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Biomedical subjects

K Zimmer

Publications and source records attributed to K Zimmer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Effects of standardized acute normovolemic hemodilution on intraoperative allogeneic blood transfusion in patients undergoing major maxillofacial surgery.

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the practicality and efficacy of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) to reduce allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in patients undergoing elective surgery with anticipated high intraoperative blood loss (BL). 124 patients (age 48 +/- 18 years, ASA classes I-III) underwent major maxillofacial surgery in a university hospital (68% tumor surgery, 32% dysgnathia correction). After induction of general anesthesia, ANH was performed by standardized withdrawal of 900 ml (2 units) of whole blood and simultaneous infusion of 500 ml of hydroxyethyl starch solution (6% HES 130,000/0.4) and 1500 ml of crystalloidal solution. Intraoperative BL was fluid-compensated until physiologic parameters indicated the need for RBC transfusion. First, autologous ANH-blood was retransfused followed by, if necessary, allogeneic RBC. Total BL was referred to the patient's calculated blood volume (BV): fractional blood volume loss, BL(fract) = BL/BV. ANH took 16 +/- 2 min and was void of any adverse event. The costs for ANH was 24 per patient. 55 patients had a mean BL(fract) of 44 +/- 28% and required an intraoperative transfusion; 49/55 patients with an average BL(fract) of 37 +/- 14% were transfused with only autologous ANH-blood; 6/55 patients with a mean BL(fract) of 100 +/- 47% underwent additional transfusion with allogeneic RBC. Standardized, 2 unit, ANH is a practicable, safe and economic blood conservation technique that allowed for the complete avoidance of allogeneic RBC transfusion in 89% of patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery that required an intraoperative RBC transfusion.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[The importance of allergic skin test with Johnin, antibody ELISA, cultural fecal test as well as vaccination for the sanitation of three chronically paratuberculosis-infected dairy herds in Rhineland-Palatinate].

Three chronically paratuberculosis infected herds were tested for six years twice a year (intradermal Johnin test, antibody ELISA (IDEXX Corp.), microbial culture) according to a sanitary program. Culling of shedding animals and vaccination of calves with NEOPARASEC (Merial Corp.) were part of the program. In course of experiment, 1015 samples of 228 non vaccinated cows and 1502 samples of 293 vaccinated cattle have been tested. 3.8% of the vaccinated animals proved positive in microbial culture. Nearly all vaccinated calves developed granulomas sized from hazelnut to loaf at the injection site. Positive reactions in intradermal test as well as in antibody ELISA were found in very young calves. 24.3%, 33.7%, 25.9%, respectively of the non vaccinated animals were identified as shedders of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) by microbial culture. In the first and in the second herd most shedders of MAP were found in the first herd examination (66.7%, 42.9%, respectively), whereas in the third herd they were detected in the fifth examination (31.0%). At the beginning, 17.9% of non vaccinated animals proved positive in intradermal test, 14.4% in antibody ELISA. Afterwards, the number of positive test results decreased but increased again towards the end of the experiment. 48.5% of the 66 shedders showed positive reactions in intradermal test, 57.6% in antibody ELISA, 77.3% in at least one of these both tests. Antibodies in ELISA were found in rising frequency from two years before the time of shedding. 50.0% of the shedders reacted positive in ELISA at the time of shedding. In selected shedders first positive results were found at the age of about two years. Unfortunately, only incomplete hygienic measures were realized by the farmers. Under field conditions the realisation of attending sanitary programs is difficult. MAP is spread mainly by buying of animals, therefore a certification program for paratuberculosis free herds is urgently necessary as well as an improvement of diagnostic methods.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Immune reactions in cattle after immunization with a Mycobacterium paratuberculosis vaccine and implications for the diagnosis of M. paratuberculosis and M. bovis infections.

