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S Haas

Publications and source records attributed to S Haas.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

[Langerhans' cell histiocytosis of the liver. Differential diagnosis of a rare chronic destructive sclerosing cholangitis].

We report on the difficult differential diagnosis of liver involvement in disseminated Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH). Three years after treatment of LCH involving the skull and pelvic bones, an 18-year-old girl presented with abdominal pain and cholestatic liver disease. At this time, liver biopsy showed portal infiltrates which were diagnosed as chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis. Two years later, she was icteric under progredient hepatic failure. A second liver biopsy revealed biliary fibrosis and granulomatous inflammation with destruction of the portal bile ducts. The morphological changes in both liver biopsies could be identified as LCH by immunohistochemical detection of CD1a and S-100-positive Langerhans' cells. Morphological changes and clinical findings in LCH of the liver may resemble primary sclerosing cholangitis or chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis. Therefore, LCH is an important differential diagnosis of chronic destructive cholangitis with cholestatic liver disease, especially in children and young adults. The diagnosis can be verified by S-100 and CD1a immunohistochemistry.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2002

[Differential diagnosis and therapy of acute pancreatitis].

Acute pancreatitis is classified in an interstitial edematous pancreatitis and a hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis comprising 80% and 20% respectively of all cases. 80% of acute pancreatitis are attributed to biliary and alcoholic origin whereas in more than 10% no etiology can be established comprising the idiopathic forms of acute pancreatitis. Clinical symptoms are rather unspecific resulting in a large number of abdominal and extraabdominal diseases that have to be considered regarding the differential diagnosis. Diagnosis is based on clinical examination, laboratory findings and ultrasound. However it has to be taken into account that a lack of abdominal symptoms and unaltered amylase and lipase levels may be present in spite of overt pancreatitis. As severe pancreatitis is associated with a steep increase in mortality the early identification of severe pancreatitis is crucial. Several prognostic scores like the Ranson-, Glasgow- and APACHE-II score were developed to achieve a higher sensitivity detecting transition to severe pancreatitis. In addition new prognostic serum parameters are applicable. A prophylactic antibiotic therapy is recommended in patients with sterile necrosis whereas an infected necrosis requires organ preserving necrosectomy and retroperitoneal lavage which can be done surgically or referring to new concepts endoscopically. Apart from renal and respiratory failure, necrosis, pseudocysts and pancreatic abscess are the main complications. In the presence of detected stones in the common bile tract ERCP in combination with stone extraction and papillotomy reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with biliary pancreatitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be performed as soon as the patient has recovered and preferably during the same hospital admission.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

Molecular analysis of aerobic phenylacetate degradation in Azoarcus evansii.

The Azoarcus evansii gene which codes for phenylacetate-CoA ligase, an enzyme involved in the aerobic degradation of phenylacetate, was isolated from a genomic library, using as the probe a fragment of the gene which encodes the isoenzyme that is induced under anaerobic conditions. By this means both the gene and its flanking sequences were recovered. The gene is homologous to the phenylacetate-CoA ligase genes of Pseudomonas putida U and Escherichia coli W. Induction by phenylacetate under aerobic growth conditions was demonstrated using lacZ fusions. Western analysis showed that phenylacetate-CoA ligase is involved in the degradation of the aromatic amino acid phenylalanine. Genes coding for the phenylacetate-CoA ligase and for the putative hydroxylating enzyme were expressed in E. coli. Detection of 2-hydroxyphenylacetate in the recombinant E. coli strain indicated hydroxylation of phenylacetyl-CoA. The gene pacL, which codes for the putative ring-opening enzyme was mutated to enable the isolation of intermediates in aerobic phenylacetic acid degradation, which were characterized by GC-MS and NMR analyses.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed2002

Expression of cell cycle proteins in head and neck cancer correlates with tumor site rather than tobacco use.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas of non-smoking patients may result from specific defects in cell cycle control. Expression of p53, pRb, p16(INK4a) and Cyclin D1 was examined by immunohistochemistry of biopsies obtained from 24 non-smoking and 25 smoking patients, both groups representing similar clinical features (tumor site, stage of disease, gender). Expression of p16(INK4a) was restricted to carcinomas of the tonsils (8/24), P=0.0069. In 6/8 p16(INK4a)-positive cases, expression of pRb was absent or reduced. p16 was the only marker showing a significant correlation with a negative smoking history (P=0.0208). Overexpression of Cyclin D1 was frequent in carcinomas of the tongue (6/14) but rare in tonsillar carcinomas (2/24), P=0.0303. Expression of p53 was independent of the smoking history and the tumor site. Our results implicate that there are factors other than tobacco consumption which may influence the development of head and neck cancers at distinct tumor sites.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Future potential indications for an oral thrombin inhibitor].

