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Biomedical subjects

R Wagner

Publications and source records attributed to R Wagner.

At least 577 records · Page 32Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Diabetes mellitus and eating disorders: a multicenter study on the comorbidity of the two diseases.

Because diet is a key issue in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, it is assumed that these patients are prone to eating disorders. In a multicenter study, we have therefore assessed the prevalence of eating disorders in 662 patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (n = 340) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 322). A two-stage study combining self-rating questionnaires and a standardized interview was carried out. We found a prevalence of eating disorders of 5.9% (lifetime prevalence of 10%), irrespective of gender and type of diabetes; 4.1% of the whole sample reported intentional insulin undertreatment or omission. When patients were stratified according to IDDM and NIDDM, there was no difference in the prevalence of all eating disorders (point prevalence 5.5% vs. 6.5%, lifetime prevalence 10.0% vs. 9.9%). Prevalence of bulimia nervosa (BN) was more frequent in IDDM patients (point prevalence 1.5% vs. 0.3%, lifetime prevalence 3.2% vs. 1.9%) and binge eating (BED) was more frequent in NIDDM patients (point prevalence 1.8% vs. 3.7%, lifetime prevalence 2.6% vs. 5.9%). We conclude that eating disorders seem to be equally frequent in IDDM and NIDDM patients. However, there might be different features of eating disorders in both types of diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Challenges and early experiences in the development of an anxiety clinic in the public health sector.

This paper argues the importance of establishing specialist anxiety clinics within the public sector of the Australian health system. It describes the development of such a service and summarizes the characteristics of the first 1000 clients. Factors such as staffing, utilization trends, referral patterns, assessment and treatment procedures, and the clinical and demographic characteristics of the first 1000 cases are reviewed and discussed. The model of the clinic, which operates in partnership with community mental health and an academic research unit, has proven itself to be a suitable, cost-effective and efficient prototype in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders exact a high social and economic cost. At a time of global funding cuts and savings in the mental health system, it is vital to think ethically as well as cost-efficiently, considerations that require that we offer the most efficient treatment to the greatest number of people.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Processing of mispaired and unpaired bases in heteroduplex DNA in E. coli.

Bacteriophage lambda and phi X 174 DNAs, carrying sequenced mutations, have been used to construct in vitro defined species of heteroduplex DNA. Such heteroduplex DNAs were introduced by transfection, as single copies, into E. coli host cells. The progeny of individual heteroduplex molecules from each infective center was analyzed. The effect of the presence of GATC sequences (phi X 174 system) and of their methylation (lambda system) was tested. The following conclusions can be drawn: some mismatched base pairs trigger the process of mismatch repair, causing a localized strand-to-strand information transfer in heteroduplex DNA: transition mismatches G:T and A:C are efficiently repaired, whereas the six transversion mismatches are not always readily recognized and/or repaired. The recognition of transversion mismatches appears to depend on the neighbouring nucleotide sequence; single unpaired bases (frameshift mutation "mismatches") are recognized and repaired, some equally efficiently on both strands (longer and shorter), some more efficiently on the shorter (-1) strand; large non-homologies (about 800 bases) are not repaired by the Mut H, L, S, U system, but some other process repairs the non-homology with a relatively low efficiency; full methylation of GATC sequences inhibits mismatch repair on the methylated strand: this is the chemical basis of strand discrimination (old/new) in mismatch correction; unmethylated GATC sequences appear to improve mismatch repair of a G:T mismatch in phi X 174 DNA, but there may be some residual mismatch repair in GATC-free phi X 174, at least for some mismatches.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacteriophage lambda↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Continuities of separation anxiety from early life into adulthood.

The study investigates whether a putative diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder can be identified in adulthood and whether there are continuities between juvenile and adult forms of the disorder. Seventy patients with conventional adult diagnoses of panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder attending an anxiety clinic were administered an interview and checklist to assess separation anxiety (SA) symptoms in adulthood. Memories of early SA were assessed using the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI). A subsample (n = 31) was used to calibrate the checklist against assignment to a category of adult separation anxiety disorder (ASAD) based on the structured interview. In an expanded sample (n = 70), patients assigned to the ASAD category returned statistically higher scores on the SASI, with the severity of juvenile SA symptoms accounting for 33% of the variance of adult SA scores (p < .001). Assignment of subjects to the putative ASAD category was not associated with any conventional adult anxiety diagnosis and symptoms of SA appeared to predate the onset of the other anxiety disorders. One possible explanation for the data is that, in some individuals, early onset separation anxiety disorder may persist into adulthood, but the symptoms may either be overlooked or, alternatively, obscured by secondary features such as panic.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cultivation of recombinant baby hamster kidney cells in a fluidized bed bioreactor system with porous borosilicate glass.

