Interference of rhythmic constraint on gait in healthy subjects and patients with early Parkinson's disease: evidence for impaired locomotor pattern generation in early Parkinson's disease.

Patients in the early stages of Parkinson's disease have been shown to walk slower with smaller steps, resembling the gait of normal elderly subjects, but specific disorders of dynamic equilibrium or rhythmic gait patterning have not yet been identified. In the present study, gait control in 22 healthy subjects and 22 patients with early Parkinson's disease was challenged by means of a paradigm requiring subjects to decrease their step rate (cadence) by 20% in response to a metronome signal (rhythmic constraint). Control subjects and patients were matched for age, sex, and body height. Eleven patients were receiving standard antiparkinsonian therapy and were assessed under their ongoing medication, whereas the remaining 11 patients had not yet been started on dopaminergic therapy ("de novo" Parkinson's disease). Gait parameters reflecting dynamic equilibrium (double-support time) and locomotor patterning (step length, stride duration) were recorded by means of a mechanical device (locometer). Sixteen patients and 16 control subjects were able to accomplish the task. Whereas regulation of step length became irregular during rhythmic constraint in both patients and control subjects, irregular timing of steps was only observed in patients suggesting disturbance of periodic locomotor activity generation.

[Prophylaxis of Rh-sensitisation by intravenous IgG anti-D (author's transl)]. / Prophylaxe der Rhesus-Sensibilisierung durch intravenöse Gabe von Immunglobulin G Anti-D

During 1971 and 1972 1109 rh-negative mothers with an Rh-positive child were treated with an intravenous standard dose of 80-120 microng of IgG anti-D. To achieve complete elimination of fetal erythrocytes within 72 hours after the first immunoglobulin injection this standard dose had to be increased in 14% of the women. In 1973 and 1974 1138 rh-negative mothers of Rh-positive children were treated with an intravenous standard dose of 240 microng of IgG anti-D. This dose was insufficient in only 1.2% of the rh-negative mothers. More than 98.8% of all women are protected by a standard intravenous dose of 240 microng of IgG anti-D and a single erythrocyte elimination control 72 hours after the birth. It appears that the results after intravenous immunoglobulin are as a whole significantly better than after intramuscular IgG anti-D.

[Prophylatic rhesus sensitization via intravenous administration of immunoglobulin G anti-D. III. Limits of the prophylaxsis obtainable by adapting the immunoglobulin dosage to the extent of the fetalmaternal blood transfusion (author's transl)]. / Prophylaxe der Rhesus-Sensibilisierung durch intravenöse Gabe von Immunglobulin G Anti-D

Intravenously administered IgG anti-D permits a prophylatic rhesus sensitization. The size of the dose of immunoglobulin is adapted to the fetomaternal blood transfusion. The procedure is highly reliable in individual cases. The results acquired from a large control group, however, are not significantly better than the results obtained by other authors with intramuscular administration of IgG anti-D. Of the 1216 rh-negative mothers who were given follow-up checks, 1208 showed no active D-antibody formation as late as 7 months postpartum. An active D-antibody formation was found in 8 rh-negative mothers up to 14 days postpartum. These were anamnestic reactions. In 212 second pregnancies with a rh-postive child, 2 rh-negative mothers were sensitized in the rhesus system. The cause of this failure is thought to be the fact that the intravenously administered IgG anti-D did not gain access to the noncirculating D-positive erythrocytes in the pertioneal cavity of the mother.

[A comparison between so-called triple-diagnosis and surgical biopsy in diagnosis of the female breast (author's transl)]. / Die Tripeldiagnostik und die Probeexzision in der Mammadiagnostik, ein Vergleich

A comparison of 265 cases of tripel-diagnosis and 112 surgical biopsies of the female breast is reported. In 89,83% of these 265 cases the correct diagnosis was found, in 9,43% the result was doubtful, in 0,75% completely wrong. In 3,77% of these doubtful results the repetition of the tripel-diagnosis gave the correct diagnosis, in 4,15% surgical biopsy we found 2,68% wrong diagnosis. This fact shows the certainty of tripel-diagnosis. In addition the highly significant lower rate of complications, the avoidance of the risk of narcosis and scars and the lower amount of costs show the high clinical value of the so-called tripel-diagnosis.