[Life-threatening subcutaneous emphysema after minor blow to the neck]. / Lebensbedrohliches Hautemphysem nach banalem Stoß gegen den Hals.

After a minor blow to the neck from the handlebars of a bike, a 5-year-old boy developed a massive subcutaneous emphysema with respiratory distress. Orotracheal intubation was performed. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck and thorax showed a pneumomediastinum and a bilateral pneumothorax. No injury to the large airways was identified. The patient was stabilized by insertion of chest tubes and controlled ventilation. The endoscopic examination of the trachea revealed a tear of the pars membranacea, which was successfully treated conservatively. The specific features of the injury and the airway management are discussed based on a review of the current literature.

Metabolomic profiling in patients undergoing Off-Pump or On-Pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass surgery can be performed without (Off-Pump) or with cardiopulmonary bypass (On-Pump). Extracorporeal circulation and cardioplegic arrest may cause alterations in the plasma metabolome. We assessed metabolomic changes in patients undergoing On-Pump or Off-Pump coronary artery bypass surgery. METHODS: We assessed five analyte classes (41 acylcarnitines, 14 amino acids, 92 glycerophospholipids, 15 sphingolipids, sugars, lactate) using a mass-spectrometry-based kit (Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ® p150) in paired arterial and coronary sinus blood obtained from 10 consecutive On-Pump and 10 Off-Pump patients. Cardioplegia for On-Pump was warm blood Calafiore. On-Pump outcomes were corrected for hemodilution through crystalloid priming. RESULTS: Demographic data were equal in both groups with normal ejection fraction, renal and liver function. Patients received 2.25 ± 0.64 bypass grafts. All postoperative courses were uneventful. Of 164 measured metabolites, only 13 (7.9%) were altered by cardiopulmonary bypass. We found more long-chain acylcarnitines Off-Pump and more short-chain acylcarnitines On-Pump. Glycerophospholipids showed lower concentrations On-Pump and arginine (as the only different amino acid) Off-Pump. Interestingly, plasma arginine (nitric oxide precursor) concentration at the end of surgery correlated inversely with postoperative vasopressor need (r = -0.7; p < 0.001). Assessing arterial/venous differences revealed phosphatidylcholine-production and acylcarnitine-consumption. These findings were unaffected by cardiopulmonary bypass, cardioplegia or temporary vessel occlusion during Off-Pump surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiopulmonary bypass and warm blood cardioplegia cause only minor changes to the metabolomic profile of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. The observed changes affected mainly acylcarnitines. In addition, there appears to be a relationship between arginine and vasopressor need after bypass surgery.

[Magnetic resonance imaging. Density equalizing mapping analysis of global research architecture]. / Magnetresonanztomographie. Eine Density-equalizing-mapping-Analyse der globalen Forschungsarchitektur.

BACKGROUND: Despite the great medical importance, there is still no comprehensive scientometric analysis regarding the results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the development of the importance for the healthcare system. AIMS: This paper evaluated and analyzed the entire research publication results on the topic of MRI for the period 1981-2007 based on scientometric methods and parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A scientometric analysis (database: ISI Web of Science 1981-2007, search terms MRI and magnetic resonance imaging) was performed. The following parameters were analyzed: number of publications, countries of publication, number of citations, citation rate and collaborations, using various analytical and display techniques, including density equalizing map projections. RESULTS: Most of the 49,122 publications on MRI could be attributed to the USA (32.5 %), which also has the most cooperative collaborations. Within Europe, Germany (10.3 %) is the country with the highest number of publications followed by the UK (9.3 %). The western industrialized nations dominate over the rest of the world in terms of scientific developments of MRI. The thematic focus of the publications lies in the fields of radiology and neuroscience. In addition to the journal Neurology most scientific articles were published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Circulation. DISCUSSION: The results show that the current trend is continuing and the scientific interest in MRI is continuously increasing.

[Density equalizing mapping of obesity: analysis of a global epidemic]. / Density Equalizing Mapping der Adipositas: Analyse einer globalen Epidemie.

Obesity is a chronic disease whose origin is determined by genetic factors as well as environmental influences. The prevalence has rapidly increased worldwide in the recent decades. This paper evaluated the research on obesity in the period of 1900 - 2009 in the ISI "Web of Science" by Thomson Reuters. For this purpose scientometric methods were used and the results were graphically illustrated by "Density Equalizing Map Projections". From 1900 till 2009 94.987 published items are the basis for the present qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The publication rates show an exponential growth indicating a pronounced research activity. Concerning the country comparison the United States has the highest number of publications and citations, the highest modified h-index and most academic institutions. This manuscript shows the first comprehensive scientometric data on obesity. In this research area, the United States is a leader and is located at the center of global collaborations.

