Über die Wirkung des Staphylokokken-Enterotoxins auf Hühnerembryonen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Effect of pulsatile flow on gas exchange in the fish gill: theory and experimental data.

A model for gas exchange in the fish gill allowing for time-varying water and blood flow is presented. An analysis based on this mathematical model shows that pulsatile water and blood flow potentially may reduce the efficiency of gas exchange significantly. The degree of inefficiency imposed on gas exchange is, however, determined by the physical dimensions of the gill and the gas capacitance coefficients of water and blood. Using anatomical and physiological data it is shown to be likely that for a large group of fishes, including the salmonids, pulsatility of water and blood flow affects gas exchange efficiency only marginally. A close coupling between cardiac and respiratory rhythms is therefore only of marginal advantage to gas exchange efficiency. Due to their exceptional gill dimensions tunas, and to a lesser extent mackerels, are susceptible to the negative effect of pulsatility on gas exchange, which may be one of the factors favouring ram ventilation in these species.     

Endoscopic sinus surgery: its subjective medium-term outcome in chronic rhinosinusitis

OBJECTIVE: The subjective success of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis has been reported mainly after short-term follow-up studies, but may change with increasing time after surgery. We assessed in a retrospective study the medium-term clinical outcome of ESS as complete ethmoidectomy or pansinus surgery in 208 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The senior author performed the surgeries according to his techniques. We used a questionnaire focusing on nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, nasal dryness/crusts, sneezing, headache, smell, numbness in cheeks and lips, ear pressure, epiphora, and sore throat. Additionally the subjective influence of sinus surgery on asthma, bronchitis and allergic diseases was evaluated. The mean follow-up was 3.1 years. RESULTS: Overall success was reported by 92% of all patients. Forty-one percent of all patients with complete ethmoidectomy and 32% of all patients with pansinus surgery described complete resolution of complaints. No differences in clinical success rates were noted when comparing primary surgery or revision. A favorable effect was also reported for asthma, bronchitis and allergic diseases. CONCLUSION: Improvements for nasal symptoms and coexisting complaints are demonstrated with a mean observation period of more than 3 years. The value of ESS is underlinedfor the treatment of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.     

A voxel-based PET investigation of the long-term effects of "Ecstasy" consumption on brain serotonin transporters

OBJECTIVE: Recent functional imaging studies have reported evidence of alterations in the serotonergic system induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or "Ecstasy." However, these studies have often been limited by small sample size, lack of tracer selectivity, unreliable assessment of MDMA doses, insufficiently matched comparison groups, or region-of-interest analysis. METHOD: Positron emission tomography (PET) using the specific serotonin transporter ligand [(11)C](+)McN5652 was performed in 117 subjects: 30 current MDMA users, 29 former MDMA users, 29 drug-naive comparison subjects, and 29 users of drugs other than MDMA (polydrug comparison subjects). Self-assessment of drug history was checked by analyzing hair samples. Local serotonin transporter availability was computed by a regularized reference tissue approach. Voxel-based comparison of serotonin transporter availability was performed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM 99). RESULTS: Serotonin transporter availability in current MDMA users was significantly reduced in the mesencephalon, thalamus, left caudate, hippocampus, occipital cortex, temporal lobes, and posterior cingulate gyrus compared with all other groups. Reduction was more pronounced in female than in male subjects. There was no significant difference of serotonin transporter availability among former MDMA users and the drug-naive and polydrug comparison subjects. A negative correlation between serotonin transporter availability and mean MDMA dose was found in occipital visual areas and in the left precentral sulcus of current MDMA users. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the serotonin transporter availability and the MDMA abstention period in brainstem and in the basal forebrain in all MDMA users. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the hypothesis of MDMA-induced protracted alterations of the serotonergic system and indicate that the reduced availability of serotonin transporter, as measured by PET, might be reversible. Women appear to be more susceptible than men to MDMA-induced alterations of the serotonergic system.     

The effect of hydrotherapy on the incidence of common cold episodes in children: a randomised clinical trial

Few interventions have proved to be effective in the prevention and treatment of common colds. Anecdotal reports suggest the possible beneficial effect of hydrotherapy (stimulation of the body surface with warm and cold water). This study's objective was to evaluate the clinical effect of hydrotherapy on common colds in children. Children aged 3-7 years with six or more common cold episodes during the preceding 12 months were randomised to receive either daily inhalation of normal saline in the control group or daily inhalation plus daily hydrotherapy in the experimental group for 12 months. The main outcome measurements were incidence, duration and severity of common cold episodes as reported by the children's parents in a daily symptom diary. Groups did not differ at baseline with regard to age, gender, or number of cold episodes in the year before the study. Diaries were available from 81 patients in the control group and 65 patients in the experimental group. In the study period, there were no significant differences in the incidence of colds (control vs. experimental group, mean +/- SD, 4.8+/-3.5 vs. 4.1+/-3.3 episodes) or the average duration of episodes (7.7+/-3.5 vs. 7.6+/-3.8 days). CONCLUSION: This study does not demonstrate any beneficial effect of hydrotherapy on preschool children with frequent common colds.     

Assessment of parafoveal function in maculopathy: a comparison between the Macular Mapping Test and kinetic Manual Perimetry

Background Parafoveal function is crucial for patients with maculopathies, because they have to use the parafoveal retina for reading after foveal vision loss. Manual perimetry is a reliable but lengthy method for assessing macular function. The Macular Mapping Test (MMTest) was therefore designed as a quick and easy test. In this study both methods were compared in patients with central scotoma.Methods In 50 patients with maculopathy (22 Stargardts, 20 age-related, 5 diabetic, 3 other macular dystrophies), 30° Tuebingen Manual Perimetry was performed kinetically. The MMTest assesses local responses to brief displays of letters in the central visual field (8° radius) on a computer screen. A wagon-wheel pattern is used to stabilize gaze in the center. Comparison of the methods was based on the correspondence of field defects in each sector.Results The overall correspondence was 87.5%. The results could be divided into three groups, depending on fixation behavior: group 1 (n=27): central fixation in both methods, median correspondence 87.5%, best in Stargardts disease (95.3%), lowest in diabetic maculopathy (71.8%); group 2 (n=21): eccentric fixation in both methods (84.3%); group 3 (n=2): eccentric in TMP, central in MMTest (65.6% and 81.2%).Conclusion Provided that the fixation locus is known, the MMTest is a quick and easy screening method, which shows a high correspondence with the results of manual perimetry.     

Endothelial function, nitric oxide, and cocoa flavanols

Endothelial dysfunction is the pathophysiologic principle involved in the initiation and progression of arteriosclerosis, thus endothelial function serves as a "barometer" for cardiovascular health that can be used for the evaluation of new therapeutic strategies. This review provides an introduction to the concept of endothelial dysfunction, and it explores the importance of this prognostic marker in the context of clinical, dietary interventions in humans. Moreover, we summarize and evaluate the findings of various clinical trials that demonstrated an improvement of endothelial dysfunction in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors after the acute and chronic consumption of flavanol-rich foods, including cocoa products, red wine, and tea.