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Biomedical subjects

M Ludwig

Publications and source records attributed to M Ludwig.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Learned helplessness: effects on brain monoamines and the pituitary-gonadal axis.

The effect of the learned helplessness paradigm, a model of depression, on biogenic amines in eight brain regions, and on the serum levels of luteinizing hormone, corticosterone, and testosterone in male rats was determined. Rats which were exposed to uncontrollable and unpredictable shocks (HY-rats) had hormone levels similar to those in appropriate control animals. However, HY-rats had higher levels of 5-HIAA in the pons/medulla oblongata and lower levels of 5-HT in the cortex than rats which could escape the shocks (HE-rats). Furthermore, striatal levels of NE were higher in HY-rats when compared to HE-rats and non-shocked controls (HC-rats). Shock treatment per se resulted in lower NE levels in the hippocampus. These data implicate the serotonergic and noradrenergic systems as possible mediators of the learned helplessness phenomenon, but do not support the view that this behavior is associated with impaired pituitary-gonadal function.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1982

Parathyroid cysts.

Fourteen new cases of parathyroid cyst are presented. Two distinct groups were identified: functioning and nonfunctioning. Patients with functioning cysts presented with hypercalcemia, tended to be men and were older. Patients with nonfunctioning cysts were all women, had normocalcemia and all presented with neck masses. Ultrasonography proved useful while radionuclide thyroid scans were often misleading. In the functioning group removal of parathyroid cysts resulted in postoperative normocalcemia in all cases. In the nonfunctioning cysts thyroid lobectomy was performed in five of six instances. Parathyroid cysts usually contain clear or serous fluid and are surrounded by a well-delineated plane of dissection. We believe that preoperative aspiration of cystic neck masses and consideration of the diagnosis of parathyroid cysts may avoid needless thyroid lobectomy.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1979

Consultation--liaison psychiatry activities in a renal transplant unit.

We describe the consultation--liaison psychiatry activites in the renal transplant unit at Hannover Medical School. The activities with regard to patients' care include: the group session, with particular regard to dealing with the patients' denial; the indirect and direct psychotherapeutic interventions, the latter concerning psychotherapeutic consultation and counselling ('supportive psychotherapy'); and dealing with live donors and potential renal transplant patients. The second consultation--liaison psychiatry activity includes the teaching procedures: firstly, Balint-group-work with the nurses, secondly, the nurses' presence in the group sessions, and finally, Balint-group-work with students working as auxiliary therapists. In the authors' view, the field of surgery can represent a very promising one with regard to consultation--liaison psychiatry.

Counseling↗
PubMed1978

Metastatic atrial tumor: case report with electrocardiographic-pathologic correlation.

This report describes a case in which the pre-mortem diagnosis of a right atrial metastasis from a bronchogenic carcinoma was made on the basis of distinctive PR segment (atrial repolarization) changes and atrial arrhythmias. The differential diagnosis of such PR segment deviations also includes functional changes, pericarditis, atrial infarction, and other types of atrial injury.

Atrial Fibrillation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chlamydial antibodies in semen: search for "silent" chlamydial infections in asymptomatic andrological patients.

The importance of a serological diagnostic workup in male genitourinary infections with Chlamydia trachomatis and its relevance for male infertility is still under debate. In a prospective study, antichlamydial serum and seminal plasma antibodies of 131 consecutive patients (mean age 31: 20-57) without evidence of acute urethritis and with negative urethral chlamydial culture were investigated. The antibody determination was carried out with a genus specific rELISA. In patients with positive seminal plasma IgA, chlamydial genome was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results were associated with standard semen parameters according to evaluated WHO guidelines. Specific serum IgG antibodies were found in 51 patients (38.9%), IgA in 39 (29.7%); both antibodies were present in 25 patients (19%). Seminal plasma IgG was demonstrable in seven patients (5.3%), IgA in 26 (19.9%), and five patients were positive for both antibody classes (3.8%). Of the 26 men positive for specific seminal plasma IgA antibodies 12 did not demonstrate a serum antibody reaction. Only two patients with positive IgA titers in their seminal plasma showed a positive chlamydial genome reaction in PCR (8%). Men with antichlamydial seminal plasma IgA and/or IgG did not differ significantly in any of the standard semen sperm parameters from men testing negative for antibodies, with the exception of peroxidase positive leukocytes (p < 0.01), nor was there an association between any of the ejaculate parameters and any of the antibody titers. The data of about 40% antichlamydial serum antibody findings without a significant association with seminal plasma antibodies and no clinical signs of infection seem to reflect a history of urogenital infection. The unique presence of seminal plasma IgA in 12 of 26 cases may be caused by a local antibody response due to a "silent" infection. Thus, seminal plasma IgA was associated with signs of inflammation, whereas, there was no association with genome or pathogen demonstration. Therefore, it appears to be necessary to reevaluate genus-specific seminal plasma IgA antibodies with a species-specific microimmunofluorescence test and to compare these results with a genome screening using PCR or in situ hybridization.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue penetration of sparfloxacin in a rat model of experimental Escherichia coli epididymitis.

