Alveolar echinococcosis, a serious and often fatal human disease, can be efficiently cured only by complete surgical resection of the Echinococcus multilocularis lesion. The present study showed that the determination in patients who had undergone surgery of antibody activity directed against the antigen Em2 reliably reflected complete or incomplete surgical resection. From 9 patients with pre-operative positive results in the Em2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Em2-ELISA) and successful surgical resection, 6 converted to negative within one year and the remaining 3 patients within 4 years after surgery. Six of 7 additional patients who showed recurrences in an average of 6 years after surgery despite assumed complete surgical resection, were positive by Em2-ELISA at the time of recurrence. Discrimination was not possible between these 2 groups of patients when using an ELISA employing crude antigen obtained from E. granulosus hydatid cyst fluid.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnostic detection of Taenia saginata copro-antigens in humans.

An immunodiagnostic sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of soluble Taenia saginata antigens in stool samples (copro-antigens) of infected humans, using affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies obtained from rabbits hyperimmunized with excretory/secretory antigens derived from T. saginata maintained in vitro. Investigation of operating characteristics showed very low cross-reactivity with crude antigens from helminths other than Taenia, including Dipylidium caninum and Diphyllobothrium latum. The specificity of the assay was 95% when testing stool samples from 100 persons who were either infected with Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, hookworms, Enterobius vermicularis or Hymenolepis nana, or who had no intestinal helminthosis detected. Analysis of diagnostic sensitivity demonstrated that in 85% of 34 samples from 23 untreated persons with intestinal T. saginata infection (selected by previous proglottid and/or egg detection) copro-antigens were detected by the T. saginata ELISA. In the same samples, Taenia eggs were detected in 62%. Only 41% of the samples reacted positively in a heterologous T. hydatigena ELISA. Post-treatment control revealed a high concentration of T. saginata copro-antigens for 1-4 d after administration of niclosamide or praziquantel, and negative values 9-17 d after treatment. The Taenia copro-antigens remained detectable by ELISA even after storage of untreated faeces at 25 degrees C for at least 5 d.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Long-term changes in borderline symptoms of patients after client-centered group psychotherapy].

In a follow-up study the long-term changes of borderline symptomatic of 14 patients with the diagnosis borderline personality disorder (criteria by Kernberg and Rorschach test) are compared with 13 patients with diagnosis schizophrenia and 16 patients with diagnosis depression (each case according to ICD-9 criteria). The Diagnostic Interview for Borderline Patients (DIB) is evaluated to comprehend the structure and kinds of borderline symptoms before and 4 years after treatment. Borderline patients are treated in a setting of client-centred group psychotherapy (twice a week, approximately 100 sessions). The treatment of the patients joining the control group is based on clinical standard. As a result all patients reduced the borderline-like symptoms. However, the most significant changes can be seen in the borderline group. 2 out of 14 borderline patients still fulfill the DIB Criteria of borderline personality disorder. Nevertheless, there are differences in the reduction of specific categories of borderline symptoms. The greatest changes are in the categories "loss of impulse control" and "psychotic episodes", whereas there are only slight improvements in the category "interpersonal relationships".

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment of alveolar echinococcosis in a dog.

Surgical removal of macroscopically detectable metacestode tissue followed by postoperative chemotherapy according to established human protocols resulted in complete clinical remission and immediate normalization of hyperglobulinemia in a dog with alveolar echinococcosis (AE). The disease is caused by the metacestode stage of the cestode, Echinococcus multilocularis. In endemic areas, AE should be included in the differential diagnosis of polycystic liver masses, especially if concomitant hyperglobulinemia is present. However, the importance of AE is not only the disease of the single dog itself but also the potential risk of infection for humans in an endemic area.

Albendazole↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Efficacy evaluation of epsiprantel (Cestex) against Echinococcus mutilocularis in dogs and cats].

