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Biomedical subjects

J Auer

Publications and source records attributed to J Auer.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

[Gastrointestinal hemorrhage needing blood transfusion as the first manifestation of small bowel carcinoid tumor].

Carcinoid tumors arise from enterochromaffin or enterochromaffin-like cells that are present in the gastrointestinal tract, ovaries, and lungs. Over 90% of carcinoids originate in the gastrointestinal tract with the most common sites in order of frequency being the appendix, terminal ileum, rectum, and the remainder of the colon. Gastroduodenal and pancreatic carcinoids are infrequent. Carcinoid syndrome is associated with small intestine carcinoids in about 40%. Common symptoms include intermittent intestinal obstruction with crampy abdominal pain and vomiting, and weight loss. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding with melaena or hematochezia is a relatively rare early symptom of patients with small intestine carcinoid tumors. We report on a 69-year-old man, treated with acenocoumarol for previous thromboembolic complications of hereditary protein S deficiency. He was admitted to hospital because of an acute episode of hematochezia followed by melaena. Endoscopic evaluation of esophagus, stomach, duodenum and colonoscopy revealed no apparent source of bleeding. Selective angiographic evaluation of mesenterial arteries showed pathologic vasculature approximately in mid jejunum. Laparotomy revealed bleeding from a small submucosal malignant carcinoid tumor in small intestine and multiple large metastases within mesenteric tissue. Segmental resection of small intestine and exstirpation of the metastatic masses was performed. Postoperative period was uneventful. Cytotoxic chemotherapy in this adjuvant setting has not been recommended. Small intestinal carcinoid tumor has to be considered as a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding with melaena or hematochezia. Nevertheless, bleeding is a relatively rare early symptom of patients with small intestine carcinoid tumor.

Acenocoumarol↗

["Myocardium in hibernation"--implications for clinical medicine].

Myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of heart failure. Medical therapy of heart failure is effective in reduction of morbidity and mortality. In spite of intensive pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, prognosis of advanced heart failure remains poor. Fibrinolytics and other adjuvant medical strategies have improved prognosis of acute myocardial infarction with a significant reduction in mortality and morbidity. 40% of myocardial segments involved in acute ischemia during myocardial infarction show characteristics of postischemic functional disorder and contraction abnormalities despite reperfusion. Recovery can be observed in the following period spontaneously or after revascularisation procedures when chronic ischemic myocardium can be detected. Presence of viable jeopardized myocardium worsens prognosis and overall outcome in patients with myocardial ischemia and impaired left ventricular function. Revascularisation procedures improve angina functional class, symptoms from heart failure, exercise capacity and survival in patients with impaired left ventricular ejection fraction in the presence of severe coronary artery stenoses and viability of myocardial segments with ischemia-induced contractile dysfunction.

Heart↗

[Analysis of referral diagnoses of patients with normal coronary angiogram].

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Angiography permits an evaluation of the morphology of the coronary artery, stratification of risk and optimal therapeutic management in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). The sophisticated apparatus, cost and invasiveness of the procedure necessitate well-considered application of this method. In spite of an exact documentation of the patient's medical history and careful establishment of the indication, the results of angiography are often normal. Therefore, it appears important to analyse the referral diagnoses in patients with normal coronary angiograms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 1000 consecutive patients (625 men, 375 women, mean age 63.1 years) who underwent coronary angiography at our institution from January to May 1998. All patients were included in the retrospective analysis of the referral diagnoses. RESULTS: 875 patients (554 men, 321 women) were referred due to suspected CAD; 173 of these had normal angiographic findings (20%; 73 men, 100 women; mean age 58.4 years). The referral diagnoses were as follows: unstable angina in 62 patients (36%), stable angina in 40 patients (23%), chest pain and pathological findings of non-invasive testing in 32 patients (19%), atypical chest pain in 25 patients (14%), previous myocardial infarction and multiple risk factors in 7 patients each (4% each). Gender-related differences were remarkable. Only 73 of the 554 referred men (13%) had normal angiographic findings, whereas in women the rate of normal results was more than twofold higher, i.e. 100 of the 321 referred women (31%) had normal angiographic findings (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Among 875 patients referred to our catheter laboratory for coronary angiography due to suspected CAD, normal angiographic results were documented in 20%. The high frequency of the referral diagnosis 'unstable angina' and 'pathological result of noninvasive testing' was as remarkable as the high proportion of women among patients with normal findings.

