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Biomedical subjects

M Meier

Publications and source records attributed to M Meier.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Child and adolescent psychiatric services in the canton of Zurich: a comparison of outpatients, day clinic, and inpatient referral populations].

Findings in intervention research are an important basis for the discussion of issues pertaining to quality control. In Switzerland such findings have been rare. The present study of the entire 1988-1995 referred child and adolescent population of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service of the Canton of Zurich (N = 7538 treated patients) concentrated on the demographic, diagnostic, and therapeutic attributes of the outpatient, day clinic, and inpatient populations that comprised the referred population. Marked differences are found in comparable studies from Germany with regard to patients treated in an inpatient setting. For example, the mean age of the patients in the Zurich sample is lower and patients with conduct disorders are more frequently represented. On the other hand, patients with psychotic illness are missing and, on the average, the duration of treatment is considerably longer. The reasons for these differences are to be found in the various structural attributes of the cantonal services that are provided in Zurich. In the area of inpatient care, where in comparison to outpatient settings and also day care settings patients with severe disorders are treated, there is a lack of places for the short-term care of acutely ill patients--for example, psychotic patients. This is especially true for adolescent patients. The limitations of traditional outpatient settings are frequently marked by unsatisfactory treatment results in outpatients with conduct disorders, developmental disorders, and a high impact of abnormal psychosocial circumstances.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Clinical significance of an equivocal signal-averaged electrocardiogram.

Patients with an equivocal signal averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) had less heart disease and better prognosis than patients with overtly abnormal SAECGs. An equivocal SAECG should not prompt further invasive diagnostic testing for ventricular tachycardia unless other clinical risk factors are present.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Eating disorders in adolescence in a Swiss epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVE: This is a study of prevalence rates for anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) in an epidemiological sample of Swiss adolescents. METHOD: A two-stage approach was used which involved the screening of a large sample of adolescents aged 14-17 and subsequent interviews of screen-positive and control subjects. RESULTS: The prevalence rates for adolescent girls were 0.7% for AN and 0.5% for BN. DISCUSSION: Full clinical syndromes of AN and BN in adolescents are by far less frequent than individual symptoms of eating disorders. There is more cross-cultural variation for prevalence rates in BN than in AN.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Behavioral and emotional problems reported by parents for ages 6 to 17 in a Swiss epidemiological study.

In an epidemiological sample of children aged 6 to 17 a total of 1964 parents responded to the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). A subgroup of 399 parents were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC). The mean syndrome scale scores in the various sex/age groups were in the lower range of several international studies using the CBCL. Effect analyses revealed sex to be more important than nationality (indigenous vs. immigrant) and age. All effects had to be considered as being small. Convergence between syndrome scales of the CBCL and interview-derived DSM-III-R diagnoses was good for three major groups of disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Corpus callosum axons in the developing visual cortex of the gerbil revealed by DiI and Fluorogold.

The distribution of commissural neurons and terminals was revealed by DiI and Fluorogold injections in gerbils. The distribution of corpus callosum projections in visual cortical areas changes significantly during postnatal development of the gerbil. On postnatal days 5, 8 and 10, the animals do not show callosal projections. Widespread callosal endings are developed by postnatal day 15. This diffuse projection concentrates in strips at the border of area 17/18A in adult animals (postnatal day 20 and older).

Aging↗
PubMed1997

Effect of alpha-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone on endotoxin toxemia in horses.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or endotoxin, is a component of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria and is toxic to humans and animals. The GI tract of horses contains large numbers of endotoxins which may cause disease if gut wall integrity is compromised. The objective of this study was to develop a unique therapeutic approach to the treatment of endotoxemia with a sulfonyl analog of the alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butyl-nitrone (PBN) spin-trap molecule which may prevent the LPS-induced cytokine cascade. Following challenge with 55 mg/kg LPS, the survivability of ICR Swiss mice was significantly improved after treatment with 100 and 175 mg/kg PBN, although survivability of mice treated with 175 mg/kg PBN was significantly less than those treated with 100 mg/kg PBN. Challenged mice treated with 300 and 1000 mg/kg PBN survived for a significantly shorter period of time (vs control). Horses treated with a sublethal dose (1 microgram/kg) of endotoxin experienced 2 periods of distress at 1 and 6 h after challenge. Disulfonyl-PBN significantly reduced the increase in heart and respiratory rates 6 h after challenge. Analogs of PBN appeared to be more beneficial following near-lethal challenge with LPS. Dramatic benefits to horses may only be observed in life-threatening situations.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

5-Methyl-6-phenyl-1,3,5,6-tetrahydro-3,6-methano-1,5-benzodiazocine-2,4-dione (BA 41899): representative of a novel class of purely calcium-sensitizing agents.

