Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Schulz

Publications and source records attributed to T Schulz.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Inflammatory bowel disease: re-evaluation of the diagnosis in a prospective population based study in south eastern Norway.

BACKGROUND: The incidence figures for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) have been difficult to interpret, and geographical variations may be due to differences in classification criteria and study design. Few studies have based the incidence on prospective systematic follow up to confirm the initial diagnosis. METHODS: Between 1990 and 1993, in a prospective incidence study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in south eastern Norway, 527 cases of UC, 228 cases of CD, 36 cases of indeterminate colitis (IND), and 55 cases of possible IBD were identified, yielding an annual incidence of 13.6, 5.9, 0.9, and 1.4 per 10(5) respectively. The diagnosis and all clinical data were reviewed by two gastroenterologists independently of each other. One to two years after diagnosis, all patients were offered a clinical follow up in which the initial diagnosis was assessed. RESULTS: Between the time of diagnosis and the follow up, 16 patients had died, four of complications related to IBD. Of the remaining 830 patients, 98% (814/830) were available for follow up, 93% (772/830) attended a clinical examination which included a colonoscopy in 77% (637/830), and the remainder had had a telephone interview, or reassessment based on hospital records, or both. Twenty seven patients were reclassified as not having IBD (3%), and 65 patients were characterised as possible IBD (8%). Of the patients initially classified as UC, 88% had their diagnosis confirmed, compared with 91% with an initial diagnosis of CD. In patients with indeterminate colitis, 33% were classified as definite UC and 17% as CD. This reclassification of patients yielded a corrected annual incidence of 12.8 for UC and 6.0 for CD. CONCLUSION: At follow up one to two years after the diagnosis of IBD, the initial incidence was only marginally altered. This is probably due to uniform inclusion criteria and careful diagnostic methods. The study also illustrates the importance of the re-evaluation of the initial diagnosis as close to 10%, both among patients with UC and CD, were reclassified at follow up.

Colitis, Ulcerative↗
PubMed1997

Phenotypic analysis of T lymphocytes isolated from non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The study of the nature of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) may provide insight into the complex issue of tumor-host interactions. METHODS: Cytofluorometric analysis was performed to characterize the phenotypic profiles of TIL from non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and pulmonal metastases of different primary locations. An extensive panel of antibodies was used specific to different activation-associated molecules on T cells. In 10 patients, findings on the T cell phenotype of TIL were compared with the findings in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from the same patients. Furthermore, we investigated whether the measurement of the TIL phenotype might serve as a prognostic parameter correlating with survival of patients with NSCLC. RESULTS: In contrast to PBL, T cells infiltrating lung tumors expressed significantly higher amounts of various activation antigens. However, the immunophenotype of TIL hardly differed among different histological subtypes and pulmonal metastases. Addressing the prognostic value of the lymphocytic composition of TIL, we found no significant difference in the survival of NSCLC with high or low percentages of T and natural killer cells, whereas high percentages of B cells were associated with increased survival (p = 0.05). Patients with high percentages of CD13+ tumor-infiltrating T cells had significantly poorer prognosis according to Cox's multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that different tumor histologies within the lung are characterized by a 'similar' T cell phenotype, at least with respect to the surface molecules studied by us. The measurement of the expression of activation-associated markers on T cells may have prognostic value in the pathological evaluation of NSCLC.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Clinical course during the 1st year after diagnosis in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Results of a large, prospective population-based study in southeastern Norway, 1990-93.

BACKGROUND: The clinical course and prognosis in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) have been described in many studies, mostly retrospective. Such studies are hampered by problems such as inclusion over a long time period, proper definitions, incomplete case records, and outdated methods of diagnosis. In a prospective study we identified 846 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) over a 4-year period from 1990 to 1993. Uniform diagnostic and therapeutic strategies were used as a basis for later assessment of the short-term clinical course in different subgroups of UC and CD and analysis of potential risk factors for relapse or surgery. METHODS: At the time of follow-up, a mean of 16.2 months after diagnosis, 496 UC patients and 232 CD patients, altogether 98%, were available for evaluation. A colonoscopy was performed in 88% (410 of 465) of the UC patients attending a clinical examination and in 76% (164 of 216) of the CD patients. RESULTS: Eleven patients with UC and five patients with CD died during follow-up, four of complications related to IBD. The cumulative 1-year relapse rate in the remaining patients was 50% for UC and 47% for CD. Of the patients with relapses 11 % of the UC patients and 10% of the CD patients had a chronic relapsing course without any difference with regard to the various disease categories in UC or CD. An increased risk of relapse was found in patients less than 50 years old only in UC. In UC a higher risk for surgery was found in patients with extensive colitis compared with left-sided colitis (P = 0.011), and CD patients with small-bowel involvement had a higher risk of surgery than patients with disease confined to the colon (P = 0.021). There was no excess risk of relapse or surgery in smokers as compared with non-smokers or former smokers, nor did the risk of relapse vary with the level of cigarette consumption in either UC or CD patients. CONCLUSION: The high relapse rate of around 50% for both UC and CD calls for a review of the existing treatment. Further follow-up will be necessary to improve our ability to make clinical decisions relating to medical and surgical treatment options.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Splenic abscess caused by Salmonella braenderup, treated with percutaneous drainage and antibiotics.

