Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Wolff

Publications and source records attributed to M Wolff.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

AIDS subacute encephalitis. Identification of HIV-infected cells.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA and proteins were detected in the brains of several AIDS patients with subacute encephalitis, by in situ hybridization and immunohistology. The majority of infected cells were mononucleated and bore processes. Using single and double immunohistologic procedures, the authors identified these cells as macrophages. The majority of them had the phenotype of microglial cells (Leu-M3-, CD4-), others were labeled with markers of circulating macrophages (Leu-M3+, CD4+/-). The presence of HIV RNA and proteins in CD4- cells could be explained by depressed CD4 antigen expression, as a result of infection or macrophage tissue differentiation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Treatment of septicemia and endocarditis with pefloxacine. 15 cases].

The therapeutic effectiveness of pefloxacin was evaluated in 15 patients admitted to an intensive care unit and suffering from septicaemia or endocarditis. Seven of these patients had a focal infection (acute anterior mediastinitis or epiduritis). Pefloxacin was combined with an aminoglycoside in 13 cases and with rifampicin in 1 case. Blood cultures became or remained negative in all patients. The associated focus of infection was sterilized in 5 patients; a pefloxacin-resistant pathogen was subsequently isolated in 2 other patients. Three patients died some time after the infectious episode. The minimum inhibitory concentration of pefloxacin ranged from 0.25 to 2 mg/l. The bactericidal activity of the serum at peak concentration was greater than or equal to 1/8 in all cases and greater than or equal to 1/32 in 10 cases. No resistant mutants were selected during treatment. However, 8 strains of a species different from that of the initial pathogen were isolated from a site other than the primary focus. Pefloxacin can therefore be used successfully in the treatment of systemic infections, but close monitoring of bacterial ecology is required.

Adult↗

Quantitative histochemistry of acetylcholinesterase in rat and human brain postmortem.

A quantitative analysis of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in histochemically stained sections of rat and human brain can be achieved through the use of internal standards and computerized image analysis. Tissue standards containing known amounts of a highly purified AChE preparation are sectioned and incubated under the same conditions as experimental sections. A computerized image analyzer is used to convert the optical density of the stain to units of enzyme content via the standard curve. The method generates reliable and reproducible quantitative values from very small brain regions and nuclei, combining the quantitative character of a radiometric assay with the superior anatomical resolution of histochemistry.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Experience with imipenem/cilastatin in the intensive care unit.

Twenty-two patients admitted to the ICU with a severe nosocomial infection caused by multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli were treated with imipenem combined with cilastatin. We treated nine cases of meningo-ventriculitis, eight cases of septicaemia, four cases of mediastinitis, and one case of pneumonia. The bacteria responsible were Acinetobacter spp. (10), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5), Enterobacter cloacae (5), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3), Proteus spp. (2), Streptococcus spp. (2), Serratia marcescens (1). More than one pathogen was isolated in five cases. The dosages ranged between 1.5 g to 4 g per day by intravenous infusion; the highest doses were used for the treatment of meningitis. The mean duration of treatment was 17 days. An aminoglycoside was combined with imipenem in 18 cases. Cure was obtained in 17 out of the 22 cases. Very rapid sterilization of the CSF in the cases of meningitis and ventriculitis was noted. Two patients died rapidly despite eradication of the bacteria. One case of meningitis relapsed but cure was subsequently obtained with continuation of the same treatment. In three cases of Ps. aeruginosa infection, resistant mutants were isolated from the sites of infection and were responsible for two failures and one colonization. Imipenem appears to be an antibiotic of choice in severe nosocomial infections including meningo-ventriculitis, especially those caused by Acinetobacter spp. and Ps. aeruginosa. It is also one of the few antibiotics active against both streptococci and multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. Careful bacteriological monitoring is recommended during treatment.

Adolescent↗

Penetration of aztreonam into cerebrospinal fluid of patients with bacterial meningitis.

The penetration of aztreonam into the cerebrospinal fluid was determined in 16 patients with bacterial meningitis undergoing treatment with other antibiotics. Three aztreonam doses of 30 mg/kg were infused intravenously over 30 to 45 min at 8-h intervals, first between days 2 and 4 and again between days 11 and 20 after onset of the disease. Concentrations of aztreonam in serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples obtained at 60, 90, 120, and 240 min after the third aztreonam dose were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The concentrations of aztreonam in cerebrospinal fluid ranged from 3.5 to 62 micrograms/ml, depending on the sampling time and the time elapsed since the onset of the disease. These concentrations were equal to or higher than the MICs for most of the gram-negative bacilli (including Pseudomonas aeruginosa).

