Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

X Baur

Publications and source records attributed to X Baur.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Sarcoidosis or extrinsic allergic alveolitis?

Of 46 patients with sarcoidosis, there was an exposure to type III allergens in 14 subjects. On closer examination of 2 patients diagnosed as having sarcoidosis there were distinct features suggesting farmer's lung too. Inhalative challenge recording airway resistance, CO transfer factor and other clinical features confirmed farmer's lung disease in these patients. Because there are sometimes poor clinical and uncertain histological differences, inhalative challenge is considered an important diagnostic procedure to differentiate hypersensitivity pneumonitis from sarcoidosis.

Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic↗
PubMed1980

[Hemoglobins of chironomids: until now unknown potent inhalent antigens for humans (author's transl)].

99 persons handling larvae of chironomids or their extracts were investigated by radioimmunologic methods for antibody estimation, skin tests, and complementary clinical examinations. Approximately 1/3 of the exposed subjects suffered from respiratory hypersensitivity caused by IgE antibodies specific to hemoglobin molecules of this insect species. It has been successful to locate the antigenic determinant of one of these hemoglobins within a defined amino acid sequence. These represents one of the first cases for which the antigenic active region within the molecular structure of a clinically relevant inhalent has been recognized.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

[Legionnaires' disease: a cause of pulmonary fibrosis and bronchopulmonary disease? (author's transl)].

Antibody titres against Legionella pneumophila (serogroups 1 and 2) were determined by the indirect immunofluorescence test on 206 patients with various forms of bronchopulmonary disease. In one third of cases there was a very weak titre (1:32 to 1:64), a moderately to markedly elevated one against one or both bacterial strains (greater than or equal to 1:128) in 4%. In one of four cases with a titre greater than or equal to 1:512 Legionnaires' disease, contracted via an air-conditioning unit, was suspected. In another case there was probably chronic Legionnaires' disease with subsequent pulmonary fibrosis. In the remaining two cases chronic Legionnaires' disease was the likely diagnosis, the clinical picture being one of nonspecific bronchopneumonia. These findings suggest that the causative organism of Legionnaires' disease is widespread also in Southern Germany and that the disease does not always lead to severe pneumonic complications.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[Value of angiotensin I-converting enzyme in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis (author's transl)].

Serum ACE activity measured fluorimetrically was found to be 2.95 +/- (SD) 1.76 mu mol/ml x h in 31 untreated patients with sarcoidosis. It was significantly elevated (p less than 0.001) in comparison to 38 healthy controls 0.97 +/- (SD) 0.30 mu mol/ml x h), 81 subjects with miscellaneous lung diseases, 20 corticosteroid treated patients with sarcoidosis and 15 subjects with resolved sarcoidosis. Resolution of sarcoidosis spontaneously or induced by corticosteroids was accompanied in all 17 cases by a decrease of serum ACE activity, in most cases, to normal values. On the other hand 7 out of 9 untreated patients with a chronic course of sarcoidosis did not show a comparable change of ACE. Our results reveal a close relationship between the activity of the disease and the level of ACE in the serum. The determination of the serum activity of ACE and its variations with time is quite useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of sarcoidosis and contributes to a further restriction of necessary operative procedures in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1980

Levels of complement factors in human serum during immediate and late asthmatic reactions and during acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

In 16 asthmatic patients and in four subjects suspected of having hypersensitivity pneumonitis, serum levels of CH50, C3, C4, C5 and factor B were measured before, between 10 and 20 min, between 5 and 7 h and, in the latter group, also 24 h after allergen challenges provoking type I bronchial reactions or acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis. There was a significant decrease in one of the complement factors in two patients during the immediate asthmatic phase, but in no patient during the late asthmatic phase and in no patient with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. On the other hand, significant increases of C3, C4, and/or CH50 were seen in five patients during immediate asthmatic reactions, in seven patients during late asthmatic reactions and in all cases with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. However, with respect to the particular complement factors the vast majority of the patients showed no appreciable change. Investigations of C3 split products, which were done in seven patients gave negative results. No correlations existed between the changes in the levels of complement factors to increases of Raw, decreases of DLCO, size of skin test reactions or RAST scores. The cause and pathophysiological role of the non-uniform behaviour of serum complement levels after inhalation challenges is not yet clear; obviously both consumption and formation of complement factors take place during allergen-induced asthmatic reactions and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Effect of topical indomethacin on allergen-induced dual skin reactions.