Splenic abscess is a rare condition and its optimal treatment is still debated. We report on a 17-year-old immunocompetent female patient, hospitalized with Salmonella braenderup gastroenteritis and splenic abscess, who was treated with ciprofloxacin, percutaneous catheter drainage and despite remaining drainage of 50 ml/24 h, the catheter was removed and the antibiotic treatment was stopped when the fluid was clear. Following removal a transient increase in the size of the splenic cavity was observed, but without any clinical symptoms or deterioration of laboratory parameters. At the 1-year follow-up, ultrasound examination of the spleen disclosed only a 8 mm scar.

Abscess↗
PubMed1996

Yeast respond to hypotonic shock with a calcium pulse.

We have used the transgenic AEQUORIN calcium reporter system to monitor the cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to hypotonic shock. Such a shock generates an almost immediate and transient rise in [Ca2+]cyt which is eliminated by gadolinium, a blocker of stretch-activated channels. In addition, this transient rise in [Ca2+]cyt is initially insensitive to 1,2-bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA), an extracellular calcium chelator. However, BAPTA abruptly attenuates the maintenance of that transient rise. These data show that hypotonic shock generates a stretch-activated channel-dependent calcium pulse in yeast. They also suggest that the immediate calcium influx is primarily generated from intracellular stores, and that a sustained increase in [Ca2+]cyt depends upon extracellular calcium.

Aequorin↗
PubMed1996

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Kaposi's sarcoma in Africa. Uganda Kaposi's Sarcoma Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Endemic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a clinically and epidemiologically distinct human immunodeficiency virus negative form of KS occurring in Africa. Kaposi's sarcoma is now the most frequently reported cancer in some areas of Africa. OBJECTIVE: To determine if a KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is present in both endemic HIV-seronegative and HIV-seropositive KS lesions from African patients. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from Ugandan patients with KS and non-KS tumor control patients attending a university-based oncology clinic were examined in a blinded case-control study. Tissue DNA specimens were examined for detectable KSHV genome by nested polymerase chain reaction performed at two independent laboratories. RESULTS: We identified KSHV in 17 (85%) of 20 KS tissue specimens from HIV-seronegative patients and 22 (92%) of 24 KS tissue specimens from HIV-infected persons. Kaposi's sarcoma lesions from four HIV-infected persons and four HIV-seronegative persons were positive for KSHV. Unlike previous studies in North America and Europe, three (14%) of 22 non-KS cancer control patients' tissue specimens were also positive for KSHV that resulted in an overall odds ratio of 49.2 (95% confidence interval, 9.1 to 335) for detecting KSHV in KS lesions from patients in Uganda. CONCLUSION: As in North America and Europe, KSHV infection is strongly associated with both HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative KS in Africa. However, it is likely that infection with this virus is more highly prevalent in Uganda.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1996

[Combined pancreas/kidney transplantation as standard procedure in therapy of type I diabetic patients in renal failure].

Sinde the introduction of the bladder drainage technique, the number of pancreas transplants performed has now reached 1000/year worldwide. Most of these transplants have been performed in the United States. In contrast, the number of pancreas transplants performed in the Eurotransplant community has remained at a low level for several years. The results of a consecutive series of 20 simultaneous pancreas/kidney grafts (SPK) performed between June 1994 and October 1995 demonstrate that high graft function rates of 83.5% for pancreas and kidney grafts can be achieved. Therefore SPK can be recommended as a standard procedure for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal disease in Germany, too.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) discloses chromosomal and subchromosomal copy number changes in Merkel cell carcinomas.

We analyzed three Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC), applying comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) with DNA from paraffin-embedded and cultured tumor material as the probes. By this method, numerous changes in chromosome copy numbers were observed in each tumor investigated. Recurrent gains of chromosomes 1, 6, 18q and 20 were detected in two tumors. A third tumor showed complex chromosomal copy number changes, including gain of chromosome 8 and 9. These gains, as well as gain of chromosome 1 in the first two tumors, were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization to paraffin tissue sections. Our results support the view that important genes for MCC development may be located on chromosomes 1, 6, 18q and 20.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

TM domain swapping of murine leukemia virus and human T-cell leukemia virus envelopes confers different infectious abilities despite similar incorporation into virions.

