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Der Morbus Whipple ist eine durch das Bakterium Tropheryma whipplei verursachte Infektion, deren Diagnosestellung durch eine unspezifische Beschwerdesymptomatik erschwert wird und die haufig lange unerkannt bleibt. Wir berichten uber einen Patienten, der sich mit neu aufgetretenen intestinalen Beschwerden in unserer Abteilung vorstellte. Es konnte die Diagnose eines klassischen Morbus Whipple gestellt werden. Unter antibiotischer Therapie wurde eine Remission der Symptomatik erreicht. Komplizierend traten Beschwerden im Sinne eines Immunrekonstitutionssyndroms (IRIS) auf, die eine immunsuppressive Behandlung erforderten.

Whipple disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. Due to its unspecific clinical symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose and often remains undetected for a long time. The case of a patient who presented with acute intestinal symptoms to the authors' department is reported. The diagnosis of classic Whipple disease was established. The symptoms subsided under antibiotic therapy. Complications in the form of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) occurred, requiring immunosuppressive treatment.Der Morbus Whipple ist eine durch das Bakterium Tropheryma whipplei verursachte Infektion, deren Diagnosestellung durch eine unspezifische Beschwerdesymptomatik erschwert wird und die häufig lange unerkannt bleibt. Wir berichten über einen Patienten, der sich mit neu aufgetretenen intestinalen Beschwerden in unserer Abteilung vorstellte. Es konnte die Diagnose eines klassischen Morbus Whipple gestellt werden. Unter antibiotischer Therapie wurde eine Remission der Symptomatik erreicht. Komplizierend traten Beschwerden im Sinne eines Immunrekonstitutionssyndroms (IRIS) auf, die eine immunsuppressive Behandlung erforderten.

A 10-year-old girl with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in remission presented with a flare of her arthritis. All her joints responded to treatment except the right knee, despite the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication and high-dose cortisone. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed a knee densely packed with rice bodies. After surgical removal of the rice bodies the inflammation settled once again, and the patient remains well on her usual medication.

Important clues about the probable cause of a gun tube explosion were obtained from a fractographic and metallographic examination of the fragments. The size, distribution, and surface markings of fragments may be used to localize the explosion and deduce its intensity. Microstructural features such as voids, adiabatic shear, and structural surface alterations also indicate the explosion intensity and further allow a comparison of the tube structure near and away from the explosion zone. These, and other metallurgical characteristics, are illustrated and discussed for cases of accidental and deliberately caused explosions of large caliber gun tubes.

Zusammenfassung Ziel der Studie: Zur Frage der Verbreitung von Gesundheitsförderung/Gesundheitsmanagement in deutschen Betrieben liegen heterogene Ergebnisse vor. Das Ziel der Studie besteht darin, mehr Transparenz über die Ursachen dieser Diskrepanzen sowie zu möglichen Einflussfaktoren auf die Bereitschaft zur Umsetzung von BGF/BGM zu gewinnen. Methodik: Auf Basis einer systematischen Datenbankrecherche wurden einschlägige Studien identifiziert und einer vergleichenden inhaltlichen Analyse unterzogen. Ergebnisse: Die Studien zur Verbreitung von BGF/BGM in Deutschland weisen hinsichtlich Fragestellung, Repräsentativität, Vorgehen und Design erhebliche Unterschiede auf. Dennoch zeichnen sich übereinstimmende Tendenzen hinsichtlich der Identifikation signifikanter Einflussfaktoren auf die Bereitschaft zur Umsetzung von BGF/BGM ab. Schlussfolgerungen: Bei der Konzeption künftiger Studien zur Analyse der Verbreitung von BGF/BGM ist es wichtig, sich auf eine einheitliche Definition sowie ein vergleichbares Erfassungs- und Kategorisierungsschema der erhobenen Maßnahmen zu einigen. Im Hinblick auf die Auswertung von Auswirkungen der betrieblichen Interventionen wären die quantitativen durch qualitative Daten zu ergänzen, die in der Lage sind, das „Wie“ der Umsetzung sowie darauf bezogene, spezifische organisationskulturelle Deutungsmuster zu erfassen.

