Zur Bestimmung des Kaliumspiegels im Blutplasma

Zusammenfassung Die Kaliumkonzentration im Blutserum nach der Gerinnung ist höher als im Blutplasma, dessen Gerinnung durch Heparin, Äthylendiamintetraessigsäure (EDTA) oder Citrat verhindert wurde. Die Differenz beträgt beim Hund 15–20%, beim Menschen 12–16% und beim Rind 8–10%.Der Unterschied wird durch den bei der Gerinnung des Blutes auftretenden Zerfall der Thrombocyten hervorgerufen, deren Kaliumgehalt überraschend hoch ist (mindestens das 10–20fache der Konzentration im Plasma).Aus diesem Grund geben Kaliumbestimmungen im Serum, bei denen das Blut während der Präparation der Proben gerinnt, zu hohe Werte gegenüber der tatsächlich in vivo herrschenden Konzentration im Plasma. Messungen der Kaliumkonzentration sollten immer im Plasma erfolgen, wobei als gerinnungshemmende Substanzen Heparin oder EDTA geeignet sind.     

Role of neutrophils in controlling early stages of a Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

Inoculation of mice with the granulocyte-depleting monoclonal antibody RB6-8C5 showed that neutrophils are critical protective effector cells during a Chlamydia trachomatis infection. In addition, administration of monoclonal antibody 2E6 demonstrated that extravasation of neutrophils into the peritoneal cavity in response to inoculation with the C. trachomatis MoPn biovar is dependent on the surface beta-2 integrin molecule CD18.     

Growth modulation of angular deformities with a novel constant force implant concept-preclinical results

PurposeVarus-valgus deformities in children and adolescents are often corrected by temporary hemi-epiphysiodesis, in which the physis is bridged by an implant to inhibit growth. With standard implant solutions, the acting forces cannot be regulated, rendering the correction difficult to control. Furthermore, the implant load steadily increases with ongoing growth potentially leading to implant-related failures. A novel implant concept was developed applying a controlled constant force to the physis, which carries the potential to avoid these complications. The study aim was to proof the concept in vivo by analyzing the effect of three distinct force levels on the creation of varus deformities.MethodsThe proposed implant is made of a conventional cerclage wire and features a twisted coil that unwinds with growth resulting in an implant-specific constant force level. The proximal medial tibial physes of 18 lambs were treated with the implant and assigned to three groups distinct by the force level of the implant (200 N, 120 N, 60 N).ResultsThe treatment appeared safe without implant-related failures. Deformity creation was statistically different between the groups and yielded on average 10.6° (200 N), 4.8° (120 N) and 0.4° (60 N) over the treatment period. Modulation rates were 0.51°/mm (200 N), 0.23°/mm (120 N) and 0.05°/mm (60 N) and were constant throughout the treatment.ConclusionBy means of the constant force concept, controlled growth modulation appeared feasible in this preclinical experiment. However, clinical trials are necessary to confirm whether the results are translatable to the human pathological situation.     

Research and teaching in social and preventive medicine and in public health

Summary Both public health and social and preventive medicine are characterised by the common goal of promoting, maintaining and improving health and preventing disease, and both are concerned with a population-related, preventive and environmental perspective. But whereas public health is interdisciplinary and goes far beyond the medical focus, social and preventive medicine is medically based and forms a bridge between public health and medical practice. Research in a department of social and preventive medicine serves to support preventive and medico-social activities in medical practice as well as in public health. This is illustrated by results from research conducted at the author's department during the last twenty years. Examples are research in support of smoking cessation activities, and research used for the planning of care for the elderly. Both the research and the teaching activities of the department take into account the population focus of public health as well as the focus on individual medicine in clinical practice.