We investigated the influence of transmembrane protein (TM) domains on incorporation of retroviral envelopes into virions and on infectivity. We introduced complete, truncated, or chimeric Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) envelopes into an MuLV particle-producing complementation cell line. As shown previously for HTLV-1 envelopes containing extracellular domains of F-MuLV TM (C. Denesvre, P. Sonigo, A. Corbin, H. Ellerbrok, and M. Sitbon, J. Virol. 69:4149-4157, 1995), reverse chimeric F-MuLV envelopes containing the extracellular domain of HTLV-1 TM were not processed. In contrast, a chimeric MuLV envelope containing the entire HTLV membrane-spanning and cytoplasmic domains (FHTMi) was efficiently processed, fusogenic as tested in a cell-to-cell assay, and efficiently incorporated into MuLV particles. However, these MuLV particles bearing FHTMi envelope proteins could not infect mouse or rat cells which are susceptible to wild-type F-MuLV. Therefore, envelopes which are readily fusogenic in cell-to-cell assays and also efficiently incorporated into virions may not necessarily confer virus-to-cell fusogenicity. HTLV envelopes, whether parental, chimeric (containing the MuLV cytoplasmic tail) or with a truncated cytoplasmic domain, were incorporated into MuLV particles with equal efficiencies, indicating that the cytoplasmic tails of these envelopes did not determine their incorporation into virions. In contrast to FHTMi envelope, HTLV-1 envelopes with F-MuLV membrane-spanning and cytoplasmic domains, as well as wild-type HTLV-1 envelopes, conferred virion infectivity. These results help to define requirements for envelope incorporation into retroviral particles and their cell-free infectivity.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1996

Incidence of Crohn's disease in four counties in southeastern Norway, 1990-93. A prospective population-based study. The Inflammatory Bowel South-Eastern Norway (IBSEN) Study Group of Gastroenterologists.

BACKGROUND: Standardized criteria for Crohn's disease (CD) have only recently been developed, and prospective community-based incidence studies have been performed only during the past 3 decades. Geographic variations in incidence may therefore be due to differences in study design. METHODS: From 1 January 1990 to 31 December 1993 all new cases of CD in four counties in southeastern Norway were prospectively registered. RESULTS: A total of 225 new cases yielded an annual incidence of 5.8/10(5), with the highest incidence in mixed rural-urban areas. A peak of 11.2/10(5) in the annual incidence was found for the age group 15 to 24 years, with no significant differences in the overall annual incidence by gender. An average duration of 6 months of disease before diagnosis was unchanged during the 4 years. About half of the patients had isolated colonic disease, and one-quarter had isolated small-bowel disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the high incidence figures for Scandinavia, with a particularly high incidence in mixed rural-urban areas. Ileocolonoscopy improves the accuracy of the diagnosis and of the determination of disease extent, which may have therapeutic implications for the treatment and follow-up of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Incidence of ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis in four counties of southeastern Norway, 1990-93. A prospective population-based study. The Inflammatory Bowel South-Eastern Norway (IBSEN) Study Group of Gastroenterologists.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) has been difficult to interpret because prospective studies have only been performed during the past 3 decades. Geographic variations may therefore be due to differences in study design. METHOD: From 1 January 1990 to 31 December 1993 all new cases of UC in four counties in southeastern Norway were prospectively registered. Cases diagnosed as indeterminate colitis (IND) when endoscopy and histopathology were inconclusive or diverged with regard to diagnosis of UC or Crohn's disease (CD) were also included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 525 cases of UC and 93 cases of IND yielded an mean annual incidence of 13.6/10(5) and 2.4/10(5), respectively. There were differences in incidence between counties, and a peak of 21.5/10(5) in the annual incidence was found for the age group 25 to 34 years in UC. The distribution was about equal for each of the groups proctitis and left-sided and extensive colitis. The time interval from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 4 months. CONCLUSION: In this study one of the highest incidences of UC in the world has been found. The classification 'indeterminate colitis' seems reasonable to use in some of the cases to prevent misclassification at the initial stage of diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

T-cell malignancies in Brazil. Clinico-pathological and molecular studies of HTLV-I-positive and -negative cases.

