Biomedical subjects

H J Busse

Publications and source records attributed to H J Busse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Agrococcus citreus sp. nov., isolated from a medieval wall painting of the chapel of Castle Herberstein (Austria).

A bacterial strain, D-1/1aT, isolated from a medieval wall painting of the chapel of Herberstein (Styria, Austria) was characterized by a polyphasic approach. Strain D-1/1aT shared 98.1% 16S rRNA sequence similarity to Agrococcus jenensis. The chemotaxonomic characteristics including polar lipid pattern, whole cell sugars, quinone system, polyamine pattern, cell wall composition and fatty acid profile were in good agreement with those of Agrococcus jenensis. The G+C content of the DNA was determined to be 74 mol%. The value of 47% DNA reassociation obtained after DNA-DNA hybridization between DNA of Agrococcus jenensis and strain D-1/1aT as well as differences in the amino acid composition of the peptidoglycan and in physiological characteristics demonstrate that the isolate represents a new species of the genus Agrococcus. The name Agrococcus citreus sp. nov. is proposed for the new species harbouring isolate D-1/1aT. The type strain is DSM 12453T.

Actinomycetales↗

PubMed1999

The indoor environment of a modern museum building, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, UK.

A multi-disciplinary approach was used to investigate the indoor environment of a modern museum building, and its suitability for the conservation of the collection therein. Climate, gaseous and particulate pollution and the concentrations of bacteria were measured in summer and winter campaigns. While the environment overall was found to be an acceptable one, a number of drawbacks were highlighted, the most serious of these being the large temperature and humidity fluctuations that occurred in the summer.

Air Microbiology↗

PubMed1998

Microbial communities of printing paper machines.

The microbial content of printing paper machines, running at a temperature of 45-50 degrees C and at pH 4.5-5, was studied. Bacteria were prevalent colonizers of the machine wet end and the raw materials. A total of 390 strains of aerobic bacteria were isolated and 86% of these were identified to genus and species by biochemical, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic methods. The most common bacteria found at the machine wet end were Bacillus coagulans and other Bacillus species, Burkholderia cepacia, Ralstonia pickettii, and in pink slimes, accumulating in the wire area and press section, species of Deinococcus, aureobacterium and Brevibacterium. Paper-making chemicals also contained species of Aureobacterium, B. cereus, B. licheniformis, B. sphaericus, Bordetella, Hydrogenophaga, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pantoea agglomerans, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Staphylococcus and sometimes other enteric bacteria, but these did not colonize the process water. Yeasts and moulds were not present in significant numbers. A total of 131 strains were tested for their potential to degrade paper-making raw materials; 91 strains were found to have degradative activity, mainly species of Burkholderia and Ralstonia, Sphingomonas and Bacillus, and enterobacteria produced enzymes which degraded paper-making chemicals. Stainless steel adhering strains occurred in slimes and wire water and were identified as Burkholderia cepacia, B. coagulans and Deinococcus geothermalis. Coloured slimes were formed on the machine by species of Deinococcus, Acinetobacter and Methylobacterium (pink), Aureobacterium, Pantoea and Ralstonia (yellowish) and Microbulbifer-related strains (brown). The impact of the strains and species found in the printing paper machine community on the technical quality of paper, machine operation, and as a potential biohazard (Hazard Group 2 bacteria), is discussed.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1997

Classification of "Pseudomonas azotocolligans" Anderson 1955, 132, in the genus Sphingomonas as Sphingomonas trueperi sp. nov.

"Pseudomonas azotocolligans" ATCC 12417T (T = type strain), which was described as a diazotrophic bacterium, was reinvestigated to clarify its taxonomic position. 16S ribosomal DNA sequence comparisons demonstrated that this strain clusters phylogenetically with species of the genus Sphingomonas and represents a new species. The results of investigations of the fatty acid patterns, polar lipid profiles, and quinone system supported this placement. The substrate utilization profile and biochemical characteristics displayed no obvious similarity to the characteristics of any previously described species of the genus Sphingomonas. The new name Sphingomonas trueperi is proposed on the basis of these results and previously published data for the G + C content of the genomic DNA and the polyamine pattern.