After immunization of four calves with a live modified Mycobacterium paratuberculosis vaccine the course of the humoral and cell mediated immune reactions was studied during a 2-year clinical investigation. Furthermore, the possibility of shedding of the vaccine strain and the influence of the vaccination on the tuberculin skin test was determined. In addition to standard procedures recently developed diagnostic methods (antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, interferon-gamma test, polymerase chain reaction) were used. A cell-mediated immune reaction, reflected in an increased, specifically induced, interferon-gamma production developed much earlier (1-2 weeks post-immunization) than humoral immunity (8-16 weeks post-gamma immunization). While the increase in antibody titres was transient, declining to extremely low levels 48-60 weeks post-immunization, cell-mediated immunity remained detectable until the end of the investigation. Spread of the vaccine strain into the body and shedding were never detected during the whole course of the study except for one colon site in one calf. As late as 2 years after vaccine application positive or doubtful skin reactions against M. bovis purified protein derivative were measured, reflecting possible interference of the immunization with the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis. At the end of the investigation, a positive cell-mediated immune reaction was detected the control animal although clinical, pathological and bacteriological examinations gave no indication for a mycobacterial infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Psychoacoustic correlates of individual noise sensitivity.

In environmental noise surveys, self-reported noise sensitivity, a stable personality trait covering attitudes toward a wide range of environmental sounds, is a major predictor of individual noise-annoyance reactions. Its relationship to basic measures of auditory functioning, however, has not been systematically explored. Therefore, in the present investigation, a sample of 61 unselected listeners was subjected to a battery of psychoacoustic procedures ranging from threshold determinations to loudness scaling tasks. No significant differences in absolute thresholds, intensity discrimination, simple auditory reaction time, or power-function exponents for loudness emerged, when the sample was split along the median into two groups of "low" vs "high" noise sensitivity on the basis of scores obtained from a psychometrically evaluated questionnaire [Zimmer and Ellermeier, Diagnostica 44, 11-20 (1998)]. Small, but systematic differences were found in verbal loudness estimates, and in ratings of the unpleasantness of natural sounds, thus suggesting that self-reported noise sensitivity captures evaluative rather than sensory aspects of auditory processing.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A multicentre trial of ropivacaine 7.5 mg x ml(-1) vs bupivacaine 5 mg x ml(-1) for supra clavicular brachial plexus anesthesia.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of ropivacaine 7.5 mg x ml(-1) with bupivacaine 5.0 mg x ml(-1) for subclavian perivascular brachial plexus block. METHODS: After informed consent, 104 ASA I-III adults participated in a randomized, double-blind, multi-center trial to receive 30 ml of either ropivacaine 7.5 mg x ml(-1) or bupivacaine 5.0 mg x ml(-1) for subclavian perivascular brachial plexus block prior to upper limb surgery. Onset and duration of sensory and motor block in the distribution of the axillary, median, musculo-cutaneous, radial and ulnar nerves were assessed. RESULTS: Onset times and duration of sensory and motor block were similar between groups. Mean duration of analgesia for the five nerves was between 11.3 and 14.3 hr with ropivacaine and between 10.3 and 17.1 hr with bupivacaine. Quality of muscle relaxation judged as excellent by the investigators was not significantly different (ropivacaine - 35/49, bupivacaine - 30/49). The median time to first request for analgesia was comparable between the two groups (11-12 hr). One patient developed a grand mal seizure shortly after receiving bupivacaine and recovered consciousness within 30 min. There were no serious adverse events in the ropivacaine group. CONCLUSIONS: Thirty ml ropivacaine 7.5 mg x ml(-1) (225 mg) produced effective and well tolerated brachial plexus block of long duration by the subclavian perivascular route. In this study, the results were similar to those of 30 ml bupivacaine 5.0 mg x ml(-1).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Contribution to the diagnosis of Johne's disease in cattle. Comparative studies on the validity of Ziehl-Neelsen staining, faecal culture and a commercially available DNA-Probe test in detecting Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in faeces from cattle.