The epididymal, testicular, and prostatic tissue penetration of sparfloxacin, a new quinolone, was assessed in a rat model of acute epididymitis. Seventy-two hours after injection of 0.1 ml (10(6) cfu/ml) of an Escherichia coli suspension into the right epididymis via the right ductus deferens, a single oral dose of sparfloxacin 50 mg/kg body weight was administered. One, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after administration the animals were sacrificed and the sparfloxacin concentrations and "areas under the curve" (AUC0-24) in both epididymides, both testes, the prostate gland and in the serum were measured by bioassay. The highest mean AUC0-24 was found in the prostate gland, followed by left epididymis, right epididymis, serum, right testis, and left testis (190, 79, 60, 28, 12, and 9 mg/kg x h, respectively). Though there was no statistically significant difference in the sparfloxacin concentration of both epididymides (p = 0.09), the mean AUC0-24 was significantly higher in the non-infected left epididymis (p < 0.0001). The AUC0-24 and sparfloxacin concentrations of the right infected epididymis were significantly higher than those observed in the serum (p < 0.0001). In both testes, the AUC0-24 and sparfloxacin concentrations were lower than in the serum (p < 0.0001), however, the concentration exceeded the MIC tenfold for approximately 20 h. It is concluded that the pharmacokinetic properties of sparfloxacin (good in vitro activity, high penetration into the prostate gland, testes, infected and non-infected epididymides) make this drug a recommendable choice for the initial treatment of acute epididymitis caused by E. coli.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

X-linked adrenomyeloneuropathy associated with 14 novel ALD-gene mutations: no correlation between type of mutation and age of onset.

Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) represents a milder form of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), the most frequent peroxisomal disorder. The disease is characterised by an abnormal accumulation of saturated, very long chain, fatty acids, because of altered peroxisomal beta-oxidation that concomitantly leads to demyelination in the central and peripheral nervous systems. ALD shows a highly variable phenotypic expression and extensive mutation analysis in ALD patients has failed to establish a genotype-phenotype correlation, even in the presence of the same ALD-gene defect. Therefore, we have looked for a relationship between the molecular lesion and the age of onset in 19 patients with a well-classified clinical course of AMN. The nearly complete novel spectrum of ALD gene mutations identified has revealed no obvious correlation between the type of mutation and age of AMN onset in this small series. However, intrafamiliar concordance could be observed with respect to the occurrence of adrenocortical insufficiency. This supports the idea of one (or more) additional gene(s) contributing to the phenotypic expression of ALD.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily D, Mem↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Counselling on cryopreservation of pronucleated oocytes.

The German Embryo Protection Law permits only the cryopreservation of supernumerary pronuclear stage eggs. Data are needed to counsel patients about their individual benefits from this procedure. All fresh embryo transfer cycles performed from January 1994 until December 1998 in which supernumerary pronucleate eggs were cryopreserved (n = 557) were analysed retrospectively, together with data from all subsequent cycles involving transfers of frozen-thawed pronucleate eggs (n = 420) from January 1994 until June 2001. The additional cumulative pregnancy rate per fresh cycle was 11.5%. This rate depended on the number of embryos per transfer, i.e. 1.9, 8.2 and 13.0% respectively when one, two or three embryos were transferred (P < 0.05). A strong correlation was found between the numbers of cryopreserved pronucleate eggs and pregnancy rates, of 9.3, 10.5 and 17.1% when 1-3, 4-6, or at least 7 pronucleate eggs were available respectively. Additional benefit in terms of this rate from cryopreservation for a patient with and without a pregnancy in the fresh embryo transfer cycles was 5.3 and 12.7% respectively. It is concluded that higher pregnancy rates in cycles involving cryopreserved eggs for patients who did not become pregnant in fresh transfer cycles reveals the disadvantage of the German Embryo Protection Law, which does not allow embryo selection. Therefore, cryopreservation of pronucleate eggs with a higher developmental potential is possible. The total pregnancy rate could be raised from 28.0 to 35.5% per fresh transfer cycle.

Age Factors↗