Biomedical subjects

J Franke

Publications and source records attributed to J Franke.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

[Ultrasound diagnosis of sternum fractures].

AIM: With the present study we wanted to examine the value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of fractures of the sternum. METHOD: Included in this study were 11 patients with pain in the sternal region and suspected fracture of this area according to case history and clinical examination. We exclusively used a 7.5 MHZ linear scanner. RESULTS: In all 11 cases the fracture was free of doubts diagnosed using ultrasound. A fragment dislocation could be visualized in 10 cases and 1 case showed a fissure of the sternum. The standard lateral X-ray as our reference method confirmed the sonographical diagnosis in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostical value of ultrasonography of the sternum is at least as high as that of standard lateral X-ray. When a hypoechoic area over the sternum together with a hematoma, a disruption of the cortical bone or a step in the bony outline as a sign for fragment dislocation are found, sternal fracture is the definite diagnosis. Ultrasonography is quickly feasible, non-invasive and gives sufficient information in these cases without side effects.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

[Value of ultrasound in diagnosis of bursopathies in the area of the Achilles tendon].

AIM: The goal of this study was to check the usefulness of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool for a bursitis in the area of the Achilles tendon. Furthermore, we assessed the shape and size of the retrocalcaneal bursa of normal subjects. METHOD: The ultrasonograms of 28 patients with a bursitis at the Achilles tendon were analysed. In addition, we sonographically examined the region of interest in 10 normal subjects (20 Achilles tendons). We used a 5 and/or a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. The examination was done in both standard planes. RESULTS: The examination of 10 normal subjects could not reliably demonstrate a bursa in the expected location of the subachillic bursa or the subcutaneous calcaneal bursa in a single case. We could, however, depict a subachillic bursitis (echofree to hypoechoic) in 22 patients. A subcutaneous calcaneal bursitis was found in 7 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The retrocalcaneal and subcutaneous calcaneal bursa is not demonstrable by ultrasonography in healthy people. Exsudation and proliferation of the bursa, however, facilitate the detection by ultrasound. Taking that into consideration, the sign of the bursitis is not the enlargement but the fact that the bursa is demonstrable at all by ultrasonography. In the case of the peritendinitis of the achilles tendon a concurrent bursitis should be looked for. During operative explorations an existing bursitis has to be removed. Ultrasonography is the method of choice for the diagnostic evaluation of a bursitis in the area of the achilles tendon.

Achilles Tendon↗

PubMed2001

[Ultrasonography of the Osgood-Schlatter disease].

AIM: The aim of our study was to asses the value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of M. Osgood-Schlatter. The results of the primary ultrasound examination were compared with the use of X-ray. METHOD: 15 patients were included in our study (average age 11 - 17 years, 8 female, 7male). All patients get an X-ray of the knee in two or three images. There was a reference-group of 10 patients with 20 joints (average age 11 - 14 years). RESULTS: We observed typical sonographic images in different stages of M. Osgood-Schlatter. The changes depended on the duration of the disease. In every case we found a thickness of the patellar tendon of more than 1 mm (stage I and II), a bursitis infrapatellaris (stage II) and a fragmentation of the cortical bone of the apophysis (stage II). In cases of stage III disease a thickness of the patellar tendon of less than 1 mm was to be seen. In healthy people the average thickness of the patella tendon was 4.8 mm (3.5 - 5.7 mm). The maximal difference between the left and the right side was 0.4 mm. CONCLUSIONS: With the use ultrasound in cases of M. Osgood-Schlatter a reduced exposure of children to X-ray is possible. Ultrasound examination is a clear and easy way to diagnose the disease correctly and evaluate its course and cure.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Evidence for a nuclear passage of nascent polypeptide-associated complex subunits in yeast.

The nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) has been found quantitatively associated with ribosomes in the cytosol by means of cell fractionation or fluorescence microscopy. There have been reports, however, that single NAC subunits may be involved in transcriptional regulation. We reasoned that the cytosolic location might only reflect a steady state equilibrium and therefore investigated the yeast NAC proteins for their ability to enter the nucleus. We found that single subunits of yeast NAC can indeed be transported into the nucleus and that this transport is an active process depending on different nuclear import factors. Translocation into the nucleus was only observed when binding to ribosomes was inhibited. We identified a domain of the ribosome-binding NAC subunit essential for nuclear import via the importin Kapl23p/Pselp-dependent import route. We hypothesize that newly translated NAC proteins travel into the nucleus to bind stoichiometrically to ribosomal subunits and then leave the nucleus together with these subunits to concentrate in the cytosol.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

PubMed2000

[Osteoporosis in the male].

