Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J De Boer

Publications and source records attributed to J De Boer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Raman spectroscopy of tissue samples irradiated by protons.

PURPOSE: Since the number of cancer patients treated by proton irradiation has increased in the last few years, it seems appropriate to study dose-dependent effects of proton irradiation on mammalian tissues in more detail. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue samples of normal skin of mouse and swine, of a human tumour model xenograph, and of normal skin and a skin tumour (basal cell carcinoma) of a human patient of about 1 mm thickness were irradiated by 24 MeV protons (uniform delivered doses of 1, 7 and 50 Gy: skin of mouse and a human tumour model xenograph, and 0.5, 5 and 50 Gy: swine and human skin). Raman spectra of non-irradiated and irradiated samples were recorded and analysed. RESULTS: Amide I, P=O and C-O bond vibrations and aromatics were sensitive to the proton irradiation dose. In the C-H stretching region, the irradiation-mediated change of Raman spectra was significant only in the case of the skin tumour. CONCLUSIONS: It has been shown that Raman spectroscopy is suited to assess the radiation damage done to biological samples by protons. Proteins of the human skin tumour seem to be more sensitive to proton irradiation than proteins of normal human skin.

Animals↗

Comparison of 99mTc-sestamibi-18F-fluorodeoxyglucose dual isotope simultaneous acquisition and rest-stress 99mTc-sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography for the assessment of myocardial viability.

Dual isotope simultaneous acquisition single photon emission computed tomography (DISA SPECT) offers the advantage of obtaining information on myocardial perfusion using Tc-sestamibi ( Tc-MIBI) and metabolism using F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( F-FDG) in a single study. The prerequisite is that the Tc-MIBI images are not degraded by scattered 511 keV photons or poor count statistics due to the lower efficiency of the extra high energy (EHE) collimator. Therefore, we compared the registered Tc-MIBI uptake and image quality of DISA and single isotope acquisition. Furthermore, we investigated whether DISA yields additional information for the assessment of myocardial viability in comparison with rest-stress Tc-MIBI. Nineteen patients with known coronary artery disease and irreversible perfusion defects on previous rest-stress MIBI test studies were investigated. After oral glucose loading and simultaneous injection of 600 MBq of Tc-MIBI and 185 MBq of F-FDG at rest, DISA was performed using energy windows of 140 (+/-15%), 170 (+/-20%) and 511 keV (+/-15%). Planar 140 keV images were corrected for scatter by subtraction using the 170 keV window. The single and dual isotope Tc-MIBI images were both displayed in a polar map with 128 segments normalized to maximum counts. F-FDG and Tc-MIBI images were visually scored for a perfusion-metabolism mismatch pattern using nine regions per heart. There was an excellent correlation (r =0.93, P<0.0001) between the Tc-MIBI uptake detected in the single and dual isotope acquisition. The average difference between the dual and single isotope Tc-MIBI uptake was -1.2% (not significantly different from zero) and the coefficient of variation of the difference was 8.7%. Of the 79 regions with irreversible perfusion defects on previous rest-stress Tc-MIBI, six regions in five patients showed a perfusion-metabolism mismatch pattern. We conclude that DISA does not affect the quality of the Tc-MIBI images. Furthermore, F-FDG- Tc-MIBI DISA may show viability in a small but significant (7.6%, P<0.0034) number of regions with irreversible perfusion defects on rest-stress Tc-MIBI.

Adult↗

A shared care approach to the management of erectile dysfunction in the community.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects men of all ages and results in considerable distress and impact on quality of life for those who suffer from it. As ED is associated with a wide variety of under-lying conditions and cardiovascular co-morbidities, there is a requirement for diversity of treatment options and several factors must be considered to customise and optimise therapy. In the ideal holistic approach to management of the ED patient, both primary care and specialist physicians have an important role to play. This article reports on a sequential approach for the diagnosis and treatment of ED, with an emphasis on 'shared care'. The deliberations are based on a pan-European inter-disciplinary group that met at the Lygon Arms, UK on 22 February 2002.