Helminth-free dogs and cats were experimentally infected with protoscoleces of Echinococcus multilocularis and used in controlled trials for efficacy evaluation of the cestodicide epsiprantel. In two separate trials each 4 dogs were treated at day 20 post infection (p.i.) with average oral dosages of 5.1 (4.9-5.3) and 5.4 (5.2-5.8) mg/kg body weight (b.w.) epsiprantel, respectively, and necropsied at day 24 p.i. Among each 4 dogs of the two untreated control groups all animals were infected and had high intestinal worm burdens with averages of 33.575 and 100.725 E. multilocularis specimens per animal (individual worm burdens in group Ib 59,500-149,800, group IIb 20,500-43,200); in the two groups of treated dogs the average worm burdens were reduced by 99.6 and 99.9%. Among 8 treated dogs 4 were helminth-free, the other 4 had residual worm burdens (10-70 in 3 dogs, 1480 in 1 dog). In each 5 cats single oral treatments with average doses of 2.7 (2.7-2.8) and 5.5 (5.5-5.5) mg/kg b.w. epsiprantel were 100% effective against E. multilocularis 20 days p.i. and eliminated the worm burdens from all 10 animals. In the untreated group of 5 cats the average worm burden was 2864 per animal (individual worm burdens 20-6830). Side effects of the drug treatment were not observed. The results of the study show that in single therapeutic dosages recommended by the producer (dogs 5.5 mg, cats 2.75 mg/kg b.w.) epsiprantel eliminates E. multilocularis to over 99% or completely, but residual worm burdens may persist in some animals.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluating skin tolerance. Study of skin cleansing agents in modifications of the Duhring chamber test].

Towards Elucidation of the Problems of Skin-compatibility Testing/An investigation of hand-cleansing products using a modified Duhring chamber test The irritant potential of commercially available liquid syndets was investigated in a repetitive Duhring chamber test using a modified test procedure. Instead of regularly testing over a period of five days, the test was conducted only as long as it took for the first signs of irritation to appear. Among those products tested, substantial differences were found with respect to irritation and possible application time, and, as a result, to skin compatibility. Some of them produced skin irritation with the same intensity and just as quickly as the control substance, sodium lauryl sulfate (0.5%). These differences are not observed in a simple 24-hour epicutaneous test. For this reason, the latter, as opposed to the repetitive Duhring chamber test, appears to be unsuitable for comparative skin compatibility studies of syndets. The skin compatibility of special hand cleaners containing solvents was also investigated in a modified Duhring chamber test. In addition to the modification introduced above for the liquid syndets, here the maximum cumulative application time was reduced from 48 to 30 h. In this manner different degrees of skin compatibility to various special hand cleaners can be ascertained and taken into account when developing new products.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The comparative efficacy of commercial tests (of Russian and Swiss manufacture) for immunoenzyme analysis in echinococcosis].

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Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The "dangerous fox tapeworm" (Echinococcus multilocularis) and alveolar echinococcosis of humans in central Europe].

According to the present status of knowledge, endemic Echinococcus multilocularis infections in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are known to occur in the following countries of Central Europe: Belgium (southern parts), Luxembourg, France (Massif Central and eastern parts), Switzerland (21 of 26 cantons) Liechtenstein, Austria (6 of 9 provinces), Germany (812 of 16 federal states), and Poland (northern parts). The prevalence rates of E. multilocularis are highly variable regionally and range between > 1 and > 50%. Dogs and cats are rarely infected (mostly < 1%). The incidence of human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is low in the Central European endemic area with 0.02-1.4 new cases per year and 100,000 inhabitants. While in untreated patients the disease is mostly lethal (lethality up to > 90%) and treatment requires high expenditure, AE is of higher public health significance than indicated by the incidence rates. In addition to these aspects diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis in final hosts (dogs, cats) and preventive measures for humans are discussed.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Status of development and areas of employment of in vitro production of cattle embryos].

Efficient methods for the collection of oocytes derived from slaughterhouse ovaries and living animals are available. Maturation, fertilization and culture of bovine oocytes/embryos can be performed in vitro with high success rates. The in vitro culture from the fertilized oocyte up to the blastocyst stage currently is the most limiting step of the whole procedure. The establishment of a completely defined culture system would allow the identification of the physiological requirements for preimplantation embryo development and the stepwise improvement of the in vitro production system. The physiological integrity of in vitro produced embryos compared to their in vivo counterparts can be assessed either by molecular biological techniques or in metabolism studies. The in vitro production of bovine embryos with its variety of areas of applications is a useful tool in maintenance and improvement of competitiveness of future cattle breeding.

Animals↗