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Biomedical subjects

W Kraft

Publications and source records attributed to W Kraft.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Digital image archiving--concept of digital image and video documentation in ENT. A contribution to quality assurance].

BACKGROUND: Currently normal or pathologic conditions are documental by color slides, photos or videotape. However, it is more difficult to manage large numbers of images and to recall specific pictures or videos at any time. Digital record archives may be a solution for this problem. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present a digital video and photographic archive that controls documents with a picture archive software designed for use in ENT examination units. RESULTS: Working on this digital unit we have developed a software program that allows the creation and administration of digital pictures and videos using only one program. To avoid mistakes manual recording of data was reduced to a minimum. Filing is done automatically and similar results can be found via self-explained criteria. Due to the pro-user computer software, less trained persons are not afraid to use the system. Hence, the number of documented diagnoses has increased. Present experience shows that material and videos make it easier to work with patients and clinical confidence is increased. Additionally, the physician is protected indirectly. When many persons work with one system, digital photographic archives increase the clinician's ability to refind documents, even after a period of years. The need for quality assurance in medicine will help find more use for a digital archive in ENT.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1998

Geriatrics in canine and feline internal medicine.

The increasing life expectancy in humans--at least in the developed countries--including all medical, social, and political consequences is a generally accepted phenomenon at the end of this century. In earlier examinations it could be noticed that also in dogs and cats a remarkable increase of the life span seems to occur in the last 15 years (Beelitz 1988; Danckert and Kraft 1997; Davis 1996; Eichelberg and Seine 1996; Goldston 1989; Kraft 1978, 1990, 1997 a-c; Kraft and Danckert 1997; Kraft et al. 1989; Pauling 1990; Trimborn 1990). If this is true, it could have a series of consequences not only for the veterinary practice but also for the comparative medicine. The aim of this paper was to examine a population of dogs and cats to find out, if the life span of these companion animals really increases and the consequences it may have for medical care. The following criteria were examined: (1) the distribution of the age of the dogs and cats at their last presentation as out-patients (2) the change of the age at which the animals died on an average (3) the influence of the breed on the life expectancy (4) the relation of the sex and expectation of life (5) age related multimorbidity (6) the appearance of the most common organ diseases and functional disturbances during the life span

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Efficacy of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (S)-9-(3-fluoro-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (FPMPA) and 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine (PMEA) against feline immunodeficiency virus.

The acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (S)-9-(3-fluoro-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (FPMPA) and 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine (PMEA) were evaluated for their efficacy and side effects in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial using naturally occurring feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats. This natural retrovirus animal model is considered highly relevant for the pathogenesis and chemotherapy of HIV in humans. Both PMEA and FPMPA proved effective in ameliorating the clinical symptoms of FIV-infected cats, as measured by several clinical parameters including the incidence and severity of stomatitis, Karnofsky's score, immunologic parameters such as relative and absolute CD4+ lymphocyte counts, and virologic parameters including proviral DNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of drug-treated animals. In contrast with PMEA, FPMPA showed no hematologic side effects at a dose that was 2.5-fold higher than PMEA.

Adenine↗
PubMed1998

Paradoxical hypotension and bradycardia after intravenous arginine vasopressin.

Standard therapy for variceal bleeding includes endoscopic sclerotherapy and esophageal balloon tamponade. In addition, pharmacologic therapies, including arginine vasopressin (AVP), are frequently used in hemodynamically unstable patients or where sclerotherapy has been unsuccessful. A case is described herein of a 30-year-old woman with a history of ethanol abuse, hematemeisis, and biopsy-proven hepatic cirrhosis in which the addition of AVP to an antivariceal regimen of octreotide was associated with a paradoxical episode of hypotension, bradycardia, and hypoxia. Indeed, within 15 minutes after initiation of an AVP infusion, the patient exhibited hypotension with a systolic blood pressure of 80 mmHg, a relative bradycardia to 76 beats per minute, and a desaturation of blood oxygen to 84%. The AVP infusion was discontinued 2 hours later and blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation rapidly returned to baseline. This temporal correlation between the onset and termination of the physiologic effects and the initiation and discontinuation of the AVP infusion suggests a causal relationship. The paradoxical physiologic effects might reflect cardiac ischemia secondary to vasospasm and/or central suppression of the autonomic nervous system induced by AVP.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Treatment of mitral valve insufficiency in dogs with the ACE inhibitor enalapril. A clinical progress study].

The efficacy and safety of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril in dogs with naturally acquired class III or class IV heart failure was evaluated in this study. Eighteen small-breed dogs with insufficiency of their mitral valves, but without other diseases were included in this study over a period of six months. When necessary due to massive pulmonary edema or high serum potassium concentrations, furosemide was added to the therapy with enalapril. No other drugs, including digitalis, were used in this study. The treatment was followed by anamnesis, clinical examinations, electrocardiography, radiography, echocardiography and laboratory diagnosis. Examinations were performed before treatment and after one week, after six weeks and after six months of treatment. 72% of the dogs improved in NYHA classification until the end of the study (p < 0.05). The incidence of seizures due to syncopes or severe respiratory distress decreased during this study (p < 0.01). For 28% of the dogs this treatment was not successful. In the electrocardiographic, radiographic and laboratory examinations statistically significant changes could not be recorded. The decrease in heart rate did not reach statistical significance. The echocardiographic investigation evaluated a significant decrease in fractional shortening and in the diastolic diameter of the left ventricular wall (p < 0.05 respectively p < 0.01), but no significant change in the diastolic or systolic diameter of the interventricular septum. The average oral dose of enalapril was 0.38 mg/kg body weight b.i.d., the average dose of furosemide was 0.37 mg/kg body weight b.i.d. in the first week of the study and was raised to 0.74 mg/kg body weight b.i.d. until the end of the study. Side effects like diarrhea, vomiting or reduced appetite did not increase during the course of the study. However one dog was excluded from the study because of repeated vomiting after six weeks of treatment. This study shows the beneficial clinical and hemodynamic effects and the security of the therapy with enalapril for dogs with heart failure due to mitral insufficiency.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed1998

[Snake bites in dogs].