Erectile Dysfunction↗

Order in chaos: modelling medical management in disasters.

The medical aspects of disaster management, also referred to as disaster medicine, is a relatively new medical specialty, the roots of which are to be found in war surgery and traumatology. The main content of disaster medicine is based on empiricism. During the past couple of years, a mathematical approach to some aspects has been added. This may well result in the creation of some order in chaos. This modelling of medical disaster management is important not only in the preparedness phase, but also during the disaster itself and its evaluation. This may in turn result in a decrease in mortality, morbidity and disability amongst disaster casualties.

Disaster Planning↗

Effects of endogenous superoxide anion and nitric oxide on cholinergic constriction of normal and hyperreactive guinea pig airways.

In a guinea pig model of allergic asthma, we have recently established that a deficiency of nitric oxide (NO) contributes to the increased ex vivo responsiveness of isolated perfused tracheae to methacholine after the early asthmatic reaction at 6 h after inhalational challenge of the animals with ovalbumin aerosol. Because this deficiency could be caused by a reaction of NO with enhanced levels of inflammation-induced superoxide anion (O-2), we examined the effect of endogenous O-2 on the regulation of methacholine-induced constriction by NO of intact perfused tracheal tube preparations from unchallenged (control) guinea pigs and from animals 6 h after ovalbumin challenge. In the presence of the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 microM), tracheae obtained from unchallenged guinea pigs showed a 1.7-fold increase in the maximal response to intraluminally applied methacholine (p < 0.05). By contrast, the maximal airway response to methacholine was significantly decreased in the presence of the O-2 scavenger superoxide dismutase (SOD; 100 U/ml), by approximately 45% (p < 0.01). The SOD-induced decrease in responsiveness to methacholine was reversed by L-NAME. Tracheal preparations obtained at 6 h after allergen challenge showed a 1. 8-fold increased responsiveness to intraluminally applied methacholine compared with controls (p < 0.001), which was not further enhanced in the presence of L-NAME. SOD had neither an effect on the increased responsiveness nor did it restore the potentiating effect of L-NAME. These results indicate that (1) in normoreactive tracheal preparations, the regulatory role of NO is partially counteracted by endogenous O-2, and ( 2) the deficiency of NO in hyperreactive tracheae obtained at 6 h after ovalbumin challenge is not caused by its reaction with O-2, but rather to decreased cNOS activity. De Boer J, Pouw FMH, Zaagsma J, Meurs H. Effects of endogenous superoxide anion and nitric oxide on cholinergic constriction of normal and hyperreactive guinea pig airways.

Administration, Inhalation↗

In vivo monitoring of lactate and glucose with microdialysis and enzyme reactors in intensive care medicine.

Methods for the monitoring of glucose and lactate in intensive care units (ICU) based on microdialysis and continuous flow enzyme reactions plus some in vitro and in vivo characteristics of the probes used and the detection systems are described. Two microdialysis techniques were developed for clinical use: in sepsis patients a subcutaneous device for lactate monitoring was placed and in prematurely born infants a transcutaneous device was used for nearly non-invasive sampling of glucose from the skin. There was a relatively strong relationship between transcutaneously sampled and blood glucose in the neonates, on the other hand the relationship between subcutaneously sampled and blood lactate was highly significant but relatively weak. These results and our preliminary results obtained with transcutaneous ethanol monitoring (not presented here) show that in vivo possibilities of our techniques depend on the location of the sampling/detection devices and the chemical nature of the analyte, because these properties determine diffusion characteristics in vivo. The present approach may be an alternative to the use of the more integrated biosensor technology in vivo, since it avoids major problems related to biocompatibility.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Application of transcutaneous microdialysis and continuous flow analysis for on-line glucose monitoring in newborn infants.

