Experimentelle Grundlagen zur mikrobiologischen Griseofulvin-Bestimmung in Serum

Unter Verwendung eines M. gypseum-Stammes lassen sich im Mycelwuchstest auf Agarmedien, denen Untersuchungsfüissigkeit beigemischt ist, Griseofulvin-Konzentrationen bis zu 0,02 mcg/ml herab gut erfassen. Hiernach können bei 20 % Serumgehalt im Testmedium noch 0,15 meg Griseofulvin/ml unverdünnten Serums nachgewiesen werden. Im Mycelwuchstest lassen sich bei geeigneten Griseofulvin-Konzentrationen Standardkurven aufstellen, die unter bestimmten Versuchsbedingungen linear verlaufen. Niedrige Griseofulvin-Konzentrationen sind auch in modifizierten Diffusionsverfahren und auf hitzekoagulierten Serum-schichten nachweisbar.     

Making Scents: Improvement of Olfactory Profile after Botulinum Toxin-A Treatment in Healthy Individuals

BACKGROUND The axilla is particularly associated with body odor and putative pheromone production in humans. Although botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) is injected increasingly into the axillary skin to stop excessive sweating, its potential to control body odor is largely unexplored.
OBJECTIVE The objective was to measure the impact of BT-A on human axillary odor in an objective and reproducible fashion.
METHODS This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 51 healthy volunteers receiving 50 U of BOTOX (Allergan, Inc.) in one axilla and placebo in the other. Odor quality was assessed by treated subjects (questionnaire) as well as by independent raters who were exposed to blinded T-shirt samples.
RESULTS No major side effects occurred, and no subject withdrew from the study for medical reasons. Samples from the BT-A–treated side smelled less intense ( p <.001) and better ( p <.001) according to self-assessments. Likewise, independent raters found the BT-A–treated samples to smell less intense and better ( p <.001). They preferred "to work together with the respective person" and found the odor "more erotic" ( p <.001).
CONCLUSION Side-by-side comparison of odor samples (T-shirt sniff test) by independent raters showed that axillary odor in healthy individuals is significantly more appealing after BT-A injection.     

"Sequential" Mapping Mimicking "Simultaneous" Mapping Using Magnetic Navigation During Catheter Ablation of Supraventricular Tachycardia: Results of the Single DX Study

Introduction: The magnetic navigation system (MNS) allows remote-controlled navigation of an ablation catheter from the control room. We tested the hypothesis, whether the MNS and a single additional diagnostic nonsteerable catheter would have the potential to identify the tachycardia substrate and allow subsequent ablation in patients with documented supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
Methods and Results: A total of 41 patients (24 females, age 45 ± 16 years) underwent an invasive electrophysiologic (EP) study using the MNS. Together with a conventional diagnostic catheter in the right ventricle, the magnetic catheter (MC) was used to investigate the underlying EP substrate in a sequential fashion and subsequently to perform radiofrequency (RF) ablation. A custom-made device allowed the separate assessment of fluoroscopy deployed from the control and examination room. Using conventional EP criteria, identification of the underlying substrate was possible in all but 4 noninducible patients (no accessory pathway [AP], no dual atrioventricular [AV] node): APs were present in 10 patients, AV node re-entrant tachycardia in 26 patients, and ectopic atrial tachycardia in 1 patient. Despite 3 patients, in which switching to conventional ablation was necessary (8%), all others were successfully treated using the MNS. Overall fluoroscopy amounted to a median of 3.4 minutes (interquartile range, 2.4–5.3) with only a median of 1.0 minute exposure for the investigator.
Conclusions: Remote catheter ablation of SVT using the new MNS Niobe and a single conventional diagnostic catheter is feasible. Compared to conventional EP studies, a reduction of radiation exposure for both patients and investigators was demonstrated.     

Microfilarial clearance in loiasis involves elevation of Th1 and Th2 products and emergence of a specific pattern of T-cell populations

Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) induced clearance of microfilaraemia in loiasis is associated with severe posttreatment reactions. To define the switch from hypo- to hyper-responsiveness associated with DEC treatment, phenotypic alterations of T-lymphocytes, characterized by flow cytometry, and cytokines, determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, were monitored in a microfilaraemic patient. In contrast to reports on onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariases, no elevation of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α was observed. The most severe side effects coincided with an elevation of interferon (IFN)-γ on day 3, followed by IL-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) peaking on day 5. Phenotypieally, T-cell activation markers CD38, CD54 and CD25 were significantly expressed before treatment, with high CD38 expression still existing one year after clearance of microfilaraemia. Treatment-related increases were observed with anti-CD 122, anti-HLA-DR and anti-CD69. CD28 was expressed before treatment on almost 100% qf'CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells and dropped to 20% by day 5, reaching again baseline levels on day 21. Furthermore, there emerged 20% TCRαβ^-/CD3⁺ T cells and 10%) anti-βV5(e) ⁺ T cells, altogether indicating a specific pattern of T-helper (Th)1 and Th2 cytokines as well as expansion of certain pauciclonal T-cell populations in response to microfilarial clearance.     

The clinical significance of erythrocyte cholinesterase titers. I. A method suitable for routine clinical use,and the distribution of normal values

A method for determining erythrocyte cholinesterase titers on small samplesof whole blood is described in detail. The method is one which requires littlespecial equipment and can be used by any competent technician.

Data for erythrocyte cholinesterase are presented on a group of 101 normaladults, and it is shown that the observed data fit the normal distribution.Eighteen children, aged three months to ten years, all had values within theadult distribution, and the mean value was the same as that for adults. Sevennewborn babies all had values at or below the lower limit for adults.

Submitted on April 30, 1955 Accepted on June 15, 1955     

A hard day's night: a longitudinal study on the relationships among job demands and job control, sleep quality and fatigue

This prospective four-wave study examined (i) the causal direction of the longitudinal relations among job demands, job control, sleep quality and fatigue; and (ii) the effects of stability and change in demand–control history on the development of sleep quality and fatigue. Based on results of a four-wave complete panel study among 1163 Dutch employees, we found significant effects of job demands and job control on sleep quality and fatigue across a 1-year time lag, supporting the strain hypothesis (Demand–Control model; Karasek and Theorell, Basic Books, New York, 1990). No reversed or reciprocal causal patterns were detected. Furthermore, our results revealed that cumulative exposure to a high-strain work environment (characterized by high job demands and low job control) was associated with elevated levels of sleep-related complaints. Cumulative exposure to a low-strain work environment (i.e. low job demands and high job control) was associated with the highest sleep quality and lowest level of fatigue. Our results revealed further that changes in exposure history were related to changes in reported sleep quality and fatigue across time. As expected, a transition from a non-high-strain towards a high-strain job was associated with a significant increase in sleep-related complaints; conversely, a transition towards a non-high-strain job was not related to an improvement in sleep-related problems.