Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Ott.
Extra-articular calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition is not rare, but physical disability is nevertheless unusual in such cases. We report the case of an elderly female with calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease, who presented with multiple tendon ruptures. The origin of the crystals and the mechanism of the rupture are discussed.
Joint symptoms may be the first manifestations of juxta-articular osteoid osteoma; therefore, diagnosis may be difficult. We report the case of a young athlete who presented an osteoid osteoma of the distal part of the femur. Correct diagnosis was delayed by the presence of a pathological mid-patellar plica synovialis and the absence of modifications on standard X-rays.
The authors report the case of a young man with isolated radiological sclerosis of the anterior arch of the atlas, probably of dysplastic origin. The differential diagnosis of this aspect is discussed.
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Osteoporosis has rarely been related to the use of cytostatic drugs. We report the case of a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia who presented several non-traumatic vertebral fractures, most likely related to the use of Busulfan. This occurrence inclines us to propose further investigation of this rare adverse reaction.
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Here we investigated the applicability of a computer-aided video-tracking as a method for evaluating potential deficits of neural information processing in patients with AIDS and those showing only positive HIV-seroreactivity. Video-tracking was accompanied with a simultaneous recording of EEG. Eight HIV-positive asymptomatic volunteers and eight AIDS-patients with cerebral manifestation of the disease participated in the pilot study. Two groups of eight normals each served as a control. Video-tracking performance of the HIV-positive volunteers and AIDS-patients significantly differed (p less than 0.05) from those of the healthy volunteers. Although the AIDS-patients' performance tended to be worse than that of the HIV-group, this difference was not significant. Power spectrum analysis of the EEG-data indicated that the diminished performance of the two test groups (AIDS and HIV-positives), accompanied by an increased spectral power across the entire frequency range measured in the study, could be an expression of an enhanced synchronization in cortical neuronal networks. The synchronization in turn could be a sign of possible organic brain damage resulting from HIV-infection. In conclusion, we suppose that video-tracking measures parameters which may indicate early deficits of information processing in CNS.
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Eight idiopathic or postmenopausal osteoporotic patients were studied prospectively over a 4- to 6-year period of treatment with fluoride, calcium, phosphate and vitamin D. After fluoride and phosphate were discontinued they were followed up for a further 6-year period.
In a pharmacopsychological study, memory impairments after single oral doses of benzodiazepines or placebo were investigated in 40 healthy men aged 20-40 years. The study was designed as a double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. Four independent groups of 10 subjects randomly received either 1 mg lormetazepam, 2 mg lormetazepam, 2 mg flunitrazepam, or placebo. The tests consisted of word lists, picture tests, and syllable pairs (consonant-vowel-consonant trigrams). Tests were performed before drug ingestion, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 h after application. Different test versions were used on each occasion. The target variables were immediate recall (after presentation and a 10-s distraction task) and delayed recall and recognition (after 30 min). Recognition was also tested after 24 h for all five versions. A distinction must be made between anterograde amnesic effects and retrograde amnesic effects. The greatest anterograde memory impairments were observed after 2 mg flunitrazepam (p less than 0.05). Lormetazepam 2 mg produced less marked impairments than flunitrazepam. Results after 1 mg lormetazepam did not differ from those after placebo. Performance in the memory tests was better under benzodiazepines than under placebo as regards material learned before drug ingestion, i.e. the benzodiazepines had not negative retrograde amnestic effects, but rather "promnesic" effects. The results suggest that the extent of the benzodiazepines' amnesic effects--both negative (anterograde) and positive (retrograde)--depends on the dosage and type of substance.