By the use of conventional anticoagulants, significant improvements were achieved in all fields of medicine. Although efficacious and widely used, their use is limited in several respects. In particular, the use of vitamin K antagonists is restricted in the clinical routine setting. The main reasons are the delayed on- and off-set of action, the narrow therapeutic window, the necessity of individual laboratory-controlled dosing, and interactions with food ingredients and drugs. The search for new antithrombotics with an improved safety/efficacy profile led to the development of the direct oral thrombin-inhibitor ximelagatran. It can be administered without routine monitoring of coagulation parameters and does not possess any of the previously mentioned limitations. The results from clinical phase II studies obtained so far are very encouraging. After completion of the clinical development program focussing on prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism, on stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and on acute coronary syndromes, it is desirable to continue with investigations with regard to long-term prophylaxis in high risk surgery, in chronic peripheral artery disease, in patients with left ventricular thrombi, artificial heart valves, or thrombophilia, as an alternative anticoagulant in heparin induced thrombocytopenia and for prevention of thromboembolic complications in oncology. Because of the mitogenic effects of thrombin on the proliferation of tumour cells, additional experimental studies aiming at a potential inhibition of thrombin-triggered oncogenesis is of uttermost interest.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2001

Field-induced magnetic order in quantum spin liquids.

We study magnetic-field-induced three-dimensional ordering transitions in low-dimensional quantum spin liquids, such as weakly coupled, antiferromagnetic spin- 1/2 Heisenberg dimers and ladders. Using stochastic series expansion quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we obtain the critical scaling exponents which dictate the power-law dependence of the transition temperature on the magnetic field. These are compared with recent experiments on candidate materials and with predictions for the Bose-Einstein condensation of magnons. The critical exponents deviate from isotropic mean-field theory and exhibit different scaling behavior at the lower and upper critical magnetic fields.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Order by disorder from nonmagnetic impurities in a two-dimensional quantum spin liquid.

We consider doping of nonmagnetic impurities in the spin-1/2, 1/5-depleted square lattice. This structure, whose undoped phase diagram offers both magnetically ordered and spin-liquid ground states, is realized physically in CaV4O9. Doping into the ordered phase results in a progressive loss of order, which becomes complete at the percolation threshold. By contrast, doping into the spin liquids creates a phase of weak but long-ranged antiferromagnetic order, a true order-by-disorder phenomenon. We study the phase diagram of the doped system by computing the static susceptibility and staggered magnetization using a stochastic series-expansion quantum Monte Carlo technique.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Surfactant irritation: in vitro corneosurfametry and in vivo bioengineering.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Irritant reactions to surfactants, cleansing products, soaps and detergents are common in clinical and occupational dermatology. Mildness has become a major benefit claimed, and testing for mildness now ranks among the first concerns of the manufacturing industry. A wealth of publications deals with this problem, trying to improve the methodology, reduce the costs of testing and facilitate decision-making. Differences in vivo can be measured clinically and/or instrumentally. This is difficult, as commercially available products are generally safe to use and none are harsh in the absolute sense. METHODS: Nineteen different products (syndets, shampoos, personal cleansers), all claiming to be mild, were tested in vitro by a newly introduced method, corneosurfametry. For evaluating the aggressiveness of the products, the calculation of an index of irritation (IOI) was proposed. A concentration-effect curve of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as standard and model surfactant was obtained. Some of the products were further tested in vivo with a flex wash test and with a soap chamber test and compared to SLS. Bioengineering methods (transepidermal water loss TEWL, skin color) were used to evaluate the results. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results of the corneosurfametry allowed us to classify the products in three categories, with increasing aggressiveness towards the stratum corneum, according to their IOIs. The in vivo tests were not able to discriminate between the products, but ranks from the results of the bioengineering measurements showed a good correlation between TEWL changes, but not between colour changes, and IOIs from corneosurfametry. Corneosurfametry emerged as a simple, low-cost and fast method for ranking commercial products according to their mildness. However, the skin bioengineering techniques showed that some products could lead to skin reactions, such as erythema, that could not be detected by the in vitro technique.

