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Biomedical subjects

K Weiss

Publications and source records attributed to K Weiss.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Lethal Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome in posttraumatic asplenia.

We herein report a case of fulminant lethal Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome in an elderly female patient seven years after posttraumatic splenectomy. In contrast to various reports, this patient had not been vaccinated against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, or Haemophilus influenzae, respectively, although infections with these microorganisms are known to cause the main lethal diseases in asplenic patients. Again, we recommend obligatory vaccinations against the mentioned bacteria for it is known that this decreases the risk of fatal septic events in these patients. To optimize prevention, it is imperative to vaccinate patients undergoing splenectomy before discharge from hospital.

Blood Coagulation Tests↗
PubMed1995

Routine susceptibility testing of four antibiotic combinations for improvement of laboratory guide to therapy of cystic fibrosis infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Previous studies have demonstrated synergy between an aminoglycoside and a beta-lactam for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Cystic fibrosis patients are prone to infection by this bacterium, which becomes very resistant with recurrent antibiotic treatments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility patterns of 122 isolates of P. aeruginosa isolated from cystic fibrosis patients to five individual antibiotics (tobramycin, ceftazidime, piperacillin, ticarcillin, and imipenem) and to four antibiotic combinations (tobramycin associated with one of the other antibiotics). Strains were selected because of their resistance to individual antimicrobial agents, which ranged from 21.3% for imipenem to 56.5% for tobramycin. By using an automated broth microdilution method, we were able to demonstrate synergy against 39 strains (32%) with tobramycin-ticarcillin, against 38 strains (31%) with tobramycin-piperacillin, against 47 strains (39%) with tobramycin-ceftazidime, and against 23 strains (19%) with tobramycin-imipenem. Of the 122 isolates, 77 (63%) were rendered significantly susceptible to at least one of the four antibiotic combinations by synergy. These results suggest that when appropriate technology is available, susceptibility to antibiotic combinations greatly improves the guide to antibiotic therapy for infections due to P. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed1995

Hepatitis C: what a dentist should know.

During the last two decades, the existence of a blood-borne virus responsible for non-A, non-B hepatitis was suspected but not identified. In the United States, an estimated 170,000 cases of post-transfusion hepatitis, many of which became chronic, were attributed to the unknown virus. Recently, however, the virus has been identified and more has been learned about the disease. This review will focus on recent advances regarding the virus and its implications for dental practice.

Dentistry↗
PubMed1995

Emergency intubation with the Combitube in two cases of difficult airway management.

The airway was managed successfully in two cases of difficult intubation using the Combitube, a new device for emergency intubation, which combines the functions of an oesophageal obturator airway and a conventional endotracheal airway. One patient could not be intubated due to lockjaw; in the other patient, the vocal cords could not be seen because of continued vomiting. The cases illustrate the benefit of the Combitube during emergency intubation for different problems and its effectiveness as an alternative to traditional intubation techniques.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Sequence analysis of the 190-kDa antigen-encoding gene of Rickettsia conorii (Malish 7 strain).

The complete nucleotide (nt) sequence of the gene (rompA) encoding the 190-kDa immunodominant surface antigen (rOmpA) of Rickettsia conorii (Malish 7 strain) was determined. Sequence analysis revealed an ORF of 6063 nt encoding a deduced protein of 203,247 Da. Ten consecutive highly conserved repeat units, located at the 5' end of rompA, spanned 2.2 kb. Two types of repeats could be identified: type I of 225 bp, and type II of 216 bp. The order and number of repeats differed from those reported for R. conorii (Kenya tick typhus strain), R. akari (Kaplan strain) and R. rickettsii (R strain). Alignment of the R. conorii (Malish 7 strain) rompA gene with its R. rickettsii homolog revealed 95% nt sequence similarity. The conservation of rompA across several pathogenic spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial species suggests that it may be a potential candidate for use as a subunit vaccine for SFG rickettsial diseases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Effect of moderate NO2 air pollution on the lung function of children with asthmatic symptoms.

In the course of a 2 1/2-year longitudinal study, the influence of outdoor NO2 and of the heating device at home on lung function was investigated in 467 children of school age in the urban area of Freiburg. Data were gathered in three surveys using standardized interviews, lung function measurements, skin prick tests with inhalant allergens, and NO2 measurements from October to April near the child's home. Regarding the lung function of a subpopulation with asthmatic symptoms (n = 106) in the three consecutive surveys, multivariate regression analyses adjusted for confounders indicate negative associations between five dependent variables, FEV1%FVC (P = 0.004), FEV1% (P = 0.02), MEF75% (P = 0.038), MEF50% (P = 0.052), and MEF25% (P = 0.002), on the one hand, and outdoor NO2 for average NO2 concentrations exceeding 40 micrograms/m3 on the other. The use of individual room heaters is associated with decreased lung function and is significant only for FEV1%FVC (P = 0.033). Neither NO2 nor individual room heating is significantly associated with one of the lung function parameters in the subpopulation without asthmatic symptoms (n = 361). In conclusion, children with asthmatic symptoms are identified as being susceptible to having reduced lung function under outdoor air pollution where average NO2 concentrations exceed 40 micrograms/m3.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1993

Feeding response of rats to no-fat and high-fat cakes.