Dense cell cultivation of the recombinant cell line BHK 21 pSVIL2 was performed in a fluidized bed bioreactor system containing porous borosilicate glass carriers. Experiments were carried out with different medium formulations for a period of 48 days. Due to an effective immobilization of the cells in the reactor, continuous operation was easy to perform. Maximal cell densities and product yields could be maintained, even when protein-free medium was perfused exceeding 2 reactor volumes per day. Final cell densities of magnitude 7.1 x 10(7) mL-1 intrasphere volume were reached, while the interleukin-2 production rate was 0.70 mg day-1. The cell specific productivity reached a value of 1.3 x 10(-10) mg day-1. The first results were presented with a cell line that grows under glutamine-free medium conditions. The use of a glutamine-free medium for the cultivation of the cells resulted in a drastic decrease in cell metabolism. Furthermore, the amino acids lysine and histidine were produced and secreted into the culture supernatant, although these metabolites normally are considered to be essential for animal cells grown in vitro. However, no lethal effect on the cells has been detected, and the total number of cells in the reactor remained constant. The metabolism of threonine has been detected to be directly dependent on the presence of glutamine. Cells grown in glutamine-free culture medium produced glycine yields 6 times higher than those grown in glutamine-containing medium. A bead-to-bead transfer of the cells has also been detected when the cells immobilized within the intrasphere volume of the borosilicate carriers reached the stationary phase.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stoichiometry, kinetics, and regulation of glucose and amino acid metabolism of a recombinant BHK cell line in batch and continuous cultures.

Batch and continuous cultures were carried out to study the stoichiometry, kinetics, and regulation of glucose and amino acid metabolism of a recombinant BHK cell line, with particular attention to the metabolism at low levels of glucose and glutamine. The apparent yields of cells on glucose and glutamine, lactate on glucose, and ammonium on glutamine were all found to change significantly at low residual concentrations of glucose (< 5 mmol/L) and glutamine (< 1 mmol/L). The uptake rates of glucose and glutamine were markedly reduced at low concentrations, leading to a more effective utilization of these nutrients for energy metabolism and biosynthesis and reduced formation rates of lactate and ammonium. However, the consumption of other amino acids, especially the essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine and the nonessential amino acids serine and glutamate, was strongly enhanced at low glutamine concentration. Quantitatively, it was shown that the cellular yields and rates associated with glucose metabolism were primarily determined by the residual glucose concentration, while those associated with glutamine metabolism depended mainly on the residual glutamine. Both experimental results and analysis of the kinetic data with models showed that the glucose metabolism of BHK cells is not affected by glutamine except for a slight influence under glucose limitation and glutaminolysis not by glucose, at least not significantly under the experimental conditions. Compared to hybridoma and other cultured animal cells, the recombinant BHK cell line showed remarkable differences in terms of nutrient sensitivity, stoichiometry, and amino acid metabolism at low levels of nutrients. These cell-line-specific stoichiometry and nutrient needs should be considered when designing an optimal medium and/or feeding strategy for achieving high cell density and high productivity of BHK cells. In this work, a cell density of 1.1 x 10(7) cells/mL was achieved in a conventional continuous culture by using a proper feed medium.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intracellular UDP-N-acetylhexosamine pool affects N-glycan complexity: a mechanism of ammonium action on protein glycosylation.

Understanding the mechanisms by which ammonium ions affect glycosylation may suggest strategies for producing glycoproteins with homogeneous biological activity in the presence of undesirable byproducts of cellular energy metabolism. We have previously shown that ammonium ions cause an increase in the intracellular UDP-N-acetylhexosamine (UDPGNAc) pool, which may be responsible for the ammonium-induced increase in complexity and decrease in sialylation state of the N-linked oligosaccharide. To investigate this novel hypothesis, we induced an artificial increase in UDPGNAc pool by treating recombinant BHK cells expressing an IL-2 variant that features an artificial site for N-glycosylation, with glucosamine (1:2 molar ratio to glucose) and uridine (2 mmol L-1) in the absence of ammonium ions or glutamine. The product fractions collected during this treatment showed increased antennarity compared to product collected under control conditions. When this pool was returned to normal levels, the glycosylation pattern regained its original (control) features. However, the sialylation state remained unaffected, suggesting that the decreased sialylation observed under ammonium treatment is due to a different mechanism of action, possibly involving changes in intracellular pH. By pretreating the cells with 0.5 mmol L-1 adenosine, and exposing them continuously to NH4Cl and adenosine we were able to prevent the ammonium-induced increase in UDPGNAc. Product fractions collected during this treatment showed unchanged antennarity but decreased sialylation of the N-linked oligosaccharide, thus conclusively demonstrating that ammonium ions act on protein glycosylation by at least two independent mechanisms, one of which involves an increase in the UDPGNAc pool.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A self-report questionnaire for measuring separation anxiety in adulthood.

