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Biomedical subjects

G Wiedermann

Publications and source records attributed to G Wiedermann.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Purine metabolism in human lymphocytes.

In peripheral human blood lymphocytes the uptake and metabolism of adenine, guanine, and hypoxanthine was investigated. This was achieved by incubation of purified lymphocytes with 14C-purine bases, separation of cells from the incubation medium by a rapid filtration technique, and subsequent separation of the acid soluble material by thin-layer chromatography. No perferential uptake for one of the purine bases was observed. In all cases only traces of 14C-purine bases not added originally and labeled nucleosides could be demonstrated. Approximately 2/3 of adenine and 1/2 of guanine or hypoxanthine were converted to nucleotides. Separation of formed nucleotides showed that adenine and guanine were metabolized mainly to their corresponding nucleotides; hypoxanthine was converted to a considerable amount to adenine nucleotides and only to a small proportion into its own nucleotides. These results demonstrate the predomonance of adenine nucleotide formation in normal human lymphocytes.

Adenine↗
PubMed1979

[Modern trends in vaccination policy: evaluation of benefits, risks and cost (author's transl)].

A number of newly-developed vaccines are available nowadays, whilst others, which are well-established, have been improved. The collection of epidemiological data, however, is equally important in assessing and providing insight into prophylactic measures. The beneficial effects and risks of vaccination may be calculated by special formulae. Changes in the effect of vaccines can be detected by constant reevaluation of the epidemiological situation by means of these formulae. Another possibility lies in the calculation of the borderline number of complications of a certain disease when the risks of the sequelae of the disease or of the vaccination are about equal. Examples of valuable and recommendable vaccinations are vaccination against measles, poliomyelitis, tetanus and tick-borne encephalitis. A follow-up of the case mortality of whooping-cough in Austria over the past 15 years and a consideration of the fatal complications of vacinnation, as quoted by Ehrengut, reveals that the risks of the disease balanced the risks of vaccination with usual vaccines, already in 1971 (1976 with WHO data). A beneficial effect of BCG vaccination is still present, but the influence on mortality figures is very slight only. However, the benefit of BCG may lie in the prevention of deaths from leukaemia observed by some authors. Paraspecific effects of some vaccinations are mentioned. Finally, cost-benefit calculations for Austria are presented in the case of vaccination against measles and mumps, which appear to be highly recommendable, not only from the medical, but also the economic point of view.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Cost-benefit analysis of BCG-vaccination in Austria.

BCG-vaccination in Austria is performed generally in newborn, but only partially in school children. A cost-benefit analysis was performed considering age-dependent immunizations, tuberculosis morbidity, protection rate and duration of protection, costs of vaccination, costs of tuberculosis therapy, frequency of complications due to vaccination and costs for treatment of these complications. This analysis shows an economic balance between costs and benefits with regard to immunication of newborn, i. e., costs of vaccination are approximately compensated by the saved costs of prevented diseases. In contrary vaccination of school children reveals a considerable economic gain. General revaccination of schoolchildren would make BCG-vaccination much more effective in an economic respect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Cost-benefit calculations of vaccinations against measles and mumps in Austria.

The analysis of combined measles-mumps vaccination in Austria showed that this measure is highly profitable in economical respect. The benefit-cost ratio Qc amounts to 2.65 without and 4.48 with consideration of the so-called "nursing vacation", a one week's vacation which is being granted in Austria to employed mothers for the nursing of a sick child once a year. The benefit-cost difference Dc amounts to AS 672.85 OF 1,681.90 respectively, per child. Twelve years after the beginning of vaccination of 100,000 one year old children per year which corresponds roughly to the birth rate in Austria an amount of 63 mill. AS can be saved, if "nursing vacations" are not considered. This amount will be even 528 mill. AS, if "nursing vacations" are taken in account.

Austria↗
PubMed1979

Methods for risk-benefit and cost-benefit analysis of vaccinations.

The basic aim of vaccination is to prevent more severe complications of the respective disease than might be caused by the vaccine itself. Following this idea formulae were developed for calculation of the risk ratio Q and the risk difference D. The following parameters are considered in this formulae: risk of the disease (R), risk of vaccination (r), protection rate (p) and duration of protection (t). Besides, for calculations with partially vaccinated populations the immunization rate "I" has to be considered. A vaccination is beneficial if Q greater than 1.0 and D greater than 0. If vaccinations have proved to be valuable from the medical point of view, additional cost-benefit calculations may be of great importance for socio-economic considerations. Consequently, the above mentioned formulae were modified for calculation of the benefit cost ratio (Qc) and the benefit cost difference (Dc) for monovalent as well as for bivalent vaccines.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1979

Costs and benefits of measles and mumps immunization in Austria.