In the present study, 132 selected faecal samples from clinically affected and subclinically infected cattle from dairy herds known to be affected by Johne's disease were investigated for the presence of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis using Ziehl-Neelsen staining, faecal culture and a commercially available DNA-Probe test. The sensitivity was 36.4% for Ziehl-Neelsen staining, 85.6% for faecal culture and 47.7% for the DNA-Probe test. Proving the presence of acid-fast bacteria in 49.3% of the samples from clinically affected cattle and 19.3% of those from subclinically infected cattle, Ziehl-Neelsen staining had the lowest detection rate of the three tests under investigation. Faecal culture showed the highest detection rate of M. paratuberculosis in samples from both clinically affected (84.0%) and subclinically infected (87.7%) animals. The DNA-Probe test showed a positive result in 68.0% of the samples from clinically affected cattle and 21.1% of those from subclinically infected cattle. Ziehl-Neelsen staining proved unreliable in diagnosing Johne's disease. Faecal culture was the most sensitive method for detecting M. paratuberculosis both in clinically affected and subclinically infected cattle. The sensitivity of a commercially available DNA-Probe test has to be enhanced to enable a quick and reliable diagnosis of Johne's disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Serological differences in Neospora caninum-associated epidemic and endemic abortions.

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the sensitive and specific detection of bovine antibodies to Neospora caninum was developed and evaluated using sera from cattle experimentally infected with N. caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis cruzi, Sarcocystis hominis, Sarcocystis hirsuta, Eimeria bovis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Babesia divergens, and field sera from naturally exposed animals. Field sera were classified using a gold standard that included the results from an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and an immunoblot (IB). Based on these gold standard results, i.e., IFAT-IB results, an equal relative sensitivity and specificity of 94.2%(theta0) was reached when a cutoff of 0.034 (d0) was employed. The analysis of IFAT-IB-positive field sera showed that within groups of aborting and nonaborting dams, the animals from herds with endemic N. caninum-associated abortions had significantly higher ELISA indices than animals from herds with N. caninum-associated epidemic abortions. By contrast, IFAT-IB-positive aborting dams from herds with endemic N. caninum-associated abortions had significantly lower IFAT titers than IFAT-IB-positive aborting dams from herds with epidemic N. caninum-associated abortions. This is the first time that statistically significant serological differences between herds exhibiting epidemic and endemic N. caninum-associated abortions are described.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1997

Individual differences in susceptibility to the "irrelevant speech effect".

Individual differences in objective effects of noise on performance were analyzed with respect to their distribution, temporal stability, and the precision of measurement to be attained. Seventy-two subjects had to memorize sequences of visually presented digits while being exposed to one of three auditory background conditions which were randomly mixed on a trial-by-trial basis: (1) foreign speech; (2) pink noise; and (3) silence. Individual "irrelevant speech effects," operationalized by the difference in recall errors under speech and in silence, were normally distributed over a wide range extending from slight facilitation to severe disruption. When 25 subjects repeated the experiment after four weeks, the individual differences were replicated with a reliability of rtt = 0.45. Internal consistency, a measure of the precision with which individual effects can be measured in a single session, was moderate (alpha = 0.55). However, both retest, and consistency coefficients are severely attenuated by the use of (sound-minus-silence) difference scores, the reliability of which is bound to be considerably lower than that of the original error scores whenever these are correlated. Given that the original error rates in a specific auditory condition can be determined with reliabilities approaching 0.85, it may be concluded that individual performance decrements due to noise can be reliably measured in the "irrelevant speech" paradigm. Self-report measures of noise susceptibility collected to explore potential sources of the large inter-individual variation exhibited only weak relationships with the objectively measured noise effects: Subjects were quite inaccurate in assessing their individual impairment in the three auditory conditions, and a questionnaire-based measure of general noise sensitivity only accounted for a small portion of the variance in objectively measured performance decrements, although in both cases the predictive relationship was much stronger in female than in male subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Use of mini-septopal in trauma surgery of the hand. Experimental and clinical studies].