A screening study was carried out in normal elderly volunteers to determine 1. their scores in measures of memory and information processing 2. how the measures correlate with sample characteristics 3. how the measures correlate with each other and with the EEG. We report here on 111 subjects, 56 women and 55 men aged 53-77 years (63.9 +/- 6.8) with average intelligence (Coloured Progressive Matrices CPM 26.7 +/- 5.1). In the C-normed measures of the word list from the Nuremberg Geriatric Inventory (NGI) our sample scored better than average (immediate recall of words C = 7.5, delayed recall of words C = 8.2; mean C = 5). The sample even attained ceiling scores in the test of recognition. The sample likewise had a better than average speed in a color-word test (CWT) of focused attention similar to the Stroop test (e.g., reading C = 7.5, color-naming C = 6.7, interference task C = 6.3) and in the ZVT trail-making test (C = 7.0). In contrast, speed-free focused attention was only average (C = 5.2 and C = 5.5). The following sample characteristics correlated with test measures of memory and information processing (p less than 0.01): age negatively with immediate recall, trail making, incidental episodic memory, focused attention, speed in the CWT; intelligence correlated positively with 10-min adding which relies on working memory (Pauli test) and immediate recall; education correlated positively with delayed recall, visual memory performance in a figures test, immediate recall, and reading speed in the CWT; occupation correlated positively with figures test performance; exercise of profession correlated positively with incidental episodic memory and immediate recall. Age and occupation correlated more with motor measures than with cognitive measures (pegboard, 1 min tapping at maximal speed). Sex had no bearing on memory characteristics, but did on tracking (men better) and color-naming performance in the CWT (women better). Of the semiluxuries, only regular alcohol consumption showed a relationship with the test measures (negatively with color-naming speed, immediate recall, and pegboard performance). Analysis of memory and information processing measures revealed no correlations (r greater than or equal to 0.40) between memory measures from the word list, Pauli test, figures test, and learning. Measures of the CWT correlated with Pauli test and pegboard. ZVT score was the variable with the most correlations (CWT, Pauli test, pegboard). A factor analysis with a reduced set of variables should further clarify the inner structure of our subject's performance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The distribution and the projection patterns of olivo-cochlear neurons (OCN) was studied in three species of gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus, Meriones tristrami, Pachyuromys duprasi) using fluorescent tracers (Fast blue, Diamidino yellow) in double labeling experiments. In all gerbil species up to 1600 retrogradely labeled neurons were found in the superior olivary complex. Small OCN were located inside or at the margins of the lateral superior olive. A second set of larger OCN was seen bilaterally in the periolivary region of the superior olivary complex forming an independent cell population within the trapezoid body. The exact locations of small and large OCN varied among the particular species. Quantitative results suggested that a gradual loss of large OCN might be a general feature of species with highly specialized frequency selectivity.
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The role of preoperative anxiety in perioperative adaptation is viewed in two different ways. Janis suggested that anxiety is a drive that evokes the cognitive work of worrying. Leventhal stresses the importance of coping behavior for adaptation, while anxiety may or may not accompany this coping process. Both theories have empirical support. The aim of this study was to determine whether both theories could show empirical support because the scientists chose different methods: Janis used interviews, Leventhal and Lazarus anxiety scales. The study analyzed the pre- and postoperative emotional reactions of surgical patients with three different methods of anxiety measurement: an anxiety scale, a fear thermometer, and a psychoanalytic interview (Gottschalk-Gleser content analysis method). The different methods were compared and related to the adaptation behavior (Table 3). The data showed a clear interaction between the selected methods and respective theories about the effects of preoperative anxiety on intra- and postoperative adaptation. The anxiety scales showed no correlation with adaptation behavior (blood pressure and heart rate during surgery; postoperative pain medication) and were not related to the anxiety scores obtained from the interview (content analysis). On the other hand, the interview anxiety measurements showed a clear relationship between separation anxiety (and also shame anxiety), physiological excitement during surgery (increase in heart rate), and postoperative medication (increased analgesics and tranquilizers). The patients who worried about the risks of surgery (Verletzungsangst, see Fig. 3) had very good perioperative adjustment, so that the quality of anxiety measured in the interview was very important for the prediction of adaptation.
Retinae from species of six orders of mammals (table 1) were processed by an on-the-slide neurofibrillar staining method to establish whether alpha-type ganglion cells are generally present in placental mammals. Alpha cells of the domestic cat, where they were first defined as a type, are used as a standard of reference. Alpha cells were found in all the twenty species examined; characteristically they have the largest somata and large dendritic fields with a typical branching pattern. In keeping with the common morphology there are inner and outer stratifying subpopulations and therefore a presumptive 'on-centre' and 'off-centre' responsiveness to light. Depending on the species, alpha cells form between 1 and 4% of the ganglion-cell population and their dendritic fields cover the retina three to four times. The morphology of alpha ganglion cells, and many of their quantitative features, are conserved in mammals coming from different habitats and having a wide variety of behaviours. Because it is known different habitats and having a wide variety of behaviours. Because it is known from the cat that alpha ganglion cells have brisk-transient or Y receptive fields it is possible that all placental mammals possess this physiological system.