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Biomedical subjects

M Drescher

Publications and source records attributed to M Drescher.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Utility of postmortem computed tomography in trauma victims.

A possible way to circumvent the continuing decline in the number of autopsies is to perform computed tomography after death. The present study compares the pathologic findings of postmortem CT tomography (PMCT) in trauma fatalities with those disclosed upon conventional forensic autopsy. Within 6 hours of death, the bodies of 25 trauma victims underwent total body CT scanning, all with permission of the relatives, followed by conventional autopsy in 13 cases under court order. The pathologist and roentgenologist were unaware of each other's findings. The pathologic findings of PMCT plus conventional autopsy provided more information than either examination alone. Of the total 127 pathologic findings, 44.9% were diagnosed by both conventional autopsy and PMCT, 29.9% were not revealed by PMCT, whereas conventional autopsy missed 25.2%, and PMCT detected more bone injuries than did autopsy, whereas the latter was superior to PMCT in discovering soft-tissue pathologic states. In all, PMCT revealed 70.5% and autopsy 74.8% of the pathologic states. Although PMCT was not more effective than conventional autopsy in exposing pathologic entities, it increased the yield of findings when combined with conventional autopsy. Where conventional autopsy is unattainable, PMCT may be effective in shedding light on the pathologic state and mechanism of death in trauma fatalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Nonspecific immunostimulation with low doses of cyclophosphamide (LDCY), thymostimulin, and Echinacea purpurea extracts (echinacin) in patients with far advanced colorectal cancers: preliminary results.

Outpatients (n = 15) with metastasizing far advanced colorectal cancers received immunotherapy consisting of low-dose cyclophosphamide (LDCY) 300 mg/m2 every 28 days i.v., thymostimulin 30 mg/m2, days 3-10 after low-dose cyclophosphamide i.m. once daily, then twice a week, and echinacin 60 mg/m2 together with thymostimulin i.m. All patients had had previous surgery and/or chemotherapy and had progressive disease upon entering the study. Two months after onset of therapy a partial tumor regression was documented in one and a stable disease in 6 other patients by abdominal ultrasonography, decrease of the tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 19-9, CA 15-3, and/or chest roentgenography, which may also be attributed to the natural course of disease. Mean survival time was 4 months, 2 patients survived for more than 8 months. Immunotherapy was well tolerated by all patients without side effects.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1992

Flow cytometric characterization of acute myeloid leukemia: IV. Comparison to the differentiation pathway of normal hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Gradual increase of CD38 on cells expressing CD34 characterizes the early cell differentiation pathway of normal human hematopoietic progenitors. In this study the coordinated expression pattern of CD34 and CD38 was assessed on leukemic blasts from bone marrow aspirates of 95 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Expression was divided into six categories analogous to the differentiation pathway of normal bone marrow. The CD38 antigen was expressed on the leukemic cells of all patients and CD34+ leukemic cells were found in 79 patients (83%). In 93 patients, the leukemic cells were found along the differentiation pathway defined by CD34 and CD38. In 33 of the 93 patients, a part of the CD34+ cells did not express the CD38 antigen (categories 1 and 2). In another 33 patients, all CD34+ cells expressed CD38 (categories 3 and 4). In the remaining 27 patients, only cells were found which dimly expressed CD34 or did not express CD34 (categories 5 and 6). Of the 93 patients, 88 were treated with intensive chemotherapy according to the protocol of the German AML Cooperative Group. Of these, 21 died early and were not evaluable for treatment response. Complete remission was achieved in 14 of 22 patients (64%) in categories 1 and 2, in 19 of 26 patients (73%) in categories 3 and 4, and in 18 of 19 patients (95%) in categories 5 and 6. The event-free survival was significantly longer in patients of categories 5 and 6 compared to patients in categories 1 and 2 (p less than 0.01) and categories 3 and 4 (p less than 0.05), respectively. We conclude that in the majority of AML patients the immunophenotype of leukemic cells follows the early cell differentiation pathways defined by coordinated expression of CD34 and CD38 similar to that of normal hematopoietic progenitors. The presence of cells in the late cell differentiation stages (CD34+/-, CD38 /+) identifies patients with a higher complete remission rate and longer complete remission duration.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗
PubMed1991

[Massive and multi-transfusions in polytraumatized patients: long-term serologic markers of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and AIDS].