T-cell malignancies in Brazil have a high seroprevalence rate of HTLV-I antibodies. We have analyzed the disease features in 188 Brazilian patients with a T-cell disorder. These included 40 with T-lymphoblastic leukaemia or lymphoma (T-ALL/T-LbLy) and 148 with mature T-cell diseases: 5 T-prolymphocytic leukaemia, 53 adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL), 54 cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, 29 pleomorphic T-cell lymphomas and 7 large granular lymphocyte leukaemia. The diagnosis was based on clinical, morphological and immunological features and HTLV-I serology. ATLL in Brazil has the same diseases features as in other endemic regions, the only apparent differences being: age, Brazilian patients being younger than Japanese, and ethnic grouping, one third of Brazilians being white Caucasians of European descent. We applied a scoring system based on the presence or absence of typical features associated with ATLL; hypercalcaemia, cell morphology, immunophenotype, histopathology and HTLV-I status, to see whether it may help in diagnosing cases of ATLL. All had high scores, whereas all other T-cell diseases scored low. Only 5 ATLL cases were HTLV-I-negative by serology, but they had otherwise typical features of ATLL, and their cells did not have HTLV-I proviral sequences by DNA analysis. Such cases suggest that ATLL may develop in a minority of individuals living in regions where it is endemic, without evidence of HTLV-I infection, and that other factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Preserved antioxidative defense of lipoproteins in renal failure and during hemodialysis.

Contact to artificial surfaces during hemodialysis activates leukocytes, which then form oxidized arachidonic acid products and free radicals. This might promote the oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) that play a key role in the initiation of atherosclerosis. Thus, leukocyte activation could specifically contribute to the high mortality from atherosclerotic complications on long-term hemodialysis. Therefore monitored LDL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) resistance to copper-stimulated oxidation in patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis with cellulose acetate or polysulfone membranes (n = 12), in patients with chronic renal failure (n = 13) and in healthy controls (n = 12). Six of the dialysis patients were restudied during a single cuprophane dialysis. Circulating leukocytes were reversibly reduced early in hemodialysis with cellulose acetate (minimum, 83.6% +/- 7.4% of baseline values at 30 minutes after dialysis start), polysulfone (minimum, 80.4% +/- 10.5% at 15 minutes; P < 0.05) and cuprophane (minimum, 24.5% +/- 8.5% at 60 minutes; P < 0.0001). Despite the leukocyte activation, LDL oxidation lag time was not shortened in comparison with healthy controls and was even prolonged at the end of cellulose acetate (P < 0.05) and cuprophane (P < 0.05) dialysis. HDL oxidation lag time increased (12.6% +/- 0.9%; P < 0.0001) 15 to 60 minutes after start of hemodialysis and returned to predialysis values thereafter. In patients with chronic renal failure, the lag time of HDL oxidation was significantly prolonged (13.34 minutes +/- 0.9) compared with healthy controls (10.91 +/- 2.0 minutes; P < 0.01) as well as compared with the dialysis patients at baseline (9.9 minutes +/- 1.4; P < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMed1995

Merkel cells in nevus sebaceus. An immunohistochemical study.

Nevus sebaceus, considered to be a hamartoma, is known to develop several secondary hyperplastic and neoplastic proliferations. By the use of immunohistochemical studies, we were able to describe a sometimes very striking increase of Merkel cells in nine of 19 nevi sebacei. Only nevi sebacei that formed follicular germ structures and trichoblastomas showed a Merkel cell hyperplasia. In the hyperplastic epidermis of some cases a slight hyperplasia of singular Merkel cells was observed. In foci with follicular germs and trichoblastomas, however, the Merkel cells were much more abundant and sometimes arranged in clusters. Merkel cell hyperplasia is likely to represent another facet of hamartomatous hyperplasia in nevi sebacei. Our observation that trichoblastomas in nevus sebaceus possess, as a rule, hyperplasia of Merkel cells, might be an additional aid to distinguish these tumors from basal cell carcinomas, which are usually devoid of Merkel cells. Furthermore, our findings are a hint that development of follicular germs and trichoblastomas in nevi sebacei may be promoted by Merkel cells.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Merkel cells are integral constituents of desmoplastic trichoepithelioma: an immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study.

The incidence of Merkel cells has previously been investigated in a number of inflammatory and tumorous lesions of the skin. Special attention was given to tumors with follicular differentiation. In the present study we examined the localization of Merkel cells in another adnexal tumor, the desmoplastic trichoepithelioma (n = 15), as well as in its main differential diagnosis, the morpheiform basal-cell carcinoma (n = 30). Using immunohistochemical methods, we found Merkel cells as a stable constituent in desmoplastic trichoepitheliomas, but failed to detect them in morpheiform basal-cell carcinomas. These findings might therefore be an important tool in the sometimes very difficult but clinically imperative distinction between these two conditions. Furthermore, our study may be of interest in the discussion about the origin of desmoplastic trichoepitheliomas. High numbers of Merkel cells in desmoplastic trichoepitheliomas indicate a bulge-derived origin of this adnexal tumor, since high numbers of Merkel cells, especially in the bulge, were recently discovered. Although the significance of Merkel cell hyperplasia in desmoplastic trichoepithelioma is not presently understood, a regulatory role of the Merkel cell in growth and development of this adnexal tumor is suggested.

Basal Cell Carcinoma↗