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Forschung und Lehre in Sozial-und Präventivmedizin und öffentlicher Gesundheit

Zusammenfassung Sowohl das Gebiet der öffentlichen Gesundheit als auch dasjenige der Sozial-und Präventivmedizin sind durch das Ziel der Förderung, Erhaltung und Verbesserung der Gesundheit sowie der Krankheitsvorbeugung gekennzeichnet, und beide beschäftigen sich mit einer bevölkerungsbezogenen, präventiven und umweltbezogenen Perspektive. Aber während die öffentliche Gesundheit stark interdisziplinär ist und weit über den medizinischen Fokus hinausreicht, ist die Sozial-und Präventivmedizin ein medizinisches Fach und stellt eine Brücke zwischen der öffentlichen Gesundheit und der ärztlichen Praxis dar. Die Forschung in einem Institut für Sozial-und Präventivmedizin dient der Förderung präventiver und sozialmedizinischer Tätigkeiten in der ärztlichen Praxis wie auch in der öffentlichen Gesundheit. Dies wird durch die Forschungstätigkeit des Instituts des Autors aus den letzten 20 Jahren illustriert, wobei Beispiele aus den Gebieten der Förderung der Raucherentwöhnung und der Betreuung behinderter Betagter dargestellt werden. Sowohl in den Forschungs-als auch in den Lehrtätigkeiten des Instituts finden der Bevölkerungsbezug der öffentlichen Gesundheit wie auch der individualmedizinische Ansatz der ärztlichen Praxis ihren Ausdruck.

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La recherche et l'ensignement en médecine sociale et préventive et en santé publique

Résumé La santé publique aussi bien que la médecine sociale et préventive sont caractérisées par le but commun de promouvoir, maintenir et améliorer l'état de santé et de prévenir les maladies, et elles s'orientent vers une perspective de population, de prévention et environnementale. Mais la santé publique est interdisciplinaire et va loin au-delà de la médecine, tandis que la médecine sociale et préventive est basée sur la médecine et représente le lien entre la santé publique et la pratique médicale. La recherche d'un institut de médecine sociale et préventive sert à appuyer les activités préventives et médico-sociales au cabinet médical aussi bien qu'en santé publique. Cela est illustré par des résultats de recherches conduites dans les vingt années passées à l'institut de l'auteur, et les exemples sont tirés de la recherche en appui de la promotion de la cessation de fumée et de la planification de la prise en charge des personnes âgées et handicapées. Les activités de recherche et de l'enseignement de l'institut tiennent compte de la perspective de population cacactéristique de la santé publique, aussi bien que de la dimension de médecine individuelle caractéristique de la pratique clinique.

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Paper presented at a symposium on The Public Health Perspective of Social and Preventive Medicine, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Berne, 25 June 1992 in Berne.     

Virusacanthome und besondere Formen von Keratinosomen “Membrane Coating Granules”

Zusammenfassung Bei Virusacanthomen können in den ballonierten Zellen des Stratum spinosum und granulosum alle Übergänge von multivesiculären Körpern (MVK) zu Keratinosomen beobachtet werden. Eine Besonderheit stellen die Rad-Körper bei Condylomata acuminata dar. Diese Gebilde sind als typisch für nicht verhornende Plattenepithelien beschrieben worden. Eine Beteiligung intercellulär ausgeschleuster Rad-Körper, MVK und atypischer Keratinosomen an einer nicht regelhaften basoapikalen Diffusionsbarriere in der Epidermis bei Virusacanthomen wird diskutiert. Auf Grund der Beziehungen von MVK zum Golgi-Apparat, ihrer Umwandlung zu teilweise atypischen Keratinosomen bei Virssacanthomen und Ausschleusung in den Intercellularraum könnte dafür sprechen, daß die enzymatisch gesteuerte Rückkopplung zwischen Zelloberfläche und Synthesefähigkeit der Keratinocyten virusbedingt verändert ist. Die Störung scheint sich am Golgi-Apparat zu manifestieren und durch das Terrain spezifiziert zu werden.Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Severe malabsorption in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidosis-ectodermal dystrophy syndrome successfully treated with immunosuppression

A 15 year old boy with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidosis-ectodermal dystrophy syndrome suffered recurrent episodes of severe intractable diarrhoea, steatorrhoea, and hypocalcaemia. The only treatment modality, which controlled the malabsorption syndrome, was immunosuppression with intravenous high dose methylprednisolone and oral methotrexate maintenance therapy.     

