Spinal MRI in vacuolar myelopathy, and correlation with histopathological findings

We correlated MRI features with histopathological findings in an HIV-positive patient with vacuolar myelopathy. On MRI symmetrical nonenhancing high-signal areas in the posterior columns on T2-weighted images result from extensive vacuolation visible on histological sections. Received: 18 November 1997 Accepted: 23 March 1997     

Pneumocandins from Zalerion arboricola. III. Structure elucidation.

Pneumocandin B0 (6) and six related lipopeptides are antifungal and anti-Pneumocystis carinii agents from mutants of Zalerion arboricola, whose structures were determined mainly on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. They belong, along with pneumocandin A0 (L-671,329) previously isolated from these laboratories, to the echinocandin class of antifungal agents. The product from base-catalyzed ring opening involving the hemiaminal position of the dihydroxyornithine residue of B0, has been clearly defined as 6b. Modifications were limited to the 3-hydroxy-4-methylproline, 3,4-dihydroxyhomotyrosine and 4,5-dihydroxyornithine residues of pneumocandin A0.     

Immunologie bei Schwerverletzten

Zusammenfassung. Der klinische Verlauf bei polytraumatisierten Patienten wird durch das h?ufige Auftreten schwerwiegender immunologischer Komplikationen beeintr?chtigt. Die Immunantwort auf schweres Trauma kann durch die vermehrte Freisetzung proinflammatorischer Mediatoren über das „systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)“ zum Mehrorganversagen [„multisystem organ failure (MOF)“] führen, welches mit einer Letalit?t von bis zu 80 % behaftet ist. Charakteristisch für die Entwicklung des Multiorganversagens ist das Auftreten des „remote organ failure (ROF)“, eine Fehlfunktion von Organen, die durch das eigentliche Trauma keinen direkten Schaden erlitten haben. Diese Arbeit gibt einen kurzen überblick über die neueren Entwicklungen auf dem Gebiet der tierexperimentell-immunologischen Traumaforschung und geht eingehend auf den aktuellen Stand der klinisch-immunologischen Traumaforschung ein. Insbesondere wird die Bedeutung der sog. pro- und antiinflammatorischen Cytokine bei der Entstehung von SIRS, MOF und ROF er?rtert. Trotz der vielen Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der klinischen Immunologie und der vielf?ltigen Informationen über die Trauma-induzierten Immunfunktionsst?rungen müssen jedoch noch viele offene Fragen gel?st werden, bevor die immunologischen Ver?nderungen nach schwerem Trauma durch immunmodulatorische Therapieans?tze nachhaltig positiv beeinflu?t werden k?nnen.      

Effect of surface treatment on the shear bond strength of three resin cements to a machinable feldspatic ceramic

The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of three resin cements to Vita Mark II ceramics under different pretreatments of the ceramic surface and to examine whether simplified pretreatment procedures would result in satisfying results compared to the state of the art. RelyX Unicem (RXU), Calibra (CAL), and Variolink II (VAR) were used as resin cements and bonded to machine milled feldspatic disks, pretreated in five different ways. (1) no pretreatment of the ceramic surface; (2) surface etched with hydrofluoric acid (HF); (3) ceramic surface silanized; (4) ceramic surface etched (HF) and silanized, (5) ceramic surface etched (HF), silanized, and covered with Heliobond. The shear bond strengths were measured initially, after 5000 and 10,000 thermocycles (TC). After 10,000 TC for CAL only procedure 5 resulted in a reliable adhesion median value of 10.7 MPa. VAR showed median values of 24.6, 17.2, and 18.1 MPa for pretreatments 5, 3, and 4, respectively. RXU performed 25.9, 22.0, and 11.0 MPa for procedures 5, 4, and 3, respectively. For procedure 2, RXU revealed the significantly highest value with 15.4 MPa (U-test, p = 0.05). Only RXU-luted specimens of procedure 1 survived the 10,000 thermocycles. The results revealed that a simplification of the ceramic pretreatment for VAR and RXU might be possible.     

Epidemiological and clinical features of travel-associated cryptosporidiosis

Data concerning the clinical and epidemiological features of travel-associated cryptosporidiosis are lacking. In order to investigate the impact of this disease on travellers' health, a retrospective study was conducted at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Berlin. In total, 57 cryptosporidial infections were identified between 2000 and 2004, resulting in a prevalence of 2.9% in patients with travel-associated diarrhoea. Travel to south-central Asia, especially India, was associated with a higher prevalence of infection than was travel to other destinations. Clinically, the disease resembled giardiasis, but fever and arthralgias seemed to occur more frequently.     

