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Biomedical subjects

J Braun

Publications and source records attributed to J Braun.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Measuring esophageal motility with a new intraluminal impedance device. First clinical results in reflux patients.

BACKGROUND: The study was undertaken to determine the validity of intraluminal impedance measuring for the diagnosis of esophageal motility disorders in reflux patients. METHODS: A new impedance device was used for the detection of esophageal motility patterns in a prospective study with 10 volunteers and 10 patients with reflux esophagitis grade II-III. Perfused manometry was correlated with the impedance tracings. Test meals were saline and curd in three different preparations with liquid to semisolid viscosity. RESULTS: There was a marked delay in esophageal transport with increasing viscosity of the bolus (p < 0.01). A significant (p < 0.001) delay of the bolus transport in the inflamed esophageal areas was seen in reflux patients. A reduced contractility of the lower esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter was detected by the impedance procedure in reflux patients, indicating that the pathologic motility patterns in reflux esophagitis are most likely secondary to the tissue inflammation. CONCLUSION: We conclude that impedance procedures may give additional significant information about bolus transport and esophageal wall movements.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Reducing restraints. Impact on staff attitudes.

1. Changing the practice of using physical restraints must include nursing staff members as one of the main targets for change. 2. Following education and the implementation of a restraint-reduction program, 58% of the nursing staff participants found restraint use to be less important in caring for the elderly. Changes were more significant, however, immediately after the mandatory inservice program. 3. Nursing staff members whose perceptions changed tended to be registered nurses or licensed practical nurses who had more years of experience and more seniority at work. 4. The provision of ongoing education to nursing staff members is a necessary step to decrease feelings of frustration and stress and to assist the staff in being aware of alternatives to restraints.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[Embryo transfer in horses--current status and future perspectives].

Although foals born after embryo transfer are eligible for registration in the majority of horse breeds, application of embryo transfer is still rare. This is mainly due to the lack of a possibility for superovulation. Uterine stage embryos can be recovered by a non-surgical flushing technique. Transfer can be accomplished by non-surgical as well as surgical methods. In contrast to the situation in cattle, most related technologies are scarcely available. Methods of cryopreservation as well as bisection of embryos are hampered by the fact that suitable embryos (morula) can be collected from the uterus only during a very short period. In vitro production of embryos by in vitro maturation, fertilization and embryo culture is currently under investigation. Progress has been made to establish ultrasound-guided transvaginal oocyte aspiration. These techniques will provide an important stimulus for application of embryo transfer in equine species and enhance our knowledge about reproductive biology in the mare.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The specific antibacterial proliferation of reactive arthritis synovial T cells is not due to their higher proportion of CD45RO+ cells compared to peripheral blood.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of synovial fluid (SF) compared to peripheral blood (PB) CD45RO+ T cells in patients with reactive arthritis (ReA) and undifferentiated oligoarthritis. METHODS: We examined SF and PB of 8 patients with a specific lymphocyte proliferation to Yersinia enterocolitica (n = 5) and Chlamydia trachomatis (n = 3). After depletion of the CD45RA+ T cell subset by dynabeads, the remaining T cells (> 95% CD45RO+) from PB and SF of these patients were again stimulated with these bacterial antigens. RESULTS: The mean stimulation index (SI) of these 8 patients with ReA (n = 5) and undifferentiated oligoarthritis (n = 3) was 30.3 +/- 21.86 in SF compared to 1.36 +/- 0.75 in PB. The enrichment of CD45RO+ cells influenced the antigen specific proliferative response of T cells neither in PB (SI = 1.75 +/- 1.35) nor in SF (26.1 +/- 24.05); the initial difference remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the antigen specific lymphocyte proliferation obtained with SF cells is not due to abundance of nonspecific CD45RO+ T cells but can rather be taken as an indication of specific recognition of local bacterial antigens in ReA.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Abundance of a restricted fetal B cell repertoire in marrow transplant recipients.

Patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation are humorally immunodeficient for one or more years post-transplant. This immunodeficiency could be partially caused by B cell repertoire restriction similar to that observed in ontogeny. To test this idea, the abundance of rearranged genomic segments bearing five variable heavy chain (VH) genes was compared in patients at several timepoints post-transplant and in immunologically normal neonates, infants and adults. The genes evaluated in the study (VH6, VH4-58p2, VH3-56p1, VH3-20p1 and VH3-13-2) were selected from those commonly utilized by fetal B cells. The assay employed quantitative PCR and oligonucleotide hybridization detection under conditions designed to detect relatively unmutated forms of these genes. In blood B cells from early post-transplant (2-5 months) patients, these VH genes were markedly overutilized compared with normal adults. B cells from late post-transplant (6-21 months) patients and from normal neonates and infants also overutilized these genes; however, to a lesser degree than early post-transplant B cells. The data suggest that, as in ontogeny, the B cell repertoire is strikingly restricted to fetal-type VH genes early post-transplant, and may become normal only very late (years) post-transplant.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Effect of seminal plasma on motion characteristics of epididymal and ejaculated stallion spermatozoa during storage at 5 degrees C.