Base Composition↗

PubMed1996

Classification and identification of bacteria: current approaches to an old problem. Overview of methods used in bacterial systematics.

Most of the bacterial species are still unknown. Consequently, our knowledge about bacterial ecology is poor and expectations about specialized species with novel enzymatic functions or new products are high. Thus, bacterial identification is a growing field of interest within microbiology. In this review, suitability of developments for identification based on miniaturized biochemical and physiological investigations of bacteria are evaluated. Special emphasis is given to chemotaxonomic methods such as analysis of quinone system, fatty acid profiles, polar lipid patterns, polyamine patterns, whole cell sugars, peptidoglycan diaminoacids, as well as analytical fingerprinting methods and cellular protein patterning. 16S rDNA sequencing introduced to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of bacteria, nucleic acids hybridization techniques and G + C content determination are discussed as well as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), macrorestriction analysis and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The importance of the different approaches in classification and identification of bacteria according to phylogenetic relationships are demonstrated on selected examples.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1996

Description of chlorophenol-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strains KF1T, KF3, and NKF1 as a new species of the genus Sphingomonas, Sphingomonas subarctica sp. nov.

Gram-negative polychlorophenol-degrading bacterial strains KF1T (T = type strain), KF3, and NKF1, which were described previously as Pseudomonas saccharophila strains, were studied by chemotaxonomic, genetic, and physiological methods and by electron microscopy and compared with selected xenobiotic compound-degrading bacteria. These strains contained sphingolipids with d-18:0, d-20:1, and d-21:1 as the main dihydrosphingosines, ubiquinone 10 as the main respiratory quinone, and spermidine as the major polyamine, and the DNA G + C content was 66 mol%. The cellular fatty acids included about 60% octadecenoic acid, 9% 2-hydroxymyristic acid, 14% cis-9-hexadecenoic acid, and 10% hexadecanoic acid. These strains exhibited less than 97% 16S ribosomal DNA sequence similarity to all of the other taxa studied. In the DNA-DNA reassociation studies the highest levels of reassociation between these strains and previously described species were less than 40%. Thin sections of cells of strains KF1T, KF3, and NKF1 were examined by electron microscopy, and the results showed that the cells had peculiar concentrically arranged layered membranous blebs that extruded from the outer membrane, especially at the cell division points. On the basis of the results of this study, polychlorophenol-degrading strains KF1T, KF3, and NKF1 are considered members of a new species of the genus Sphingomonas, Sphingomonas subarctica. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading organism Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA 505 was closely related to Sphingomonas chlorophenolica as determined by chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic, and physiological criteria. The xenobiotic compound degraders Alcaligenes sp. strain A175 and Pseudomonas sp. strain BN6 were identified as members of species of the genus Sphingomonas.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1993

[Status of ultrasound diagnosis in differential cholestasis diagnosis].

Differentiating between the hepatocellular "internal" and the "surgical" or "endoscopic" cholestasis syndrome has become a domain of sonography. There is a 92 to 99% success rate, due to the possibility of diagnosing by means of sonography dilations of the gall bladder, the extrahepatic biliary tract and the intrahepatic bile ducts, as well as numerous diseases of the hepatobiliary system and of the pancreas. Congested intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts indicate the presence of a deep-seated distal obstruction, such s a prepapillary concrement, an inflammatory or malignant papillary stenosis or of a process in the area of the head of the pancreas. If the intrahepatic bile ducts alone are dilated the obstructive process has to be assumed near the portal fissure of the liver. Frequent causes are directly demonstrable tumors or metastases on the hilum or high-lying concrements. By using sonography, the level of obstruction can be determined correctly in about 90% of cases, while the cause of obstruction can be diagnosed in about 60 to 70%. In most cases intrahepatic cholestase can only be demonstrated indirectly through the absence of a bile duct dilation. Characteristic diffuse changes in the liver (e.g. fatty liver, cirrhosis, cardiac liver) or intrahepatic space claims-may be in combination with an ultrasound-directed puncture-may support or confirm the diagnosis.