In June 2015 the scientific academies "Leopoldina" and "acatech" and the union of the German academies of sciences and humanities published a statement on public and global health in Germany. The statement contains many valuable albeit generic and well-known recommendations. The few specific recommendations focus on centralizing research while weakening the role of universities and on the relative increase of research on public health genomics. These recommendations are not based on empirical or theoretical analyses and risk subverting successful developments of the recent past. To actually strengthen public and global health in Germany the existing institutions need to be backed up while designated funding of public and global health needs to be extended.

Background: Association studies have implicated the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HA) and its degrading enzymes the hyaluronidases in tumour progression and metastasis. Oligosaccharides of degraded HA have been ascribed a number of biological functions that are not exerted by high-molecular-weight HA (HMW-HA). However, whether these small HA oligosaccharides (sHA) have a role in tumour progression currently remains uncertain due to an inability to analyse their concentration in tumours. Methods: We report a novel method to determine the concentration of sHA ranging from 6 to 25 disaccharides in tumour interstitial fluid (TIF). Levels of sHA were measured in TIF from experimental rat tumours and human colorectal tumours. Results: While the majority of HA in TIF is HMW-HA, concentrations of sHA up to 6 μg ml−1 were detected in a subset of tumours, but not in interstitial fluid from healthy tissues. In a cohort of 72 colorectal cancer patients we found that increased sHA concentrations in TIF are associated with lymphatic vessel invasion by tumour cells and the formation of lymph node metastasis. Conclusions: These data document for the first time the pathophysiological concentration of sHA in tumours, and provide evidence of a role for sHA in tumour progression.

This work evaluated the ability of the probiotic Streptococcus thermophilus CRL1190 strain and its exopolysaccharides to adhere to gastric mucosa. Probiotic bacteria attachment to the human stomach epithelium was confirmed in human stomach tissue samples and the gastric epithelial cell line AGS. In addition, it was demonstrated that S. Thermophilus CRL1190 strain reduced Helicobacter pylori adhesion and attenuated inflammatory response in AGS cells. This is the first demonstration of the capacity of S. Thermophilus CRL1190 to adhere to the stomach gastric mucosa, and improve protection against H. Pylori through the reduction of its adhesion and the modulation of the inflammatory response. Therefore, S. Thermophilus CRL1190 fermented milk is a good candidate for further in vivo studying of the protective effect of functional food against H. Pylori infection and gastric inflammatory damage. Fil: Marcial, G.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Westfälische Wilhelms Universität; Alemania Fil: Villena, Julio Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina Fil: Faller, G.. St. Vincentius Hospital; Alemania Fil: Hensel, A.. Westfälische Wilhelms Universität; Alemania Fil: Font, Graciela Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina

The data on health management programmes in German companies show quite heterogeneous results. The aim of the study was to gain more transparency into the cause of these discrepancies as well as information on factors influencing the willingness of companies to implement such programmes.Based on a systematic database search, relevant studies were identified and comparative analysis of their contents was carried out.The existing studies on the health management programmes in German companies reveal significant discrepancies in terms of their research question, representativeness, approach and design. Nevertheless, they do reveal certain trends identifying significant factors that influence the willingness of companies to implement such programmes.In the design of future studies to analyse the distribution of corporate health management programmes, there is a need to agree on common definitions and data collection methods and how the results are to be categorised. When evaluating the effects of corporate programmes, the quantitative data would need to be supplemented with qualitative data that would be capable of identifying how such programmes are implemented and the associated organisation-specific cultural patterns.Zur Frage der Verbreitung von Gesundheitsförderung/Gesundheitsmanagement in deutschen Betrieben liegen heterogene Ergebnisse vor. Das Ziel der Studie besteht darin, mehr Transparenz über die Ursachen dieser Diskrepanzen sowie zu möglichen Einflussfaktoren auf die Bereitschaft zur Umsetzung von BGF/BGM zu gewinnen.Auf Basis einer systematischen Datenbankrecherche wurden einschlägige Studien identifiziert und einer vergleichenden inhaltlichen Analyse unterzogen.Die Studien zur Verbreitung von BGF/BGM in Deutschland weisen hinsichtlich Fragestellung, Repräsentativität, Vorgehen und Design erhebliche Unterschiede auf. Dennoch zeichnen sich übereinstimmende Tendenzen hinsichtlich der Identifikation signifikanter Einflussfaktoren auf die Bereitschaft zur Umsetzung von BGF/BGM ab.Bei der Konzeption künftiger Studien zur Analyse der Verbreitung von BGF/BGM ist es wichtig, sich auf eine einheitliche Definition sowie ein vergleichbares Erfassungs- und Kategorisierungsschema der erhobenen Maßnahmen zu einigen. Im Hinblick auf die Auswertung von Auswirkungen der betrieblichen Interventionen wären die quantitativen durch qualitative Daten zu ergänzen, die in der Lage sind, das „Wie“ der Umsetzung sowie darauf bezogene, spezifische organisationskulturelle Deutungsmuster zu erfassen.