[Arthrosis: a scientometric analysis]. / Arthrose : Eine szientometrische Analyse.

BACKGROUND: In industrialized nations, arthrosis is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability and impaired quality of life in older people. OBJECTIVES: There are still no direct and curative therapies. In addition, the causative mechanisms of this disease have not been sufficiently deciphered and investigated so far. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the present article, publications from 1900-2013 in the ISI Web of Science were reviewed. Quantitative and qualitative aspects are taken into account and are examined based on scientometric analysis methods. The illustrations demonstrate the global structure of the research and citation activity by Density Equalizing Map Projection. In addition, the radar charts illustrate the bi- and multilateral research and institutional cooperation. RESULTS: On the basis of the search criteria, a total of 46,212 publications were identified. Approximately 95 % of the publications date back to the last 25 years. In addition to the number of publications, the number of citations has increased continuously. The analysis of the country collaborations as well as the number of institutions indicates a predominance of the United States. Most articles about arthrosis concern the subject areas of rheumatology, orthopedics, and surgery. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first comprehensive, scientometric findings and illustrates corresponding representations of research activities, geographical contexts as well as research cooperation. It shows a great scientific interest, especially by North American and European scientists. The steady growth of research is explained by the high prevalence of arthrosis.

Protective effect of Clostridium tyrobutyricum in acute dextran sodium sulphate-induced colitis: differential regulation of tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-18 in BALB/c and severe combined immunodeficiency mice.

One of the promising approaches in the therapy of ulcerative colitis is administration of butyrate, an energy source for colonocytes, into the lumen of the colon. This study investigates the effect of butyrate producing bacterium Clostridium tyrobutyricum on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Immunocompetent BALB/c and immunodeficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice reared in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) conditions were treated intrarectally with C. tyrobutyricum 1 week prior to the induction of DSS colitis and during oral DSS treatment. Administration of DSS without C. tyrobutyricum treatment led to an appearance of clinical symptoms - bleeding, rectal prolapses and colitis-induced increase in the antigen CD11b, a marker of infiltrating inflammatory cells in the lamina propria. The severity of colitis was similar in BALB/c and SCID mice as judged by the histological damage score and colon shortening after 7 days of DSS treatment. Both strains of mice also showed a similar reduction in tight junction (TJ) protein zonula occludens (ZO)-1 expression and of MUC-2 mucin depression. Highly elevated levels of cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the colon of SCID mice and of interleukin (IL)-18 in BALB/c mice were observed. Intrarectal administration of C. tyrobutyricum prevented appearance of clinical symptoms of DSS-colitis, restored normal MUC-2 production, unaltered expression of TJ protein ZO-1 and decreased levels of TNF-α and IL-18 in the descending colon of SCID and BALB/c mice, respectively. Some of these features can be ascribed to the increased production of butyrate in the lumen of the colon and its role in protection of barrier functions and regulation of IL-18 expression.

Neonatal colonization of mice with Lactobacillus plantarum producing the aeroallergen Bet v 1 biases towards Th1 and T-regulatory responses upon systemic sensitization.

BACKGROUND: The use of recombinant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as vehicles for mucosal delivery of recombinant allergens is an attractive concept for antigen-defined allergy prevention/treatment. Interventions with LAB are of increasing interest early in life when immune programming is initiated. Here, we investigated the effect of neonatal colonization with a recombinant LAB producing the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 in a murine model of type I allergy. METHODS: We constructed a recombinant Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum NCIMB8826 strain constitutively producing Bet v 1 to be used for natural mother-to-offspring mono-colonization of germ-free BALB/c mice. Allergen-specific immunomodulatory effects of the colonization on humoral and cellular immune responses were investigated prior and after sensitization to Bet v 1. RESULTS: Mono-colonization with the Bet v 1 producing L. plantarum induced a Th1-biased immune response at the cellular level, evident in IFN-γ production of splenocytes upon stimulation with Bet v 1. After sensitization with Bet v 1 these mice displayed suppressed IL-4 and IL-5 production in spleen and mesenteric lymph node cell cultures as well as decreased allergen-specific antibody responses (IgG1, IgG2a, and IgE) in sera. This suppression was associated with a significant up-regulation of the regulatory marker Foxp3 at the mRNA level in the spleen cells. CONCLUSION: Intervention at birth with a live recombinant L. plantarum producing a clinically relevant allergen reduces experimental allergy and might therefore become an effective strategy for early intervention against the onset of allergic diseases.

Impact of heat-inactivated Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus paracasei strains on cytokine responses in whole blood cell cultures of children with atopic dermatitis.