Bile Ducts↗

PubMed1992

Identification of xenobiotic-degrading isolates from the beta subclass of the Proteobacteria by a polyphasic approach including 16S rRNA partial sequencing.

Nineteen gram-negative, aerobic, biodegradative isolates were identified by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The presence of the specific polyamine 2-hydroxyputrescine and the presence of a ubiquinone with eight isoprenoid units in the side chain (ubiquinone Q-8) allowed allocation of these organisms to the beta subclass of the Proteobacteria. On the basis of the results of additional characterization experiments (i.e., API 20NE tests, determinations of soluble protein patterns, and DNA-DNA hybridization experiments), we classified six isolates as either Comamonas testosteroni, Comamonas acidovorans, or Alcaligenes xylosoxidans subsp. denitrificans. By using the same criteria we allocated two additional isolates to the genus Alcaligenes. A comparison of a 16S rRNA fragment (positions 1220 to 1377; Escherichia coli nomenclature) indicated that the remaining isolates should be allocated as follows: one is a member of C. testosteroni and one is a member of Acidovorax facilis, as confirmed by the results of additional DNA-DNA hybridizations; two others probably belong to the family Alcaligenaceae; six are related to "Alcaligenes eutrophus"; and one, strain NRRL 12228, occupies an isolated position.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1992

The bactericidal action of streptomycin: membrane permeabilization caused by the insertion of mistranslated proteins into the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli and subsequent caging of the antibiotic inside the cells due to degradation of these proteins.

The mechanism by which the aminoglycoside antibiotic streptomycin permeabilizes the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli cells was reinvestigated. For this purpose, the extent of streptomycin-induced K+ loss from cells growing at low external K+ concentrations was taken as a measure of membrane permeabilization. Experiments with different K(+)-uptake mutants showed that the antibiotic specifically increased the passive permeability of the cell membrane to K+ and other ions. These permeability changes were small and the membrane potential of the treated cells remained high. The membrane permeabilization was not due to a direct interaction of the antibiotic with the cell membrane, since cells that carry an rpsL mutation and synthesize proteins in a streptomycin-insensitive way did not lose K+ after the addition of the antibiotic. Due to misreading and premature termination of translation the cells synthesized aberrant proteins under the conditions where membrane permeabilization occurred. Two conditions are described under which the cells both degraded these mistranslated proteins rapidly and reaccumulated K+, lending support to the hypothesis that membrane permeabilization is due to the presence of the mistranslated proteins in the cell membrane. Evidence is presented that the irreversibility of (dihydro)streptomycin uptake by cells washed free from the antibiotic might also be due to rapid degradation of the mistranslated proteins, leading to 'caging' of the antibiotic inside the cells.

Biological Transport↗

PubMed1991

Analysis of the polyphosphate-accumulating microflora in phosphorus-eliminating, anaerobic-aerobic activated sludge systems by using diaminopropane as a biomarker for rapid estimation of Acinetobacter spp.

Polyphosphate-accumulating gram-negative bacteria were isolated from different anaerobic-aerobic activated sludge systems with diverse processes for enhanced biological phosphorus (P) elimination. Of 22 isolates, 10 were allocated to the genus Acinetobacter by using multiple-test systems and soluble protein and polyamine patterns. As diaminopropane (DAP) appears to be the characteristic main polyamine compound produced by Acinetobacter spp., it was used as a biomarker for the genus. The high DAP contents of representative samples from municipal wastes with enhanced biological P elimination indicated that Acinetobacter spp. can be dominant organisms in sewage treatment plants with low organic loading and nitrification and denitrification steps. Contrary to accepted opinion, sludge from treatment plants with efficient P removal and high organic loading had a low DAP content, indicating that bacteria other than Acinetobacter spp. are responsible for enhanced biological P elimination in these plants.

