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Biomedical subjects

H Meyer

Publications and source records attributed to H Meyer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

[The Body-Mass-Index (BMI) has no impact on the frequency of typical reflux symptoms -- results of a nationwide telephone-based informing campaign in Germany].

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The effects of obesity on the gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are controversial. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the BMI and the frequency of reflux symptoms in a population with typical GERD symptoms. METHODS: Based upon a nationwide informing campaign up to 5,000 subjects contacted the informing calling center. Subjects were included if they had heartburn and acid regurgitation. Age, gender, height, weight and the frequency of reflux symptoms were assessed by telephone interviewing. RESULTS: 1,296 subjects (668 female) with mean age of 54 +/- 14 years and a mean BMI of 26 +/- 4 were included in the study. 41.2% of the subjects had a BMI up to 25, 41.4 % between 25 to 30, and 13 % greater than 30. 74.5 % of all subjects reported reflux episodes daily and several times a week. 74.6 % of the subjects had reflux symptoms for more than one year. Both the frequency and pattern of reflux symptoms did not differ significantly in the three BMI-classes (p > 0.05, table). CONCLUSION: In the present population with typical and frequent GERD symptoms the BMI showed no impact on the frequency of reflux symptoms. A high BMI does not appear to be a risk indicator for GERD. Interventional studies are needed to assess whether a high BMI is also no risk factor for GERD.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Ca and P supply of ruminants in the 19th and beginning of 20th century in Middle Europe].

The present review evaluates veterinary publications about some bone diseases in ruminants till 1925. According to more than 100 publications in some regions of Germany as well as in Scandinavian and Westeuropean countries during the 19th century several cases of bone fractures in ruminants were reported, mainly in pregnant and lactating cattle and goats. From a recent point of view and after feed analyses this disease obviously was caused by a P-deficiency. Bone fractures sometimes were accompanied by licking behaviour, but in other regions pica (without severe skeletal deformations) was probably related to a Cu- or Co-deficiency. Swelling of the jaws (probably by Ca-deficiency) was exclusively described in goats. By preventive measures (feeding bone meal, P-fertilisation) bone fractures diminished in the beginning of the 20th century. After the experience in the past in ruminants bone diseases may come back, if effective preventive measures will be ignored due to the recent trends towards 'natural farming'.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2001

Noninvasive quantification of left-to-right shunt in pediatric patients: phase-contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging compared with invasive oximetry.

BACKGROUND: Blood flow can be quantified noninvasively by phase-contrast cine MRI (PC-MRI) in adults. Little is known about the feasibility of the method in children with congenital heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 50 children (mean age 6.2 years, range 1.1 to 17.7 years) with an atrial- or ventricular-level shunt, blood flow rate in the great vessels was determined by PC-MRI, and the ratio of pulmonary to aortic flow (Qp/Qs) was compared with Qp/Qs by oximetry. We found a difference of 2% and a range of -20% to +26% (limits of agreement, mean +/-2 SD). In another 7 children with congenital heart disease but no cardiac shunting (mean age 7.9 years, range 1.3 to 13.5 years), Qp/Qs by PC-MRI was 1.02 (SD +/-0.06). No difference between systemic venous and aortic flow volumes was found (range -17% to +20%, n=37). Blood flow through a secundum atrial septal defect as assessed by PC-MRI (n=24) overestimated the shunt compared with the difference between pulmonary and aortic flows. The mean difference between 3 repeated PC-MRI measurements in each location was 5.3% (SD +/-4.0%, n=522), demonstrating good precision. The interobserver variability was low. The accuracy of PC-MRI was confirmed by in vitro experiments. CONCLUSIONS: Determination of Qp/Qs by PC-MRI in children is quick, safe, and reliable compared with oximetry. Systemic venous flow can be quantified by PC-MRI, whereas through-plane shunt measurement within an atrial septal defect is inaccurate.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Heat transfer and convection onset in a compressible fluid: 3He near the critical point.

