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Biomedical subjects

P K Kohl

Publications and source records attributed to P K Kohl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Gonorrhea].

Infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a frequent occurrence. It is almost always transmitted via sexual intercourse and the risk of infection is markedly higher for women than for men. Purulent secretion characterizes the clinical picture. After an incubation period of 2-6 days, for the most part urethritis, cervicitis, proctitis, pharyngitis, or conjunctivitis usually develops. Condoms offer good protection against gonococcal infection. The treatment of choice in Central Europe is a single dose of Cefixime.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2005

[The 100 years since discovery of Spirochaeta pallida].

On 3 March 1905, Fritz Schaudinn, Erich Hoffmann and Fred Neufeld, working in the women's ward of the Department of Dermatology at the Charite Hospital in Berlin, became the first people in the world to observe the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum. The pathogen's etiological significance was subsequently demonstrated by Schaudinn and Hoffmann and other scientists. The detection of Treponema pallidum was the first decisive step towards the development of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in subsequent years.

Dermatology↗
PubMed2002

[CD8-positive, CD30-negative cutaneous T-cell lymphoma simulating pyoderma gangrenosum].

Ulcerated primary cutaneous lymphomas are not rare, but the clinical manifestation as a pyoderma gangrenosum look-alike is extraordinary. CD8-positive lymphomas are rare, unclassifiable tumours with variable prognosis. We report on a 49-year-old patient with a large ulcerated primary cutaneous lymphoma on the left chest wall presenting as pyoderma gangrenosum. With immunohistochemical staining, most lymphocytes were shown to be CD8-positive. The CD30 antigen was not expressed. After radiotherapy with complete skin irradiation, the lymphoma regressed completely. The patient has been free of relapse for 28 months so far.

CD8 Antigens↗
PubMed1998

Sexually transmitted diseases in children. A practical approach.

Basically, all sexually transmitted diseases occurring in adults can be transmitted to children. Patterns of transmission are as follows: intrauterine, perinatal, by sexual abuse, by voluntary sexual contact, by accidental autoinoculation or heterinoculation, or indirect transmission. In children between 2 and 10 years of age, sexual abuse is first in possible ways of transmission. Taking into consideration the age of the child, the sexually transmittable agent and the localization of the infection helps in assessing the possibility of sexual abuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Epidemiological features of Adamantiades-Behçet's disease in Germany and in Europe.

The German Registry of Adamantiades-Behçet's disease was founded in 1990 in Berlin and it provides current data on the epidemiology, the clinical manifestations and the course of the disease in Germany on a continuous basis. A total of 218 patients, including 89 German and 100 Turkish patients, had been reported to the German Registry until October 1997. One hundred and ninety-six patients fulfilled the criteria of the Behçet's disease classification tree. The prevalence of the disease evaluated in Berlin-West was 1.68/100,000 in 1989 and had risen to 2.26/100,000 by 1994. The median age of onset was 25 years (range 5 to 66 years; German-Turks, ns). Juvenile disease was recorded in 6.9% of patients. The complete clinical picture according to the criteria of the International Study Group of Behçet's Disease developed in 15.5 months. The interval between onset of the disease and diagnosis was 35 months, which was significantly longer than the duration of the development of the complete clinical picture (p < 0.0001). The disease was diagnosed later in German (48.5 months) than in Turkish patients (25.5 months, p = 0.003). While German patients presented an equal male-to-female ratio, a male predominance was shown in Turkish patients (M:F 2.1:1, p = 0.022). Familial occurrence was detected in 2.0% of German and 15.9% of Turkish patients (p = 0.013). The frequencies of major clinical manifestations were: oral ulcers 99%, skin lesions 76%, genital ulcers 75%, ocular manifestations 59%, arthritis 59%, and positive pathergy test 52%. Clinical differences between German and Turkish patients were only found in the frequency of ocular lesions (48% vs. 66%, p = 0.025). Oral ulcers were with 72% the most common onset symptom of the disease followed by erythema nodosum (9%), uveitis (7%), arthritis (7%), genital ulcers (3%), superficial thrombophlebitis (2%) and papules/sterile pustules (2%). Uveitis and erythema nodosum as onset symptoms shortened the median interval to diagnosis to 1.5 and 15 months, respectively, while arthritis delayed diagnosis (43.5 months; p = 0.029). A severe course developed in 25% of the patients; irreversible retinal vasculitis to blindness in 15%, sterile meningoencephalitis in 8%, severe arthritis in 5%, hemoptysis in 2%, lethal outcome in 2% and bowel perforation in 1%. The relative risk of HLA-B5 positive German natives developing the disease. HLA-B5 was confirmed as a marker of severe prognosis. Cardiolipin autoantibodies were associated with cutaneous vasculitis and superficial thrombophlebitis was correlated with systemic vessel involvement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Molecular epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: effect of sex and sexual orientation on the distribution of gonococcal types].