The combination of a transcutaneous microdialysis probe and continuous flow analysis was tested for continuous glucose monitoring in eight newborn infants who were fed intravenously. The probe was placed on the skin, which was first stripped with cellophane tape to increase the skin permeability. The skin was stripped until the transepidermal water loss reached values greater than 80 gm/m2/hr. Dialysate concentrations were monitored for 165 minutes while the blood glucose concentrations were manipulated by changing the infusion rate of glucose. Blood glucose concentration was linearly related to the dialysate concentration. Because the dialysate/blood glucose ratio varied among the infants, the dialysate concentration was calibrated to estimated blood values with a single-point and a multiple-point calibration method. The latter method yielded more accurate estimates of the blood values. We conclude that transcutaneous microdialysis may be used for glucose monitoring in newborn infants.

Blood Glucose↗

Microdialysis probe for transcutaneous monitoring of ethanol and glucose in humans.

A heated (42 degrees C) microdialysis probe and its application for continuous transcutaneous sampling of ethanol and glucose through cellophane-stripped forearm skin are described. Ethanol and glucose concentration in the dialysate were measured on-line with continuous-flow analysis and compared with blood values in human volunteers after ethanol consumption (n = 4) and oral glucose testing (n = 5), respectively. For ethanol and glucose, the dialysate and blood concentrations were linearly related in each subject (r > or = 0.91, P < 0.005), although the dialysate-to-blood ratio varied among subjects. The recovery in vivo was 22.4 +/- 22.7 and 4.7 +/- 2.3% (SD) of the recovery in vitro for ethanol and glucose, respectively. The dialysate glucose concentration was independent of blood flow. When the probe temperature was increased from 32 to 42 degrees C, the dialysate-to-blood glucose ratio increased, with 2.4 +/- 1.4%/degrees C (SD) in fasting subjects (n = 4), which was similar to an increase of 2.1 +/- 0.045%/degree C in dialysate-to-medium ratio in vitro. The present approach for transcutaneous sampling may possibly be used for other substances of low molecular weight as well.

Adult↗

IgG- and IgE-mediated histamine release from superfused guinea-pig airway tissues.

Anaphylactic histamine release and the inhibition by the beta-adrenoceptor agonist fenoterol has been investigated using lung and tracheal tissues from two groups of guinea-pigs, differently sensitized to respond with IgG or IgE antibodies, respectively. A superfusion method was introduced and compared with classical batch incubation. The difference between IgG- and IgE-mediated histamine release during superfusion of both tissues was much greater than the difference obtained during batch-incubations. Fenoterol inhibited IgG-mediated histamine release during superfusion at lower concentrations and to a larger extent than the release from IgE-sensitized tissues. The inhibition by fenoterol was less pronounced after batch-wise incubations, preincubation at 0 degrees C abolished the quantitative difference of IgG- and IgE-mediated histamine release from lung slices as well as the difference in beta-adrenergic inhibition. It is concluded that the new superfusion procedure for airway tissues enhances the sensitivity of antigen-induced histamine release for pharmacological modulation, compared with batch-wise incubation. In addition, the effects of 0 degrees C pretreatment show that cooled transport and storage of airway tissue should be considered with care.

Animals↗

Heptachlor epoxide in marine mammals.

The presence of heptachlor epoxide in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) has been confirmed by chemical derivatization and mass spectrometric analyses. An unknown compound at a retention time close to half of heptachlor epoxide interfered in the determination by electron capture detector-gas chromatography. On a WCOT CP-Sil 7 column programmed from 85 to 175 degree C two poorly separated peaks could be detected. Heptachlor epoxide contents up to 1.7 mg/kg (on a fat basis) were obtained, which were about 200 times lower than the PCB levels. The same ratio was also observed in fish from the same area.

Animals↗

Computer-assisted karyotyping with human interaction.

A system for machine assisted karyotyping and chromosome analysis has been developed. The system uses a drum- or TV-scanner as input device, runs provisionally in 32 K memory, and also allows human interaction on several stages. The accuracy with which banded chromosomes are karyotyped depends strongly on the type of classifier and varies from 40 up to 80%. The accuracy of the human assisted classifier (98%) comes close to that of a skilled technician (99.5%) using manual chromosomal analysis. Due to technical and memory limitations, the time necessary for the karyotyping of one cell is too long and depends on the interaction time; however karyotyping within 5 min, including human interaction, will be possible in the near future.

Chromosomes↗