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Biomedical subjects

J Heinrich

Publications and source records attributed to J Heinrich.

319 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Vertical and horizontal variability of volatile organic compounds in homes in Eastern Germany.

A German study on Indoor Factors and Genetics in Asthma (INGA) will be conducted for 10 years in towns of Eastern and Western Germany. The study will include an indoor and outdoor exposure assessment of BTEX (BTEX=benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, ortho-xylene, and meta- plus para-xylene) volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In a pilot study, which was conducted in Erfurt, a city in Eastern Germany, during the winter of 1994, vertical and horizontal variabilities of BTEX concentrations within the homes were examined in detail. Passive sampling was conducted in the living room (at 0.7, 1.2, and 2.0 m height), bedroom (2 m), kitchen (2 m), and outside the window of the living room, in 20 homes of randomly chosen adults. The 20 houses consisted often old concrete constructions ('Altneubauten'=OLD, constructed between 1960 and 1970) and ten new concrete constructions ('Neubauten'=NEW, constructed between 1970 and 1980). At each apartment, Organic Vapour Monitor (OVM) 3500 passive sampling devices (3M Company) were exposed for 7 days. After elution with carbon disulfide (CS2), the samples were analyzed with dual column gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID). No significant differences between the median values of the weekly average air concentrations of the BTEX VOCs in the different heights of measurement in the living rooms could be detected. Kitchen and living room median BTEX concentrations were equal and both significantly higher than the bedroom concentrations (except benzene). The indoor BTEX air concentrations were significantly higher than the outdoor concentrations (except benzene). Significant differences in BTEX indoor concentrations between OLD and NEW buildings could not be detected (except toluene).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting internal mercury burdens among eastern German children.

Internal burdens of mercury were evaluated among 5- to 14-y-old eastern German children in the heavily polluted areas of Bitterfeld, a center of chemical production and coal mining, and Hettstedt, a region of nonferrous metal smelting and mining. We compared blood and urine mercury concentrations in these children with mercury burdens in children who lived in a control area. The unadjusted geometric means of mercury levels in the total group were 0.25 microg/l (95% confidence interval = 0.24, 0.27) in blood and 0.36 microg mercury/g creatinine (95% confidence interval = 0.33, 0.39) in urine. Mercury levels in blood and urine were not significantly higher in children who occupied the two polluted areas, compared with children in the control area. The most significant factor that affected urinary mercury levels was the number of dental amalgam fillings; 27% of the variance in the regression model was explained by the presence of these fillings.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of cadmium body burden on immune response of school children.

The effects of cadmium on measures of immune-system function were determined from a health survey of school children in heavily polluted regions of eastern Germany. A representative sample of 842 students, aged 5-14 y, was included in logistic regression analyses in which the relationship between urinary cadmium content and blood immunoglobulin levels was examined. Investigators further evaluated a subsample of 807 students to determine cadmium's effect on the immediate hypersensitivity reactions elicited by skin-prick challenges with 12 common aeroallergens. Several potentially confounding factors were controlled for, after which investigators found that increasing body burdens of cadmium were associated consistently with dose-dependent suppression of immediate hypersensitivity and of immunoglobin G, but not immunoglobulins M, A, or E levels. The immunoglobulin pattern observed in exposed children led investigators to suggest that secondary humoral responses were impaired by cadmium.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quality assurance and risk reduction guidelines.

Cervical cancer continues to be a major cause of death in women worldwide. The major problem facing most women is the unavailability of screening Pap tests in poor and underdeveloped countries. While rates of cancer deaths have decreased 60-80% in developed countries since the Pap test became available, the accuracy of Paps was challenged recently. In order to instill public confidence and promote optimal patient care, measures to improve the quality of the entire screening process should be undertaken. Continuous quality improvement processes are more appropriate than traditional quality assurance monitors. Although no standards can be defined that are applicable to all laboratory settings and nations, this document provides current views on universal quality procedures and risk reduction. Procedure/policy manuals, workload assessment, hierarchic/peer review, discrepancy analysis, rescreening studies and cytohistologic correlation are examples of universally applicable quality tools. The variability in practices in different parts of the world is also discussed.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Height velocity in Argentinean girls with Turner's syndrome.

Height velocities from birth to maturity derived from 1,049 height increments measured over intervals 0.85-1.15 years were studied from a sample of 187 patients with Turner's syndrome (TS) diagnosed on the basis of karyotype. Length of follow up in each girl varied from 1.0 to 11.0 years. Cross-sectional analysis showed a relatively stable growth velocity during pubertal ages. However, longitudinal analysis of individual growth curves showed the existence of a small growth spurt in 37 out of 47 girls with available data during pubertal years. Mean peak height velocity (PHV) of this spurt was 5.7 cm/year, SD 1.34; mean age at PHV was 12.66 years, SD 1.70. Selected percentiles were calculated using the least mean squares (LMS) method. Results show that a small growth spurt in girls with TS may be more frequent than previously thought.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The epidemiology of atopic diseases in Germany: an east-west comparison.

This review summarizes studies comparing the epidemiology of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis in eastern versus western German populations. These studies clearly revealed that the prevalence of physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis was higher in western Germany than in eastern Germany. The rate for asthma also tended to be higher in western than in eastern populations, whereas a tendency for less atopic dermatitis was found in western German children. When sensitization rates, as measured by RAST and skin-prick tests, were compared, a clear increase was found in western versus eastern young-adult German populations. This phenomenon may be related to exposure to different allergens, such as those associated with nutritional patterns or pet ownership, as well as to different environmental factors, such as outdoor and indoor pollutants. If lifestyle or environmental factors play a role in developing allergic sensitization, then one would expect the rates of sensitization in eastern and western Germany to converge as the two societies become more similar.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inverse social gradient of secondary immune response parameters in children.

BACKGROUND: In children, the prevalence of allergy increases with increasing socioeconomic status. If frequent immune response stimulation by infections protects against development of allergic diseases, then a social gradient in infections should exist. The aim of our study was to assess the relation between social class, immune parameters, and the prevalence of respiratory infections in children. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey examined children aged 5 to 14 years in 3 communities of Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. Data of 1724 children were gathered by a parent-completed questionnaire and analyses of blood samples. Social class was defined by parental educational level. Immune parameters included serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and IgM; the C3c component of complement; and the total leukocyte count. The period prevalence of febrile colds and lifetime prevalences of physician-diagnosed bronchitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, and pneumonia were assessed from parents' reports. Adjusted odds ratios for the association between social class and belonging to the group of children with immune parameter levels in the upper 50th or 75th percentile or experiencing respiratory infections were calculated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Social class was inversely associated with secondary immune response parameters (IgG, IgA), whereas indicators of primary immune reactions and inflammation (IgM, C3c, leukocytes) were not related to social status. While an inverse social gradient was found for the period prevalence of febrile colds, the frequency of bronchitis, tonsillitis, and otitis media decreased with decreasing social class. CONCLUSIONS: Health inequalities exist in immune reactions and respiratory infections in children from different social classes. We hypothesize that in children from lower social classes, increased frequency of infections stimulated the secondary immune response and protected against more severe courses of respiratory infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bilateral renal agenesis in insulin-dependent maternal diabetes mellitus (IDDM)--a case report].

We report a fetal bilateral renal agenesis in a woman suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Early diagnosis of this lethal congenital anomaly allows well-timed termination of pregnancy. Transvaginal sonography in combination with color flow mapping render possible an accurate diagnosis of bilateral renal agenesis. Sonographic and color flow mapping features of the above described malformation as well as invasive diagnostic possibilities and causes of renal agenesis in maternal IDDM are discussed.

Abortion, Eugenic↗