Heat transport in 3He above its critical temperature Tc was studied along the critical isochore in a flat Rayleigh-Bénard cell (height h=1 mm, diameter D=57 mm). The range of the reduced temperature epsilon was 5 x 10(-4)< or = epsilon < or =2 x 10(-1). The temperature difference deltaT(t) across the fluid layer as a function of the time t was measured for different values of the heat current q until steady state was reached. The crossover was observed from the regime dominated by the Rayleigh criterion for the convection onset to that controlled by the adiabatic temperature gradient (ATG), or "Schwarzschild criterion," in good quantitative agreement with predictions. The slope of the convective heat current versus the reduced Rayleigh number was found to be independent of compressibility and the same as for still less compressible fluids. Plots of Nu versus Ra, both corrected for the ATG effect, are presented for early-stage convective turbulence (1 x 10(5)<Ra<5 x 10(8)), with unexpected results for the highest values of Pr approximately 590. The evolution of the transients deltaT(t) upon turning q on and off are described. In the nonconvective regime, the observed transient relaxation curve agrees quantitatively with predictions. In the convective regime, the shape of deltaT(t) changes qualitatively with increasing q and with epsilon. In the Appendix, new data for the thermal conductivity are presented, the impact of the "piston effect" on the temperature profiles inside the fluid is described, and the derivation for deltaT(t) in the diffusive regime is outlined.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Suspended solids from industrial and municipal origins.

The origins of suspended solids are the effluents of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants and storm sewage treatment. This paper deals with the sources of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment and the single treatment of side streams. An overview of the common treatment processes is given and the main sinks for suspended solids are named and described. The food industry is based on the processing of organic matter (fruits, etc.). During the single processing steps three main fractions occur, inorganic material (e.g., from the washing step), organic residues (e.g., the peel), and suspended solids (SS) in the wastewater. Today higher rates of recycling (water and raw materials) can be found in all kinds of industrial processes. The principle is that avoidance should take precedence over utilization which should take precedence over disposal. Numerous possibilities of production-integrated measures exist, e.g., conveyance of production circuits, product recovery, and stepped cleaning. Despite and/or due to these efforts, huge amounts of residues occur. They are the main sink for suspended solids. Only seldom is landfilling used to treat these residues. Usually utilization as animal nourishment or biological (aerobic or anaerobic) or thermal (incineration) treatment methods are used. Huge capacities for a codigestion of agroindustrial residues (substrates) and wastewater sludge can be found in municipal digesters. As most of the food processing factories are indirect dischargers, the largest amount of the SS fraction in the wastewater is led to municipal wastewater treatment plants. Rarely, a connection between the SS concentrations in the influent and those in the effluent can be observed in conventional wastewater treatment. As a polishing step, filtration methods gain more and more importance with regard to suspended solids removal.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2001

Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotides chemosensitize human gastric cancer in a SCID mouse xenotransplantation model.

We used Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotides (G3139) to chemosensitize human gastric cancer by downregulation of Bcl-2 expression in vivo. Oligonucleotides and cisplatin were administered systemically in a human gastric cancer SCID mouse model, and Bcl-2 expression, apoptosis, tumor size, and survival were assessed. Used alone, G3139 treatment led to downregulation of Bcl-2 and moderate tumor reduction compared to saline control. G3139 combined with cisplatin treatment markedly enhanced the antitumor effect of cisplatin (70% tumor size reduction vs. cisplatin alone), associated with increased apoptosis measured in tumor biopsy specimens. Combined treatment with G3139 and cisplatin prolonged survival of the tumor-bearing SCID mice by more than 50% without adding significant drug-related toxicity. Treatment with Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotides is thus a promising novel approach to enhance antitumor activity of cisplatin or other drugs used in gastric cancer therapy and warrants further evaluation in clinical trials.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Determining the extent of intensive physical performance in patients with coronary heart disease].

