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Biomedical subjects

M Meurer

Publications and source records attributed to M Meurer.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

[The tryptophan-associated eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. A clinical follow-up of 8 patients].

Seven women and one man aged from 51 to 70 years suffered from eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome after taking medicines containing tryptophan for depression or sleep disorders; the total duration of intake ranged from three to 106 months and the average daily dose was 1312 mg. All the patients had muscle pains and skin lesions resembling scleroderma together with impairment of general well being; six of them had high eosinophil counts of up to 2,600 cells/microliters (mean 1,629); other symptoms were weight loss, pruritus, fever, dyspnoea and sensory abnormalities. Discontinuation of tryptophan combined with systemic treatment with prednisone in doses of 32 or 20 mg/d for 4 to 16 weeks soon brought the eosinophil counts down, but the skin lesions, muscle pains and other symptoms showed little improvement over a follow-up period averaging 17.1 months. Treatment with penicillin G (20 mega-units daily for 14 days), azathioprine (100 mg daily for 2 months) or cyclosporin (2.5 mg/kg.day) was tried in some cases but had no significant effect.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Adherence of Escherichia coli to sperm: a mannose mediated phenomenon leading to agglutination of sperm and E. coli.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of adherence between Escherichia coli and sperm. DESIGN: Experimental study performed with donor sperm and male genital tract-derived E. coli. SETTING: Andrology unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS: None. INTERVENTIONS: Monitoring of sperm-E. coli agglutination; addition of sugars to block adherence; electron microscopy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Sperm-E. coli agglutination. RESULTS: Escherichia coli readily adhered to and agglutinated sperm. The phenomenon was observed at E. coli to sperm ratios as low as 1:20; maximum sperm agglutination involving approximately 90% of spermatozoa was seen with ratios of 1:5 or higher. By transmission electron microscopy, E. coli adherence was observed both on sperm heads and tails. Heteroagglutination could be blocked by D-mannose and alpha-methyl-mannopyranoside but not by other sugars. Preincubation of sperm or E. coli with mannose resulted in block of agglutination, indicating mannose-binding structures both on sperm and E. coli. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence of E. coli to sperm is mediated by mannose and mannose-binding structures present on both cell types. Agglutination of sperm by E. coli may be relevant in male and female infertility.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1993

Squamous cell carcinoma in localized scleroderma following immunosuppressive therapy with azathioprine.

A 40-year-old man presented with an ulcerated tumour in a fibrotic plaque on the dorsum of his left foot. Due to severe localized scleroderma, the patient had been treated with azathioprine 10 years earlier. Histopathology of the excised tumour revealed an anaplastic squamous cell carcinoma within a scar of localized scleroderma. The case demonstrates that not only patients with tense scar tissue following burning, congelation, chronic radiodermatitis, lupus vulgaris or lupus erythematosus but also patients who have had localized scleroderma may run a greater risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma. Immunosuppressive therapy has to be discussed as an additional risk factor in our patient. Therefore, narrow clinical follow-up was recommended for early detection of relapse.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Herpes gestationis: immunologic and immunogenetic aspects].

Herpes gestationis or pemphigoid gestationis (PG) is a bullous disease developing in association with pregnancy. It is believed to be an immunologically mediated disorder. Antibody binding by specific autoantibodies was detected in placental tissue and in the area of the hemidesmosomes and the basal membrane zone of the skin. These autoantibodies react with antigens of 180 kDa and 230 kDa relative molecular mass, which are presumably identical to the bullous pemphigoid antigen BPAG1 and BPAG2. The herpes gestationis factor (HG factor) preferentially binds to the 180-kDa antigen (BPAG2). The involvement of specific autoantibodies against adhesion molecules suggests the involvement of an aberrant immune response. Several groups have reported an association of pemphigoid gestationis to alleles of the human leukocyte antigens; HLA-B8 (class I) and HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR4 (class II), encoded on the short arm of chromosome 6. The unique feature of pemphigoid gestations is compared with other bullous dermatoses the association with the hormonal regulation during pregnancy and the presence of allogenic tissue. The hormonal regulation at the level of gene expression, possibly including gene expression of non-classic HLA class I molecules such as HLA-G, may be a cofactor in the pathogenesis of pemphigoid gestationis. This account, together with a case report, discusses the association of pemphigoid gestationis with HLA and a putative pathophysiological role of the newly described non-classical HLA molecules encoded in the MHC.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1993

[Immunogenetic findings in herpes gestationis].