Little attention has been given to measuring symptoms of separation anxiety (SA) in adulthood. The development of an Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27) is described and compared to a previously derived Adult Separation Anxiety Semistructured Interview (ASA-SI). Principal components analysis revealed a coherent construct of SA with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =.95) and sound test-retest reliability (r =.86; P <.001). A receiver operation characteristic (ROC) analysis against the semistructured interview yielded a high area under the curve index (AUC = 0.9) suggesting that the questionnaire is an adequate alternative measure of SA. Results of this study support previous research suggesting that a construct of SA may be readily measured in adults.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Preoperative planning and computer assisted surgery in ankylosing spondylitis].

AIM: The following study describes a technique for preoperative planning and computer-assisted correction osteotomy in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. The effect on the overall sagittal profile is evaluated. METHOD: Kyphosis was corrected by a posterior closing wedge osteotomy. Angle and localisation of the wedge were exactly planned preoperatively and transferred to a navigation system. The osteotomy was then performed along the premarked lines with image-guided tools. Nine patients aged 40 to 61 years (average 46 years) were operated on. Follow-up time averaged 12 months (1 to 33 months). RESULTS: The planned angle of the wedge osteotomy was an average of 30 degrees (range 24 degrees to 40 degrees ) preoperatively. Postoperatively, the angle averaged 30 degrees as well (range 22 degrees to 41 degrees ). The individual difference between real and planned angle was an average of 2.7 degrees (range 1 degrees to 6 degrees ). Sacral inclination was 23 degrees preoperatively (range-- 6 degrees to 40 degrees ) and was corrected to 40 degrees (range 27 degrees to 49 degrees ). Anterior displacement of the gravity line averaged 112 mm preoperatively (range 47 to 196 mm) and was corrected to 31 mm (range--7 to 135 mm) postoperatively and 38 mm (range-- 21 to 137 mm) at latest follow-up. CONCLUSION: Precise preoperative planning and correction osteotomy exactly according to this planning allow for an excellent correction of the sagittal profile even in severe ankylosing spondylitis. Pelvic tilt and gravity line are normalised, the patient is able to adopt an ergonomic upright position. Navigation facilitates the intraoperative transfer of the preoperative planning.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Left anterior hemiblock (left axis deviation) in the ECG of children before and after heart surgery].

In this study 18 248 ECG's were reviewed. In 212 children were found an extreme left axis deviation (or left anterior hemiblock) in ECG. In 44 (or 21%) exists an extreme left axis deviation before or after operation on congenital heart malformations. In 24 children this pathological deviation of the heart axis first appeared post-surgically. After critical analysis, however, it became apparent that it was factually correct to speak of a left anterior hemi-block in only 10 cases. This terminology was especially encountered after repair of ventricle-septal defects and total corrections of Tetralogy of Fallot, if at the same time a right bundle branch block existed in the sense of a bifascicular block. Some cases are especially difficult to judge; namely those in which on the basis of the heart defect itself, an extreme left axis deviation is likely to exist before surgery, as for example in endocardial cushion defects. Also, it is possible that an extreme left axis deviation could be reversed in the normal QRS-angle after operation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of corneal astigmatism on contrast sensitivity in mono- and multifocal pseudophakia--a theoretical study of the physical eye].

