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Biomedical subjects

H Becker

Publications and source records attributed to H Becker.

859 records · Page 48Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Extracerebral subdural manifestation of Chester-Erdheim disease associated with a giant adenoma of the pituitary.

Chester-Erdheim disease is a rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis, affecting within the CNS mainly the neurohypophyseal unit, the retrobulbar space and the parenchyma of cerebellum, cerebrum and brainstem. Here we present a case of a 55-year-old woman who developed an exophthalmus, edema and dyspnea, finally leading to death 4 months post admission to the hospital. A cMRI showed a retrobulbar fibrosis, a tumor in the sella turcica, and further tumor formation expanding from the pons to the spinal cord, but without involvement of the dural sheet. Autopsy revealed multiple tumors attached to the pituitary gland, the tentorium, and the brainstem as well as a diffuse thickening of the dura. Histologically, the tumor tissue consisted of densely packed lipid-laden foamy macrophages positive for CD68 and intervening fibrillary cords. Interestingly, tumor cells did not infiltrate/affect the parenchyma but showed a strictly extracerebral/ subdural location. In addition, sections of the pituitary tumor revealed a chromophobe giant adenoma of the pituitary gland. As to our knowledge this is the first detailed description of an exceptional case of intracranial CED presenting with strictly extracerebral/subdural tumor masses accompanied by a giant adenoma of the pituitary gland.

Adenoma, Chromophobe↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dehydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency in a cancer patient undergoing 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy.

We present a case of a Caucasian cancer patient undergoing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-containing chemotherapy in our department. The 49-year-old female patient suffered from adverse effects representing WHO grade 3 toxicity. Genotyping revealed that she carried the exon 14-skipping mutation which is known to result in dehydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency. DPD is the enzyme that converts 5-FU to inactive metabolites and therefore dictates the amount of 5-FU that is available to be metabolised to cytotoxic nucleotides. Consequently DPD deficiency is the cause of severe adverse and sometimes lethal reactions to 5-FU. In conclusion the identification of cancer patients at increased risk of severe toxicity prior to the administration of 5-FU would be desirable.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Polyclonal activated circulating B-lymphocytes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Peripheral B lymphocytes were studied to investigate the role of polyclonal B-cell activation in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Proliferative responses to anti-mu antibodies coupled to sepharose used as a B-cell-specific mitogen were reduced as compared to healthy controls. When cell surface antigens were studied by flow cytometry employing monoclonal antibodies, B cells from patients with RA showed enhanced expression of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor. In-vivo-activated, in-vitro spontaneously proliferating Epstein-Barr virus transformed B cells positive for immunoglobulin M, G, and A were obtained from patients with RA. In summary, our findings suggest the presence of polyclonal activated B cells in the peripheral blood of patients with RA, and a close relationship of polyclonal activated B cells and the activity of the disease process.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Psychoanalysis in the north-south conflict].

The limitations and possibilities of psychoanalysis in a public health service are presented and discussed based on a report on the public health system in Nicaragua which has been built up consistently in cooperation with psychoanalysis since the fall of the Somoza regime in 1979. The largely successful experiment of integrating psychoanalytic thought into medical training and medical care in a country of the so-called third world has instigated reflections on the present situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. The hypothesis is discussed as to how conflict avoidance, dominant scientific criteria and the extent of political consciousness have contributed to the lacking cooperation between psychoanalysis and medicine.

Curriculum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vasopressin: mechanism of central cardiovascular action in conscious rats.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and AVP binding sites have been localized in brain areas involved in cardiovascular control. To elucidate the mechanisms by which brain AVP may participate in central blood pressure regulation, we investigated the effects of central AVP receptor stimulation on mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), efferent splanchnic nerve (SpNA), and renal nerve activity (RNA) in conscious chronically instrumented rats. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of AVP (1-100 ng) produced dose-dependent increases in MAP together with marked increases in HR, SpNA, and RNA. The pressor responses were inhibited by peripheral alpha-adrenoceptor blockade with i.v. phentolamine. In contrast, the pressor responses to either i.v. or intracarotid injections of AVP were accompanied by baroreceptor reflex (BRR)-mediated decreases in HR and SpNA. Central (i.c.v.) pretreatment with d(CH2)5AVP, a V1-AVP receptor antagonist, completely abolished the responses to i.c.v. but not to i.v. AVP. The same antagonist had no effect on the responses to i.c.v. angiotensin II. Our results demonstrate that: (a) central AVP overrides the BRR by sympathetic stimulation, whereas blood-borne AVP activates the BRR; (b) specific AVP receptors in the brain probably of the V1-subtype are involved in the central pressor responses to AVP; (c) the central pressor actions of AVP are transmitted to the periphery by stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. We conclude that brain AVP may contribute to central cardiovascular control by modulating the sympathetic outflow to the periphery.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of cyproterone acetate in comparison to flutamide on the ventral prostate of adult male castrated Copenhagen-Fisher rats and on Dunning R-3327 H tumors.

In this investigation the effect of CPA was tested in comparison to FL after the procedure of double blinding on the ventral prostate of 70 adult male castrated Copenhagen-Fisher rats and on the Dunning R-3327 H tumor. Total androgen blockade by castration plus CPA or by castration plus FL induced significant decrease in prostate weight compared to the androgen deprivation by castration alone. No significant difference between CPA and FL was observed. Furthermore it was impossible to exaggerate this effect with higher doses of CPA of FL. The Dunning R-3327 H tumor did not become palpable 60 days after inoculation of the tumor cells indicating that androgen deprivation by total androgen blockade by castration plus CPA or plus FL did not exhibit any proliferative activity on the hormone-sensitive Dunning R-3327 H tumor cells.

Androgen Antagonists↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Suppressor T cell function in undifferentiated collagenoses].

In order to study early cellular defects in connective tissue diseases, suppressor T-cell function in undifferentiated connective tissue syndromes was determined. The capacity of T8(CD8)-positive cells to suppress pokeweed mitogen-induced IgG and IgM secretion was studied in 14 patients. Compared with normals, a reduced activity of cells to suppress the IgM response was shown, whereas the suppression of IgG secretion was not affected.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

DNA-grading of malignant lymphomas. II. Correlation with clinical parameters.

The clinical significance of the DNA-malignancy grade (DNA-MG) was tested in 90 malignant lymphoma patients. Feulgen stained imprint smears from freshly cut lymph-nodes were investigated. DNA measurements were performed using various cytophotometers. The scalar DNA-MG, ranging from 0.1 to 3.0, was calculated from the variance of the tumor cells around the 2c peak. Except for the CLL, all entities of the Kiel classification for non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas showed considerable variation of the DNA-MGs. The DNA-MG, the age of the patients and the response to treatment were seen to have a significant influence on the survival time of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. In high grade lymphoma patients of the Kiel classification, the DNA-MG was found to provide additional prognostic information. The DNA-MG was strongly correlated with the ESR, low albumin concentration, low lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood, clinical and pathological staging, and the response to treatment.

Adolescent↗