Early respiratory and ocular involvement in X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia

X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED; ectodysplasin deficiency) has been classically described as affecting hair, sweat glands, and dentition. What may be underappreciated is the effect ectodysplasin deficiency has on glands surrounding the airways and eyes and the resulting chronic health issues. In this study, 12 male children (age range 6–13 years) and 14 male adults with XLHED (18–58 years of age) were investigated by pulmonary function tests, measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and by ophthalmologic assessments. Twelve healthy individuals (six children, six adults) served as controls. Signs of airway constriction and inflammation were detected in eight children with XLHED, including the youngest subject, and in ten adult XLHED patients. Increased tear osmolarity, reduced tear film break-up time, and other ocular abnormalities were also present at an early age. Five of 12 XLHED subjects not reporting a history of asthma and 7 of the 12 patients not reporting a history of dry eye issues showed at least two abnormal test results in the respective organ system. The presence of residual sweat ducts, suggestive of partial ectodysplasin gene expression, correlated with milder disease in two XLHED subjects with mutations affecting the collagen-like domain of ectodysplasin. Conclusion: The high prevalence of asthma-like symptoms in XLHED patients as young as 6 years and a similar prevalence of dry eye problems indicate that screening evaluation, regular monitoring, and consideration of therapeutic intervention should begin in early childhood.     

Arm folding,hand clasping,and Luria's concept of “latent left-handedness”

Luria (1947/1970) proposed left-top positions in arm folding (AF) and hand clasping (HC) to be signs of “latent left-handedness”. However, research since has revealed that (1) left-top positions are canonical for European right-handers and (2) combined AF/HC measures may provide more information about cerebral laterality than either measure considered alone. We tested whether AF and HC or AF/HC combinations predicted diminished right-handedness for 12 handedness items. Results from 509 healthy participants showed that (1) left-top positions in AF and HC were dominant across participants, as was right-handedness, and a right-top position in HC was associated with attenuated right-handedness, (2) right-hand preference was more frequently associated with congruent AF/HC combinations, especially of the LL type (AF: left-top / HC: left-top), and (3) non-right-hand preference was associated with non-congruent, predominantly LR combinations. We conjecture that the LL type combination indicates left hemispheric dominance for motor actions, whereas the LR combination, in which HC as the distally innervated posture deviates from the canonical pattern, indicates attenuated hemispheric asymmetry. Our data support Luria's proposition that a left-top preference in AF points to “latent” left-handedness, but only if associated with a right-top preference in HC. Consistent left-top preference for the combined AF/HC measure appears to predict right-handedness.     

Routine diagnostics for neural antibodies,clinical correlates,treatment and functional outcome

Objective

To determine frequencies, interlaboratory reproducibility, clinical ratings, and prognostic implications of neural antibodies in a routine laboratory setting in patients with suspected neuropsychiatric autoimmune conditions.

Methods

Earliest available samples from 10,919 patients were tested for a broad panel of neural antibodies. Sera that reacted with leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 (LGI1), contactin-associated protein-2 (CASPR2), or the voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex were retested for LGI1 and CASPR2 antibodies by another laboratory. Physicians in charge of patients with positive antibody results retrospectively reported on clinical, treatment, and outcome parameters.

Results

Positive results were obtained for 576 patients (5.3%). Median disease duration was 6 months (interquartile range 0.6–46 months). In most patients, antibodies were detected both in CSF and serum. However, in 16 (28%) patients with N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies, this diagnosis could be made only in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The two laboratories agreed largely on LGI1 and CASPR2 antibody diagnoses (κ = 0.95). The clinicians (413 responses, 71.7%) rated two-thirds of the antibody-positive patients as autoimmune. Antibodies against the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR), NMDAR (CSF or high serum titer), γ-aminobutyric acid-B receptor (GABABR), and LGI1 had ≥ 90% positive ratings, whereas antibodies against the glycine receptor, VGKC complex, or otherwise unspecified neuropil had ≤ 40% positive ratings. Of the patients with surface antibodies, 64% improved after ≥ 3 months, mostly with ≥ 1 immunotherapy intervention.

Conclusions

This novel approach starting from routine diagnostics in a dedicated laboratory provides reliable and useful results with therapeutic implications. Counseling should consider clinical presentation, demographic features, and antibody titers of the individual patient.