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Biomedical subjects

M Urban

Publications and source records attributed to M Urban.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Epitope-specific distribution of IgG subclasses against antigenic domains on glycoproteins of human cytomegalovirus.

The IgG subclass pattern against linear antibody binding sites on glycoproteins of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was investigated in HCMV-positive healthy blood donors, human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons, sera from mothers with primary HCMV infection during pregnancy and their children, and sequential sera from transplant recipients. As antigens, three immunodominant domains capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies during natural infection were selected on glycoproteins gp58/116 (gB) and gp86 (gH). Bacterial fusion proteins representing these regions were used as antigens in a subclass-specific ELISA. Reactivity against the antibody binding site on gp86 was detected in both the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses. In contrast, exclusively IgG1 antibodies were found against both linear domains on glycoprotein complex gp58/116 and also against full-length gp58/116 expressed in insect cells. The data demonstrate a differential regulation of the antibody response to envelope components of HCMV.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

[Clinical experiences with PACS: digital radiology].

We present our experience during the first 21 months of using hospital-wide network technology and digital archiving in connection with digital radiology in the Radiology Department at the SMZO/Danube hospital in Vienna. This means digital generation, archiving and distribution of radiographs as well as monitor reporting embedded in HIS and RIS. The clinical use of PACS demands full integration of all subsystems and modalities in a digital way, as was first realized at the Danube Hospital. With this approach, a reduction in radiation dose, improved communication and thus a reduction in the length of hospital stay and health care cost are attained.

Austria↗

[Effect of cigarette smoking on carbohydrate metabolism of healthy subjects].

UNLABELLED: Serum levels of triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (CH), total lipids (LP), beta-lipoproteids (B-LP), basal glucose and immunoreactive insulin were assessed in 23 healthy subjects (12 non-smokers and 11 smokers). Influence of smoking cigarettes on level of glycemia and insulin secretion in basal conditions and 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after load of 75 g glucose. Concentration of glucose was measured by an enzymatic method and level of IRI by radioimmunoassay. Smokers differed from non-smokers in significantly higher diastolic blood pressure and non-significantly higher concentration of TG, CH, LP, B-LP. No statistically significant difference in basal glucose level and profile of glycemia were found between both groups. Significantly higher basal level of insulinemia and increased secretion of insulin after an oral glucose tolerance test were observed in comparison with non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: 1) The significant higher level of serum basal IRI was found in smokers when compared to non-smokers. 2) Results suggest non-effective hyperinsulinemia in people smoking cigarettes.

Adult↗

The a mating type locus of U. maydis specifies cell signaling components.

The a mating type locus of the phytopathogenic fungus U. maydis controls fusion of haploid cells and filamentous growth of the dikaryotic mycelium. The a locus exists in two alleles, termed a1 and a2, which are defined by nonhomologous DNA regions comprising 4.5 kb for a1 and 8 kb for a2, flanked by identical sequences. Based on functional assays, mutants, and sequencing, we demonstrate that the mating type in each allele is determined by a set of two genes. One encodes a precursor for a lipopeptide mating factor, and the other specifies the receptor for the pheromone secreted by cells of opposite mating type. Thus, U. maydis employs a novel strategy to determine its mating type by providing the primary determinants of cell-cell recognition directly from the mating type locus.

Alleles↗

The Vienna SMZO-PACS-project: the totally digital hospital.

This paper gives an overview of the SMZO-PACS-Project in the form of a rough specification of the system architecture and the functional parameters related to it. The PACS architecture, determined by the large amount of data volume produced in the SMZO Hospital is outlined. In both radiology and trauma departments high technical requirements concerning data throughout and fault tolerance are demanded. Therefore these PACS modules are designed to minimize the workload of the network so that the performance is not degraded in the case of fault of a single component. A PACS module includes image acquisition devices of a certain modality with related reporting workstations and a distributed electronic archive. The functionality of the modules is described, special interest is posed on the integration of the different information management systems PACS, RIS and HIS, to achieve a complete record of data input and throughput in the hospital.

Austria↗

Integration of radiology and hospital information systems (RIS, HIS) with PACS: requirements of the radiologist.

PACS development has now reached a stage where it can clearly be stated that the technology for storage, networking and display in a fully digital environment is available. This is reflected by an already large and rapidly increasing number of PACS installations in USA, Western Europe and Japan. Such installations consist of a great variety of information systems, more or less interconnected, like PACS, HIS, RIS and other departmental systems, differing in both hardware and software. Various data - even if they only concern one person - are stored in different systems distributed in the hospital. The integration of all digital systems into a functional unit is determined by the radiologist's need of quick access to all relevant information regardless where it is stored. The interconnection and functional integration of all digital systems in the hospital determine the clinical benefits of PACS. This paper (1) describes the radiologist's requirements concerning this integration, and (2) presents some realistic solutions such as the Siemens ISI (Information System Interface), and a mobile viewing station for the wards (visitBox).

Austria↗

[Strut fractures in the long-term follow-up of Günther cava filters--the results after 64 filter implantations].

Follow-up of patients with inferior vena cava filters was performed every 3 months with clinical controls, plain radiographs and duplex sonography. Whereas the clinical results were excellent (no recurrence of pulmonary embolism), radiological controls showed broken anchoring legs in 14 cases and a broken filter basket in one patient. In two cases, the broken anchoring prongs had perforated the inferior vena cava wall. All patients with broken filters were clinically asymptomatic. CT showed no morphological changes in these cases. As experience proves, strict follow-up of caval filters for early detection of complications is mandatory even with well-established filter types.

