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Biomedical subjects

K Becker

Publications and source records attributed to K Becker.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

[Social environment of alcoholic patients after clinic discharge and its effect on treatment success].

The study concerns the social situation of alcoholics after a 3- to 6-weeks in-patient withdrawals. As central question appears that for the influence of the social situation on treatment outcome. We distinguish between the life-subjects work and occupation, partnership, spare time, living situation, financial situation and official and judicial problems. In order to register the treatment outcome we had catamnestic interviews 3 months after the patients left the hospital. The sample consist of 48 patients. The most important result is: the more disadvantageous the social situation, the patients relapse. Having an employment, a good partnership and enough income is must important for the treatment outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[New observations in a case of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome].

We report about a 76 years old patient with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome. The diagnosis has been found with the following clinical symptoms: diarrhea, anorexia, alopecia, and onychotrophia. Laboratory values: severe hypoproteinemia (total serum protein 4.3 g/dl, albumin 2.4 g/dl); endoscopical and radiological findings: a generalized polyposis which involved the whole intestine except the oesophagus. As far as we saw in our literature-overview of 55 patients with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome, this patient had for the first time a carcinoma of the urinary bladder and a Bricker operation 17 years before the onset of his disease. Further we remarked a lack in the resorption of the enterally administered thyroidal hormones. The progress was fatal despite a parenteral hyperalimentation and a treatment with antibiotics and glucocorticoids.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Comparative column chromatographic estimations of phenylalanine in plasma, whole blood, native and paper-dried capillary blood of healthy children and adults, and patients with hyperphenylalaninaemia.

The concentration of phenylalanine in plasma, whole venous and capillary blood, and paper-dried blood of 75 probands (25 healthy adults, 27 healthy children, and 23 patients with hyperphenylalaninaemia) were measured by use of a sensitive short column chromatography method. The comparison of the values in each group of probands by several statistic methods showed an excellent correlation of the phenylalanine concentration in paper-dried whole blood to those measured in venous plasma. Evaluation of the analytical method revealed a high sensitivity and accuracy by use of a sample volume of 50 microliter. We would therefore suggest that the estimation of phenylalanine for the diagnosis and therapy control in hyperphenylalanine is as accurate in paper-dried blood as in venous plasma and would simplify sampling for the patients as well as enhance the diagnosis and therapy control in hyperphenylalaninaemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

IncP-1 R plasmids decrease the serum resistance and the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 was compared to PAO1 strains containing an IncP-1 R plasmid (RP1, R68, or R68.45) in an experimental mouse burn infection model. All R plasmids tested caused a 10- to 400-fold increase in mean lethal dose (LD50). The decrease in virulence produced by plasmids R68 and R68.45 was significantly greater than the decrease caused by the closely related plasmid RP1. All plasmids also led to an increased sensitivity of strain PAO1 to human serum bactericidal activity. Virulence and serum resistance of strain PAO1 were restored by curing of the entire plasmid R68.45 but not by deletions in the plasmid's transfer gene regions.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

[Antibiotic therapy in patients with immunologic deficiency].

Basic aspects in the treatment of immunocompromised patients are discussed with respect to medical and paediatric oncology, surgical intensive care and clinical pathology. Defining the type of immunological deficiency seems of primary importance, since it can be caused by haematological diseases, their treatment, by repeated surgery or by a polytrauma. The degree of immune deficiency should be quantitated by laboratory procedures, whenever possible. The treatment of these patients may include substitution therapy, decontamination and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Since the immune deficiency can only rarely be specifically substituted, hygiene plans should be made up for every patient, including the selective decontamination. An intensive microbiological surveillance can give early information about the prevalence of certain microorganisms, thereby facilitating a subsequent treatment. The antimicrobial chemotherapy of an overt infection in medical and pediatric oncology can follow fixed schedules, taking into account the various causative agents that can be expected. This procedure has proven to be efficient in the treatment of infections occurring during the therapy of acute lymphoblastoid leukemia in childhood. In surgical intensive care units, however, treatment of infections should be based on microbiological findings in conjunction with the local profile of bacterial resistance. Furthermore, it is important to be aware that "non-pathogenic" microorganisms can be the cause of life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Our experience shows that interdisciplinary cooperation and a mutual exchange of information is important for an efficient treatment of infections in patients with immunological deficiencies.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Establishment and characterization of the pluripotent mouse teratocarcinoma cell line TCE.

Embryonal carcinoma cells, the stem cells of teratocarcinomas, are a convenient model system for the study of embryonic development and cell differentiation. We established the pluripotent teratocarcinoma cell line TCE from embryoid bodies of teratocarcinoma strain OTT6050. The feeder independent cell line was characterized with regard to karyotype, differentiation capacities, developmentally regulated gene products, such as alkaline and acid phosphatase, cell surface markers, and by intermediate filament proteins. These parameters are discussed with respect to the developmental potency of the cell line TCE.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1984

[Serum levels and urine excretion of L-carnitine in patients with normal and impaired kidney function].