Anamnese: Ein 81-jahriger Mann wurde zur weiteren Abklarung bei Ikterus und Pankreaskopftumor stationar eingewiesen. 6 Jahre zuvor war wegen eines klarzelligen Nierenzellkarzinoms (pT3b pN0 pM0) eine Nephrektomie rechts erfolgt. Untersuchungen: Laborchemisch zeigten sich erhohte Cholestaseenzyme und eine leichtgradige Anamie. Nativsonographisch fand sich ein 4 cm messender, echoarmer, scharf begrenzter Pankreaskopftumor, daneben ein vorbekannter Nebennierentumor links, der leicht grosenprogredient war. Die kontrastmittelsonographisch nachweisbare Hypervaskularisation des Pankreastumors war fur ein duktales Adenokarzinom untypisch. Die endosonographisch gefuhrte Punktion des Pankreasprozesses ergab den Nachweis einer Metastase des Nierenzellkarzinoms. Therapie und Verlauf: Unter der Diagnose eines metastasierten Nierenzellkarzinoms wurde eine Therapie mit Sunitinib eingeleitet. Der Patient starb nach 6 Monaten bei Progredienz der Tumorerkrankung. Schlussfolgerung: Bei Pankreasraumforderungen muss, insbesondere bei Patienten mit Tumorerkrankungen in der Vorgeschichte, eine Metastase der Grunderkrankungen in die Differenzialdiagnose mit einbezogen werden. Metastasen eines Nierenzellkarzinoms bilden hierbei den Hauptanteil. Eine kontrastmittelsonographisch nachweisbare Hypervaskularisation ist fur ein duktales Adenokarzinom des Pankreas untypisch und bei Pankreasmetastasen haufig. Die endosonographisch gefuhrte Punktion kann zur histologischen Sicherung der Tumorentitat beitragen und die weitere Therapie leiten.

This position paper of the German Public Health Association describes current situation and perspectives of public health in Germany with emphasis on research and teaching. It outlines those measures necessary for strengthening of public health research in Germany.

Ebenso wie andere Bereiche der Gesellschaft unterliegen auch Hochschulen einem gravierenden Wandel. Wahrend sich jedoch die bisher im Zuge des Bologna-Prozesses realisierten Reformen primar an Studienstrukturen und -inhalten ausrichteten, gehen die nun initiierten Neuerungen weiter: Unter dem Stichwort des „New Public Management“ (NPM) stehen heute, mehr als 15 Jahre nach Beginn entsprechender Reformen auf kommunaler Ebene, Fragen der externen und internen Hochschulsteuerung auf der Agenda der Hochschulen und Wissenschaftsministerien. Ein wesentliches Merkmal dieses Wandels ist die verstarkte Konzentration auf Output- und Qualitatsindikatoren. Ziel des vorliegenden Artikels ist es, auf die Relevanz dieser Neuorientierung aus Sicht der Gesundheitsforderung aufmerksam zu machen, offene Fragen zu identifizieren und in Ubertragung von Grundsatzpositionen der Gesundheitsforderung Anforderungen fur die weitere Qualitatsentwicklung an Hochschulen zu formulieren. Auf Basis einer Zusammenfassung der aktuellen Diskussion zur Eignung quantifzierender Qualitatsindikatoren fur Hochschulleistungen wird eine Auseinandersetzung mit deren moglichen Folgen fur die sozialen Pramissen von Gesundheit gefuhrt. Im Ergebnis werden praxisbezogene Implikationen fur die Weiterentwicklung einer gesundheitsfordernden Hochschulqualitat abgeleitet.

HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS A 38-year-old woman (Pt. 1) and a 30-year-old man (Pt. 2) had been admitted, over a period of two months to the emergency unit. Pt 1. had complained of spasmodic pain with nausea and vomiting. A mass was palpated in the left upper abdominal quadrant. Pt. 2 had signs suggesting appendicitis, with pain in the right lower abdominal quadrant. INVESTIGATIONS Abdominal ultrasound showed an intussusception with a typical multilayered bowel wall ("target-like" or "bull's eye") sign in both patients. The man also had a normally appearing appendix and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes. TREATMENT, COURSE AND DIAGNOSIS: Pt. 1 had a laparotomy, which showed a leiomyoma of the small bowel. After resection the further course was uneventful. The intussusception of the 30-year-old man resolved spontaneously during the ultrasound examination. Further investigation revealed celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS Intussusception is a possible cause of acute abdominal pain in adults. Ultrasonography should be the initial diagnostic investigation. Transient intussusceptions are seen in adults with celiac disease, in which case nonoperative treatment is possible.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are rare, mostly fibroblastic tumors usually situated in the pleura. Extrapleural manifestations have been described. However, the oral cavity is an uncommon localisation of this tumor. We report the very unusual case of an SFT affecting the tongue that could be removed completely because of its clear delineation. Intraoperative incisional biopsies were used to exclude malignancy. For definitive classification of the tumor, additional histopathologic examinations had to be carried out. Because SFT exhibit malignant behavior only in exceptional cases and their recurrence after complete removal has never been encountered, surgery can focus on the preservation of undisturbed function of the tongue.

In June 2015 the scientific academies "Leopoldina" and "acatech" and the union of the German academies of sciences and humanities published a statement on public and global health in Germany. The statement contains many valuable albeit generic and well-known recommendations. The few specific recommendations focus on centralizing research while weakening the role of universities and on the relative increase of research on public health genomics. These recommendations are not based on empirical or theoretical analyses and risk subverting successful developments of the recent past. To actually strengthen public and global health in Germany the existing institutions need to be backed up while designated funding of public and global health needs to be extended.

Recent studies report a significant association between Helicobacter pylori gastritis and autoimmune reaction. Antigastric autoantibodies are detectable in about 30% of H. pylori infected patients. Two major in situ binding sites have been found: first, at the luminal membrane of the foveolar epithelium in antrum and corpus mucosa and, second, at canalicular membranes within parietal cells in the corpus mucosa. The presence of latter type of autoantibodies is correlated with histological and clinical parameters of corpus mucosa atrophy. The gastric H+/K(+)-ATPase, which is already known as an autoantigen in classic autoimmune gastritis, also represents a major target in atrophic H. pylori gastritis. According to recent data molecular mimicry between H. pylori and the host does not play a pathogenic role in the formation these autoantibodies. In conclusion, antigastric autoimmunity represents a relevant host factor which contributes to the final outcome of H. pylori gastritis.

BMP-4 ist in geringer Konzentration ein physiologischer Bestandteil der humanen Knochenmatrix. Bisher ist das Protein nur in kleinen Mengen in Saugetierzellkulturen exprimiert worden. Der Artikel untersucht die biologische Aktivitat von E.-coli-exprimiertem BMP-4. In vitro wurde neonatales Rattenmuskelgewebe fur 4 h mit BMP-4 inkubiert, gefolgt von einer 14tagigen Inkubation auf Zelluloseazetatmembranen in BMP-freiem Medium. Die Zugabe von 0,4 μg BMP-4 induzierte in 1/8 Ansatzen eine Knorpelbildung, wahrend 4 μg BMP-4 in 2/10 Proben eine Chondroneogenese zeigten. Eine Erhohung der BMP-4-Konzentration auf 40 μg ergab in 5/7 Ansatzen eine Knorpelinduktion. In vivo wurde BMP-4 i.m. fur 3 Wochen in ICR-Mause implantiert. Implantate mit 10–100 μg BMP-4 induzierten reproduzierbar eine heterotope Ossikelbildung. BMP-4 wurde in weiteren Versuchen an eine Kollagenmatrix gekoppelt und fur 2 bzw. 4 Wochen in die Bauchwandmuskulatur von SD-Ratten implantiert. Wahrend 0,4 μg BMP-4 keine Knorpel- oder Knochenbildung zeigten, induzierten 40 μg BMP-4 in fast allen Implantaten eine heterotope Knorpelbildung mit nachfolgender enchondraler Ossifikation. Die Ergebnisse beweisen, das E.-coli-exprimiertes BMP-4 dieselben induktiven Eigenschaften aufweist, wie BMP-4, welches in Saugetierzellen exprimiert wurde.

