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Biomedical subjects

H Keller

Publications and source records attributed to H Keller.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

[Strangulation ileus of the jejunum combined with intersexuality in a horse].

An apparently unilateral cryptorchid stallion was referred to the clinic with a history of colic. In the course of laparotomy an ileus caused by strangulation of the small intestine was found and the horse was euthanized because of poor prognosis. During autopsy strictures and ectasia of the jejunum were found as well as hermaphroditism along with male phenotype. The frequency of cryptorchidism in the case of intersexuality is discussed.

Animals↗

[Field study with a vaccine against enzootic pneumonia of swine].

The EP vaccine Stellamune Myco was tested in 4 different trials. In a first trial, the daily weight increase and the incidence of lung lesions and their degree of severity were compared in non-vaccinated and vaccinated pigs originating from a herd infected with M. hyopneumoniae. The daily weight increases of the vaccinated animals were almost 60 g above that of the non-vaccinated and the number of altered lungs and the severity of the lung lesions was smaller in the vaccinated group. The effects were statistically different. In a second trial, no lesions were observed in 60% of the vaccinated animals. In the non-vaccinated group, the proportion was only about 35%. More severe lung lesions were only present in the non-vaccinated animals. In a third trial, it was observed that the animals originating from infected herds may excrete mycoplasmas despite the vaccination. In a fourth trial, it was determined that SPF piglets were not protected with the vaccination against an infection caused by M. hyopneumoniae.

Animals↗

[The plasma level of kanamycin after intravenous and intramuscular injections in horses].

A therapeutical dose of kanamycin was tested intravenously and intramuscularly in four normal standardbreds and plasma concentrations were measured over a 12 hour period. Plasma levels exceeded a minimum inhibitory concentration of 4 micrograms/ml within only 15 minutes for 8 hours both after i.v. and i.m. injection. Kanamycin revealed a mean plasma half life of 2.3 hours. Bioavailability of an intramuscular dose was about 76%. The pharmacokinetic parameters demonstrate the rapid onset of antibacterial plasma levels of the test compound. A dose regimen for horses of two times daily 5 mg/kg body weight ensures therapeutically effective plasma levels. The risk of accumulation as well as nephro- or ototoxic side effects are negligible at short-term treatment.

Animals↗

[Heart muscle involvement in myopathies].

By means of a comprehensive cardiologic examination "definite" cardiac involvement was found in 71% of patients with myotonic dystrophy (MD). In 50% of patients with Becker's muscular dystrophy (BMD) and in 70% of patients with mitochondrial myopathy (MMP). "Equivocal" cardiac involvement was found in 21% of patients with MD, in 50% of patients with BMD and in 20% of patients with MMP. The correlation between cardiac involvement and the neurological deficit was weak.

Adult↗

[Acute asthma outside hospital. The predictive value of pulse oximetry in manifestation of respiratory insufficiency].

The objective of the study was to evaluate the predictive value of pulse oximetry before treatment of acute asthma in the prehospital setting. Unfavorable outcome was defined as need for mechanical ventilation during the acute attack. The study was carried out prospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: SpO2 < 80% and SpO2 > or = 80%. The study group consisted of 44 patients with 47 asthmatic attacks. Eleven patients had SpO2 < 80%, of whom two required mechanical ventilation. Thirty-three patients with 36 attacks had SpO2 > or = 80%, none required mechanical ventilation. Oximetry before treatment with a cut off point of < 80% had a specificity of 18% and a sensitivity of 100% for prediction of unfavourable outcome. We conclude at SpO2 < 80% in the acute asthmatic attack is a serious prognostic sign which should warn the physician that the patient's condition is lifethreatening.

Adolescent↗

Implantation metastasis of unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma after laparoscopy.

In a 73-year-old woman elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis had to be changed to open cholecystectomy because of technical problems. Unsuspected microscopic adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder was found after operation. Two months later abdominal-wall metastasis developed at the periumbilical and the right abdominal laparoscopic tract through which the laparoscope and instruments had been introduced and removed. The paramedian abdominal wall incision for the laparotomy was free of tumor.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Single peptide and anti-idiotype based immunizations can broaden the antibody response against the variable V3 domain of HIV-1 in mice.

