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Biomedical subjects

W Schobersberger

Publications and source records attributed to W Schobersberger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Decrease in eccentric hamstring strength in runners in the Tirol Speed Marathon.

BACKGROUND: The local muscular endurance of knee flexors, during eccentric work in particular, is important in preventing or delaying kinematic changes associated with fatigue during treadmill running. This result, however, may not be transferable to overground running. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that overground running is associated with eccentric hamstring fatigue. METHODS: Thirteen runners (12 male and one female) performed an isokinetic muscle test three to four days before and 18 hours after a marathon. Both legs were tested. The testing protocol consisted of concentric and eccentric quadriceps and hamstring contractions. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between peak torque before and after the race, except that eccentric peak hamstring torque (both thighs) was reduced. CONCLUSION: Overground running (running a marathon) is associated with eccentric hamstring fatigue. Eccentric hamstring fatigue may be a potential risk factor for knee and soft tissue injuries during running. Eccentric hamstring training should therefore be introduced as an integral part of the training programme of runners.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Improvement of metabolic syndrome markers through altitude specific hiking vacations.

To study the influence of a 3-week hiking vacation at moderate (1700 m) and low altitude (LA) (200 m) on key-markers of the metabolic syndrome, 71 male volunteers (age 36-66 yr old) with the metabolic syndrome [according to the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) - or World Health Organization (WHO) - definition] participated in the study and were randomly assigned into a moderate altitude (MA) group (1700 m, no. 36) and a low altitude (LA) group (200 m, no. 35). The 3-week vacation program included 12 moderate- intensity guided hiking tours [4 times/week, 55-65% heart rate maximum (HRmax)] with a total exercise time of 29 h plus moderate recreational activities. Both study groups had a comparable and balanced nutrition with no specific dietary restrictions. Anthropometric, metabolic and cardiovascular parameters were measured 10-14 days before vacation, several times during the 3-week vacation, 7-10 days and 6-8 weeks after return. All participants tolerated the vacation without any adverse effects. Body weight, body fat, waist-circumference, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), plasma fibrinogen, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly decreased over time in both study groups. In the LA group, fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-index were significantly decreased one week after return. Relative cycle ergometry performance was significantly increased after return compared to baseline. In both study groups, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides remained unchanged. The 3-week vacation intervention at moderate and LA had a positive influence on all key-markers of the metabolic syndrome. No clinically relevant differences could be detected between the study groups. A hiking vacation at moderate and LA can be recommended for people with stable, controlled metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Prospective observational study of antiphospholipid antibodies in acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome: comparison with catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome.

Detection of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) suggests involvement of autoimmune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of ARDS. We investigated whether aPL antibodies could be detected in the serum as well as BALF of patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and ARDS. IgG anticardiolipin, IgG anti-beta2-glycoprotein I, IgG antiphosphatidic acid and IgG antiphosphatidylserine antibodies were detected by ELISA in low titers within the normal range in the BALF and serum of nine patients with ALI and 17 patients with ARDS. However, one out of 27 patients investigated had high levels of aPL antibodies in both BALF and serum. This patient suffered from severe ARDS due to sepsis. The high aPL antibody levels in serum possibly triggered by sepsis were associated with high aPL antibody levels in BALF, which can be explained by high capillary-alveolar permeability. Computed tomography scan revealed widespread infarctions in brain, spleen and kidneys, and pulmonary thromboembolism, suggesting the diagnosis of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Sevoflurane in exhaled air of operating room personnel.

UNLABELLED: Evidence on potential health hazards arising from exposure to volatile anesthetics remains controversial. Exposure may, in principle, be supervised by monitoring of ambient air or, alternatively, in vivo. We used the Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry to screen the breath of 40 operating room staff members before operating room duty, 0, 1, 2, and 3 h after duty, and before commencing duty on the consecutive day, and control persons. Staff members exhibited significantly increased sevoflurane levels in exhaled air after duty, with a mean of 0.80 parts per billion as compared with baseline values of 0.26 parts per billion (P < 0.05). Analysis of variance with adjustment for within correlation (repeated measurements) showed a statistically significant time-effect (P < 0.001). We conclude that (a) Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry biomonitoring of exhaled sevoflurane can serve as a simple and rapid method to determine volatile anesthetic excretion after occupational exposure, and (b) significant concentrations of sevoflurane may be continuously present in persons exposed to sevoflurane on a daily basis. IMPLICATIONS: The present study depicts the profile of volatile anesthetics, isoflurane and sevoflurane, in exhaled air of ambulatory patients. Biomonitoring of expired anesthetic concentrations is a noninvasive and rapid method to determine volatile anesthetic excretion.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Neopterin as a marker of immunostimulation: an investigation in anaesthetic workplaces.