The gastric hormone ghrelin is known as an important factor for energy homeostasis, appetite regulation and control of body weight. So far, ghrelin has mainly been examined as a serological marker for gastrointestinal diseases, and only a few publications have highlighted its role in local effects like mucus secretion. Ghrelin can be regarded as a gastroprotective factor, but little is known about the distribution and activity of ghrelin cells in pathologically modified tissues. We aimed to examine the morphological changes in ghrelin expression under several inflammatory, metaplastic and carcinogenic conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In particular, autoimmune gastritis showed interesting remodeling effects in terms of ghrelin expression within neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia by immunohistochemistry. Using confocal laser microscopy, the gastrin/cholecystokinin receptor (CCKB) could be detected on normal ghrelin cells as well as in autoimmune gastritis. Functionally, we found evidence for a physiological interaction between gastrin and ghrelin in a primary rodent cell culture model. Additionally, we gathered serological data from patients with different basic gastrin levels due to long-term autoimmune gastritis or short-term proton pump inhibitor treatment with slightly reactive plasma gastrin elevations. Total ghrelin plasma levels showed a significantly inverse correlation with gastrin under long-term conditions. Autoimmune gastritis as a relevant condition within gastric carcinogenesis therefore has two effects on ghrelin-positive cells due to hypergastrinemia. On the one hand, gastrin stimulates the proliferation of ghrelinpositive cells as integral part of neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia, while on the other hand, plasma ghrelin is reduced by gastrin and lost in pseudopyloric and intestinal metaplastic areas. Ghrelin is necessary for the maintenance of the mucosal barrier and might play a role in gastric carcinogenesis, if altered under these pre neoplastic conditions.

BMP-4 is physiologically present in low concentrations in human bone matrix. So far the protein has only been produced in small quantities by expression in mammalian cell cultures. In this study we investigated the biological activity of E. coli-expressed BMP-4. In vitro neonatal rat muscle tissue was incubated together with BMP-4 during 4 h, followed by an incubation period of 14 days on cellulose acetate membranes in BMP-free medium. The addition of 0.4 μg BMP-4 induced cartilage formation in 1/8 samples while 4 μg BMP-4 showed chondroneogenesis in 2/10 samples. When the BMP-4 concentration was increased to 40 μg, new cartilage formation was seen in 5/7 samples. In vivo BMP-4 was implanted intramuscularly for 3 weeks in ICR mice. Amounts of 10 μg rhBMP-4 and more (up to 100 μg) constantly induced heterotopic ossicle formation. BMP-4 was also combined with a collagen carrier and implanted for 2 and 4 weeks in the abdominal muscle of SD rats. While 0.4 μg BMP-4 showed no bone or cartilage formation, the amount of 40 μg BMP-4 showed new heterotopic cartilage formation, followed by endochondral ossification in almost all samples. The results prove that E. coli-expressed BMP-4 possesses the same inductive properties as mammalian-cell-expressed BMP-4.

An 81-year-old man presented with jaundice and a pancreatic tumor. 6 years ago transperitoneal nephrectomy had been performed because of a clear cell renal cancer (pT3b pN0 pM0).Laboratory tests showed normocytic anemia and signs of cholestasis. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a well-defined mass of the head of the pancreas with a diameter of about 4 cm, and a previously diagnosed adrenal mass which had slightly increased in size. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound demonstrated a hyperenhancing of the pancreatic mass, untypical for primary adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration disclosed a metastasis of the previously resected renal cancer.Bilary spincterotomy and stent insertion were performed. Because of proven pancreatic metastasis and suspected adrenal metastasis of renal cancer palliative treatment with multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib was initiated.Renal cell carcinomas are the most common primary tumors leading to pancreatic metastasis. In contrast to ductal adenocarcinoma pancreatic metastasis shows hyperenhancement when examined by using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration helps to confirm the suspected diagnosis.