A 27-year-old woman suffered from herpes gestationis in her second pregnancy. The pruricy urticarial and bullous skin lesions were exacerbated immediately after birth, and premenstrually after the onset of menstruation. The diagnosis was confirmed by the determination of anti-basement membrane antibodies of the IgG class both in the serum (herpes gestationis factor) and in lesional skin by immunofluorescence techniques. The newborn had no skin lesions and no basement membrane zone antibodies were detected. The HLA (human leucocyte antigen) typing revealed the HLA-A11/1, B18/w63, C-/-, DR4/w13, DQw3/w1 haplotype in the mother and the HLA-A3/31, B7/35, Cw7/w4, DR2/3, DQw1/w2 haplotype in the father. Comparison with the first child (HLA-A11/31, B18/35, -/Cw4, DR4/3, DQw3/w2) showed that the second child (HLA-A11/3, B18/7, -/Cw7, DR4/2, DQw3/w1) had a different HLA haplotype. The pattern of the HLA haplotype of the mother and the father seems to be important in the immunopathogenesis of herpes gestationis.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Localized cicatricial bullous pemphigoid of the Brunsting-Perry type].

Localized cicatricial pemphigoid of the Brunsting-Perry type is a very rare bullous condition, which has so far been reported in 51 cases. It is characterized by scarring blisters confined to the head, scalp and neck. Diagnosis can be difficult because of the discrete skin lesions, often repeatedly false-negative direct immunofluorescence, and the absence of circulating antibodies. We report on a 87-year-old male patient with the typical clinical feature of a cicatricial pemphigoid of the Brunsting-Perry type and give a review of the 51 cases published in the world literature.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

In situ localization of IgG in epidermolysis bullosa acquisita by immunogold technique.

BACKGROUND: Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is an immunologically mediated mechanobullous dermatosis. Recently, serum antibodies in patients with EBA have been reported to bind to the carboxyl terminus of type VII collagen, the disease antigen. However, the precise localization of immunoglobulins in diseased skin has not been demonstrated. OBJECTIVE: In the present study skin samples taken from a 59-year-old man with EBA were processed for immunoelectron microscopy. METHODS: A preembedding immunogold ultrastructural technique was applied. RESULTS: Gold particles, indicative of IgG binding, were deposited within the anchoring plaques and within the lamina densa in some perilesional skin sections. In a similar distribution, IgG-containing amorphous aggregates were detected within the basement membrane zone of perilesional and lesional skin. In some places these immunoglobulin deposits covered the whole region of anchoring fibrils. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the precise localization of IgG within the basement membrane zone of EBA skin that corresponds to the carboxyl terminus of collagen VII in normal skin.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of three methods to detect white blood cells in semen: leukocyte esterase dipstick test, granulocyte elastase enzymeimmunoassay, and peroxidase cytochemistry.

Comparison of three methods for the detection of WBC in semen revealed a low concordance of positive test results. Among 557 semen samples, most positives were observed with the leukocyte esterase dipstick test (n = 95; 17.1%) followed by the peroxidase test (n = 51; 9.2%). There was little overlap between positives in the esterase-dipstick and the peroxidase method (29/117; 24.8%). With only 4 of 557 samples (0.7%), the PMN-elastase ELISA showed a surprisingly low incidence of positives. Because of lack of a gold standard, none of the three methods could be identified as superior. Because of its simplicity, specificity, and cost-effectiveness, the peroxidase method appeared most suited for clinical application.

Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases↗
PubMed1992

Ultrastructural immunogold studies in two cases of linear IgA dermatosis. Are there two distinct types of this disease?

