Das Verhalten der Perspiratio Insensibilis und der Quaddelzeit bei Normalen Kindern Nach Verabreichung von Vitamin B1, B2 (Lactoflavin) und C

Zusammenfassung Nach Einspritzung einer einzigen Dose von Vitamin B₁, B₂ und C wurden folgende Ergebnisse erzielt: 1. Nach Verabreichung von Vitamin B₁ eine beständige Vermehrung der Perspiratio insensibilis und eine geringe Verminderung der Quaddelzeit; 2. nach Verabreichung von Vitamin B₂ in den meisten Fällen Vermehrung der Perspiratio insensibilis und Veränderungen in positivem und negativem Sinne der Quaddelzeit; 3. nach Verabreichung von Vitamin C in den meisten Fällen Vermehrung der Perspiratio insensibilis und in allen Fällen Verlängerung der Quaddelzeit.     

Die Wirkung der Vitamine B1 und B2 (Lactoflavin) auf die Wasserprobe bei Normalen Kindern

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Hyperprolactinemia as a marker of neurotransmitter imbalance in uremic population

Serum prolactin (PRL) levels are elevated in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) but the mechanisms responsible for these abnormalities are not fully understood. PRL secretion is undoubtedly influenced by many substances, which can be variously altered in uremia: monoamines, endogenous opiates and PTH. Our data suggest that in early renal failure PRL levels are already significantly high and the 24-h pattern of PRL secretion is significantly different from that in controls. PRL derangements could be due in mild renal failure, to unknown factors (GABA?); in severe CRF, to a major change in dopaminergic activity; in hemodialysis (HD), to a low turnover of monoamines, and in peritoneal dialysis (PD) to increased activity of serotoninergic and dopaminergic systems.     

Reliability and predictive value of salivary theophylline levels

The reliability and accuracy of salivary theophylline levels as a predictor of serum theophylline levels was investigated in 28 hospitalized chronic asthmatics, free of other chronic diseases, on continuous aminophylline infusion for greater than 24 hours. Twenty paired blood and saliva theophylline levels from 12 patients (group 1) were used to develop a formula for predicting serum theophylline levels from salivary levels. Twenty-one paired blood and saliva theophylline levels from 16 patients (group 2) were used to test the formula obtained. The formula predicted the serum theophylline concentration within 1.51 microgram/mL in 76% of the samples and within 1.88 microgram/mL in 100% of the samples. There was an excellent correlation between the predicted and actual serum theophylline concentrations, r = .93; thus under controlled conditions of steady-state pharmacokinetics in patients free of other diseases, salivary theophylline levels can be used to accurately predict serum levels.     

Isolation of a Trypanosoma cruzi antigen by affinity chromatography with a monoclonal antibody. Preliminary evaluation of its possible applications in serological tests.

By affinity chromatography with a monoclonal antibody (163B6), obtained in our laboratory, we have isolated a T. cruzi antigen which could be useful for differential diagnosis of Chagas' disease from leishmaniasis. This antigen, a 52-kD protein, reacted with all sera from Chagas' disease patients tested but not with sera from patients with leishmania, in ELISA. The 52-kD antigen is widely distributed in the Trypanosoma genus since the 163B6 monoclonal antibody reacts with T. rangeli and 8 strains and a clone of T. cruzi epimastigotes.     

A lytic monoclonal antibody to Trypanosoma cruzi bloodstream trypomastigotes which recognizes an epitope expressed in tissues affected in Chagas' disease.

It has been suggested that molecular mimicry between the antigens of Trypanosoma cruzi and the host could have a role in the onset of the chronic stage of Chagas' disease. In this article, we report on a monoclonal antibody (MAb), CAK20.12 (immunoglobulin G2b), which reacts with a polypeptidic epitope of a 150-kDa antigen expressed on the surface of several strains of T. cruzi. This MAb also causes lysis of bloodstream trypomastigotes. Serum samples from 30 of 30 patients with chronic and 11 of 13 patients with acute Chagas' disease present specific antibodies to this antigen. MAb CAK20.12 reacts, by indirect immunofluorescence, with human and syngeneic murine striated muscle tissue, with the smooth muscle layer of cardiac arteries, with the lamina muscularis mucosae and the external striated muscle layer of the esophagus, and with the smooth muscle cells of the colon from normal syngeneic mice. Reactivity with the small intestine was very weak, and no reactivity with ventricle or atrium tissue was detected. Adsorption with an antigenic fraction from normal murine striated muscle or from T. cruzi epimastigotes confirmed that MAb CAK20.12 recognizes a common epitope present in parasites and host tissues. MAb CAK20.12, lytic for the infective form of T. cruzi, recognizes an epitope expressed in striated and smooth muscle cells of the host tissues affected in the chronic stage of Chagas' disease.     