Eine 56jahrige, kleinwuchsige und geistig behinderte Patientin wurde wegen heftiger retrosternaler Schmerzen mit Dyspnoe stationar aufgenommen. Es fand sich ein ausgedehnter Myokardinfarkt in der Vorderwand, der auch autoptisch gesichert wurde. Bei Aufnahme wurde erstmals die Diagnose eines Kretinismus mit ausgepragtem Myxodem gestellt, was sich durch die weiteren Laborparameter bestatigte. Schilddrusengewebe war lediglich am Zungengrund in einem Durchmesser von 3 mm nachweisbar. Im Hypophysenvorderlappen liesen sich neben nodularen Hyperplasien auch mehrere Mikroadenome von TSH-produzierenden Zellen nachweisen. TSH-Zelladenome bei Patienten mit einer lange bestehenden Hypopthyreose sind selten. Dabei sind kongenitale Hypoplasien als Ursache bislang nur in einigen wenigen Fallen beschrieben.

Until recently, two major types of colorectal epithelial polyps were distinguished: the adenoma and the hyperplastic polyp. While adenomas - because of their cytological atypia - were recognized as precursor lesions for colorectal carcinoma, hyperplastic polyps were perceived as harmless lesions without any potential for malignant progression, mainly because hyperplastic polyps lack cytological atypia. Meanwhile, it is evident that the lesions formerly classified as hyperplastic represent a heterogeneous group of polyps, some of which exhibit a significant risk of neoplastic progression. These lesions show characteristic epigenetic alterations not commonly seen in colorectal adenomas and progress to colorectal carcinoma via the so-called serrated pathway (CIMP pathway). This group of polyps is comprised not only of hyperplastic polyps, but also of sessile serrated adenomas (SSA), traditional serrated adenomas (TSA) and mixed polyps, showing serrated and "classical" adenomatous features. In a consensus conference of the working group of gastroenterological pathology of the German Society of Pathology, standardization of nomenclature and diagnostic criteria as well as recommendations for clinical management of these serrated polyps were formulated and are presented herein.

A 38-year-old woman (Pt. 1) and a 30-year-old man (Pt. 2) had been admitted, over a period of two months to the emergency unit. Pt 1. had complained of spasmodic pain with nausea and vomiting. A mass was palpated in the left upper abdominal quadrant. Pt. 2 had signs suggesting appendicitis, with pain in the right lower abdominal quadrant.Abdominal ultrasound showed an intussusception with a typical multilayered bowel wall ("target-like" or "bull's eye") sign in both patients. The man also had a normally appearing appendix and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes. TREATMENT, COURSE AND DIAGNOSIS: Pt. 1 had a laparotomy, which showed a leiomyoma of the small bowel. After resection the further course was uneventful. The intussusception of the 30-year-old man resolved spontaneously during the ultrasound examination. Further investigation revealed celiac disease.Intussusception is a possible cause of acute abdominal pain in adults. Ultrasonography should be the initial diagnostic investigation. Transient intussusceptions are seen in adults with celiac disease, in which case nonoperative treatment is possible.

Root extract from Pelargonium sidoides DC is used therapeutically as antimicrobial agent against infections of the respiratory system. In order to elucidate possible modes of actions we investigated the influence of P. sidoides root extract on microbial adhesion with Helicobacter pylori as model microorganism, a germ with a strong adherence to human stomach tissue. In an in-situ anti-adhesion assay intact human stomach tissue from patient resectates was incubated with fluorescent-labelled bacteria. Epithelial adhesion occurred in untreated samples and was quantified by fluorescent microscopy. Pre-treatment of the bacteria with Pelargonium extract showed good anti-adhesive activity. The antiadhesive effect was clearly dose-dependent in a range from 0.001 to 10 mg/ml. Within agar diffusion-test the extract had no direct cytotoxicity against H. pylori. The results show that the root extract from Pelargonium sidoides is a potent anti-adhesive agent against H. pylori and could therefore be a useful choice to avoid the first step of a bacterial infection.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are rare, mostly fibroblastic tumors usually situated in the pleura. Extrapleural manifestations have been described. However, the oral cavity is an uncommon localisation of this tumor. We report the very unusual case of an SFT affecting the tongue that could be removed completely because of its clear delineation. Intraoperative incisional biopsies were used to exclude malignancy. For definitive classification of the tumor, additional histopathologic examinations had to be carried out. Because SFT exhibit malignant behavior only in exceptional cases and their recurrence after complete removal has never been encountered, surgery can focus on the preservation of undisturbed function of the tongue.