The antibiotics application in treatment of infections makes necessary that they are present in the focus of infection in concentration which is enough to fight back bacteria responsible for the symptoms of disease. Concentration higher then MIC is especially difficult to obtain in tissue with poor blood supply.c. in the cortical bone. Many attempts has been made to find proper method to obtain high antibiotic concentration in the infection focus without overloading the rest of the organism. In the years 1972-1973 Klemm in Frankfurt/Main had first very promising results treating bone infections by filling bone cavities after proper surgical debridement with hand-made beads made of bone cement with gentamicin. This method has been developed by the E. MERCK company which started to produce drug as Septopal. Very good results of treatment using this form of antibiotic created natural demand for this method also in hand surgery, where big sized Septopal beads couldn't be used. E. MERCK company has provided us with Septopal Mini Chains where small ellipsoids are gathered in 10- or 20 elements chains. Starting investigations on SMC application the following aims of experimental and clinical studies has been pointed out: observation of tissue reaction for the implanted ellipsoids, studies on gentamicin releasing velocity and its concentration in the implantation site as well as in the tissues of peripheral organs, observation of the potential toxicity and observation of the ellipsoids structure in the scanning electron microscopy, evaluation of usefulness of the SMC in the treatment of bone and soft tissue infections and in prophylactics in high risk wounds treatment, evaluation of its efficiency in comparison with gentamicin-resisted bacterial strains. Statistical analysis of results has proved very high efficiency of this form of drug by obtaining very high local antibiotic concentration even 100 times higher then after parenteral application. No toxic reactions has been noticed. In the Department of Traumatology Medical Academy in Wrocław in the years 1983-1991 Septopal Mini Chains has been applied in 76 cases and very good results-complete healing has been obtained in 83% of patients. These data allow us to evaluate very high the usefulness of the Septopal Mini Chains as very good, new method of bone and soft tissue infection treatment in the area of hand.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Application of mini-septopal in surgery of the hand].

Successful application of the Septopal in treatment of osteomyelitis has created the demand for this form of drug available for implantation into the small operation field, e.c. in the hand. The Chair and Clinic for Traumatology of the Medical Academy in Wrocław has been chosen to cooperate in the clinical trial on application of the Septopal-minichains in surgery of hand. There were 76 patients treated with the Mini-Septopal implantation. In 18 cases the osteomyelitis or active bacterial soft tissue infection gave indications for this type of treatment. In 58 cases Mini-Septopal was implanted because of high risk of infection in contaminated wounds. In both groups bacteriological examinations have been performed and statistical study revealed successful results even in primary resistant for gentamicin bacteries. Very good results of treatment let us estimate very high the usefulness of Mini-Septopal in bone and soft-tissue infections treatment, if the proper surgical procedures are performed to clean the focus of infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Poxvirus infections in a cat and its owner].

A poxvirus infection in a cat and its owner is recorded. The clinical course of the disease as well as the pathological and the histopathological changes are described. The diagnosis "poxvirus infection" was confirmed by electronmicroscopy and cell culture techniques. This is the first human poxvirus infection in the Federal Republic of Germany in which the source of infection was found to be an infected cat. The serological investigation of 104 cat sera revealed antibody titres in 14 cases, indicating that poxvirus infections in cats are not isolated cases.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of five different methods for routine diagnosis of rabies.

Brain tissue from 187 animals of different species was investigated by means of fluorescent antibody test, peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique, mouse inoculation test and cell culture technique for a diagnosis of rabies. With peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique the rabies specific reaction comprised inclusion bodies and a granular staining of the cytoplasm of affected cells. A specific positive reaction was found only in neurons, in which perikaryon as well as cell processes were affected. Fluorescent antibody test and peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique detected 98% each, mouse inoculation test 95% and cell culture technique 81% of the rabies positive animals. In conclusion, peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique allows a highly reliable diagnosis of rabies when only formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded material is available. Histopathological alterations comprising Negri bodies, inflammatory and degenerative lesions were encountered in 53% of the rabies positive brains.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The interaction between oxygen and vascular wall.