BA 41899 (5-methyl-6-phenyl-1,3,5,6-tetrahydro-3,6-methano-1,5- benzodiazocine-2,4-dione, 6) is a structurally novel 1,5-benzodiazocine derivative and represents the prototype of a hitherto unknown class of positive inotropic Ca(2+)-sensitizing agents. It is completely devoid of phosphodiesterase (PDE) III inhibitory activity or any other known inotropic mechanism. BA 41899 (6) exhibits a pharmacological in vitro profile comprising Ca(2+)-sensitizing, positive inotropic, and negative chronotropic effects. CGP 48506 ((+)-6), the (+)-enantiomer of BA 41899 (6), enantiospecifically carries Ca2+ sensitization by up to a full pCa unit and a corresponding positive inotropic effect. Conversely, the negative chronotropic action resides in the corresponding (-)-enantiomer, CGP 48508 ((-)-6). All the effects are exerted in the low micromolar range. The positive inotropic action of CGP 48506 ((+)-6) is associated with a decelerating effect on contraction and, more prominently, relaxation dynamics in isolated guinea pig atria. In contrast to Ca(2+)-sensitizing PDE inhibitors, CGP 48506 ((+)-6) does not increase maximum Ca(2+)-activated force in myocardial skinned fibers.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Production of erythropoietin by liver cells in vivo and in vitro.

Several lines of evidence indicate that the liver is the predominant production site for EPO during the early stages of development. Moreover, in adults, it may contribute significantly to EPO production in some species. Independent of age hepatocytes are the major cellular sites of EPO gene expression in the liver, but quantitatively less significant expression also occurs in at least one additional type of nonparenchymal cell. Although some indirect evidence suggests that these nonparenchymal cells producing EPO may be Kupffer cells, their identity remains to be clarified. Regarding the mechanisms of the adaptation of hepatic EPO production to changes in oxygen availability in the organism, experiments with isolated perfused livers, mixed liver cell cultures, hepatoma cells, and, more recently, isolated hepatocytes have provided evidence that inherent cellular oxygen-sensing mechanisms exist and that external factors are not essential. The use of hepatoma cells has allowed investigation of these cellular mechanisms of oxygen-dependent gene control, and further studies in nontransformed hepatocytes may complement these studies.

Aging↗
PubMed1994

Fibrin-glue-coated collagen fleece in lung surgery--experimental comparison with infrared coagulation and clinical experience.

Diffuse parenchymal bleeding and major air leaks still present a challenge to the thoracic surgeon. This study was therefore designed to evaluate efficacy and handling of fibrin-glue-coated collagen fleece, to address these problems. In an experimental part defects were produced in lungs of troll pigs to compare the use of the fleece with infrared coagulation. Immediate airtightness and postoperative adhesions were evaluated. Scores were designed to evaluate quality and extension of the adhesions. In a clinical study parenchymal resection sites were sealed with fibrin-glue-coated collagen fleece in 52 patients. No patient suffered from postoperative bleeding. In three cases air leaks were still present on the third postoperative day, representing a 5.8% failure rate. 92.3% of the patients showed neither postoperative hemorrhage nor prolonged air leaks. A fixed combination of collagen fleece and fibrin glue consequently can be considered as a valuable tool in thoracic surgery.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Piroxicam induced pulmonary infiltrates and eosinophilia.

We describe 2 patients who developed pulmonary infiltrates while being treated with piroxicam. There was no satisfactory explanation other than drug induced lung disease for their illness. They had no exposure to pneumotoxic drugs or aerocontaminants. Microorganisms were not cultured in sputum or bronchoaveolar lavage. There was no underlying illness with possible lung involvement. Pulmonary infiltrates developed during piroxicam therapy, disappeared after drug withdrawal and recurred following rechallenge.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Reduction of background problems in nonradioactive northern and Southern blot analyses enables higher sensitivity than 32P-based hybridizations.

An improved chemiluminescence-based RNA/DNA detection procedure offering a widely applicable alternative to the conventional 32P labeling employed in molecular biology is described. Even highly sensitive applications such as Northern blot analysis of low-copy RNAs are shown to be feasible now without radioactive labeling. Improved quality of nonradioactive detection was obtained by the use of digoxigenin-labeled nucleotides in combination with dioxetane substrates which are decomposed by the hydrolysis of alkaline phosphatase. Previously existing problems involving unacceptably high background signals in nonradioactive labeling procedures were eliminated by the application of a modified RNA/DNA transfer, hybridization, and detection protocol. The data presented here delineate a system consistently superior to radioactivity and should considerably increase the usefulness of nonradioactively labeled probes detected by chemiluminescence.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1993

A 45,X male with an X;Y translocation: implications for the mapping of the genes responsible for Turner syndrome and X-linked chondrodysplasia punctata.