T cell reactivity in neonates from an East and a West German city--results of the LISA study

BACKGROUND: Within an ongoing birth cohort study (LISA) the cytokine production of cord blood T cells was compared between neonates from Leipzig (East Germany) and Munich (West Germany). The aim of this study was to analyse regional differences and influencing factors of the immune status. METHODS: Cytokine production was measured in a randomly selected subgroup of 158 children from the LISA (Life style - Immune system - Allergy) cohort by intracellular cytokine staining. Information on family "atopy" history (FAH) and home characteristics was obtained from questionnaires. RESULTS: Reduced numbers of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) producing T cells were found in association with biparental FAH and housing renovation during pregnancy. In addition, cytokine production was influenced by season. In Munich, the frequency of biparental FAH and of renovation measures during pregnancy was significantly higher as compared to Leipzig. Neonates from Munich showed significantly decreased amounts of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha and elevated levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) producing T cells. Differences in cytokine production between Munich and Leipzig were influenced by season (IL-4) and housing renovation (IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha). CONCLUSIONS: Since differences in the T cell cytokine production of neonates in Munich and Leipzig are independent from FAH our findings may provide evidence for the impact of environmental factors upon the fetal immune system.     

Are house dust mite allergen levels influenced by cold winter weather?

BACKGROUND: Moisture is vitally important for house dust mites and they cannot survive in cold or hot-dry climates. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To investigate the influence of two extraordinarily cold and dry winters in 1995/1996 and 1996/1997 on house dust mite levels in German homes. METHODS: Dust samples were collected between June 1995 and December 2001 on the mattresses of 655 adults and 454 schoolchildren living in five different areas of Germany. We compared house dust mite allergen Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p 1) levels before and during the winters of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997 with levels after these winters. RESULTS: D. pteronyssinus (Der p 1) levels in samples taken after the cold winters of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997 were approximately two times lower than Der p 1 levels in dust samples collected before or during these respective winters (Geometric means: Erfurt 89 vs 33 ng/g; Hamburg 333 vs 219 ng/g; Bitterfeld, Hettstedt, and Zerbst 296 vs 180 ng/g). Except for Hamburg, the decrease in Der p 1 levels was statistically significant. D. pteronyssinus levels measured in dust samples collected in 2001 (i.e. 3 years after the two cold winters) show a statistically non-significant increase (Geometric means: Erfurt 33 vs 39 ng/g; Hamburg 219 vs 317 ng/g), suggesting that it may take a long time for mite allergen levels to increase again after a sudden decrease. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Der p 1 levels in German mattress dust samples have been approximately reduced by a factor of three to four by the two consecutive cold winters of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997.     

Effects of verapamil,diltiazem and ryosidine on the release of dopamine and acetylcholine in rabbit caudate nucleus slices

Summary Slices of the rabbit caudate nucleus were preincubated with ³H-dopamine or ³H-choline and then superfused with label-free medium. Release of ³H-dopamine and ³H-acetylcholine was elicited by either electrical stimulation at 8 (in one series 2) Hz, or an increase in the K⁺ concentration by 50 mmol/l, or addition of L-glutamate 1 mmol/l. Verapamil 1 mol/l, diltiazem 1 and 10 mol/l, and ryosidine 1 mol/l failed to the reduce the electrically-, K⁺- and glutamate-evoked overflow of tritium. Verapamil 1 mol/l and diltiazem 10 mol/l also failed to reduce the electricallyevoked overflow (2 Hz) when dopamine receptors, neuronal dopamine uptake, and neuronal choline uptake were blocked by domperidone, nomifensine and hemicholinium, respectively. Inhibition of the evoked overflow of tritium was only obtained when concentrations were increased to verapamil 10 mol/l, diltiazem 100 mol/l and ryosidine 10 mol/l. The inhibition was generally small. It was more evident for slices preincubated with ³H-choline than for those preincubated with ³H-dopamine, because in the latter verapamil, diltiazem and (much less) ryosidine accelerated the basal efflux of tritium. The inhibition of the K⁺-evoked overflow of tritium was probably due to blockade of Ca²⁺ channels because this overflow was Ca²⁺-dependent but tetrodotoxin-resistant. In contrast, the inhibition of the electrically- and glutamateevoked overflow possibly involved blockade of Na⁺ channels as well. The results indicate that three calcium antagonists from different chemical classes are very weak inhibitors of Ca²⁺ entry into, and hence transmitter release from, the terminal axons of central dopaminergic and cholinergic neurones. The function of the high affinity calcium antagonist binding sites that have been identified in brain remains unknown.