Objectives: To review the presentation and characteristics of children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods: The records of children with sufficient American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE treated by the renal units of the Johannesburg and Chris Hani Baragwanath hospitals, and the arthritis clinic of the Johannesburg Hospital between January 1974 and March 2000 were reviewed. The clinical presentation, age distribution and race were examined.Results: A total of 36 children met the criteria. There were 26 girls and 10 boys, with a mean age of 11.5 and 10.2 years respectively. The male-to-female ratio was 1:2.6 overall, with a ratio of 1:1.2 under 10 years and 1:4 over 10 years. There were 15 white, 2 Indian and 5 coloured patients. The 14 black patients all presented after 1986. Rashes were found to be the commonest clinical feature present at the time of diagnosis, followed by polyarthritis and renal pathology. Constitutional symptoms were common, as were generalised lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly, while neurological, pulmonary and cardiac signs and symptoms were less common. Renal disease was present in 58% of patients on presentation.Conclusion: There is a diverse array of presenting features in childhood SLE. There has been increased recognition of the disease in young black South Africans since 1986.Journal of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of South Africa Vol. 10(2) 2005: 64-68

Performance testing is an important step in the development of any vehicle model. Generally, full-scale field tests are conducted to collect the dynamic response characteristics for evaluating the vehicle performance. However, with increases in computational power and the accuracy of simulation models, virtual testing can be extensively used as an alternative to the time consuming and costly full-scale tests, especially for severe maneuvers. Validation of the simulation results is critical for the acceptance of such simulation models. In this paper, a methodology for validating the vertical dynamic performance of a virtual vehicle has been discussed. The dynamic performance of a multi-wheeled combat vehicle model specially developed using a multi-body dynamics code was validated against the measured data obtained on the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center’s (ATC) test courses. The multi-wheeled combat vehicle variant computer simulation model was developed in TruckSim, a vehicle dynamic simulation software developed by the Mechanical Simulation Corporation. Prior to validating the model, the vehicle weights, dimensions, tires and suspension characteristics were measured and referenced in the specially developed computer simulation model. The data for the tire and suspension characteristics were acquired from the respective leading manufacturers in the form of look-up tables. The predictions of the vehicle vertical dynamics on different road profiles at various vehicle speeds were compared with the field test results. The time domain data for the vertical acceleration at the vehicle center of gravity, pitching, vehicle speed and the suspension/damper displacement were compared to analyze the feasibility of using the computer simulation models to predict the vertical dynamic performance of the vehicle. Based on the results it was found that the particular combat vehicle computer simulation model is capable of predicting the vertical dynamic performance characteristics.Copyright © 2005 by ASME

In previous studies we isolated a new cDNA fragment named C13 which is down-regulated in malignant prostate tissues. The corresponding gene is localized on chromosome 13q13 between the known tumour suppressor genes (TSG) BRCA-2 and RB-1.Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analyses were carried out in the region of C13 in order to investigate the importance of the new putative TSG for prostate cancer development. Using semiquantitative LOH analysis, we screened 21 prostate carcinoma patients of different tumour stages (pT2-pT4) for 14 microsatellite markers in the region of C13 (13q13) and in the flanking BRCA-2 and the RB-1 loci.For 18 (86%) patients LOH or allelic imbalances were found. We identified three to nine alterations in affected tumours per marker. An overall genetic alteration frequency per patient of 38% (86 of 225 informative cases) could be calculated. One important finding regarding the overall frequency of determined microsatellite instability is that the LOH/AI rate of 47% for the seven C13-associated markers was higher than for the four markers of the RB-1 locus (39%) and for the three BRCA-2 markers (25%). Surprisingly, defining LOH critical regions (LCR) for the investigated marker panel, eight of the ten affected LCR cases showed chromosomal imbalances simultaneously for the RB-1 and the C13 LOH markers.The high LOH rate for eight different microsatellite markers in and around the putative TSG locus C13 on chromosome 13q13 further supports an involvement of C13 in prostate tumourigenesis.