302 out of 712 (42%) consecutive polytraumatized ICU patients received ten or more units of stored blood during primary and/or intensive care (1982 to 1987) treatment. 120 of the 197 surviving patients with an average number of transfusions of 23 (10 to 89) units were followed up after a mean interval of 70 (20 to 104) months. Mean duration of continuous post-ICU hospital stay was 17 (2 to 160) weeks, mean number of additional operative procedures was three (0 to 23). Manifest hepatitis had not occurred, all samples were negative for HIV testing. In nine samples (7.5%), anti-HBc-antibodies were positive, while HBs-antigen was negative. Ten patients (8.3%) tested positive for anti-HCV-antibodies (one combined with positive anti-HBc). The rate of serologically positive samples increased with the number of blood units given, duration of overall hospital stay and/or number of secondary surgery; all these findings failed to prove statistically significant. The rate of seropositivity for anti-HBc-antibodies corresponded well with the rate found in voluntary donors in FRG. Manifest or chronic hepatitis B was not observed. As to hepatitis C, the incidence of seropositivity for anti-HCV was found tenfold higher than in healthy blood donors in FRG. The relevance of this result remains unclear, but might indicate chronic post-transfusional hepatitis with high risk of cirrhosis. Among the patients testing positive for anti-HCV, too, acute manifest hepatitis had not occurred. Recently developed RIBA kits might improve specificity and sensitivity of anti-HCV testing. Thus, the frequency of PTH-C could decrease considerably.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1982

[Clinico-chemical diagnosis of the cholestasis syndrome].

1. Cholestatic reactions of various etiology are biochemically established by determination of alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (and leucinaminopeptidase) activities and of bile acid concentrations in serum. 2. The pathomechanisms of elevated serum activities of AP, gamma-GT and LAP in cholestatic diseases are - an induction of these canalicular membrane bound enzymes, probably due to an intracellular increase of bile acids, - a partial solubilization of canalicular membrane structure (detergent effect of bile acids), - a histochemically and morphologically demonstrable change of liver cell polarity. 3. A discrimination of intra- or extrahepatic cholestasis only by means of biochemical parameters is impossible. 4. Additional serological and immunological parameters often demonstrate the etiology of cholestatic diseases; a short review is given.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1981

[Prognostic validity of biochemical data and immunofluorescence microscopy in acute hepatitis B (author's transl)].

For an early identification of chronic courses of hepatitis virus B infections a statistical prediction model based on simple biochemical parameters and immunofluorescence microscopy for the investigation of virus HBs and HBc antigen expression in liver tissue is established. As early as 3 weeks after maximum liver cell damage it is possible to identify chronic virus B infections and to predict the further course of hepatitis (CPH, CAH).

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1981

[Relevance of immunofluorescence microscopy for diagnosis and prognosis of chronic hepatitis B (author's transl)].

109 patients with hepatitis B infections had 162 biopsies of the liver. The specimens obtained were investigated microscopically; at the same time existence and pattern of distribution of HBs and HBc antigens were looked for by immunofluorescence microscopy. In cases with a histologically established diagnosis of chronic aggressive hepatitis (CAH) the following patterns could be found: (a) focal occurrence of HBc in all cases, (b) pure cytoplasmatic HBs fluorescence (HBs type I), (c) pronounced HBs fluorescence at the cell membrane (HBs type II), or (d) pronounced HBs fluorescence at the cell membrane combined with cytoplasmatic HBs fluorescence in focal areas (HBs type III). The 3 HBs types could be associated with different clinical courses of CAH. A pure cytoplasmatic HBs fluorescence without HBc fluorescence could be found in about two thirds of the cases, which had been diagnosed as chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) established by the first microscopic examination of the biopsy specimen. All cases deviating from this pattern could be classified at a later date as CAH also by histological criteria. In 25% of the cases the clinical course was protracted, the histological diagnosis having been at first: residual changes after acute hepatitis; in these cases the pattern of distribution of virus antigens in the biopsy specimen did allow already at an early date the diagnosis of CAH or CPH; this diagnosis could be confirmed by control biopsy and conventional microscopic examination in all these cases at a later date.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Serum levels of cholylglycine and sulfolitho-cholylglycine in the course of acute hepatitis (author's transl)].

In 20 patients with acute hepatitis B the serum levels of cholylglycine and sulfolitho-cholylglycine were investigated by radioimmunoassay; bile acid concentrations and routine biochemical parameters were determined weekly. The statistical evaluation displayed a close correlation between serum levels of cholylglycine and bilirubin during the course of hepatitis, and between serum levels of sulfolitho-cholylglycine and the enzyme activities of liver cell damage parameters (GOT, GPT, GIDH), respectively. A tentative interpretation on the validity of bile acid assays (CG, SLCG) in hepatobiliary disease is presented.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1975

[Influence of autolysis on the immunohistology of tissue-bound immunglobulins in the kidney (author's transl)].

The influence of autolysis on the immunhistological detectability and the immunological properties of tissue-bound basement membrane antibodies were investigated in the rat kidney. The immunhistological demonstration of antibodies was not affected up to 3 days post mortem. The disturbing autofluorescence of the autolytic tissue can be avoided by using peroxydase labeled antibodies. Basement-membrane antibodies that were eluted from the kidneys after an autolysis period of 2 days showed a homogenous linear deposition in kidney basement membrane after reinjection into normal rats. Their antibody properties were not affected.

Animals↗