Adult↗

Quantitative real-time PCR for equine cytokine mRNA in nondecalcified bone tissue embedded in methyl methacrylate.

Specific amplification and quantitation of nucleic acid sequences by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been extensively used for the detection of viral infection and gene expression. Although successful amplification of DNA and RNA sequences extracted from paraffin embedded tissue have been described, there are presently no reports available regarding RNA analysis from bone and calcified tissues embedded in hydrophobic acrylic resin. Here we describe a general method for quantitation of specific mRNA sequences extracted from undecalcified bone sections, fixed in paraformaldehyde, and embedded in a hydrophobic acrylic resin. Total RNA was extracted from defined regions of single 50 microm sawed sections. These RNA preparations are suitable for quantitative PCR analysis of mRNA of different cytokines. In addition, the universally expressed housekeeping GAPDH mRNA proved to be useful as an amplification control and to correct for the degree of RNA degradation, which may vary considerably among samples. Reverse transcribed mRNA was amplified and quantitated in Real-Time PCR using a fluorescein labeled internal TaqMan probe.

Animals↗

[Clinical presentation and coronary angiographic results in unstable angina pectoris].

The syndrome "unstable angina" (UA) covers a broad spectrum of patients. In this study we tried to determine the relationship between the severity of UA and angiographic findings. We evaluated 1000 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. Those with the clinical diagnosis "UA" were included in the study. In a retrospective analysis of their records we categorized them, using the Braunwald-classification for determination of the severity of the disease. 352 patients were include, 209 men and 143 women, the mean age was 65 years. 47% met Braunwald-Class I, 26% Class II and 27% Class III. Coronary single-vessel disease was present in 29%, two-vessel disease in 20%, three-vessel disease in 25%, normal coronaries in 13% and coronary atherosclerosis without critical narrowing in 13%. Left ventricular function was preserved in 72%, mild systolic dysfunction was found in 10%, moderate in 13% and severe in 5%. There was no overall correlation between clinical presentation (Braunwald-Classes) and angiographic findings. Women showed a similar distribution of Braunwald-Classes, but significantly more coronary arteries without critical obstruction. In patients with reduced systolic function the percentage of multi-vessel disease was significantly higher, the percentage without relevant coronary artery narrowing was significantly lower. 1) The lack of overall correlation between clinical presentation and angiographic findings supports the importance of coronary angiography in the evaluation of patients with UA. 2) The assessment of women with chest pain is more difficult than of men with regard to coronary heart disease. 3) UA in patients with impaired left ventricular function is a predictor of severe coronary artery disease.

Aged↗

[Therapy of heart failure with ACE inhibitors--"evidence-based medicine" and clinical reality].

Treatment of patients with chronic heart failure improves symptoms and NYHA functional class in about 50-80% of all patients treated. A 15% reduction can be observed in the need for hospitalisation and a 16-31% reduction in 1-year mortality. 37% risk reduction for progression to symptomatic heart failure can be achieved with ACE-inhibition in asymptomatic patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction (55). Thus, ACE-inhibition should be part of standard treatment in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with left ventricular dysfunction. In symptomatic patients with chronic heart failure, combination therapy of an ACE-inhibitor with digitalis and diuretics is state of the art and improves symptoms significantly. The addition of a vasodilatator can be considered in selected cases. Based on recently published data on beta-adrenoreceptor-blockade in the treatment of chronic heart failure, beta-blockers seem to get part of standard therapy of heart failure in the present and near future (2, 44, 50, 60). In spite of innovations of modern heart failure therapy prognosis is still bad. Survival after diagnosis of severe heart failure (functional class NYHA III and IV) is limited to a mean of 14 month.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

[AL amyloidosis--a hematologic disease with initial cardiac manifestation. 2 case reports].

Cardiac involvement in AL-amyloidosis due to a multiple myeloma is present in up to 90% of cases. We present two patients with cardiac symptoms in whom a hematologic disease could be diagnosed because of suspicious cardiac finding. The leading symptom was dyspnea. The routinely performed laboratory tests, especially the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the electrophoresis, were normal. After exclusion of coronary artery disease an infiltrative cardiomyopathy was suspected because of the echocardiographic examination with marked left ventricular hypertrophy, the restrictive flow pattern at the mitral valve and the electrocardiogram with a low voltage in limb leads and absent R waves in left precordial leads. Further, hematologic workup confirmed the production of light chains due to a myeloma. If the echocardiographic examination and the electrocardiogram raises the suspicion of an infiltrative cardiomyopathy as the cause of dyspnea, an immunofixation should be done in spite of normal laboratory tests to confirm or rule out the presence of a light chain disease due to a myeloma.