The third variable (V3) domain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) external envelope glycoprotein gp120 is a major target of neutralizing antibodies in infected persons and in experimental immunized animals. Given the high degree of sequence variability of V3, the humoral response toward this region is very type-specific. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of a single peptide and an anti-idiotypic antibody to broaden the anti-V3 antibody specificity in BALB/c mice. We show that a synthetic peptide derived from the V3 determinant of HIV-1 MN isolate (V3MN), when used as an immunogen, was able to induce an antibody response to multiple (up to six) HIV-1 strains. The extent of this cross-reactivity, which tended to enlarge as the injections increased, appeared to be inversely correlated with the binding affinity to V3MN peptide. These data thus present evidence that, despite its great sequence heterogeneity, the V3 loop encompasses conserved amino-acid positions and/or stretches which may be less immunogenic than their variable counterparts. We additionally demonstrate that a rabbit anti-idiotype (Ab2), recognizing a binding site related idiotype on a V3-specific mouse monoclonal antibody (Ab1), could mount a broadened humoral response (Ab3) in mice. Unlike nominal antibody Ab1 which strictly reacted with the European HIV-1 LAI isolate, elicited Ab3 recognized the two divergent HIV-1 strains SF2 and 1286, originating respectively from North America and Central Africa, in addition to LAI. The reasons accounting for this Ab2-induced enlargement of the V3 antibody response are discussed. Our findings suggest that single peptide and anti-idiotype based immunizations may provide viable approaches to overcome, at least in part, HIV epitope variability.

AIDS Vaccines↗

Morphological and functional characteristics of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from human colorectal cancers after stimulation with rIL-2.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from colorectal cancers were separated from tumor cells by enzymatic and mechanical tissue disaggregation and discontinuous density gradients. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were isolated using the same procedure. The freshly separated TILs and PBLs were analyzed phenotypically by flow cytometry. The CD4+/CD8+ ratios of the freshly isolated TILs and PBLs were comparable (> 1 in both lymphocyte populations). CD25+, HLA-DR+ and CD56+ cells were significantly more frequent in the TIL than in the PBL population. However, the number of CD45RA+ cells was lower in the TILs as compared to PBLs, while CD29+ accumulated by about 90% in TILs. TILs and autologous PBLs were expanded in vitro with rIL-2. The mean rate of proliferation after 4 weeks was 642-fold in TIL cultures and 335-fold in PBLs. More than 90% of the rIL-2-expanded lymphocytes expressed CD2 and the great majority was CD29+. Stimulation with rIL-2 in vitro induced an outgrowth of CD56+ cells mainly in the TILs. Accordingly the expression of CD3+ and alpha/beta receptor in the TILs was low. Those cells which phenotypically represented lymphokine-activated killer cells displayed a lytic activity against the autologous tumor as well as against allogeneic K562 and Daudi targets. In accordance with the better proliferative response of TILs in long-term cultures with rIL-2, the lytic activity of TILs against autologous and allogeneic tumor targets was significantly higher as compared to PBLs.

Adult↗

Signaling cross-talk between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor/retinoid X receptor and estrogen receptor through estrogen response elements.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are nuclear hormone receptors that are activated by fatty acids and 9-cis-retinoic acid, respectively. PPARs and RXRs form heterodimers that activate transcription by binding to PPAR response elements (PPREs) in the promoter of target genes. The PPREs described thus far consist of a direct tandem repeat of the AGGTCA core element with one intervening nucleotide. We show here that the vitellogenin A2 estrogen response element (ERE) can also function as a PPRE and is bound by a PPAR/RXR heterodimer. Although this heterodimer can bind to several other ERE-related palindromic response elements containing AGGTCA half-sites, only the ERE is able to confer transactivation of test reporter plasmids, when the ERE is placed either close to or at a distance from the transcription initiation site. Examination of natural ERE-containing promoters, including the pS2, very-low-density apolipoprotein II and vitellogenin A2 genes, revealed considerable differences in the binding of PPAR/RXR heterodimers to these EREs. In their natural promoter context, these EREs did not allow transcriptional activation by PPARs/RXRs. Analysis of this lack of stimulation of the vitellogenin A2 promoter demonstrated that PPARs/RXRs bind to the ERE but cannot transactivate due to a nonpermissive promoter structure. As a consequence, PPARs/RXRs inhibit transactivation by the estrogen receptor through competition for ERE binding. This is the first example of signaling cross-talk between PPAR/RXR and estrogen receptor.

Base Sequence↗

A new mathematical procedure for the assessment of test performance of PSA assays.

A new procedure has been worked out and adapted on microsoft Excel that allows to calculate from one set of e.g. 100 triplicate measurements the critical limit, the limit of detection and the power of definition. The limit of detection is defined as the analyte concentration which can be differentiated from the blank with a confidence of > or = 95%. The power of definition defines the number of values that can be differentiated in a certain interval with a predefined probability (e.g. > or = 95%). The lower limit of quantification is obtained graphically from the precision profile as the intersection of a line, representing the maximum acceptable CV, with the upper edge of the confidence interval.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