Coumarins↗

The dominant linear neutralizing antibody-binding site of glycoprotein gp86 of human cytomegalovirus is strain specific.

Bacterial fusion proteins, constructed from overlapping fragments of the open reading frame coding for gp86 of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain AD169, were used to localize antigenic regions recognized by antibodies from human convalescent sera. A major domain for binding of conformation-independent antibodies was localized on fusion protein AP86, containing amino acids 15 to 142 of gp86. Human antibodies, affinity purified on AP86, neutralized infectious virus in tissue culture. In addition, a mouse monoclonal antibody (AP86-SA4), raised against AP86, also neutralized HCMV. AP86-SA4 was reactive with viral gp86 in immunoblot assays and showed a plasma membrane staining on intact HCMV-infected fibroblasts late in infection. After exonuclease III deletions of the viral gene, the binding site of neutralizing human as well as mouse antibodies was localized between amino acid residues 34 and 43. The domain has sequence variation between laboratory strains AD169 and Towne, and binding of the antibodies was strain specific. To our knowledge, this is the first characterization of a strain-specific neutralizing epitope on HCMV.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Lipid metabolism in children and adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes. II. Evaluation of changes in lipoprotein A-I in children and adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes].

The levels of lipoprotein A-I (LP A-I) containing apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) and devoid of apolipoprotein A-II (apo A-II) have been determined in a group of 86 children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes of age between 1.3 and 22 years. The duration of diabetes in the studied group ranged between 0.25 and 15 years. The patients studied were further divided into subgroups taking into account the duration of diabetes as well as the occurrence of complications of diabetes, obesity and predisposition to early development of atherosclerosis in family history. The analysis of the results took into account the relations between the levels of LP A-I and other parameters of lipid metabolism like cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, apo A-I and apo A-II concentrations as well as the effectiveness of metabolic control of diabetes. LP A-I concentration was the lowest in group of children with diabetes lasting up to one year. This parameter was correlated positively with the levels of HDL-cholesterol and apo A-I, and negatively with HbA1c. It was not related to the coexisting complications, obesity or predisposition to atherosclerosis in family history. The above results indicate that the state of metabolic control of diabetes significantly influences the level of LP A-I. Considering the importance of LP A-I in preventing atherosclerosis it should be stressed that a decrease in its level during the period of prolonged hypoglycemia constitutes still another risk factor for development of atherosclerosis in diabetic children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗

[Lipid metabolism in patients with insulin dependent diabetes. III. Effect of metabolic control of diabetes on the concentration of some blood serum lipid constituents in patients with insulin dependent diabetes].

The levels of the following blood serum lipid constituents: total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, HDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein fractions, as well as apolipoproteins AI, AII and B, have been determined in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes lasting from 3 months to 15 years in relation to the degree of metabolic control characterized by the levels of fructosamine and glycosylated hemoglobin HbA1c. The group of patients having the level of HbA1c exceeding 10% was characterized by significantly higher levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and Apo-B, and lower content of alpha-lipoprotein as compared to the group with HbA1c level beneath 10%. When fructosamine concentration was considered as an index of metabolic control of diabetes, it was found that the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids and apolipoproteins apo-A and apo-AI are highest in the group with the poor metabolic control and differ significantly from the respective values found in patients with mediocre and good metabolic control. Considering biological role of the individual lipids and lipoproteins, it should be stressed that the proper control of glycaemia is important for preventing the development of atherosclerosis in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.

Adolescent↗

[Lipid metabolism in patients with insulin dependent diabetes. IV. Effect of sex, age, excess body weight, duration of diabetes, insulin dosage and family history on lipid metabolism in patients with insulin dependent diabetes].

The levels of the following blood serum lipid constituents: total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, HDL-cholesterol, apolipoproteins AI, AII and B, and lipoprotein fractions have been determined in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes in relation to sex, age, duration of diabetes, coexistence of obesity, insulin dosage and history of genetic predispositions. The age of the patients was between 1.3 and 22 years and the duration of the disease ranged between 3 months and 15 years. The analysis of the results revealed that sex, age, daily insulin dose and the known genetic predispositions have no influence on the values of the parameters of lipid metabolism. However, an increase in the levels of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoproteins AI and B was observed along with the progressing duration of the disease. An increase in the levels of cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and beta-lipoprotein, and a decrease in the level of alpha-lipoprotein have been found in diabetic children with coexisting obesity. The above analysis indicates that besides metabolic control of diabetes its duration and accompanying obesity may negatively influence the course of the disease contributing to the precocious development of atherosclerosis.

Adolescent↗

[State of lipid metabolism in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes. I. Evaluation of lipoprotein (A) behavior in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes].

The level of lipoprotein Lp(a), one of the risk factors of atherosclerosis, was determined in 91 children and adolescents of age ranging from 3.3 to 22 years suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes. The changes in Lp(a) were analyzed in relation to the group of patients, the duration of diabetes, possible genetic factors, other factors predisposing to early onset of atherosclerosis, and occurrence of obesity in the analyzed group. The relation between the level of Lp(a) and other parameters of lipid metabolism (total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B) as well as a degree of metabolic normalization of diabetes (as assessed by the determination of glycosylated hemoglobin and fructosamine) was studied in addition. No relation between Lp(a) and the factors mentioned above, with exception of glycosylated hemoglobin and fructosamine concentrations, could be demonstrated. The elevated level of Lp(a) in children and adolescents during the period of poor metabolic control of diabetes may constitute an additional risk factor for early onset of atherogenic changes.

Adolescent↗