The usefulness of an immunization programme can be evaluated by comparing either risks and benefits or costs and benefits. By means of special formulae, the benefit-cost ratio and the benefit-cost difference can be calculated for monovalent and bivalent vaccines. An analysis of combined measles-mumps immunization in Austria showed that this measure is highly profitable economically. Since employed mothers are allowed one week's vacation each year to nurse a sick child, this affects the calculations. Including the cost of the "nursing vacation" among the benefits that would be realized following an immunization programme, the estimated benefit-cost ratio is 4.48; if the cost of the "nursing vacation" is omitted the ratio is 2.65. The estimated annual benefit-cost differences are AS 1681.90 and AS 672.85, respectively, per child. Twelve years after the beginning of a programme to immunize 100 000 1-year-old children per year (corresponding roughly to the birth rate in Austria) an amount of AS 528 million would be saved if the "nursing vacation" is included in the calculations and an amount of AS 63 million if it is not.

Austria↗
PubMed1979

[Influenza immunization, clinical results and serological tests (author's transl)].

207 patients of a geriatric department were immunized against influenza with either tween-ether-split-vaccine or subunit-vaccine in a double blind study. For 6 months the following data were daily registered: rest in bed, fever over 38,5 degrees C, rhinitis, laryngopharingitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, enteritis, medication with antibiotics or chemotherapeutics. In cases with fever over 38,5 degrees C blood tests were taken for serological examination. The immune response against influenza A was excellent in both groups, the titer was higher in the subunit group, only one patient showed influenza infection. The immune response against the type B Hongkong was not satisfactory in both groups. The clinical data showed a significant lower incidence of rhinitis, laryngopharingitis and bronchitis in the group immunized with the tween-ether-split-vaccine. This effect was more distinct within the first 3 months after the immunization than within the second 3 months.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

[Microbiological and parasitic risks associated with the stay in hot countries (author's transl)].

The microbiological and parasitic risks associated with the tremendous increase in the tourist traffic from West Germany and Austria into warmer countries are considerable even in the case of shorter stays, as has been confirmed by observations made on those returning from such areas. The most important groups of diseases -- worm diseases, amoebiasis, and malaria -- have maintained this ranking in Central and South America; in Africa, especially in the east, the incidence of malaria tropica is increasing. The proportions for Austria show that even numerically there are no great differences compared with West Germany. It seems that, as far as malaria is concerned, efficient prophylactic measures and reliable information are absent; at any rate, the cases of malaria tropica were severe and in the main no prophylactic measures had been taken. With the exception of Japan, the risk of hepatitis in all warmer countries and in the East in general is many times higher than in the Federal Republic of Germany and the length of stay is partly a determining factor. For instance, the risk of hepatitis is roughly forty times higher in India. All figures shown in this survey are supported by tables, literature, and personal experience.

Austria↗
PubMed1979

Changes of risk and benefit in immunization against pertussis and tuberculosis.

In the case of infectious diseases with decreasing morbidity and mortality, the beneficial effects of vaccination should be reevaluated regularly with the help of special formulae. This procedure can be simplified by calculation of the epidemiologic trend and the so-called borderline risk Rlim, meaning the borderline number of complications when risks of the disease and risks of vaccination are equal. This method allows to estimate when the vaccination against a certain disease will lose its beneficial effect. A follow-up of the mortality of whooping cough in Austria leads to the conclusion that vaccination against whooping cough has lost its justification. In case of BCG vaccination the borderline mortality is not yet reached in Austria, although tuberculosis mortality and the number of prevented cases have decreased already to a very low level.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[BCG vaccination and leukemia. Epidemiologic studies on the effect of BCG vaccination on leukemia].

The possible influence of BCG vaccination on leukemia mortality of infants was investigated by various authors. The methods used were prospective trials, retrospective studies and epidemiological analyses. In some of these studies a protective effect of BCG vaccination was observed, in other studies no influence was found. Up to now this problem is subject to controversial discussions. An epidemiological analysis of the Austrian data using trend analyses, regression analyses and analyses of rank correlation showed an inverse correlation between BCG vaccination rate of newborns and leukemia mortality in the age group 0--5 years. From this correlation a protection rate of 0.77 could be calculated.

Austria↗
PubMed1978

[The effect of neonatal BCG vaccination on the incidence of leukemia (author's transl)].