Intensive physical exercise improves cardiac perfusion, skeletal muscle function and risk factors in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Otherwise, overdosed intensity can induce training adaptation as well as cardiac events. Therefore, we tested whether exercise intensity corresponding to an equilibrium between lactate production and elimination from the blood during incremental exercise tests represented the blood lactate [Lac-]B steady-state intensity during constant physical training. Randomized into two groups with 30 CAD patients each (T1: 25 male, 5 female; 59 +/- 7 years; T2: 26 male, 4 female; 60 +/- 9 years), the patients initially performed two successive incremental exercise tests. In the first test, workload was increased stepwise until exhaustion or symptom limitation (maximal workload: T1 142 +/- 48 watts, T2 145 +/- 45 watts) with the corresponding [Lac-]B accumulation of up to 6.7 +/- 2.6 (T1) or 6.5 +/- 2.0 (T2) mmol/l, respectively. After a seven minute active rest the second test began with 25 watts, increased with 5 (maximum workload in first test < 100 watts) or 10 watts per minute, respectively. During lower intensities in the second test, [Lac-]B initially decreased to an individual lactate minimum intensity (workload at LMI 83 +/- 32 in T1 or 86 +/- 29 in T2 watts, respectively; [Lac-]B at LMI 4.6 +/- 2.2 and 4.9 +/- 1.8 mmol/l, respectively) and then increased again. To check if the individual LMI represented the [Lac-]B steady-state workload in constant workload exercise, the patients performed 30 min constant load tests with the LMI (CT1) or a 30 min constant load test with an intensity 10% above the LMI (CT2), respectively. The workload in CT1 was 83 +/- 32 watts with a mean exercise time of 29.0 +/- 1.7 min. After 10 min of exercise the [Lac-]B steady state was reached at 3.3 +/- 1.4 mmol/l with no further increase in the last 20 min. The mean workload in CT2 was 95 +/- 31 watts with an exercise time of 23.3 +/- 8.3 min (p < 0.01). [Lac-]B increased from 4.4 +/- 1.7 mmol/l after 10 min to 4.7 +/- 2.0 mmol/l at the end (p < 0.01). Fifty percent of patients stopped CT2 before the 30 minute end. The results indicates that the LMI, estimated during lactic acidosis in two successive incremental tests, represented the individual lactate steady-state intensity also during constant load exercise. Therefore, training regimens for CAD patients could be deduced from LMI.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral pain processing].

Neurofunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers the possibility to map cerebral activity non-invasively. The development of event-related techniques during the past years allows to study brain processes with high spatial and temporal resolution. Based on these techniques, EPI- and FLASH sequences were developed in this study, to investigate cerebral processing of experimental thermal pain stimulation. Phasic and tonic stimulation paradigms were developed with an MR-compatible contact thermode. Functional mapping of pain-relevant areas was performed with these paradigms, as well as a specification of the temporal characteristics of the activation. Further, a randomized paradigm with several stimulus intensities could differentiate graded functional responses, dependent on stimulus intensity in specific "regions-of-interest". In this design, randomizing the stimulus order reduced habituation effects, while continuous subjective magnitude estimation of the stimuli kept attention of subjects maximal.

Brain↗
PubMed2001

Cowpox virus in a 12-year-old boy: rapid identification by an orthopoxvirus-specific polymerase chain reaction.

Although smallpox was eradicated 20 years ago, other members of the genus Orthopoxvirus (OPV), such as cowpox virus (CPXV) or monkeypox virus, are still a threat to humans. Because human CPXV infection is rare, it is seldom suspected on clinical grounds only. We report a boy who presented with two necrotic ulcers with surrounding erythema. Infection with OPV was suspected, as antibiotic treatment had not produced improvement and smears were negative for anthrax. An OPV was isolated and an OPV-specific polymerase chain reaction combined with a subsequent restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism assay confirmed infection by CPXV. Although the patient's cat had had no skin lesions, OPV-specific antibodies were found at a titre of 1 : 8 in a plaque reduction assay, suggesting that the cat had transmitted the virus to the boy.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of closely related orthopoxvirus isolates by random amplified polymorphic DNA and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