In vascular strips of canine carotid arteries stepwise lowering of oxygen tension from hyperoxic levels of 550 mmHg to 20 mmHg caused in preparations with endothelium a dose-dependent hyperpolarization and relaxation of smooth muscle cells when oxygen tensions between approximately 150 mmHg and 35 mmHg were attained. Pronounced hypoxia with oxygen tensions below 30 mmHg induced a depolarisation and an increase in force generation. During comparable investigations on vessel preparations without endothelium only a slight hyperpolarization and relaxation of the smooth muscle were observed when decreasing the oxygen tension from 550 mmHg to approx. 35 mmHg. In the presence of indomethacin (10(-5) M) a small but significant reduction in the hypoxia-induced hyperpolarization and decrease in smooth muscle tone was found in intact vascular strips with endothelium. Depolarisation and contraction occurred at oxygen tensions below approx. 50-60 mmHg.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The significance of the endothelium for hypoxic vasodilatation.

In isolated segments of the A. carotis communis of the dog, the membrane potential and isometric tension were recorded in dependence on the oxygen partial pressure. In the range between 535 and 35 mmHg PO2, lowering of oxygen tension leads to a dose-dependent hyperpolarization of maximally 9.8 mV with a simultaneous decrease in tone of 0.746 g. Further reduction of PO2 below 35 mmHg causes depolarization and contraction. These effects can be abolished almost completely by alpha-receptor blockade. Application of 6-hydroxydopamine (1.8 mM) augments the hypoxic hyperpolarization and relaxation in the entire PO2 range between 535 and 0 mmHg, i.e., below 35 mmHg depolarization and contraction fail to appear. The increasing release of noradrenaline from terminal sympathetic nerve endings thus limits the hyperpolarization and relaxation occurring with reduction of PO2 and is mainly responsible for the depolarization and contraction below 35 mmHg. Application of indomethacin (10(-5) M) or BW 755 C (3.8 x 10(-5) M) reduces the hypoxic hyperpolarization and dilatation by circa 20-30%. Their maximum is shifted towards a higher PO2 of 65 mmHg. Only complete removal of the endothelium effects a 70-80% restriction of dilatory vascular reactivity. Identical quantitative statements hold also for control conditions, i.e. in carbogen Krebs solution. This means that the basal release of prostacyclin from endothelial and smooth muscle cells has a share of 20-30%, the basal release of the endothelial dilator EDHF of 70-80% in the membrane polarization and reduction in muscle tone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Determination of selenium in foods by inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and hydride generation.

Within the framework of a survey launched by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità to assess the average daily intake of Se with food in the Italian population, a preliminary study was carried out to develop an analytical procedure for the quantification of the element in food products. The method implies the use of a hydride generation system in combination with inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and exploits the inherent advantages of this last also for the analysis of non-metals. The overall approach was tested in some Hungarian and Italian foods, adequately lending itself to routine and reliable Se assay.

Food Analysis↗
PubMed1988

The influence of oxygen tension on membrane potential and tone of canine carotid artery smooth muscle.

In vascular smooth muscle of canine carotid artery segments the decrease in oxygen tension from approximately 550 mmHg to approximately 30 mmHg leads to a dose-dependent hyperpolarization and relaxation of the vessel strip. At PO2 values below approximately 15-20 mmHg depolarization and subsequent contraction were found. All changes of the parameters investigated were reversible. Indomethacin (10(-5) M) had no significant effect on the hypoxia-dependent potential and tension changes. The hyperpolarized part of the activation curve was obtained by plotting tension versus membrane potential values.

Animals↗