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic fractures occur frequently also in men. Epidemiologic data from Germany indicate that more than 900,000 men are affected by osteoporotic fractures. Diagnosis and therapy of male osteoporosis are hampered by a lack of clinical studies. DIAGNOSIS: Risk factor analysis, conventional spine X-rays, bone densitometry and a limited number of serum and urine analyses contribute to the diagnosis of osteoporosis and the assessment of future fracture risk. Bone densitometry at the femoral neck is superior to measurements at the lumbar spine because of the high prevalence of degenerative changes at the lumbar spine in elderly men. Major risk factors for osteoporosis are hypogonadism, glucocorticoid therapy, hypercalciuria, gastrointestinal disease, and high alcohol consumption. In individual cases, bone histology or additional biochemical studies are needed to establish the cause of osteoporosis. THERAPY: Calcium and vitamin D deficits should be substituted both in prevention and treatment of male osteoporosis. Testosterone replacement therapy is effective in hypogonadism. In primary osteoporosis and in corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis, bisphosphonates (cyclical etidronate, alendronate) and fluorides are therapeutic options. CONCLUSION: Important principles in the care of men with osteoporosis are the transfer of knowledge established for postmenopausal osteoporosis and the rigorous search for secondary osteoporosis aiming at treatment of the underlying cause. Large prospective randomized trials aiming at the reduction of fracture rate in male osteoporosis are missing. They are urgently needed.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

[Value of positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) in the diagnosis of recurrent rectal cancer].

INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of extraluminal recurrent rectal cancer may be difficult. Currently the diagnosis is based on routine imaging procedures. Diagnosis often remains unverified until histological proof can be acquired by transcutaneous biopsy or operative exploration. The diagnostic value of positron emission tomography (PET) in recurrent rectal cancer was evaluated in a prospective study at the Department of Surgery of the RWTH Aachen University Hospital. The aim of the study was to assess the sensitivity of PET in the detection of recurrent rectal cancer in comparison with conventional procedures. Furthermore, the valency of PET in the diagnosis of the local expansion and metastasis was evaluated. METHODS: Since June 1997, PET has been performed in all patients with suspected recurrent rectal cancer. The examined area reaches from the neck to the symphysis. Visual assessment follows transversal, frontal and sagittal sector scans. Enhanced focal FDG uptake over the physiological enrichment of the environment (e.g., urinary tract) was defined as a criterion of malignancy. The findings were compared with the results of routine diagnosis and histological examinations. RESULTS: Up to now, 23 patients have been subjected to a PET examination. In 17 cases, a local recurrence could be proved. An intrahepatic metastasis was found in 11 patients, pulmonary metastasis in 3 patients, lymph-node metastasis in 5 patients, and a peritoneal carcinomatosis was found in 4 patients. All these findings were confirmed by histological examinations after biopsy and operation or by other imaging procedures and the clinical follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The controlled results show that PET can detect recurrent rectal cancer and its metastasis with great precision. PET seems to be a useful additional examination in the diagnosis of extraluminal recurrent rectal cancer.

Biopsy↗

PubMed2000

Adaptation of reptilian paramyxovirus to mammalian cells (Vero cells).

The reptilian paramyxovirus GOV was successfully adapted to Vero cells in 80 passages at 30 degrees C. The virus replicated with HA titres of 1:64 and 10(7.5) TCID50/ml in the heterologous host cells forming syncytia, giant cells and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. After 80 passages GOV was identified by immunofluorescence, by immune electron microscopy and by PCR. Sequencing of RT-PCR products of GOV after 80 passages did not reveal changes in the nucleotide sequence of the partial L-gene of GOV.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

[Bilateral and simultaneous rupture of the quadriceps tendon--a diagnostic problem?].

We report about a 36 year old patient with thrombocytopenia due to Werlhof's disease, who had been diagnosed and treated as suffering from paraparesis of both legs for 10 months. The real cause of his problem--a simultaneous bilateral rupture of the quadriceps tendon--had not been detected. Only when he underwent an ultrasound scan of both of his knees as part of the examination in our outpatient department the diagnosis of a simultaneous bilateral rupture of the quadriceps tendon was made. The following operation confirmed the sonographical findings. The sonographical evaluation of the quadriceps tendon can clearly assess the extent of the lesion and lead to the necessary therapeutical consequences.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Bootstrapping neural networks.

Knowledge about the distribution of a statistical estimator is important for various purposes, such as the construction of confidence intervals for model parameters or the determination of critical values of tests. A widely used method to estimate this distribution is the so-called boot-strap, which is based on an imitation of the probabilistic structure of the data-generating process on the basis of the information provided by a given set of random observations. In this article we investigate this classical method in the context of artificial neural networks used for estimating a mapping from input to output space. We establish consistency results for bootstrap estimates of the distribution of parameter estimates.

Artifacts↗

PubMed2000