The reliability and reproducibility of random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) was compared with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) by analysing three virus strains isolated from zoo animals in Berlin and three isolates which were cultivated from pets from Northern Germany. The RAPD technique was evaluated as a reliable tool with good reproducibility of the patterns for each virus strain investigated. Problems of interpretation due to inconsistent intensity of bands in different polymerase chain reaction runs may arise for less experienced personnel. The RAPD analysis can be performed within one working day and needs less DNA compared with RFLP so costs will be reduced. The obvious advantage of RFLP is that the pattern can be traced to the recognition site of the restriction enzyme whereas the RAPD primer sequence is not present in the orthopoxvirus genome at all. To the authors knowledge, the RAPD technique has never been applied in DNA viruses before and they conclude that this technique is a useful tool for the discrimination of closely related cowpoxviruses.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of different methods for the isolation of Burkholderia cepacia DNA from pure cultures and waste water.

DNA from Burkholderia cepacia was prepared from suspensions of pure cultures and artificially contaminated waste water. The efficacy of four standard methods (lysis buffer containing proteinase K, phenol/chloroform/isoamylalcohol extraction, microwave treatment, heat treatment) and six commercially available kits (Puregene, High Pure PCR Template Preparation Kit, InstaGene, QIAamp Tissue Kit, DNAzol, Elu-Quik) was compared in terms of sensitivity in a subsequent PCR. The results showed that a simple and inexpensive procedure using a lysis buffer containing proteinase K was superior to all other methods tested.

Burkholderia cepacia↗
PubMed2001

Detection and differentiation of old world orthopoxviruses: restriction fragment length polymorphism of the crmB gene region.

A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay was developed to identify and differentiate Old World, African-Eurasian orthopoxviruses (OPV): variola, vaccinia, cowpox, monkeypox, camelpox, ectromelia, and taterapox viruses. The test uses amplicons produced from virus genome DNA by PCR with a consensus primer pair designed from sequences determined for the cytokine response modifier B (crmB) gene of 43 different OPV strains of known taxonomic origin. The primer pair amplified a single specific product from each of the 115 OPV samples tested. Size-specific amplicons identified and differentiated ectromelia and vaccinia virus strains, which contain a truncated crmB gene, and enabled their differentiation from other OPV species. Restriction digests of amplified products allowed the identification and differentiation of variola, monkeypox, camelpox, vaccinia, and cowpox virus species and strains.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

[Veterinarians teaching at schools of agriculture in Germany (up to 1950)--their contribution to animal nutrition].

During the 19th century in Germany mainly veterinarians working at agricultural schools or appointed to veterinary schools from there (for example HAUBNER, ROLOFF, DAMMANN, ALBRECHT, KRONACHER) made considerable contributions to the development of animal nutrition. They disseminated knowledge of feedstuffs and feeding techniques to the interested public at large by books concerning animal husbandry and especially "Gesundheitspflege" (health regimen; Tab. 1). Their experimental work (Tab. 2) extended from digestibility of feedstuffs, Ca-, P- and rumen metabolism (NPN), respectively, to feed intoxications. The interest in preventive measures being stronger at school of agriculture than at veterinary schools probably stimulated this development.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Lack of association of serotonin-2A receptor gene polymorphism (T102C) with suicidal ideation and suicide.

Serotonergic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of affective disorders and suicidality. Especially the density of the 5-HT2A receptor was claimed as being increased in suicidality, proposed as an adaptive upregulation due to reduced serotonergic transmission. Recent studies have shown an association of allele C of the 5-HT2A-T102C polymorphism with suicidal ideation in patients with major depression. The purpose of this study was to test whether this proposed marker indicates susceptibility not only to suicidal ideation in depressed patients but also to suicidality as a syndrome. We investigated the 5-HT2A-T102C polymorphism in 131 suicide victims with unknown underlying psychiatric diagnoses, 84 patients with major depression with or without suicidal ideation, and 125 healthy controls. We were unable to find any association of genotype or allele frequencies to major depression, suicidal ideation, or suicide as a syndrome. Thus, our results suggest that this polymorphism may not commonly be involved in the susceptibility to suicidality. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:831-835, 2000.

Adult↗