Acinetobacter↗

PubMed1990

[Ultrasound-controlled cutting biopsy for collecting histologic specimens].

The fine-needle puncture under ultrasound guidance has the disadvantage that the material obtained can only be evaluated by cytology. The cutting biopsy cannula represents a compromise between the fine and the Menghini needle. In this way, small tissue cylinders can be attained. The aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent the sampled specimen could be assessed by cytology or histology. Fine-needle puncture resulted in 22 (69%) out of 32 cases in material suitable for cytology. Cutting biopsy led in 34 out of 36 cases (94%) to specimen valid for histology. Thus, cutting biopsy clearly extends our diagnostic tools. It is not yet clear at present whether procedures with a higher risk - such as the Menghini puncture - can be in part replaced by alternative ones.

Biopsy↗

PubMed1987

[Coronarography findings following systemic short-term lysis of acute myocardial infarct].

In 50 patients with acute infarction who were admitted within 6 hours after the beginning of the complaints randomizedly an intravenous streptokinase short-term lysis or a conventional heparin phenprocoumon treatment was performed and 4 weeks later the results were objectified by coronarography and ventriculography. The patients were subdivided into 3 groups: 1. control group (without fibrinolysis), 2. early lysis (within 4 hours) and 3. late lysis (4-6 hours). Four weeks after the infarction the proportions of the open infarction vessels are approximately of the same size in all three groups, the functional results are best (end-diastolic pressure and kinetics of the cardiac wall) in the group of patients who underwent an early lysis. Successfully lysed patients with remaining residual stenosis must be regarded as particularly threatened by infarction and remain under special control (residual angina, ergometrically objectified exercise tolerance, perhaps coronarography) in the phase of rehabilitation.

Aspirin↗

PubMed1986

[Rational procedures in the differential diagnosis of jaundice].

In jaundice after exclusions of prehepatic and functional hepatogenic hyperbilirubinaemias the sonography should pre-eminently be used as a riskless, economical and qualified investigation method, taking into consideration clinical and laboratory-chemical data. If sonographically the findings of an intrahepatic cholostatis are shown, in therapeutic relevance the histological clarification must follow. Only in unequivocal focal changes of the liver (perhaps thin needle puncture) further investigations are unnecessary. If there are findings of an extrahepatic cholostasis, in a not unequivocal sonographic result or before a surgical intervention further aimed investigations, such as ERCP, PTC and CT, are necessary for the exact clarification of the cause of the obstruction of the bile ducts.

Bile Duct Diseases↗

PubMed1986

[Results of ultrasound tomography in the diagnosis of liver diseases].

In a prospective study the impact of ultrasound tomography in the recognition and exclusion, respectively, of liver diseases was investigated. 646 patients with a suspected liver disease were sonographed in real-time procedure. The investigator was familiar with the history as well as with clinical and lab findings before the examination was started. The sonography was performed before a laparoscopy, liver blind punktion, scintigraphy, angiography, computerized tomography. The diagnoses were confirmed by sufficient, comparable methods (see above) or operatively; they were supported by a follow-up for one year. While liver cysts, cystic livers, liver abscesses, haematomas, metastases (with a diameter of more than 10-20 mm), stasis liver, cirrhoses with portal hypertension and fatty livers could be diagnosed with a high rate of confidence by sonography, healthy livers and the following disorders could not exactly be separated by ultrasound: acute hepatitis, reactive hepatitis hepatoses, chronically persisting hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, and livers with a low incorporation of fat.

Fatty Liver↗

PubMed1983

[Results of sonographic kidney diagnosis].

