5% during 1982/1983, to 36.7% in 1991/1992). Although pneumococci continued to dominate, Chlamydia pneumoniae appeared as an important cause of pneumonia, at 11.4% the most important atypical organism in 1991/1992. -Most patients (74.3%) had a chronic underlying disease. The death rate remained relatively constant at 12.9% during the 10-year period. CONCLUSION: The observed changes in microbial spectrum should be taken into account when specific antibiotic treatment is given. History as well as clinical, radiological and laboratory findings are of only limited value as pointers to the possible microbial cause.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1997

[Costosternal swelling and diffuse bone pain in tubercular osteomyelitis].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: For about a year a 28-year-old Nigerian had been suffering from diffuse bone pain, intermittent fever, weight loss and weakness. Physical examination was unremarkable except for a swelling at the sternal angle. INVESTIGATIONS: The tuberculin test was clearly positive and tests for inflammatory disease were elevated, but the chest radiograph was normal. Bone scintigraphy demonstrated multiple sites of increased storage in the ribs and vertebral column. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large paravertebral abscess, which was needled under computed tomography monitoring. Polymerase chain reaction of the aspirate demonstrated Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TREATMENT AND COURSE: While initial treatment with combined isoniazid, streptomycin, rifampicin and pyrazinamide, the first two drugs had to be discontinued, the microorganism not being sensitive to them, and were replaced by ethambutol and amikacin. The abscess was drained and the vertebral fracture surgically stabilised. There were no neurological abnormalities and the lesions largely healed. CONCLUSION: Even without pulmonary involvement tuberculosis must be included in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic diseases with joint and vertebral column involvement, such as the SAPHO syndrome and other inflammatory bone diseases.

Abscess↗
PubMed1996

Chlamydia pneumoniae as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized patients in Berlin.

The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia due to Chlamydia pneumoniae was evaluated in a 1-year prospective study of 236 hospitalized patients with 237 manifestations of pneumonia. The microbiological diagnosis was based on results of cultures of blood and sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and results of complement fixation tests and indirect immunofluorescence of acute- and convalescent-phase sera for C. pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella species, Coxiella burnetii, and respiratory viruses. Diagnosis of acute C. pneumoniae infection was made on the basis of the results of microimmunofluorescence of paired serum samples. A microbiological diagnosis was obtained in 160 cases (67.5%). C. pneumoniae was the causative agent in 27 patients (11.4%). The following organisms were the other etiologic agents of pneumonia: Streptococcus pneumoniae, 30 cases (12.7%) (bacteremia occurred in 53.3%); Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 22 (9.3%); respiratory viruses, 22 (9.3%); and Enterobacteriaceae, 18 (7.6%). The prevalence of C. pneumoniae antibody in our study population was 47.5%. As has been increasingly reported in recent years and confirmed by this study, C. pneumoniae appears to be a common etiologic agent of community-acquired pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infection in Germany.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

High-level sensitivity of quantitative pp65 cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia assay for diagnosis of CMV disease in AIDS patients and follow-up.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia was evaluated in 174 patients positive for human immunodeficiency virus. Antigenemia could be detected in 96.7% of patients with CMV disease, 76.9% of patients suffering from a relapse of the disease, and 11.4% of asymptomatic patients with CD4 levels of < 100 cells per microliter. No antigenemia was detected in patients with CD4 levels of 250 to 500 cells per microliter. Specificity and the positive predictive value for CMV disease were increased only if more than 5 positive cells per slide were considered. However, CMV disease may also occur in patients with low-grade antigenemia.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

Clinical requirements in the treatment of today's respiratory tract infections.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are among the most frequent infections in man and lower tract infections account substantially for the overall mortality in hospitals. Regarding the etiology of pneumonias, one has to consider different pathogenic mechanisms, age of the patients, underlying diseases, concomitant medications, symptomatologies, seasonal influences, and clinical conditions, e.g. intensive care environment and mechanical ventilation. To optimize the rational management of respiratory infections, identification of the etiologic agent would be desirable. The decision of how to treat is often based on epidemiologic, clinical, and radiological assessments. Epidemiologic studies have shown a pronounced difference in the etiologic spectrum between community- and hospital-acquired RTIs. In community-acquired pneumonias, pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Legionella, Mycoplasma and viruses predominate, whereas in nosocomially acquired pneumonias, Enterobacteriaceae, e.g. Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter as well as Pseudomonas and staphylococci comprise the most frequent isolates. Empirical therapy has to cover all possible etiologic pathogens which most likely cause the infection. In addition, an adequate kinetic profile, e.g. once or twice daily dosing, sufficient pulmonary tissue or fluid penetration, and acceptable tolerance and costs are prerequisites for optimal therapy. Drugs of choice for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia are aminobenzylpenicillins or macrolides. Oral cephalosporins exhibit excellent activity against many bacterial pathogens of typical community-acquired pneumonia, and are active against beta-lactamase-producing H. influenzae.

Drug Resistance, Microbial↗
PubMed1992

Systemic and endotracheal antibiotic prophylaxis of nosocomial pneumonia in ICU.