The objective of this experiment was to examine the effect of seminal plasma on motion characteristics of epididymal and ejaculated equine spermatozoa during storage at 5 degrees C. Epididymal spermatozoa were flushed with either seminal plasma or a skim milk-glucose extender. Ejaculated spermatozoa were collected with extender added 10 minutes after semen collection and addition of extender during ejaculation by placing 50 ml extender in the collection bottle. Semen samples were centrifuged and resuspended with a skim milk-glucose extender containing seminal plasma (0, 5 and 25%; v/v), prepared from pooled ejaculates from the semen donors. The percentage of motile spermatozoa and the average path velocity were evaluated by computerized semen analysis before and after centrifugation as well as after 24 and 48 h of cooled storage (5 degrees C). In epididymal samples flushed with seminal plasma versus extender, percentage of motile spermatozoa and spermatozoal velocity ws significantly higher before and after centrifugation but not at 24 and 48 h of cooled storage. Method of semen collection did not influence motility of ejaculated spermatozoa before centrifugation. Adding seminal extender during ejaculation had a significant beneficial effect at 0 and 48 h on the percentage of motile spermatozoa but not average path velocity (25% seminal plasma). There were significant differences between stallions but the stallion/ejaculate-treatment interaction was not significant at 0, 24 and 48 h. Spermatozoal motility during cooled storage of epididymal and ejaculated spermatozoa was significantly better maintained in samples containing 25% versus 0% seminal plasma. Spermatozoal motility during cooled storage was affected after spermatozoa had been exposed to seminal plasma for only 10 min after ejaculation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Principles of therapy in reactive arthritis].

The diagnosis of reactive arthritis relies mainly on the presence of clinical symptoms caused by the initiating infection in the urogenital or enteral tract. An oligoarthritis mainly of the lower limbs occurs 1-6 weeks later. Chlamydia trachomatis and Yersinia enterocolitica are the most frequent triggers of reactive arthritis. Since the infections caused by these microbes are clinically often asymptomatic diagnostic evaluation can be difficult; serology is often nonspecific and cultures are mostly negative. The microscopic detection of bacterial antigens in the joint and the determination of a bacteria specific lymphocyte proliferation in the synovial fluid have changed the pathogenetic concept of reactive arthritis. However, these methods are technically difficult and not suitable for daily routine. There is no indication for short-term antibiotic treatment, as is often prescribed, except in the case of Chlamydia-induced urethritis, which should be treated in any case to prevent the onset or a relapse of reactive arthritis; the sexual partner must also be treated. Long-term therapy with various antibiotic regimens is now being tested in clinical trials. The symptomatic therapy of arthritis comprises physical methods and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; intra-articular administration of corticosteroids is of benefit in some cases. If the arthritis takes a chronic course disease modifying drugs such as sulfasalazine are partly successful; in refractory cases arthroscopic synovectomy may become necessary.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1994

Management of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex and varicella-zoster virus infections.

Persons with AIDS who have CD4+ counts < or = 100 and transplant patients, especially bone marrow allograft recipients, may experience clinically significant infections with acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus (HSV) or varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Patients who have received prior repeated acyclovir treatment appear to be at the highest risk of harboring acyclovir-resistant strains. Algorithms for the management of these infections were developed at a recent roundtable symposium. The consensus of the panelists was that treatment with foscarnet should be initiated within 7-10 days in patients suspected to have acyclovir-resistant HSV or VZV infections. Foscarnet therapy should be continued for at least 10 days or until lesions are completely healed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Effects of HIV infection on VH3 (D12 idiotope) B cells in vivo.

