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Biomedical subjects

W Huber

Publications and source records attributed to W Huber.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Translation and psychometric testing of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) for use in Germany].

AIM: At the moment a specific subjective measurement tool for evaluation of German-speaking patients with a pathology of the rotator cuff is lacking. Following international guidelines, the German translation and the psychometric testing of the 21-item, multidimensional Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) is the aim of the study. METHOD: After translation and cross-culture adaptation of the English original, the reliability, validity, practicability and the acceptance of the German version of the WORC were tested on 102 patients with an impingement syndrome. Additionally the SF-36, the Constant and UCLA score were evaluated. RESULTS: The Pearson correlation coefficient showed with 0.96 an excellent result for the test-retest reliability. The internal consistency showed a high homogeneity with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.96. A Pearson correlation coefficient between 0.66-0.81 registered a high correlation with the physical subscales of the SF-36, the Constant and the UCLA score. The mean time required for filling out the WORC was 7.5 minutes, the mean time required for evaluation was 10 minutes. The acceptance and the understanding were very high. CONCLUSION: After successful translation and psychometric testing of the German version of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC), a patient-based measurement tool for evaluating the quality of life of German-speaking patients with pathology of the rotator cuff is available.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Anti-thymocyte globulin therapy in severe aplastic anemia: an alternative to bone marrow transplantation].

Eight patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and two patients with congenital hypoplastic anemia (CHA) were treated with absorbed samples of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) at a total dose of 50-75 mg/kg body weight intravenously over 5 days. Duration of the disease was 1-14 years. Median age of the ten patients was 11 (4-15) years. Four of the eight patients with SAA were responders and transfusion independent for a follow up of 11 to 50 months. In two cases thrombocytopenia of about 100 000/mm3 is present. Four patients were non-responders three of them died in the meantime by the underlining disease. Two patients with CHA did not respond to ATG treatment. The CFU-C level of all eight patients with SAA before treatment was severely decreased. In co-culture studies with normal bone marrow no growth inhibition of normal bone marrow could be demonstrated. Also 20% patients serum did not inhibit normal bone marrow growth. The results are compared with data from literature and discussed in respect to alternative therapies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Tumor simulating manifestations of renal osteopathy: differential diagnosis and follow-up clinical examples].

The course of renal osteodystrophy possibly includes changes, which can mistakenly considered malignant. Especially dialysis-associated tumoral calcinosis may mislead to an inadequate aggressive surgical procedure. Spontaneous involution of these lesions takes place after subtotal parathyroidectomy. Brown tumors subsequent secondary hyperparathyroidism are extremely rare. During maintenance hemodialysis frequently appearing intraosseous cysts develop secondary to beta-2-microglobulin-amyloidosis. Surgery only should be performed in case of occurring pathologic fractures. Other cases are treated conservatively under continuous nephrologic supervision.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Association of elevated blood levels of pentachlorophenol (PCP) with cellular and humoral immunodeficiencies.