In a male patient with a 45,X karyotype, the terminal part of the Y chromosome short arm was translocated as a single block on to the X chromosome. This rearranged X chromosome was, in every regard, the same as that present in XX males resulting from an abnormal X-Y interchange. Correlations between the phenotype of this patient and the extent of the deletions on the X and Y chromosomes allowed us to map the genes responsible for most features of the Turner syndrome between DXS432 and Xqter on the X chromosome, and the homologous Y genes either on Yp in interval 4 or on Yq. The molecular analysis of this X-Y translocation allowed us also to reduce the interval for the X-linked recessive chondrodysplasia punctata gene to a 1.5 Mb interval between DXS432 and DXS31.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Influences of some design parameters on the biomechanics of the unreamed tibial intramedullary nail.

Several questions relating to the biomechanics of the AO unreamed tibial nail were addressed in this study. These included the effects of the location of the nail bend on the reduction of a high proximal fracture, and the relation of proximal locking screw hole orientation and fracture component cortical contact to the mechanical stiffness of the construct. To measure fracture site malalignment with nail insertion, a motion transducer mounted on the distal tibial shaft was used to track the position of the proximal component during and after insertion of the nail. For studying the effect of screw hole orientation, the intramedullary (IM) nail was modified by drilling a second set of proximal screw holes with oblique instead of parallel alignment. The axial, torsional, and varus-valgus stiffnesses of the constructs with parallel or oblique screws and with or without fracture site contact were determined. In an experimental model with an osteotomy located proximal to the position of the bend in the nail when fully inserted, anterior displacement of the proximal fracture component (or posterior displacement of the distal component) of up to 1 cm was measured. Oblique proximal locking screws significantly decreased both varus/valgus angulation and medial/lateral translation under load, compared with the parallel screws. Constructs were 117% and 55% as rigid as the intact tibia in axial loading with and without cortical contact, and 6.5% and 3.1% as stiff in torsion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1992

A continuing signal maintains NGF receptor expression in hypoglossal motor neurons after crush injury.

Inhibition of axonal transport by vincristine applied to hypoglossal nerves 7 days after crush injury turns off the usual injured-induced expression of low affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75NGFr). Vincristine applied proximal but not distal to the crush prevents p75NGFr induction. These results indicate that a continuing signal is axonally transported from the crush site that induces and maintains p75NGFr expression by injured motor neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Changes in nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity in the spinal cord after ventral funiculus lesion in adult cats.

Spinal motoneurons have a capability to regenerate CNS-type axons after intramedullary lesions in the adult cat. Regrowing axons have been traced through CNS-type scar tissue in the ventral funiculus of the spinal cord and into adjacent ventral root fascicles. This scar tissue, which appears to support and sustain regenerating axons, has been shown to have a persistent defect in the blood-brain barrier. It has been suggested that the blood-brain barrier may play a vital role in CNS regeneration by regulating the access of blood-borne trophic factors to the lesion area. In the present study, the binding of antibodies to the human nerve growth factor receptor in the cat spinal cord was examined with immunohistochemical methods 2 days to 8 weeks after a ventral funiculus lesion. The results show that, while no neurons in the ventral horn of the control material contained nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity as revealed by fluorescence microscopy, affected motoneurons expressed nerve growth factor receptor after ventral funiculus lesion. Nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity associated to both capillaries and interstitium was present in the scar tissue. Electron microscopic examination of sections labelled with the immunogold-silver method showed that perivascular nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity was located exclusively to non-pericytic perivascular cells. These cells were abundant in the expanded capillary perivascular spaces adjacent to the traumatic lesion. Similar cells, with or without relation to blood vessels, were observed in the scar tissue and in the pia mater. In a separate set of specimens it was observed that a ventral funiculus lesion combined with ventral root avulsion, which removes denervated PNS tissue, resulted in an expression of nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity which was similar to the one observed after ventral funiculus lesion only. The results of the present study show that affected motoneurons and cells in the scar tissue express nerve growth factor receptor after ventral funiculus lesion which implies that neurotrophic factors related to nerve growth factor may be of importance for the regenerative response.

Animals↗