Amyloid↗

Sperm-associated and circulating IgA and IgG classes of antibodies recognise different antigens on the human sperm plasma membrane.

IgA and IgG antibodies eluted from the surface of spermatozoa obtained from 11 infertile men were used to analyse the antigens defined by each class of sperm-associated antibodies. An enhanced chemiluminescent Western blot technique was developed to detect the low concentrations of immunoglobulins present in the eluted samples. The same analysis was performed with the sperm membrane-specific antibodies isolated from the sera of 8 of the patients included in the study. Sperm-eluted antibodies reacted with a total of 18 protein bands migrating with molecular masses of between 110 and 18 kDa. Individual antibody-binding patterns differed. Furthermore, IgA and IgG antibodies from any one patient recognised different sets of antigens. In spite of the apparent heterogeneity of the antigens defined by sperm-associated antibodies, the majority of these antibodies reacted with three protein zones of 68/64, 37/36 and 20/18 kDa. The antigens defined by the sperm surface-specific antibodies obtained from the sera of eight infertile patients differed from one patient to another and, in the majority of the patients, differed from those defined by the corresponding sperm-associated antibodies. Nevertheless, two protein zones of 68/64 and 20/18 kDa were recognised by both local and systemic antibodies in 6 and 4 patients, respectively.

Antibody Specificity↗

Full-lenth cloning, expression and cellular localization of rat plasmolipin mRNA, a proteolipid of PNS and CNS.

We have isolated a 1.476 bp cDNA (NTII11) representing a transcript that is differntially expressed during sciatic nerve development and regeneration in the rat. Nucleotide sequence comparison indicates partial identity with a recently isolated plasmolipin cDNA. However, our clone extends the published sequence by 234 bp at the 5' end and predicts a protein that contains an additional 25 amino acids at th N-terminus. The open reading frame of th NTII11 transcript encodes a 19.4 kDa protein with four putative transmembrane domains. Northern blot analyses revealed a tissue-specific expression was confirmed by in situ hybridization, and cellular localization of plasmolipin mRNA was demonstrated in Schwann cells of the sciatic nerve and in glial cells of myelinated brain structures. The steady-state levels of plasmolipin mRNA were markedly altered (i) during development of sciatic nerve and brain. (ii) after sciatic nerve injury, and (ii) in cured Schwann cells maintained under different conditions of cell growth and arrest. Our data indicate a function of plasmolipin during myelination in the central as well as in the peripheral nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of human sperm surface glycoproteins by sperm membrane-specific autoantibodies.

In order to identify the surface antigens of human spermatozoa recognized by the sera of immune infertile men, sperm membrane-specific antibodies were obtained from three serum samples exhibiting high titres of antibodies with different sperm-binding patterns. Serum antibodies were adsorbed onto normal motile spermatozoa and subsequently eluted from the sperm membrane. Using the immunoblotting technique under renaturating conditions, the sperm-eluted antibodies were tested against an electrophoretically fractionated sperm membrane preparation. A total of 15 protein bands ranging from 110 to 16 kDa were defined, but the immunoblot profiles differed quantitatively and qualitatively from one serum to another. Only two polypeptides were recognized by the three sperm membrane-specific antibody preparations; one of 90 kDa and another of 110 kDa. Blots were also used for the affinodetection of specific oligosaccharide side chains. Three lectins were tested (concanavalin A, Pisum sativum, and wheat germ agglutinin). Of the 15 protein zones recognized by the antibodies, 11 bound at least one lectin and should contain glycopeptides with oligosaccharides of four different types: N-linked biantennary complex type, N-linked fucosylated complex type, N-linked lactosaminyl complex type with terminal sialic acid and polysialyl type oligosaccharides. Further analysis of these glycoproteins will be pursued with sperm-associated antibodies eluted from the ejaculates of infertile men in order to define those with a potential role in the fertilization process.

Autoantibodies↗

Age and dialysis.

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Age Factors↗