Altogether 11 cases of stings in dogs are reported. In at least nine cases, common vipers (Vipera berus) were identified to be the causes. The most frequently observed symptoms were haemorrhagic and oedematous inflammations of the area of the wounds, furthermore haemolysis and intense leukocytosis with relative and absolute neutrophilia and in some cases shock symptoms. One dog died 17 days after the accident from multiple organ insufficiencies, all the other dogs improved. As a therapy, bandage of the injured limb, quieting of the dog, snake antitoxin, corticosteroids, antihistaminics, antibiotics, and symptomatic therapy depending on the clinical signs are recommended.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1998

[Idiopathic mucinosis cutis in Chinese Shar pei dogs: epidemiology, clinical features, histopathologic findings and treatment].

Species specific diseases, e.g. idiopathic mucinosis of the Chinese Shar Pei are reported by use of 31 clinical cases and 140 biopsy samples. Idiopathic mucinosis is one of the most frequent diseases of this increasing breed in Germany, too. The disease is diagnosed by use of histologic examination of skin biopsies. Therapy is performed by application of corticosteroids and symptomatic treatment.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1997

[Leishmaniasis in dogs in Germany: epidemiological case analysis and alternatives to conventional causal therapy].

Between January 1993 and September 1995 Leishmania infections were detected in 236 dogs in Germany. Of the 132 epidemiologically evaluable dogs, 35 animals had travelled with their owners abroad in endemic areas and 97 dogs had been brought from these regions to Germany by animal lovers. As regards to the possible location of infection it has been registered that these dogs have been taken to countries of the Mediterranean Sea (Spain, France, Italy, Turkey) or to Portugal or had been imported from there. Therapeutic trials with allopurinol revealed that this drug administered at daily doses of 20 mg/kg bodyweight p.o. over weeks disposes of a sufficient therapeutic efficacy against canine leishmaniosis.

Allopurinol↗
PubMed1997

[Canine hypothyroidism: detection of anti-thyroglobulin autoantibodies].

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was established to detect autoantibodies in canine patients with hypothyroidism. Thyroglobulin, purified from thyroid glands of euthanized, healthy dogs, was used as antigen. Utilizing this test system, sera of 39 patients with hypothyroidism were screened for the presence of thyroglobulin specific autoantibodies. Positive titers were found in 38% of these dogs, whereas 18 out of 72 patients (25%) with other internal diseases showed a positive reaction. In addition 21 healthy dogs were tested for the presence of anti-thyroglobulin autoantibodies. Three dogs were found to be positive in the ELISA. Development of autoantibody titers was followed up in four cases over a period of one year. A steady decline of autoantibody titers was observed in three patients with hypothyroidism, whereas titers of one healthy dog remained high over this period.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[Placebo-controlled double-blind study on the efficacy of a paramunity inducer in the treatment of naturally FeLV-infected cats].

The study involved 120 cats, of which 60 were treated with Baypamun HK and 60 cats received a preparation of virus free cell culture medium. Therapeutic efficacy was determined by monitoring the general status of health, body weight, skin, lymph nodes, oral cavity, the presence of the p27 antigen and the FeLV p27 antigen concentration in serum. No statistically significant differences between both groups could be demonstrated neither for clinical nor for virologic parameters. Remission of the viremia occurred in 11.7% of the cats treated with Baypamun HK and in 6.7% of the cats treated with placebo. The FeLV p27 antigen level decreased by an average of 7.2% with Baypamun HK and by an average of 5.1% with placebo.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1997

[Development of the age structure of a cat population compared with the dog].

The dogs and cats, treated at the Clinic of Internal Medicine of the University of Munich since 1983 show a tendency to a higher age of life; this is true especially in cats. The age structure of the dog population expresses a tendency to an increase of older individuals since a longer time period, whereas in the cat population this development could not be verified before the year of 1987. The results of this examination require an intensive work on the problems of increasing age, especially with those of multimorbidity, the preponderance of chronic diseases, prophylaxis, nutrition, and posture.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Comparison of T-cell subpopulations in cats naturally infected with feline leukaemia virus or feline immunodeficiency virus.

T-cell subsets were studied by flow cytometry in 58 feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)-positive cats with naturally acquired FeLV infection to determine whether the changes in CD4+ or CD8+ T cell populations differed from those observed in 55 feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-positive cats with naturally acquired FIV infection. The sole criterion for inclusion into the study was seropositivity. Mean (SD) CD4+ T cell values of FeLV positive cats were decreased to 31.1 (8.0) per cent and their CD8+ T cell values were increased to 22.8 (6.3) per cent in comparison with uninfected control cats (37.9 [9.5] per cent CD4+; 15.2 [6.3] per cent CD8+). The CD4+/CD8+ ratio was reduced to 1.5 (0.7), compared with 3.0 (1.5) in 39 FeLV-and FIV-negative control cats. Differences from control values were significant, but there was no significant difference between CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes of FeLV-versus FIV-infected cats. These findings indicate that FeLV and FIV have similar effects on T lymphocyte subsets. Both retrovirus infections can induce immunodeficiency, both viruses infect a broad range of lymphohaemopoietic cells, despite having different primary target cells, and can induce the killing of lymphocytic cells in vitro. It is concluded that a decreased CD4+/CD8+ ratio is not restricted to FIV infections but may also occur in FeLV infection.

Animals↗