In a prospective study of the examination of the accuracy of the ultrasound tomography in the renal diagnostics the kidneys of 361 patients could be demonstrated as at 100% sufficiently to be judged. Tumours, congestion kidneys, cystic kidneys/renal cysts and cirrhoses of the kidney were diagnosed with an efficiency of 0.92-0.96-0.97-1.0. The sensitivity was in the same order 0.90-0.96-0.99-1.0 and the specificity 0.94-1.0-0.95-1.0. Insufficient results were obtained by the sonographic search for renal calculi. As non-invasive and rapid method of diagnostics the sonography in a valuable way contributes to the differentiation of the symptom "quiescent kidney" and oligo-anuria.

Humans↗

PubMed1983

Levamisole therapy in chronic hepatitis--results of a multicentric double blind trial.

The effectiveness of levamisole in the immunmodulatory treatment of chronic hepatitis was assessed in a multicentric double blind trial. Twenty patients received in the first week 50 mg, in the second 100 mg and thereafter 150 mg, levamisole on two days every week for 6 months, 20 others received a placebo. Five patients dropped out (non-compliance 1, pregnancy 1, adverse effects 3). The diagnoses were confirmed by clinical, biochemical immunological and histological data. After 6 months 26 subjects allowed us to take a control liver biopsy. The results showed that the rate of improved, unchanged and impaired cases was not significantly different in the levamisole and placebo groups. No correlation was found between etiology, activity or histological type of chronic hepatitis, skin test reactivity (DNCB, PPD, Streptokinase) and therapeutic effect, respectively. Clinical improvement was not associated with the elimination of HBs antigen. In general levamisole was well tolerated, but we saw one case of severe agranulocytosis.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed1983

[Immunologic aspects in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's contracture].

In 30 patients suffering from Dupuytren' disease the following cellular and humoral tests were carried out: 1. Migration inhibitory test using the palmaraponeurosis as an antigen. - 2. Determination of the serum level of IgG, IgA and IgM. - 3. Determination of humoral antibodies against mitochondria, cellnuclei and smooth muscles. - An inhibition of migration could be observed in 24 out of 30 patients (80%) (MI 0.85). 6 patients had a migration index above 0.85. The serum-level of IgA was elevated in 12 patients. IgG was abnormal in only 5 patients out of 30; the same was true for IgM in 3 out of 30 patients. In 4 patients low titers of humoral antibodies could be found. Consequently, the conclusion is drawn that inadequate cellular immunoreaction against the same body tissue could be a prerequisite for the development of Dupuytren's disease.

Autoantibodies↗

PubMed1983

[Results of ultrasonic tomography in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases].

A thickening of the stomach or intestinal wall as a result of neoplastic or inflammatory infiltrations can be principally recognized by sonography as a "Cocarde phenomen". The question of the accuracy of ultrasonic tomography in the recognition of infiltrative diseases of the gastrointestinal tract has been examined in a prospective study. 80 patients who were suspected of having such a disease were sonographed, using the real-time method. The diagnose were verified by an adequate comparative method, by surgery or autopsy. An infiltrative gastrointestinal disease was correctly diagnosed by sonography in 42 cases, including nine cases of gastric carcinoma and of 27 colon carcinoma. Two patients were suffering of Crohn's disease, and in the remaining four cases the final diagnoses were bulbitis, Ménétrier's disease, diverticulitis and penetrating ulcus ventriculi, respectively. In 27 cases an infiltrative gastro-intestinal disease was correctly exclused by sonography. Ultrasonic examination wrongly produced a negative diagnosis in five cases and a positive in six. Thus, the efficiency of the examination was 0,86, the sensitivity 0,89 and the specifity 0,82. Ultrasonic tomography should therefore be assigned a major place in gastrointestinal diagnostics, too. It could point the way in many cases. It is not possible, however, to exclude a disease by means of sonography.

Autopsy↗