It has been suggested that patients with homogeneous linear IgA deposits at the basement membrane zone constitute a distinct bullous disorder called linear IgA dermatosis (LAD) of adults or children. The results of the present ultrastructural immunogold study in two patients with LAD suggest that LAD is not a single disease entity. LAD in a 10-year-old girl was found to be ultrastructurally similar to an IgA-type pemphigoid. IgA was detected in the uppermost lamina lucida underlying the basal cell plasma membrane. In a second patient, an 86-year-old man, IgA deposits were present within the lamina densa and the anchoring plaques. The distribution of IgA in this patient was ultrastructurally identical with that of IgG in epidermolysis bullosa acquisita skin and with that of the non-collagenous globular terminus of collagen VII within the basement membrane zone of normal skin. By using the immunogold technique, we could distinguish two distinct types of LAD according to the IgA binding sites in the diseased skin. We suggest that different labelling patterns may correspond to different clinical pictures.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Treatment of systemic sclerosis with gamma-interferon.

Numerous drugs have been recommended for the treatment of systemic sclerosis, but without any significant effect on the fibrotic stage of this disorder. Because recombinant gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) is a potent and selective inhibitor of fibroblast proliferation and collagen production by human dermal fibroblasts in vitro, we assessed the effects of gamma-IFN treatment on the skin and on pulmonary function in patients with systemic sclerosis. Fourteen patients entered the study, and nine completed the 12-month trial. Fifty micrograms/day of gamma-IFN was administered subcutaneously 3 days per week. At the end of the 12-month treatment period a significant improvement was observed in total skin score, and blood gas analysis showed a significant increase in Pa O2 during therapy with gamma-interferon. Other clinical parameters (dysphagia, Raynaud's phenomenon, cardiac involvement) were not altered significantly. No serious adverse effects were noted. These results suggest a beneficial effect of gamma-IFN on the cutaneous fibrotic abnormalities and on lung fibrosis in systemic sclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Anticardiolipin antibodies, a disease marker for ischemic cerebrovascular events in a younger patient population?

The prevalence of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACLA) in sera of 49 patients having had their first TIA or ischemic stroke before 50 years of age was studied using a solid phase enzyme immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Five patients had IgM antibodies, eight had IgG, and three had antibodies belonging to both classes. Although ACLA were detected in 32% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI] 19-45%), the ACLA positive group did not differ with respect to clinical characteristics and distribution of major stroke risk factor frequency from the ACLA negative group. Further investigations are needed to establish the role of ACLA in the pathogenesis of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Ultrastructural binding sites of endomysium antibodies from sera of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and coeliac disease.

The ultrastructural binding sites of endomysium antibodies, specific serological markers of gluten sensitive enteropathy, were investigated in the rabbit oesophagus using the immunogold technique. Endomysium antibodies from sera of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and with coeliac disease bound in an identical manner in a non-fibrillar material closely associated with fine collagenous-reticulin fibrils and also with similar fibrils connecting smooth muscle cells and elastic tissue in the endomysial connective tissue. These observations suggest that IgA antibodies in sera from patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and coeliac disease recognise a common antigen in an amorphous component associated with the reticular connective tissue of oesophageal lamina muscularis mucosae and thus confirm the probable identity of IgA class endomysium and jejunal antibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Acute mercury intoxication with lichenoid drug eruption followed by mercury contact allergy and development of antinuclear antibodies.

A 31-year-old black man was examined for evaluation of a suspected occupational disease. Three years earlier he had been suffering from acute mercury intoxication during work in a mercury recycling factory. Skin symptoms then had been a lichenoid drug eruption, patchy alopecia and stomatitis, which had all disappeared rapidly after systemic glucocorticosteroid treatment. The examination revealed positive patch test reactions to metallic mercury and inorganic mercury compounds, an elevated titre of serum antinuclear antibodies and normal IgE levels. The induction of antinuclear antibodies by mercury has been shown in animal experiments. It can be hypothesized that this patient, who may have had an increased individual susceptibility, became allergic to mercury by the mercury intoxication.

Acute Disease↗