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Biomedical subjects

M Frank

Publications and source records attributed to M Frank.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Comparison of three methods for initiating in vitro cultures of Theileria annulata schizonts.

Three methods for initiating in vitro cultures of Theileria annulata from infected cattle were compared: 1) separation of buffy coat cells by centrifugation in a plastic syringe; 2) separation of lymphocytes by a commercial Ficoll-Paque gradient and 3) trypsinization of liver biopsy material. Successful cultures were obtained in 26 out of 48 trials (54 p. 100) by method 1, in 28 out of 56 trials (50 p. 100) by method 2 and 17 out of 21 trials (81 p. 100) by method 3. Once established, cultures, initiated by any method can be subcultivated for years.

Animals↗

Diagnostic and pathogenetic implications of urinary coproporphyrin excretion in the Dubin-Johnson syndrome.

The Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS), a hereditary conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, is associated with an impairment of porphyrin metabolism. Total urinary coproporphyrin (CP) excretion and the urinary CP isomer I and III constellation were examined in 15 patients with DJS and 12 unaffected family members, and then compared with 50 unrelated control persons (55 +/- 15 nmol/24 h of total CP: 27 +/- 3% of isomer I; +/- SD). The patients with DJS excreted 80 +/- 7% (+/- SD) of CP isomer I (p less than 0.001). The isomer relation in two young children, 3 and 5 years old, shows an isomer reversal, with isomer I of about 95%. Studies done on four families from our patients with DJS indicate and confirm the autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Total urinary CP was found to be elevated in subjects with DJS, reaching a mean value of 164 +/- 123 nmol/24 h (upper limit 120 nmol/24 h). Fecal CP isomers I and III were found to be in the usual physiological proportion to each other, but total fecal CP excretion had declined to the lower normal level (10 +/- nmol/g, n = 8). The pathogenetic mechanisms in DJS have not yet been fully worked out. Four possible explanations are currently under discussion: 1. an impaired hepatic excretory function: 2. a uroporphyrinogen III synthase defect; 3. an increase in porphobilinogen deaminase (uroporphyrinogen synthase) activity, or 4. a membrane-associated transport disorder with secondary metabolic changes of the isomer pool and enzyme activities.

Adolescent↗

I have a dream.

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Animal Welfare↗

Relevance of urinary coproporphyrin isomers in hereditary hyperbilirubinemias.

Porphyrin metabolism is impaired in Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS), Rotor's syndrome (RS), and Gilbert's syndrome (GS). Urinary coproporphyrin (CP) isomer I is increased in these hereditary hyperbilirubinemias to different degrees: in DJS to 85%, in RS to 70%, and in GS to 50% in the homozygous state (p less than 0.001 compared to controls with isomer I of 27%). Intermediate isomer proportions were found in heterozygote carriers of DJS. An overlapping distribution of the isomer I/III ratio is observed in DJS and RS carriers, homozygous subjects with GS, and individuals suffering from alcohol-related intrahepatic cholestasis. The diagnosis of DJS and RS can be based mainly on porphyrin analysis, but the detection of carriers (heterozygotes) requires additional criteria to distinguish them from patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of a different etiology.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗

Hepatobiliary implications and complications in protoporphyria, a 20-year study.

Clinical and biochemical findings in 55 patients with protoporphyria are presented in a 20-year study. The patients revealed a history of photosensitivity, but in 6 cases the diagnosis was not established until a liver abnormality appeared. Protoporphyrin was elevated in erythrocytes and plasma, and also in the feces of most patients. Signs of impaired liver function were observed in 19 patients (35%), also males predominated in this group 72%. Seven subjects (13%) suffered from liver cirrhosis. A female, aged 20, and a male, aged 22, died from fatal liver disease. Erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels in protoporphyria patients with liver complications were 38 +/- 8 mumols/L (mean +/- SEM) compared to 13 +/- 2 (p less than 0.001) for those patients without obvious liver involvement. Patients with hepatobiliary involvement exhibited a pathologic coproporphyrinuria (419 +/- 21 nmol/24h; mean +/- SEM) with an increase in the proportion of isomer I ranging between 43 and 91% of the total (normal value below 31%). Protoporphyrin accumulated in hepatic tissues to various degrees depending on the stage of the disease. Our observations suggest that (a) pathologic coproporphyrinuria with an increase in isomer I serves as a sensitive parameter for recognizing subclinical and clinical hepatobiliary disease, (b) liver involvement may occur more frequently than has previously been reported, and (c) that treatment with cholic acids results in biochemical and clinical improvement. The pathogenetic course from the erythropoietic disease to include hepatic involvement develops in phases. Protoporphyria should be designated as erythrohepatic.

Adult↗

Severe hypoglycemia in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: frequency and predisposing factors.

We surveyed 311 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus to evaluate the frequency and characteristics of those children experiencing severe hypoglycemia (defined by an episode of coma, convulsion, or both). The children and their parents completed a questionnaire, and we reviewed the hospital records to confirm reported episodes. Ninety-seven (31%) reported severe hypoglycemia, and a further 50 (16%) reported moderate hypoglycemia requiring the assistance of another person but not resulting in coma or convulsion. In 164 children (53%) there was no history of either moderate or severe hypoglycemia. Sixty-nine (22%) reported the occurrence of more than one severe hypoglycemic episode (range 2 to 20); 52 (16%) reported such an event in a single year. A total of 285 episodes were reported, 39% during sleep and 61% while awake. Children reporting such events tended to have diabetes of longer duration and be younger at the time of the first episode. Hemoglobin A1c concentration at the time closest to the severe episode was significantly lower than in children reporting no hypoglycemia. All families had been taught to use glucagon to reverse severe hypoglycemia at home, but it was available in only 80 of the 97 homes and used in only 30. These data suggest that severe hypoglycemia is common in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who are treated conventionally. Greater vigilance and education are required both to prevent and to treat severe hypoglycemia in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Adolescent↗

[Vocational activity and unemployment of females and pregnancy outcome].

Epidemiologic studies relating unfavourable pregnancy outcomes of working women are reviewed. Inconsistent results are found. This is due to differing types of work and above all to the distribution of sociodemographic factors. The study presented comprising all cases of births and deaths in Berlin (West) of the years 1982-1985 (n = 72.206) showed no difference in low birth weight, but an evidently higher infant mortality for women who were not working. This is explained by sociodemographic factors. This leads to consequences for a target group and health oriented attendance for the public health services.

Adult↗