Data from several publications were analyzed with respect to the possible non-specific influence of BCG vaccinations on leukemia. Our own investigations in the five largest provinces of Austria showed that there was an inverse correlation between leukemia mortality and BCG vaccination of the newborn. From this data a protection rate of 0.88 for prevention of leukemia deaths could be calculated for the first five years of life. The number of positive tuberculin reactions was significantly lower in leukemic infants than in normal ones. This finding was completely in accordance with the probability of positive tuberculin reactions as calculated from the protection rate.

Austria↗
PubMed1978

[Costs and benefits of measles vaccination].

Former calculations of the medical benefit of measles immunization, concerning frequency of measles complications, effectiveness and risk of vaccination, showed that measles vaccination is a very useful measure. As the decision to introduce vaccination on a broad scale depends on financial deliberations, too, a cost-benefit analysis for Austria has been performed and the cost-benefit ratio as well as the cost-benefit difference calculated. The costs of measles vaccination which is performed mainly by private pediatricians at the present time, include costs of vaccine, physician and additional antipyretic and is 257.90 AS. The average costs of therapy per child consist of home treatment (287.20 AS), hospital treatment (162.50 AS) and care of residual cerebral damage (88.50 AS). Together with the costs of one week vacation which is warranted in Austria for the nursing of a sick child once a year, this makes a total sum of 1081.--AS. From these data the cost-benefit ratio was calculated by 2.95, the cost-benefit difference by 715.--AS per child. 5 years after the start of general measles vaccination of 1 year old children the accumulated costs of vaccination are equalled by the profit gained by prevention of the disease. The annual cost-benefit difference is positive after 3 years. 10 years after introduction of general vaccination the accumulated cost-benefit difference in Austria would be approximately 167 Mill. AS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Separation and characterization of anti-benzylpenicilloyl (BPO) antibodies. I. Biochemical and biophysical properties of anti-BPO-IgG obtained by affinity and subsequent ion-exchange chromatography.

Anti-BPO antibodies were purified by means of affinity chromatography using AH-Sepharose 4B coated with covalently bound BPO groups. Specific elution was achieved by the hapten analogue BPO-epsilon-aminocaproic acid (BPO-EACA); desorption of the remaining antibody was performed thereafter by 0.1 M acetic acid. The resulting antibody fractions--hapten-eluted antibody (H-Ab) and acid eluted antibody (A-Ab), respectively--were further separated by ion-exchange chromatography which led to the appearance of 3 subfractions in the case of H-Ab (H1, H2, H3) and 2 subfractions in the case of A-Ab (A1 and A2). In liquid isoelectrofocusing an inhomogeneous pattern resulted. The bulk of antibodies focused between pH 6.5 and 7.0. The average avidity of H-Ab was found to be higher than that of A-Ab suggesting that avidity may influence the elution pattern in affinity chromatography. The hydrophobic influence of the "spacer" and/or interactions of antibodies directed against the hydrophobic regions of the BPO group may explain why a considerable part of the antibodies could be recovered from the immunosorbent only by acid elution.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Separation and characterization of anti-benzylpenicilloyl (BPO) antibodies. II. Immunological properties of different IgG fractions.

Affinity chromatography and subsequent ion-exchange chromatography of pooled anti-benzylpenicilloyl (anti-BPO) hyperimmune sera separated 5 different anti-BPO IgG fractions as described in the preceding paper. These fractions were tested for activities in passive hemagglutination (PHA), passive immune hemolysis (PIH), antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and influence on IgM-induced hemolysis. It was found that anti-BPO IgG fractions with low avidity (dissociation constant K = 4.4--6.7 X 10(-8) moles/l) were poorly active in PHA and ADCC and had no blocking activity in IgM hemolysis. Among the highly avid antibodies (K = 0.7--3.4 X 10(-8) mole/l) no correlations were found between avidity and activities in the immunological tests. The results presented demonstrate that ion-exchange chromatography allows the separation of blocking and lytic antibodies as shown by their influence on IgM-induced complement-dependent lysis of lightly hapten-coated sheep erythrocytes.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1978

Determination of meningococcal antibodies by microassay.

A modified microassay procedure, using triphenyltetrazolium chloride as a germination indicator, was compared with a macroassay method proposed by the World Health Organization for determining the level of antibodies before and after immunization with Group A meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine. There was excellent agreement between the results obtained by the two methods. The vaccine used appeared to be safe and immunogenic.

Adult↗