It has long been suspected that pentachlorophenol (PCP) exerts a damaging influence on the immune system. In this study, the possible relationship between blood levels of PCP and immune function was studied in 190 patients who had been exposed for more than 6 mo to PCP-containing pesticides. The patients suffered from frequent respiratory infections and general fatigue. Lymphocyte subpopulations, in-vitro responses to mitogens, allogeneic stimulator cells, plasma neopterin, cytokines, soluble cytokine receptors, soluble adhesion molecules, and immunoglobulin autoantibodies were determined. A dose-response relationship between blood levels of PCP and cellular and humoral immune parameters was established. Blood levels of PCP were associated negatively with (a) total lymphocyte counts (p = .0002), CD4/CD8 ratios (p = .0015), and absolute counts of CD3+ (p < .0001), CD4+ (p < .0001), CD16+ (p < .0001), CD25+ (p = .0003), DR+ (p < .0001), CD8+/56+ (p = .020), and CD19+ cells (p = .092); (b) plasma levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) (p < .0001), soluble IL-2R (p < .0001), IL-6 (p < .0001), IL-10 (p = .0039), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) (p < .0001), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (p < .0001), transforming-growth factor-beta2 (p = .023), soluble IL-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1 RA) (p < .0001), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p = .0003); and (c) immunoglobulin (Ig) M-anti-Fab type autoantibodies (p = .0353). PCP levels were associated positively with (a) number of impaired stimulation assays per patient (p = .041); (b) number of circulating CD11b+ monocytes (p = .0015); and (c) plasma levels of neopterin (p < .0001), IL-4 (p = .020), and sIL-6R (p = .020). Compared with patients who had PCP plasma levels that were less than or equal to 10 microg/l, patients with blood levels of PCP that exceeded 10 microg/l experienced the following more often: low numbers of total blood lymphocytes (p = .054), CD3+ (p = .0014), CD4+ (p = .0001), DR+ (p = .0003), CD16+ (p = .0033), and CD25+ cells (p = .0033). In addition, the same aforementioned patients experienced the following more frequently: undetectable plasma levels of IL-2 (p = .0057), IL-6 (p = .042), IL-8 (p = .038), IL-10 (p = .0001), TNF-alpha (p = .0062), and IFN-gamma (p = .016); and impaired in-vitro responses of lymphocytes (p = .071). The authors concluded that increased blood levels of PCP were associated significantly with cellular and humoral immunodeficiencies. Recurrent respiratory infections and general fatigue could originate from PCP-associated immunosuppression.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impaired in-vitro lymphocyte responses in patients with elevated pentachlorophenol (PCP) blood levels.

Immune parameters were examined in 188 patients who were exposed for more than 6 mo to pentachlorophenol-containing pesticides. Blood levels of pentachlorophenol, lymphocyte subpopulations, in-vitro responses to mitogenic and allogeneic stimulation, plasma neopterin levels, and plasma cytokine and cytokine receptor levels were determined. Impaired in-vitro lymphocyte stimulation responses were impaired in 65% of the patients. The likelihood of impaired lymphocyte stimulation increased significantly with levels of pentachlorophenol that exceeded 10 microliters/l (p < .05). Patients who had high blood levels of pentachlorophenol and abnormal lymphocyte stimulation also had increased proportions of blood monocytes in blood (p < .05), as well as increased IL-8 serum levels (p < .02). Eleven patients who had abnormal mitogen stimulation experienced decreased CD4/CD8 ratios of < 1.0; 5 of these patients had decreased CD4+ lymphocyte counts of < 500/microliters, and 3 patients had increased plasma neopterin of > 15 nmol/l. These results indicate that increased levels of pentachlorophenol in blood can lead to severe T lymphocyte dysfunction.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Arterial hypertension and oxidative stress induced by cyclosporin. Effect of carvedilol].

Cyclosporin-induced hypertension and endothelial dysfunction have been attributed to the effects of cyclosporin on factors controlling vasomotor tone. Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) regulates basal vasodilation, and an NO-mediated protective mechanism from cyclosporin-induced vasoconstriction has been proposed. In transplanted patients with cyclosporin-induced hypertension, we have recently demonstrated upregulation of the NO system and superoxide and free radical overproduction, which, by increasing NO metabolism, could induce hypertension, vascular remodeling and chronic rejection. In the present work, we have evaluated endothelial constitutive NO synthase (ecNOS), transforming growth factor beta and heme oxygenase-1 (protective against oxidative stress), mRNA production and plasma NO metabolites, peroxynitrite and antioxidant power in 15 kidney transplanted patients before and after 4 months of treatment with carvedilol alpha 1-beta-blocker and potent antioxidant. Our aim was to study the efficacy of the reduction of oxidative stress on complications such as endothelial dysfunction and fibrogenesis. Monocyte ecNOS and plasma NO metabolites remained higher versus those of control subjects and were unchanged by carvedilol, while antioxidant power and heme oxygenase-1 mRNA production increased. Peroxynitrite, as well as transforming growth factor beta mRNA, were reduced by carvedilol. It also normalized blood pressure. In conclusion, carvedilol reduces oxidative stress and normalizes blood pressure; ecNOS remains upregulated while mRNA for transforming growth factor beta, a key fibrogenic cytokine, is reduced by carvedilol, which seems to preserve protective mechanisms such as NO and heme oxygenase-1 against long-term complications of oxidative stress, e.g., endothelial dysfunction, fibrogenesis and chronic rejection.

Adult↗