Heat-inactivated Lactobacillus casei LOCK 0900, L. casei LOCK 0908 and Lactobacillus paracasei LOCK 0919 strains, applied to blood cell cultures obtained from children with atopic dermatitis induced production of anti-allergic T(H)1 cytokines (interleukin-12, interleukin-18, interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha) and regulatory transforming growth factor-beta(1)), but did not stimulate pro-allergic interleukin-5. The lactobacilli-mixture remarkably enhanced the T(H)1 response compared to single strains. This synergistic effect was not observed for transforming growth factor-beta(1). In contrast, the amount of interleukin-10 was found to be considerably lower when cells were stimulated with lactobacilli-mixture compared to single strains. The mixture of Lactobacillus strains represents a probiotic bacterial preparation modulating in vitro cytokine profile of allergic children towards anti-allergic T(H)1 response.

Probiotic Lactobacillus strains: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Three Lactobacillus strains (LOCK 0900, LOCK 0908, LOCK 0919) out of twenty-four isolates were selected according to their antagonistic activity against pathogenic bacteria, resistance to low pH and milieu of bile salts. Intragastric administration of a mixture of these strains to Balb/c mice affected cytokine T(H)1-T(H)2 balance toward nonallergic T(H)1 response. Spleen cells, isolated from lactobacilli-treated mice and re-stimulated in vitro with the mixture of heat-inactivated tested strains, produced significantly higher amounts of anti-allergic tumor necrosis factor- and interferon-gamma than control animals whereas the level of pro-allergic interleukin-5 was significantly lower. Lactobacillus cells did not translocate through the intestinal barrier into blood, liver and spleen; a few Lactobacillus cells found in mesenteric lymph nodes could create antigenic reservoir activating the immune system. The mixture of Lactobacillus LOCK 0900, LOCK 0908 and LOCK 0919 strains represents a probiotic bacterial preparation with possible use in prophylaxis and/or therapy of allergic diseases.

Isolation of bovine cardiomyocytes for reprogramming studies based on nuclear transfer.

The goal of this study was to establish and validate a protocol for preparing bovine cardiomyocytes from slaughterhouse material for nuclear transfer experiments. The cardiomyocyte was selected because it is a terminally differentiated cell and strongly expresses a unique subset of genes which can be monitored during the reprogramming period. A total of 39 trials were conducted, and an optimized protocol was developed yielding individual contractile cardiomyocytes from 3-5-month-old bovine fetuses The basic protocol involves stabilization of bovine heart tissue for transportation from the slaughterhouse to the laboratory by perfusion with Custodiol. This was followed by an enzymatic dissociation with collagenase in calcium-free medium and yielded individual contractile rod-shaped cardiomyocytes. Subsequent addition of Ca2+ caused the cardiomyocytes to round up which was an essential pre-condition for drawing them into glass transfer pipettes for delivery into the perivitelline space and for efficient electrofusion with cytoplasts derived from in vitro matured bovine oocytes. The use of cardiomyocytes maintained at 37 degrees C in nuclear transfer, resulted in a significantly reduced proportion of blastocysts compared to adult fibroblasts (14.0% versus 32.7%). Storage of cardiomyocytes at 4 degrees C prior to nuclear transfer was not compatible with blastocyst development. It is expected that this system will be valuable for investigating the reprogramming of gene expression which occurs after somatic cell nuclear transfer.

NRF, a nuclear inhibitor of NF-kappaB proteins silencing interferon-beta promoter.

The family of NF-kappaB/rel transcription factors regulates a variety of promoters through specific DNA-binding sites. Consistent with the role of NF-kappaB activation as a response to pathogens, it regulates the expression of immune modulating cytokines like interferon-beta3 (IFN-3). Transcriptional regulation of IFN-beta is characterized by strict constitutive repression and virus-mediated activation. A nuclear protein, called NRF (NF-kappaB repressing factor) silences constitutively the IFN-beta3 promoter by binding to the negative regulatory element (NRE). This control is achieved by a direct protein-protein interaction between NRF and proximal bound NF-kappaB factors preventing the transcriptional activation. After viral induction NRF still binds but does not any more exert its specific inhibition. NRE-related sequences found in a number of promoters like those of HIV-1, HTLV-1 and the genes of the IL-2Ralpha and IL-8 constitute functionally related silencer elements which repress the constitutive enhancing activity of NF-kappaB/rel-binding sites from these promoters.

Determination of palladium in airborne particulate matter in a German city.