Auxotype/serovar (A/S) classification enables precise characterisation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In the present study we evaluated whether sex and sexual preference of the patient influence the auxotype/serovar class of the infecting gonococcal strain. In male patients prototrophic/IB-3 was the most frequently isolated A/S class. By contrast, in female patients the A/S class (P)AH(U)/IA-1/2 was significantly (p < 0.005) more frequently isolated than in male patients. Analysis of our data according to sexual preference of the patients showed that in heterosexual patients the two mentioned A/S classes were leading, whereas in homo- and bisexual patients A/S classes prototrophic/IB-2 (p < 0.0001) and Pro/IB-2/16 (p < 0.0001) were isolated significantly more often. Our data are a strong indication that the host environment is also responsible for the selection of N. gonorrhoeae strains with certain typing characteristics.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Molecular epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: typing with combined auxotype/serovar classification].

Auxotyping or determination of serovars of N. gonorrhoeae used separately can be for a limited differentiation of strains only. Combined auxotype/serovar (A/S)-classification was examined for its discriminatory ability on 360 gonococcal strains isolated over 9 years in the area of Heidelberg. The prototrophic, prolin requiring and (P)AH(U)-auxotype were the 3 most frequent auxotypes. 33 different serovars were identified. Protein-IB-serovars dominated by 75%. IB-3, IB-2 and IA-1/2 were the most frequent serovars. The (P)AH(U) auxotype is statistically significant associated with serovar IA-1/2, the PA(U) auxotype with serovar IB-2/16 and the prolin requiring auxotype with serovar IB-1. Combined typing resulted in 68 different A/S classes. The 3 most frequent classes were Proto/IB-3, (P)AH(U)/IA-1/2 and Proto/IB-2/16. The number of the A/S classes identified per year rose generally with the number of the isolated strains. Our data show the heterogeneity and dynamics of a gonococcal population. A/S classification permits the epidemiological differentiation of a gonococcal population in endemic, transient and microepidemic strains.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1992

[Local and systemic humoral immune response to protein I of Neisseria gonorrhoeae].

Knowledge of the immune response to natural infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae is presupposition for the development of a gonococcal vaccine. Pili and protein I have gained importance for a subunite vaccine. A pilus vaccine proved to be ineffective in a field trial due to extensive pilus variability. According to an alternative strategy protein I may represent an important vaccine candidate for a gonococcal vaccine. To study the local and systemic, humoral immune response to N. gonorrhoeae cervical secretion, vaginal fluid and serum from prostitutes and family planning patients were compared by the use of a protein I ELISA. In local secretions and in serum patients in the study group showed significantly higher anti-protein-I-IgA-levels than patients in the control group. In cervical secretion immune response to an acute gonococcal infection consisted of a short lived, significant increase of anti-protein-I-IgA, while anti-protein-I-IgG showed a lower, but longer lasting significant increase. The course of the immune response in vaginal fluid reflected the immune response of cervical secretion at a lower level. In serum antigenic stimulus of a local gonococcal infection resulted in a significant but short lived protein I specific IgG immune response. In local infection with N. gonorrhoeae protein I represents a target antigen of the local and systemic immune response. Clear differences exist between local and systemic humoral immune response in the protein I reactive immunoglobulin class and in the course of reactivity. In the future it may be possible to define epitopes on protein I which induce protective immunity.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Current status of serotyping of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Protein I has become the basis of serotyping of N. gonorrhoeae. A panel of 12 anti-protein I monoclonal antibodies is supplied by Syva Company, Palo Alto, CA, through distributors for research purposes only. These distributors are responsible for storing the monoclonal antibodies, supplying research groups and training new users, particularly in the interpretation of coagglutination reactions. A European Workshop was held in Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany in July 1988 to discuss serotyping with these antibodies. The current uses of serotyping of N. gonorrhoeae include epidemiological studies, clinical purposes and surveillance of antibiotic resistance and plasmid carriage. Predominant serovars may be subtyped either by additional antibodies or with the use of another technique, such as auxotyping, determination of antibiotic sensitivities, plasmid analysis or genetic fingerprinting. Conversely, there is growing evidence that it may be appropriate to group certain serovars together. Data collected during prevalence studies could be combined with clinical information and an international data bank set up. This supposes a close future collaboration of all groups involved in the epidemiology of N. gonorrhoeae.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