The abnormalities of B lymphocytes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection usually have been attributed to secondary consequences of disturbed immunoregulation. However, recent work has revealed avid binding of HIV gp120 to a conserved immunoglobulin motif unique to the VH3 gene family and the selective gp120-induced activation of VH3 B cells in vitro. This cross-sectional clinical study tests whether HIV infection is associated with a selective response of VH3 B cells in vivo. Levels of blood B cells and serum immunoglobulins (Ig) expressing the D12 idiotope of the VH3 gene family were measured in subjects of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study grouped according to clinical stages of HIV infection. A 3-fold elevation in D12 B cells was observed in HIV seropositive versus seronegative groups. This was selective for the D12 population, since total B cell numbers were identical in the two groups. The levels of D12 B cells and CD4 T cells were significantly correlated, and D12 B cells were markedly reduced in the AIDS group (4- and 10-fold, compared to the seronegative and seropositive groups). Analogous differences were also seen in the levels of serum anti-gp120 D12 Ig. This change in VH3 B cells among groups of HIV-infected individuals provides further evidence identifying gp120 as a VH3 B cell superantigen.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Visual search among items of different salience: removal of visual attention mimics a lesion in extrastriate area V4.

In more than one respect, visual search for the most salient or the least salient item in a display are different kinds of visual tasks. The present work investigated whether this difference is primarily one of perceptual difficulty, or whether it is more fundamental and relates to visual attention. Display items of different salience were produced by varying either size, contrast, color saturation, or pattern. Perceptual masking was employed and, on average, mask onset was delayed longer in search for the least salient item than in search for the most salient item. As a result, the two types of visual search presented comparable perceptual difficulty, as judged by psychophysical measures of performance, effective stimulus contrast, and stability of decision criterion. To investigate the role of attention in the two types of search, observers attempted to carry out a letter discrimination and a search task concurrently. To discriminate the letters, observers had to direct visual attention at the center of the display and, thus, leave unattended the periphery, which contained target and distractors of the search task. In this situation, visual search for the least salient item was severely impaired while visual search for the most salient item was only moderately affected, demonstrating a fundamental difference with respect to visual attention. A qualitatively identical pattern of results was encountered by Schiller and Lee (1991), who used similar visual search tasks to assess the effect of a lesion in extrastriate area V4 of the macaque.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The evolutionarily conserved ribosomal protein L23 and the cationic urease beta-subunit of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 belong to the immunodominant antigens in Yersinia-triggered reactive arthritis: implications for autoimmunity.

BACKGROUND: Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a T cell mediated inflammatory process. The immune response is primarily directed against a triggering organism, although autoimmunity has been invoked in long-lasting, antibiotic-resistant disease. Although a variety of different species are known to trigger Reactive arthritis, the clinical manifestations are strikingly similar as well as closely associated to the HLA-B27 (70%). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Various antigenic fractions and single antigens of Yersinia enterocolitica were prepared, and their immunological activity was assessed by proliferation of synovial fluid mononuclear cells from 10 Reactive arthritis patients. The gene encoding one hitherto unknown antigen has been sequenced. Nonapeptides deduced from sequences of the target antigens were tested in an assembly assay. RESULTS: Two immunodominant proteins of Yersinia enterocolitica were found, one being the urease beta-subunit and the other the 50 S ribosomal protein L23. The latter has been sequenced and belongs to the evolutionarily conserved ribosomal proteins with homology to procaryotes and eucaryotes. One nonapeptide derived from the urease beta-subunit was identified as a possible epitope for HLA-B27-restricted cytotoxic T cells by its high affinity. This epitope is also highly conserved. CONCLUSION: Sharing of conserved immunodominant proteins between different disease triggering microorganisms could provide an explanation of the shared clinical picture in Reactive arthritis. Moreover, autoimmunity in Reactive arthritis might be mediated by antigen mimicry between evolutionarily conserved epitopes of ribosomal proteins and their host analogs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Immunoglobulin VH3 gene products: natural ligands for HIV gp120.

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) depletes T cells expressing CD4 and B cells expressing immunoglobulin (Ig) VH3 gene products. A subpopulation of normal B cells from non-HIV-infected individuals was shown to bind to HIV gp120 by means of membrane Ig; most of these B cells expressed VH3 family Ig. Serum VH3 IgM from uninfected individuals also avidly bound gp120. Finally, gp120 selectively induced Ig secretion by VH3 B cells, indicating that the binding of gp120 functionally activated these cells. These results indicate that naturally occurring VH3 Ig is a second ligand for gp120 and a candidate superantigen for VH3 B cells.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Congenital muscular dystrophy with neurological abnormalities: association with Hirschsprung disease.

We report on a baby girl with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) with neurological abnormalities ("CMD Plus" condition), who also had Hirschsprung disease. This association may indicate a category of congenital muscular dystrophy with involvement of the visceral nervous system. We propose that Hirschsprung disease be added to the list of anomalies pertaining to the "CMD Plus" array, and that CMD should be considered when Hirschsprung disease occurs with central nervous system anomalies.

Brain↗