The part of palladium in ambient urban air that is bound to particles and soluble in aqua regia was determined by means of sorbent extraction, coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and laser absorption fluorescence spectrometry (LAFS). Samples of about 200 m3 air were taken in a suburb of Berlin, Germany. The coupling of the selective and automated pre-concentration procedure for Pd as N,N-diethyl-N'-benzoylthiourea complex with the respective detection methods proved to be sufficiently sensitive. Severe interference with other matrix constituents, occurring mainly by direct LAFS detection, could be overcome and the detection limit was improved tremendously. The concentration of Pd in ambient air was determined to be in the range from 0.2 to 14.6 pg/m3.

Determination of palladium in gasoline by neutron activation analysis and automated column extraction.

Palladium in gasoline was determined by means of neutron activation analysis (NAA) and selective sorbent extraction. Unleaded gasoline consistent with DIN EN 228, RON 95 was irradiated at a thermal neutron flux of phith = 1.68 x 10(13)s(-1)cm(-2) and an epithermal neutron flux of 3.32 x 10(11)s(-1)cm(-2) for t(irr) = 12 h. The irradiated gasoline was digested with nitric acid and palladium was then separated as N,N-diethyl-N'-benzoylthiourea complex by an automated column pre-concentration procedure. The eluate of 50 microL was dried on a filter paper and the 88.03 keV photons resulting from the decay of 109Pd were detected in a low level HPGe spectrometer with an efficiency of 35.5%. Severe interferences with other matrix constituents, especially 82Br could be overcome and the detection limit for palladium was improved to 3.4 ng/L at a confidence level of 90%. Although the analytical procedure applied yielded the lowest detection limit for palladium obtained in gasoline up to now, no indications for the presence of palladium were found.

Chicken winged-helix transcription factor cFKH-1 prefigures axial and appendicular skeletal structures during chicken embryogenesis.

The cDNA cFKH-1 encodes a chicken winged helix/forkhead domain transcription factor that presents a dynamic expression pattern during chicken embryogenesis. Transcripts accumulate predominantly in early paraxial mesoderm, developing somites, and within mesenchymal precursors of skeletal structures. cFKH-1 RNA is first detected in the developing mesoderm of HH stage 6 embryos. During subsequent development cFKH-1 RNA accumulates in a dorsal domain of the anterior presomitic mesoderm and later in all cells of the epithelial somites before it becomes limited to the sclerotome when somites compartmentalise. cFKH-1 expression persists in the sclerotome, forming the vertebrae and in mesenchymal condensations in limb buds that will give rise later to the appendicular bones. In differentiated chondrocytes and definitive bone structures, however, cFKH-1 expression is down-regulated. Additional expression domains are found in mesenchyme of branchial arches and the head, in the dorsal aorta, and weakly in the endocardium. Based on its expression pattern and the structure of the forkhead DNA-binding domain cFKH-1 constitutes a chicken relative to the murine family of fkh-1/MF1 and MFH-1 factors. The embryonic expression of the cFKH-1 gene defines distinct mesodermal domains and suggests that it may regulate gene expression in mesenchymal cell lineages that will form cartilage in trunk and limb buds.

Comparison of palladium and platinum in environmental matrices: Palladium pollution by automobile emissions?

A new type of automobile catalyst based on an active Pd/Rh-layer is presently being introduced into the European market. Accordingly, in order to establish baseline information, this work attempts to assess the magnitude of Pd emissions by automobile catalysts to date. Thus, a survey is presented on Pd and Pt levels detected in polluted environmental matrices (grass, soil, dust, sludges) as available from the literature. Additionally, Pd data measured by selective preconcentration/GF-AAS-detection in polluted grass, in a time series of sewage sludge ashes back to 1972, in dust, as well as in urban rain are presented. Since the data basis from the literature is partly inconsistent, the possible impact of different analytical attempts on the data is discussed. The relationship between Pt and Pd concentration from most of the results is between 5 and 10 (Pt/Pd). However, relations down to 0.04 are also reported, thus implying anthropogenic Pd input from additional sources.

Distribution of platinum group elements (Pt, Pd, Rh) in environmental and clinical matrices: Composition, analytical techniques and scientific outlook: Status report.

Trace concentrations of the platinum group elements (PGE; here: Pt, Pd and Rh) play an important role in environmental analysis and assessment. Their importance is based on 1. their increasing use as active compartments in automobile exhaust catalysts, 2. their use as cancer anti-tumor agents in medicine. Due to their allergenic and cytotoxic potential, it is necessary to improve selectivity and sensitivity during analytical investigation of matrices like soil, grass, urine or blood. This paper summarizes the present knowledge of PGE in the fields of analytical chemistry, automobile emission rates, bioavailability, toxicology and medicine.