Nosocomial pneumonias, especially in ventilated patients, are a continuing problem in modern medicine. Pathogens most commonly involved with these pneumonias are Enterobacteriaceae, Ps. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Several prevention measures for nosocomial pneumonia are possible such as parenteral and topical antibiotics--a very controversial issue. Several studies with parenteral antibiotics, starting as early as 1954, could not prove any benefit of parenteral antibiotics in pneumonia prevention. Topical antibiotics, starting with polymyxin or gentamicin via the endotracheal tube in the 70s, gave controversial results. In a prospective, randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study with gentamicin via the endotracheal tube in ventilated ICU patients we found no significant reduction of pneumonia rate and mortality. However, the combined approach (SDD) of oropharyngeal, gastrointestinal and parenteral use of certain antibiotics appears to give promising results in specific patient subgroups such as ventilated polytrauma patients in ICU.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1992

Application of the polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of pulmonary toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from 47 immunocompromised patients (26 with AIDS and 21 patients on immunosuppressive therapy) was analysed for the presence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Specific target DNA derived from the B1 and P30 gene of Toxoplasma gondii was detected in BAL fluids from three patients with AIDS (6.4%). Pneumonia as the presenting feature of disseminated toxoplasmosis was confirmed by both clinical findings and by detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in blood obtained from two patients. The findings indicate that PCR has potential value in the detection of Toxoplasma gondii as an etiologic agent of atypical pneumonia in immunocompromised patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Pharmacokinetics of roxithromycin and influence of H2-blockers and antacids on gastrointestinal absorption.

The pharmacokinetics of roxithromycin (300 mg orally) and the influence of the antacid aluminum magnesium hydroxide and the H2-blocker ranitidine on bioavailability of roxithromycin in ten healthy volunteers were studied. Pharmacokinetics after a single dose of roxithromycin were characterized by high peak serum levels (9.1 +/- 2.1 mg/l) and a long elimination half-life (7.2 +/- 2.5 h), resulting in a large area under the curve (116.9 +/- 32.7 mg h/l). High inter- and intraindividual variations were found for both the absorption time and the elimination half-life. The bioavailability of roxithromycin was not affected by coadministration with antacids or ranitidine.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Clinical aspects of endocarditis].

Considering the incidence of infectious endocarditis this disease is still an important clinical entity in internal medicine departments. Leading symptoms are fever, cardiac murmurs, embolic phenomena, skin alterations and also sometimes CNS-disturbances. Two different clinical endocarditis entities can be separated: an acute aggressive course of endocarditis and the subacute course (endocarditis lenta). Diagnostic procedures are mainly based on positive blood cultures and echocardiographic detection of cardiac vegetations. In case of a progressive development of cardiac insufficiency, non treatable infection, large vegetations on valve and embolic phenomena a prosthetic valve implantation is indicated.

Endocarditis, Bacterial↗
PubMed1990

Quinolone pharmacokinetics and metabolism.

The pharmacokinetic properties of the new fluoroquinolones are characterized by a high volume of distribution, long biological half-life, low serum protein binding, elimination by renal and extrarenal mechanisms with high total and renal clearances, limited biotransformation and moderate to excellent bioavailability after oral administration. However, each quinolone derivative (ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, fleroxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin and pefloxacin) possesses individual pharmacokinetic parameters, which should be considered in the treatment of patients, especially when liver or renal dysfunction exists.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1990

Comparative pharmacokinetics of glycopeptide antibiotics, and the influence of teicoplanin on granulocyte function.

The glycopeptide antibiotics teicoplanin and vancomycin differ in their pharmacokinetic properties. Teicoplanin is characterized by a high and prolonged serum concentration as a result of its long elimination half-life, which can be explained by high serum protein binding and renal tubular resorption. The apparent volume of distribution of teicoplanin is much larger than the extracellular space of the human body, indicating intracellular accumulation in different tissues. Elimination is primarily via the kidneys, though 15-20% is eliminated by non-renal mechanisms. Vancomycin has a shorter elimination half-life and lower protein binding than teicoplanin. At therapeutically relevant serum concentrations, teicoplanin has no influence on superoxide anion production and enzyme release by granulocytes.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1990

[Randomized comparative study of secondary prevention of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with acquired immunologic deficiency syndrome].

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is one of the most frequent infectious complications in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A prospective trial was initiated to compare azidothymidine alone with azidothymidine plus aerosolized pentamidine as a secondary prophylaxis for pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. 27 patients (24 male, three female, average age 39 years) were enrolled, 14 patients receiving azidothymidine and pentamidine aerosol and 13 azidothymidine alone. After 166 days of follow-up, this trial had to be terminated prematurely, since the efficacy of pentamidine aerosol in the prevention of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was clearly demonstrated in two recently published studies. Two patients died during the study period, one in either group, but neither due to pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Two patients developed histologically proven pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; both patients were allocated to the azidothymidine arm. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was suspected clinically but not proven in four patients, three were randomized in the azidothymidine arm. Pentamidine was well tolerated and produced no severe side effects. The sample size is too small to draw definitive conclusions concerning the efficacy of pentamidine aerosol in AIDS patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