Twelve asthmatics with dual bronchial and skin reactions after allergen challenge received topical treatment with a 5%-indomethacin cream half an hour before and up to 7 h after intradermal allergen and histamine injections. The erythema during the first 20 min of the wheal and flare reaction (WFR) was not affected, neither were the diameters of wheals and flares. 40 to 60 min after injection we observed a marked reduction of the erythema in histamine- and allergen-tested skin areas of 10 patients. This effect lasted up to the 5th h after injection of high allergen doses. During the fully developed late cutaneous reactions (LCR) no effect of indomethacin on the erythema was observed, the edema of LCR was only insignificantly reduced. These results suggest that the erythema in LCR between the 1st and 4th h is caused, at least in part, by local formation of prostaglandins.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Papain-induced asthma: diagnosis by skin test, RAST and bronchial provocation test.

Seven out of eleven workers occupationally exposed to airborne papain developed immediate hypersensitive reactions, predominantly asthma and rhinitis. Skin tests and RAST with papain were positive in all symptomatic workers, but not in the four asymptomatic workers. Furthermore, out of forty non-exposed asthmatics, thirty-eight had negative RAST results and all had negative skin test results. Bronchial provocation tests with 0.15-0.5 mg papain performed in five patients with a positive case history showed in each case an immediate asthmatic reaction; in addition to that, one patient developed signs of a dual asthmatic reaction. Our results suggest that airborne papain is a highly immunogenic agent in humans, which induces type I allergic reactions in a large percentage of the exposed subjects.

Asthma↗
PubMed1979

Allergic reactions, including asthma, to the pineapple protease bromelain following occupational exposure.

A 58-year-old pharmaceutical worker regularly developed asthma and rhinitis when handling bromelain, a purified protease of pineapple (Ananas comosus), at her work-place, where she had been employed for about 10 years. RAST and prick test showed strong positive reactions to bromelain. Both inhalation test with 0.03 mg bromelain and peroral challenge by ingestion of 190 g pineapple resulted in asthmatic reactions; the latter challenge was accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms. Five of six workers sensitized to papain, showed positive RAST and skin test results to bromelain, two of them also showed immediate asthmatic reactions after bronchial challenge with bromelain. Out of sixty asthmatics not exposed to airborne proteases but probably to these as constituents of foods, two had positive skin test results and eight had positive RAST results to bromelain; but in no case was there clear evidence for clinical sensitization. The presented data prove conclusively that bromelain is capable of inducing IgE mediated respiratory and gastrointestinal allergic reactions. Furthermore, there is evidence for immunological cross-reaction between the two plant proteases bromelain and papain in human subjects.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1979

Studies on the specificity of human IgE-antibodies to the plant proteases papain and bromelain.

The sera of seven patients clinically hypersensitive to papain--in one case also to baromelain--and the sera of sixty asthmatic patients with allergies to other inhalant and food allergens were investigated for IgE antibody activity to the plant proteases papain and bromelain and to common allergens by RAST, confirmed in some sera by RAST inhibition. There seems to be a relation between the antibody reactions to papain and bromelain, in several cases also between the reactions to these proteases and to grass pollen and flour. Studies by RAST inhibition showed that papain, bromelain, wheat flour, rye flour, grass pollen and birch pollen mutually inhibit IgE antibody to each antigen; but the degree of inhibition varies among the different sera and allergens. Our results suggest that these allergens from various plants, besides having specific antigenic determinants, also possess similar or even identical antigenically active regions, leading to immunological cross-reactivity.

Antibody Specificity↗