Adult↗

Clinical and echocardiographic observations in pulmonary valve endocarditis.

Clinical and echocardiographic data from 12 patients with pulmonary valve endocarditis are described. Seven patients had isolated pulmonary endocarditis and in 5 patients other valves were infected (aortic, tricuspid, mitral or all 3). Two patients were heroin addicts and 4 had underlying heart disease (congenital heart disease in 3 and aortic regurgitation in 1 patient). The organisms involved were alpha streptococci in 3 patients (all with underlying heart disease), Staphylococcus aureus in 4, Streptococcus D bovis in 1 patient and Candida guillermondii in 1. M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography was performed in 10 patients and revealed vegetations in 8. Pulsed Doppler echocardiography was performed in 6 patients and revealed pulmonary regurgitation in all 6. Seven patients had pulmonary emboli. Four patients underwent surgery. Four patients died, including 1 after cardiac surgery. Five patients, including the patient infected with Candida guillermondii, recovered with antibiotic treatment.

Adolescent↗

Nutrition and fertility in Bangladesh: nutritional status of nonpregnant women.

In October 1975 a longitudinal study of over 2000 married women was initiated in Matlab, Bangladesh, to determine the association of fertility with nutritional status. This paper reports the results on nutritional status among nonpregnant women. The average weight and height of the study women was 40.4 kg and 147.9 cm. Weight fluctuated throughout the 2 1/2 yr study period corresponding to seasonal food shortages. Maternal weight (controlling for height) was consistently lower for older, higher parity women, illustrating the negative impact of increasing numbers of births on the mother's nutrient stores. Older women were also shorter than younger women, due to greater deficits in growth during childhood. Older, higher parity women had slightly lower hematocrits than younger women with an overall mean of 35%. Education level was associated positively with height, weight, and hematocrit. Muslims were taller and heavier than Hindus, reflecting their generally higher socioeconomic status. The seasonal pattern of nutritional status is discussed in relation to the seasonality of food availability, activity patterns, and incidence of infectious disease.

Adolescent↗

Intramucosal carcinoma of the small intestine arising in regional enteritis (Crohn's disease). Report of a case studied for carcinoembryonic antigen and review of the literature.

A case of carcinoma of the small intestine arising in a patient with regional enteritis (Crohn's disease) of the ileum is reported. The patient, a 54-year-old woman, had a 21-year history of regional enteritis which was treated intermittently with sulfasalazine and prednisone. Segmental resections of the ileum had been performed on two previous occasions. Because of recurrent low-grade intestinal obstruction, another segment of ileum was resected. The bowel demonstrated the typical gross and histologic appearance of regional enteritis. Histologic examination also disclosed a carcinoma that was confined to the ileal mucosa. This case is the first reported in which a small bowel carcinoma arising in regional enteritis has been found only in the mucosa. Adjacent to the carcinoma, the mucosa showed varying degrees of dysplasia consistent with the "precancerous" changes that have been described in inflammatory bowel disease. Using a peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunoperoxidase technique, carcinoembryonic antigen was identified in normal, hyperplastic, dysplastic, and carcinomatous mucosa, but the most intense staining was seen in hyperplastic and dysplastic cells. Carcinoembryonic staining, however, did not aid in differentiating between hyperplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma because of an overlap in staining frequency and intensity.

Carcinoembryonic Antigen↗

Sebaceous glands within the thymus: report of three cases.

Sebaceous glands in the thymus were discovered in three patients--two with myasthenia gravis and the other, who was operated on because of aortic valvular disease--with an unsuspected thymoma. Sebaceous glands not associated with hair follicles occur in diverse sites, the majority of which are in the head and neck or anogenital regions. Although most of these sites arise from the ectoderm, sebaceous glands have been reported in a thyroglossal duct, the larynx, and the esophagus, which are entodermal structures. Thus, precedents for ectodermally derived sebaceous glands in endodermal sites exist, but sebaceous glands have not previously been reported in the thymus. The authors speculate that their occurrence in the thymus may be related to the reported ectodermal contribution to the developing thymus by the epibranchial placode or cervical sinus.

Adult↗