Efficacy of human recombinant erythropoietin plus IFN-alpha in patients affected by chronic hepatitis C.

Determination of serum iron levels in patients affected by chronic hepatitis C is considered fundamental for studying the response to interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment. IFN could induce anemia, which is promptly corrected by exogenous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). The aim of our study was to verify the possible beneficial effect of rHuEPO in patients affected by chronic hepatitis C and treated with IFN. Seventy consecutive patients (42 males and 28 females, mean age 46.4+/-5.2 years) affected by chronic hepatitis C were enrolled. In all patients, chronic hepatitis C was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and biological findings (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] serum levels at least 2-fold higher than normal values for at least 12 months and the presence of anti-HCV antibodies). All patients were negative for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, hepatitis D virus (HDV infection, and HIV infection. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon nonparametric sum rank test, the Spearman correlation rank test, and the Friedman ANOVA and Kendall coefficient of concordance. At the end of the treatment, our study series showed significant differences in serum levels of AST (p < 0.001), iron (p < 0.001), and ferritin (p < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up period, significant differences were seen in ALT, aspartate (AST), and iron ferritin and transferrin levels. All differences favored patients who received IFN-alpha and rHuEPO. We think that the depletion of circulating iron may improve the immune response impaired by iron accumulation in the liver. Our study confirms the important role played by iron in the response to IFN treatment, suggesting that the use of rHuEPO induces a better response to IFN in patients with chronic hepatitis C by activation of erythropoiesis.     

Intracerebral mass lesions in patients affected by AIDS

Summary Toxoplasma gondii cerebral abscess is a common opportunistic infection in patients affected by AIDS. Making a reliable diagnosis of acute cerebral toxoplasmosis is difficult in AIDS patients because of the lack of specificity of serological data and neuroradiological findings. Brain biopsy is the only procedure which enables a reliable diagnosis to be made a trial of specific medical therapy for toxoplasmosis in patients affected by AIDS and intracranial mass lesion can be advisable before performing brain biopsy. The authors report the cases of three patients affected by AIDS and cerebral toxoplasmosis.Tissue diagnosis was made in the first patient from autopsy material while a presumptive diagnosis was made in the other two cases since specific medical therapy resulted in a dramatic improvement of the neurological status.Despite the good possibilities in the treatment of this complication AIDS, however, carries a poor prognosis.     

Thiotepa‐based versus total body irradiation‐based myeloablative conditioning prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia in first complete remission: a retrospective analysis from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Thiotepa is an alkylating compound with an antineoplastic and myeloablative activity and can mimic the effect of radiation. However, it is unknown whether this new regimen could safely replace the long‐established ones. This retrospective matched‐pair analysis evaluated the outcome of adults with acute myeloid leukaemia in first complete remission who received myeloablative conditioning either with a thiotepa‐based (n = 121) or a cyclophosphamide/total body irradiation‐based (TBI; n = 358) regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from an HLA‐matched sibling or an unrelated donor. With a median follow‐up of 44 months, the outcome was similar in both groups. Acute graft‐versus‐host disease grade II‐IV was observed in 25% after thiotepa‐containing regimen versus 35% after TBI (P = 0.06). The 2‐yr cumulative incidence of chronic graft‐versus‐host disease was 40.5% for thiotepa and 41% for TBI (P = 0.98). At 2 yrs, the cumulative incidences of non‐relapse mortality and relapse incidence were 23.9% (thiotepa) vs. 22.4% (TBI; P = 0.66) and 17.2% (thiotepa) vs. 23.3% (TBI; P = 0.77), respectively. The probabilities of leukaemia‐free and overall survival at 2 yrs were not significantly different between the thiotepa and TBI groups, at 58.9% vs. 54.2% (P = 0.95) and 61.4% vs. 58% (P = 0.72), respectively. Myeloablative regimens using combinations including thiotepa can provide satisfactory outcomes, but the optimal conditioning remains unclear for the individual patient in this setting.