Colorimetry↗
PubMed2001

Posterior annular strains during discography.

Discography is commonly used in the workup of back disorders. The clinical utility of the test is controversial, and little is known about mechanical changes that may occur in the disc during this exam. To quantify three-dimensional deformations of the posterior annulus during discography, and to examine some of the covariates that influence the deformations, displacements of the lumbar posterior annulus were measured during discographic injection for three different spinal positions. Disc bulge and annular strains were calculated from the displacements. The combined effect of disc pressurization, spine position, and location on the disc (lateral versus midline) explained much of the variation in the measured bulges and strains (r(2) = 0.56). Disc pressurization or spine position alone did not always have a significant effect on strains, and the strains and bulges were often influenced by the interactions between position of the spine, location of the disc, and pressurization. In clinical studies of discography, these results suggest that patient position during the examination should be standardized.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The Knee Society Index of Severity for failed total knee arthroplasty: development and validation.

Compared with primary knee replacement, total knee arthroplasty revision surgery is a more complex procedure and accounts for greater expenditures of healthcare resources at each clinical stage. Overall, patients having revision procedures have poorer functional outcomes and higher complication rates than patients having primary arthroplasty. Despite the expanded scope of revision problems and the rapidly emerging technology in revision surgery, the long-term success of any method remains in question. Because there is little consensus on the timing of revision surgery, optimal surgical reconstruction, and the type of prosthesis to be implanted, the Knee Society began development of an Index of Severity for Failed Total Knee Arthroplasty. Fifty-four percent of Knee Society members completed an 82-item questionnaire that determined their clinical impression about potential risk factors for the outcomes of revision surgery for failed total knee replacements. Using these results, a consensus group developed the final version of the index. The result of the nominal group process was the Knee Society Index of Severity, which was based on eight distinct domains. Each domain was divided into attributes and weights based on the questionnaire responses and consensus meeting. Actual case scenarios from five institutions were used to test interrater reliability and validity. The interrater reliability of the average score of all ratings was 0.95; the correlation of the criterion rating with the mean rating was 0.77. When three outliers were not included, the Pearson product correlation increased to 0.92. These data support the application of the Knee Society Index of Severity as a critical component of risk factor studies, effectiveness research, and cost-effectiveness analysis involving revisions of total knee replacements.

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee↗
PubMed2001

The Knee Society Index of Severity for failed total knee arthroplasty: practical application.

Previous classifications of severity for total knee arthroplasty revisions have been based largely on bone loss of the femur and tibia. These approaches failed to address the more technically difficult issues in revision surgery such as surgical exposure, contractures, extremity alignment, implant removal, soft tissue stability (in the anteroposterior and in the sagittal planes), extensor mechanism integrity, and patellar revisability. Through the Knee Society, the authors developed a severity index that incorporated these latter factors into one measure. The current authors describe the application of the Knee Society Index of Severity for failed total knee arthroplasty and its method of scoring.

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee↗
PubMed2001

Identification and classification of differentially expressed genes in renal cell carcinoma by expression profiling on a global human 31,500-element cDNA array.

We investigated the changes in gene expression accompanying the development and progression of kidney cancer by use of 31,500-element complementary DNA arrays. We measured expression profiles for paired neoplastic and noncancerous renal epithelium samples from 37 individuals. Using an experimental design optimized for factoring out technological and biological noise, and an adapted statistical test, we found 1738 differentially expressed cDNAs with an expected number of six false positives. Functional annotation of these genes provided views of the changes in the activities of specific biological pathways in renal cancer. Cell adhesion, signal transduction, and nucleotide metabolism were among the biological processes with a large proportion of genes overexpressed in renal cell carcinoma. Down-regulated pathways in the kidney tumor cells included small molecule transport, ion homeostasis, and oxygen and radical metabolism. Our expression profiling data uncovered gene expression changes shared with other epithelial tumors, as well as a unique signature for renal cell carcinoma. [Expression data for the differentially expressed cDNAs are available as a Web supplement at http://www.dkfz-heidelberg.de/abt0840/whuber/rcc.]

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