The influence of age, sex, and renal function on serum levels and urinary excretion of free carnitine was studied in 187 subjects. Sixty-one subjects with normal renal function (creatinine clearance greater than 100 ml/min) showed a serum carnitine level of 72.2 +/- 23.2 mumol/l. The carnitine values of males (76.8 +/- 23.3 mumol/l, n = 39) were higher (p less than 0.05) than those of females (64.0 +/- 21.0 mumol/l, n = 22). Carnitine levels did not correlate with age. Values in patients with normal renal function did not differ from serum carnitine levels in healthy controls (74.7 +/- 17.5 mumol/l, n = 49). The mean urinary carnitine excretion per day was 163.5 mumol (range 63.7-419.6 mumol) in patients with intact renal function. Extreme impairment of glomerular filtration rate (creatinine clearance less than 20 ml/min) resulted in higher carnitine concentrations in serum (108.9 +/- 39.4 mumol/l, n = 18, p less than 0.05), lower carnitine elimination per day (78.5 mumol, range 14.5 - 424.3 mumol, n = 18, p less than 0.05) and a decreased carnitine clearance (0.8 ml/min, range 0.2 - 3.8 ml/min). These data together with earlier results obtained in dialysis patients suggest that carnitine metabolism in renal failure is altered by reduction of both endogenous carnitine biosynthesis and renal carnitine clearance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The basic structural lesion of persistent neonatal hypoglycaemia with hyperinsulinism: deficiency of pancreatic D cells or hyperactivity of B cells?

Pancreatic tissue obtained at subtotal pancreatectomy from 15 infants with persistent hypoglycaemia with hyperinsulinism, and autopsy specimens from 23 age-matched normoglycaemic controls, were studied with morphometric methods after immunocytochemical staining of the four main islet cell types (A, B, D and pancreatic polypeptide cells). In three cases, a focal lesion was detected by gross examination. Macroscopic or microscopic examination did not distinguish the 12 other cases from controls. As found previously, nesidioblastosis was not a specific feature of the pancreas in infantile hypoglycaemia, being observed in age-matched controls as well. In cases with hypoglycaemia the volume density of B cells was not significantly increased; that of the A cells was within normal range. The volume density of pancreatic polypeptide cells was markedly augmented and that of somatostatin cells was significantly decreased. The mean nuclear volume of the B cells was increased by 40% in cases with diffuse changes, but in cases with a focal lesion this increase was restricted to the abnormal area. This finding is of decisive importance for diagnosis and has therapeutic implications. The increase in B-cell nuclear size is thought to reflect an enhanced functional activity of these cells. On the other hand, the figures obtained for the volume density of B and D cells must be viewed with some reservation because degranulation may interfere with accurate detection of these cells.

Cell Count↗
PubMed1984

Injection of murine embryonal carcinoma cells and embryo-derived pluripotential cells into mouse blastocysts.

Two pluripotential mouse cell lines, the OTT 6050-derived cell line TCE and the embryo-derived stem cell line BLC-1, were injected into blastocysts to analyze their developmental potential. The contribution of TCE cells to the embryo was found to be limited and sporadic. There was no indication of a preferential colonization of extraembryonal membranes or developmentally related tissues in adult chimeras. BLC-1 cells failed to colonize the embryo. This indicates that a normal karyotype, pluripotency, and cell surface markers which are shared by cells of early embryos are not necessarily sufficient markers for their ability to participate in embryogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

[Nitrogen and mineral metabolism of growing lambs fed straw treated in different ways].

Lambs were fed diets containing 500 g straw, 50 g sucrose and 30 g minerals per day. The straw was untreated (A), wafered after addition of NaOH (B) or gassed with ammonia. Diets A and B, in addition contained urea, so that equal amounts of dietary N were offered. Digestibility of OM was increased by 12 units after addition of NaOH and by 8 units after gassing with NH3. As significantly more faecal N was excreted in animals fed diet C, it is concluded that N of NH3-treated straw is less available than of added urea. When NaOH-treated straw was fed, renal excretion of phosphorus was increased.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1983

[Plasma cell granuloma of the lung (inflammatory pseudotumor)].

Plasma cell granuloma of the lung is a rare, benign focal lesion of nonspecific inflammatory genesis with few symptoms and often discovered by chance during mass-radiography. Radiologically it is characterized by a usually well-circumscribed solitary round focus (70% of cases), as an infiltrate or as atelectasis if it grows endobronchially. The histological picture is polymorph with mature plasma cells, lymphocytes, vacuolized histiocytes, fibroblasts and other elements of the reticulo-endothelial system. It has been given many names, pseudotumour appearing in the older literature. In the differential diagnosis a peripheral lesion can be mistaken for benign tumour, specific granuloma or metastasis, the more central form for bronchial carcinoma. The condition was observed in six personal cases, operated on between 1967 and 1982.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

[Rapid method for indirect determination of total microbial count in perishable foods].

A method is presented for the determination in one hour of aerobic microorganisms (Total Plate Count) in food in the range between 10(4) and 10(7) bacteria per ml resp. g. This method was developed mainly for rapid microbial analysis of perishable foodstuffs. The method operates by polarographic measurement of oxygen consumption in a tight cell, filled with the liquid product to be evaluated. The correlations between microbial counts and oxygen consumption rates are shown for samples of pasteurized milk and semi-liquid egg.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Investigations on the mutagenic activity of STS 557.

The progestin STS 557 was tested for mutagenic activity in the rec-type repair test with Proteus mirabilis, the Ames-test and the host-mediated assay with Salmonella typhimurium, the cytogenetic assays with ascites tumour and bone-marrow cells of mice and the dominant lethal test with male and female mice. All results obtained indicate the absence of a genotoxic activity of STS 557.

Animals↗