BACKGROUND: Several clinical studies indicate, that the visual function of multifocal IOLs (MIOL) is impaired by corneal astigmatism. To assess the influence of uncorrected corneal astigmatism on the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) of mono- and multifocal IOLs, an "optical implantation" of physical eyes with astigmatic corneas and IOLs was performed in younger subjects. METHODS: The virtual image of physical eyes with a 40 dpt achromate as artificial cornea and the (M)IOL in a water bath was projected on the retina of the observer by means of an exactly adjusted video objective. Silicone lenses with defined astigmatisms (+1; +2; +4; +6 dpt) were put in front of the achromate to produce an artificial corneal astigmatism. We compared results of a standard monofocal IOL (Pharmacia 811B), a multizone progressive MIOL (AMO Array SSM-26NB) and a diffractive MIOL (Pharmacia 811E). CSF through these IOLs in the physical eyes was measured in ten healthy subjects (mean age: 27.4 y.) with the B-VAT II-SG Video Acuity Tester (Mentor O&O), which uses sine wave gratings of five different spatial frequencies (1.5; 3; 6; 12; 20 cpd). RESULTS: Without astigmatic lenses, all IOLs showed a mean CSF within the age-related norm, but the monofocal IOL yielded significantly better results than both MIOLs at three spatial frequencies (3; 6; 12 cpd). With additional astigmatic lenses of 2 dpt and more, mean CSF of all IOLs was below normal range, but there was no difference in the performance of the three lens styles. CONCLUSION: CSF of MIOLs seems to be less sensitive to uncorrected corneal astigmatism than CSF of the monofocal IOL. This suggests, that a higher preoperative astigmatism does not severely affect the image quality through a multifocal IOL.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Accuracy of pedicle screws following instrumented dorsal fusion of the lumbar spine].

We evaluated the placement of pedicle screws (N = 131) in 30 patients after lumbar dorsal spinal fusion. Postoperatively all patients were examined by CT. 39.9% of all screws penetrated the cortex of the vertebra. Of special interest were those implants which led to medial penetration of the pedicle, which is of potential hazard to the neural structure within the nerve root canal. 28.5% of all screws showed a medial deviation. In our study, a penetration of more than 6 mm coincided with a high risk for nerve root damage. In 2 patients there was proven damage to a nerve root due to screw placement. In another 3 patients coherence was likely to exist. The technique of transpedicular screw fixation for spinal fusion is highly demanding and should be performed only by experienced surgeons after a clear indication and after a trial of intense conservative therapy.

Bone Screws↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Screening procedure for organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in milk using matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction and gas chromatographic determination.

A rapid technique for the extraction and gas chromatographic determination of five organochlorine and five organophosphorus pesticide residues in milk is described. Milk (5.0 ml) is blended with 2.0 g of C18 [octadecylsilyl-derivatized silica] and 1.5 ml acetonitrile in a syringe barrel. After the aqueous phase is removed from the column by vacuum aspiration, the pesticide residues are eluted from the C18/milk matrix with acetonitrile which is then eluted through a Florisil solid phase extraction (SPE) column. The acetonitrile is evaporated under nitrogen and the residue is dissolved in petroleum ether. This extract is directly analysed for organophosphorus pesticides by gas chromatography with flame photometric detection. After further clean-up of the extract on a mini-Florisil column, the organochlorine pesticide residues are determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Grade A homogenized and raw milk samples were fortified with five organochlorine and five organophosphorus pesticide residues. The average recoveries of fortified organochlorine pesticide residues (2.0-20 ppb) ranged from 76.0% to 97.8%. The average recoveries of fortified organophosphorus pesticide residues (10-50 ppb) ranged from 75.0% to 104.5%. The MSPD and the AOAC International multiresidue method for pesticides in milk produced comparable results for milk samples containing incurred organochlorine pesticide residues. The use of the MSPD method results in a 90% reduction in organic solvent consumption and a 95% reduction in the hazardous waste generated when compared with the AOAC method.

Acetonitriles↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A highly sensitive gas chromatographic determination of levamisole in milk.

An efficient extraction and sensitive gas chromatographic method is described for the determination of the anthelminthic drug levamisole in milk. Levamisole was extracted from alkaline milk with ethyl acetate. Clean-up of the extract was by a series of liquid-liquid extraction steps. Levamisole residues in the extract were determined by gas chromatography with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. This method was satisfactory for determining levamisole residues in milk as low as 0.5 ng/g. Mean recoveries of 0.5-10.0 ng/g fortified milk samples ranged from 84.5 to 95.2%. Five replicate analyses performed on a milk containing incurred levamisole residues yielded a mean of 3.34 ng/g levamisole with a CV of 3.0%.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of Doppler ultrasound in performing percutaneous cannulation of the radial artery.

Doppler ultrasound has been used extensively in assessing adequacy of circulation. We have found it to be convenient in the identification of blood flow, particularly in hypotensive states where percutaneous radial artery cannulation of the vessel is tedious and difficult to perform. The technique is simple, atraumatic, and usually successful.

Arteries↗