Personnel working in operating theatres and recovery rooms are exposed to a variety of noxious substances. The results of studies of the effects of occupational exposure on immune parameters are conflicting. Neopterin is an acknowledged marker of immunostimulation. Urinary neopterin levels of 58 anaesthetists and anaesthetic nurses were measured over a 3-week period. Neopterin analyses were performed using high performance liquid chromatography. Neopterin levels were within the normal range for all subjects. Younger subjects (aged < or = 35 years) had significantly higher urinary neopterin concentrations than older subjects (aged > 35 years). The present study is the first to investigate the influence of anaesthetic exposure on neopterin levels. No evidence of immunostimulation was found.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Travel-induced thrombosis: an update].

Travel-related disorders are a well known problem. In the last years many cases of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary thromboembolism (VTE) were published after several hours lasting journeys by airplane, but also by car, bus and railway. This condition was termed "travel-thrombosis" or "economy class syndrome" for long haul flights. At present the precise incidence for travel-thrombosis is not known. Accepted contributing factors for the development of travel-thrombosis are sitting in a cramped position for several hours, low humidity due to climatisation with the risk for dehydration and increased blood viscosity, reduced fluid intake as well as travellers related risk factors. Whether the special situation in the cabin of an airplane, e.g. mild hypoxia, is an essential contributing factor for DVT and VTE, is controversially discussed. This review will present very recent guidelines of an expert meeting concerning the risk groups for travel-thrombosis (low, moderate and high risk). In addition recommendations for prophylaxis of travel-thrombosis adapted to the different risk groups (leg exercise, adequate fluid intake, compression stockings, low molecular weight heparins) are given.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMed2001

Necrotizing fasciitis with Clostridium perfringens after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rapidly progressive infection of the fascia and subcutaneous tissues accompanied by a high mortality rate approaching 80% to 100%. Factors that predispose patients to this life-threatening complication include obesity, malnutrition, malignancy, chronic alcoholism, drug abuse, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and immunosuppressive therapy. The pathomechanisms for the development of this rare disease still remain unclear. We report a case of necrotizing fasciitis with Clostridium perfringens after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient left the hospital 5 months after admission. Early recognition based on clinical signs (pain, asymmetric abdominal thickening, crepitus) and computed tomography scanning (gas dissection along fascial planes), in conjunction with prompt, aggressive surgical therapy and debridement of all devitalized tissue, high-dose antibiotic therapy, and therapy at the intensive care unit, appears to afford patients the best chance of survival.

Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic↗
PubMed2001

Antithrombin III enhances inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Evidence suggests that antithrombin III (ATIII) exerts anti-inflammatory properties in addition to its anti-coagulative mechanisms. In animal models of sepsis, ATIII affected cytokine plasma concentrations with a decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition to cytokines, excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) derived from inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) might represent another important mediator of the cytotoxic events during sepsis. Regarding ATIII as a potential anti-inflammatory modulator, one may speculate that ATIII inhibits the synthesis of iNOS-derived NO. However, our data demonstrate that ATIII further stimulates iNOS gene expression when applied together with either interleukin-1 beta or the combination of lipopolysaccharide plus interferon-gamma. The most prominent synergistic effects on NO synthesis were found when ATIII was given at higher concentrations (1, 5, and 10 U/ml). Although the mechanisms of ATIII signal transduction remain to be established, intensification of interleukin-1 beta or interferon-gamma/lipopolysaccharide-induced NO synthesis by ATIII does not attribute to the anti-inflammatory properties of ATIII.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in infectious diseases: still a debate.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), a central mediator of the endogenous response to infection and inflammation, is approved for use in the prevention of infection-related complications in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies during antineoplastic therapy associated with high risk of severe neutropenia. Administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor results in improvement of host defence paired with anti-inflammatory effects. There is evidence from animal and clinical studies that administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor may also be beneficial in non-neutropenic infections. This review focuses mainly on the results of different animal and clinical studies of granulocyte colony stimulating factor used in the treatment of severe infections and sepsis.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Risk factors associated with new onset tachyarrhythmias after cardiac surgery--a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tachyarrhythmias (TA) represent a frequent and serious problem after cardiac surgery. We retrospectively analyzed 987 cardiac surgery patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit between 1996 and 1999 to assess incidence and risk factors associated with development of postoperative TA in the intensive care unit. METHODS: TA (n=149) were defined as non-sinus rhythm with a heart rate (HR) > or =100 bpm in patients with preoperative sinus rhythm or as heart rate > or =130 bpm in patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation. A total of 787 patients served as controls (C). Demographic, premorbidity and perioperative data, admission SAPS and MODS-score, presence of clinical syndromes systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis were univariately compared between groups. For prediction of independent risk factors for TA-development two multiple logistic regression models were finally established. RESULTS: Concerning TA, atrial fibrillation and flutter (76%) were observed most frequently, followed by paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (15%) and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (11%). Age, a history or presence of congestive heart failure, development of SIRS and sepsis, severity of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and in particular severity of cardiovascular failure proved to be independent risk factors for development of TA. CONCLUSION: In cardiac surgery patients, age, a history or presence of congestive heart failure, postoperative development of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis and the severity of multiple organ function syndrome were independent predictors for development of TA in the intensive care unit. The association of severity of cardiovascular dysfunction with TA strongly suggests a causal relationship between catecholamine therapy and TA-development.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Effects of antithrombin III on tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells.

In the course of sepsis, severe coagulopathy and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are common events. Therefore, substances known to interfere with the coagulation cascade have been studied in animal models of sepsis. Among them, antithrombin III (AT III) was reported to be a promising therapeutic tool because it exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in addition to its anticoagulative effects. In our studies using vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) as a monoculture model, contradictory effects of AT III on the release of the proinflammatory agonists tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) were found. Whereas AT III inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of these cytokines on both the transcriptional and the translational levels when given at higher concentrations (5 or 10 U/ml), lower amounts of AT III did not show this suppressive effect. In contrast, 0.5, 1, and 5 U/ml AT III led to an enhancement of TNF-alpha synthesis when combined with LPS. To date, we cannot provide a mechanism to explain the AT III-promoted modulation of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta generation in VSMC. However, with respect to its potential therapeutic benefit in systemic inflammatory conditions, AT III should not be regarded strictly as an anti-inflammatory modulator.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Are leukocytes in salvaged washed autologous blood harmful for the recipient? The results of a pilot study.

To explore whether polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) are activated to the priming threshold through intraoperative blood salvage, and are thus able to induce endothelial damage, we investigated chemotactic response (n = 20) and respiratory burst (RB; n = 20) of PMNL without (basal respiratory burst, bPMNL-RB) and after in vitro stimulation with formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP-RB) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA-RB). Blood was processed with a continuous autotransfusion device (CATS). Heparin (Heparin group) and sodium citrate (Citrate group) were used alternately as an anticoagulant for each half of the chemotaxis and RB studies. Comparison of measurements from the processed autologous erythrocyte concentrates (paEC) to pre- and intraoperative arterial blood samples showed no statistically significant difference for any test of PMNL functional responses in an orthopedic patient population. Analysis of intraindividual changes demonstrated a significantly increased bPMNL-RB (both groups, P = 0.0032; Heparin group, P = 0.0098), fMLP-RB (both groups, P = 0.0484; Citrate group, P = 0.0371), and PMA-RB (Citrate group, P = 0.002) in the paEC compared with intraoperative arterial samples, whereas the chemotactic response did not change. Nevertheless, median values of all RB measurements in the paEC were within the range of pre- and intraoperative values, indicating that PMNLs contained in the paEC are neither impaired nor activated to the priming threshold. The results confirm the clinical experience that intraoperative blood salvage is safe to use during major orthopedic surgery and questions the beneficial effect of special leukocyte-removing filters.

Adolescent↗