The nutritional effects of high-fat diets have been extensively studied in laboratory animals, but as yet few experiments have examined the feeding response of animals to newly developed fat substitutes. The present study used commercially available no-fat (0% fat, 92% carbohydrate) and high-fat (41% fat, 54% carbohydrate) cake to determine the effects of fat substitutes on food preference and caloric intake in rats. The first experiment showed that nondeprived rats found the high-fat and no-fat cakes equally palatable and highly preferred to lab chow. Food deprived rats, however, preferred the high-fat cake to the no-fat cake, which may be related to its higher caloric density. In the second experiment, rats fed high-fat cake, in addition to chow, for 30 days consumed more calories and gained more weight than did rats fed no-fat cake and chow. The no-fat cake group, however, overate and gained more weight than chow-only controls. The hyperphagic response to the no-fat cake can be attributed to its carbohydrate content, moisture, and high palatability. Thus, removing fat from the cake reduced, but did not eliminate, its obesity-promoting effect. Obviously, low-fat foods must be consumed in moderation if used for weight control.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1993

Sensitization to four common inhalant allergens within 302 nuclear families.

The coincidence of allergic sensitization was investigated in 302 school-aged children and their parents. Specific sensitization to four common inhalant allergens (grass and birch pollens, cat dander, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) was ascertained by means of skin-prick tests (SPT) carried out on the complete family unit at the beginning of a 22-month follow-up period. The same test procedure was then repeated on the children twice at 11-month intervals to provide cumulative prevalences of sensitization. A clinical history of atopy in the children (hay fever or asthma; n = 47), which was derived from an interview, is associated with sensitization (positive SPT in 89%). For three allergens (grass and birch pollens, cat dander) sensitization occurs significantly more frequently in the children of mothers who are sensitized to the same allergen (odds-ratios (ORs), 2.5-4.1). Additionally, in three of the four explanatory models related to a single antigen, maternal sensitization to one of the complementary allergens is of importance (ORs, 2.7-3.7). In contrast to this finding, none of the paternal sensitizations has statistical significance. Based on a reaction to at least one of the four allergens, the child's relative risk to be sensitized is increased in case of maternal (OR, 2.88; P = 0.001) but not of paternal (OR, 1.06; P = 0.83) sensitization. In conclusion, our data indicate that the maternal status is more predictive than that of the father with regard to the child's risk of sensitization.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1993

Prevalence of antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae along the eastern coast of the Adriatic sea.

A seroepidemiological survey in coastal Croatia detected antibodies reactive with Rickettsia conorii in 4.2% of sera by immunofluorescence assay and in 5.0% of sera by enzyme immunoassay. Western immunoblotting demonstrated antibodies to the 120-kDa surface protein in all 20 positive serum samples examined and to rickettsial lipopolysaccharide in 3 of these serum samples. Humans in this area are clearly being exposed to spotted fever rickettsiae.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1993

[Gender-specific differences of risk factors of atherosclerosis. A study of 3,850 Vienna employees].

Atherosclerosis is the most frequent cause of death in Austria as well as in the other western industrialized countries. Sex specific differences in the various age groups concerning relative myocardial infarction-mortality stimulated us to investigate the risk factors for atherosclerosis in 3850 employees. An extensive lipid status, liver and kidney function parameters were determined, the blood-pressure was measured, and a cardiovascular centered case history was examined. The mean cholesterol level and the LDL-cholesterol level in males were significantly higher than in females (cholesterol: males 223.8 +/- 56.8 mg/dl, females 208.2 +/- 43.3 mg/dl, LDL-cholesterol: male 151.9 +/- 55.1 mg/dl, female 132.2 +/- 40.1 mg/dl, p < 0.001). The mean HDL-cholesterol level in males were significantly lower than in females (males: 45.0 +/- 11.6 mg/dl, females 56.2 +/- 13.3 mg/dl, p < 0.001). No significant difference concerning smoking-behaviour could be determined between female and male participants in this cohort (33.0% of the males resp. 33.6% of the females stated that they smoked cigarettes). Hypercholesterolaemia and cigarette-smoking are the main risk factors for both sexes, however the situation of women-except for the 6th decade-is much better than that of men. Remarkable is the increasing number of female-smokers, especially at younger age.

Adult↗