[Preventive screening in two factories. I. Methods and results (author's transl)]. / Modell-Vorsorgeuntersuchung in zwei Betrieben. I. Methodik und Ergebnisübersicht

A screening study for coronary disease, chronical bronchitis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral circulatory disturbance and overweight is described. 2429 persons aged over 40 years and working in two factories were studied. Typical laboratory tests, a short standardised examination by a physician and a questionnaire were used. In a 10 per cent sample the questionnaire was repeated by an interview and the serum was sent to the laboratory not only by mail, but also by a special car transport in a cooled transport box. The results of the laboratory tests are presend according to age, sex and factory. The family doctor had to be informed in nearly 70 per cent of the men and about 60 per cent of the women because of at least one suspicious symptom or sign. There was a pathological value of glucose in the urine in 14.7 per cent, a rise of glucose in the blood (above 113 mg per cent) in 5.7 per cent, of triglicerides (above 181 mg per cent) in 12.6 per cent, of cholesterol (above 264 mg per cent) in 15.4 per cent, of uric acid (male above 7.7 mg per cent, female above 7.1 mg per cent) in 6.8 per cent, of creatinine (above 1.3 mg per cent) in 6.4 per cent and the presence of albumin in urine in 2.2 per cent of the cases.

[Preventive screening in two factories. II. Exactitude of laboratory tests and questionnaire (author's transl)]. / Modell-Vorsorgeuntersuchung in zwei Betrieben. II. Genauigkeit von Laborverfahren und Fragebogen

The exactitude of some widely used laboratory tests (triglycerids, cholesterol, glucose, uric acid, creatinine) is examined in a situation relevant for practising physicians. Different statistical methods for reporting errors are compared. Accuracy and precision are useful measures for the quality of analytic procedures. They are not sufficient for medical judgement for a single patient, since sampling procedures, type of sample or transport and storage of sample are not considered in accuracy and precision. Such sources of error can largely devaluate the quality of accuracy and precision and of the analytic procedures. Error coefficients are proposed as a new method of reporting laboratory errors. The mathematical model starts with an analysis of variance and total error, technical error and transport error are defined. The study shows that the error introduced by transporting serum via postal service compared to that conveyed in a cooled transport box by a special car is considerable. It is nearly impossible for a physican to use single laboratory value for a rational decision "normal-not normal" if the values are based on samples which are sent by postal service and if the values lie in the broad borderline between the normal and pathological area. This is especially true for creatinine (transport error 47.0 per cent) and uric acid (transport error 38.7 per cent), but not so much for cholesterol (22.9 per cent), triglicerids (14.3 per cent) and glucose (13.3 per cent). Variables with high transport error like creatinine should not be used in screening programs, as long as the transport is made by postal service and the method is not improved. The agreements between the answers of a questionnaire and of an interview are analysed with the same patients (n=235). These agreements lie between 98.7 per cent and 61.7 per cent depending on the single question. The exactitude of medical questionnaires is in the same size order as the exactitude of laboratory tests-at least when the sample is sent by postal service.

[Preventive screening in two factories. III. Relations between quantitative variables and questionnaire-items (author's transl)]. / Modell-Vorsorgeuntersuchung in zwer Betrieben. III. Zusammenhänge zwischen Messwerten und Antworten im Fragebogen

In the preceding articles a preventive screening model in two factories was described, the results were given and the exactitude of laboratory tests presented. In this paper the relations are studied between all the observed variables. Contingency-tables and the x2-statistic are used. For the 57 observed variables-(laboratory variables, e.g. triglicerides, cholesterol, glucose, uric acid, creatinine and questionnaire-items designed to screen for angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, claudicatio intermittens and bronchitis)-all possible contingency tables between two variables were calculated (1596 tables). The significant connections are reported in form of a hypothesis-matrix. There exists no statistical correlation between laboratory tests and questionnaire-items. The anamnestic questionnaire cannot be replaced by laboratory tests and vice versa. Nearly all items of the questionnaire are correlated. There are some correlations between laboratory tests, blood pressure and smoking habits.

[Characteristic electrolyte changes in the hereditary myopathy and cardiomyopathy of the Syrian golden hamster (strain BIO 8262) (author's transl)]. / Charakteristische Elektrolytveränderungen bei der erblichen Myopathie mit Kardiomyopathie des Syrischen Goldhamsters (Stamm BIO 8262)

In hamsters of differing ages suffering from a hereditary myopathy and cardiomyopathy (strain BIO 8262), the electrolytes sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in serum, and several tissues were compared with appropriate controls. The determinations of the electrolytes were performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. An enormous accumulation of calcium in the necrotizing heart and skeletal muscle was the noticeable feature besides pronounced elevation of the sodium content in the myopathic skeletal muscle. While the latter refers mainly to an interstitial edema which is a consequence of the myopathy, the calcium accumulation is assumed to be an essential part in the cycle of pathologic events occurring in the hereditary disease: it seems to induce the necrotization.

[Aqueous humor pH in experimental lye burns and influence of different treatment measures (author's transl)]. / Die Wasserstoffionenkonzentration des Kammerwassers nach Alkaliverätzungen der Hornhaut und deren therapeutische Beeinflussbarkeit. Eine tierexperimentelle studie

300 rabbit corneas were burned for 1 minute by applying a filter paper of 10 mm diameter soaked in different concentrations of NaOH. The aqueous humor pH was then measured at certain time intervals and after different treatment methods until the physiologic pH of 7.6 was reached. The results were statistically analysed. Group 1, 2 and 3 were burned in 1n NaOH, 3n NaOH, and 6n NaOH respectively without any treatment. In these groups a "therapeutic" pH-level of 8.5 was measured on an average 0.5, 2.5 and 5 hours after the burn (Table 1 and Fig. 2). Group 4 and 5 again were burned with 6n NaOH. In group 4 the burn was followed by constant irrigation with physiologic saline solution by means of the Morgan Therapeutic Lens (Fig. 1a and b). With this regimen a pH of 8.5 was reached after 2.5 hours (Table 1 and Fig. 3). In group 5 the physiologic saline solutions was replaced by a buffer solution (Isogutt) and a pH of 8.5 was measured after only one hour (Table 1 and Fig. 3). Based upon these results it is felt that severe lye burns should be treated by constant irrigation with a buffer solution for several hours. A treatment that can easily be performed by use of the Morgan Therapeutic Lens.

[Incorporation of autologous spongiosa into compact substance of bones in relation to the vitality of transplanted cells]. / Einbau autologer Spongiosa am Kompaktaknochen in Abhängigkeit von der Vitalität der transplantierten Zellen

Different types of autogenous cancellous grafts were inserted into both femora of 20 sheep subsequent to special preparation or lethal radiation. The results were indicative of the primary role of the amount of grafted cancellous substance rather than the vitality of the transplanted cells. As compared to the outstanding effectiveness of the muscle-periosteum-flap with its revascularizing ability the significance of the compact receptor bed is minimal. These facts enhance the importance of early formation of vessels and the quantity of the osseous fraction of the substance grafted.

[Spermatogonia counts in descended and undescended prebuberal testes (author's transl)]. / Spermatogonienzahlen in descendierten und nicht descendierten praepuberalen Hoden

The following conclusions which show the importance of time of medical treatment resulted from the examination of 288 testicular biopsies (including 46 controls) by statistical analysis in correlation to age. 1. There is no difference in the number of spermatogonia per tubule cross section of descended and undescended testes in children from birth to 2 years of age. 2. The number of spermtogonia in descended testes is not different in children from birth to 2 years in comparison to children aged 2-6 years. 3. A statistically significant decrease of spermatogonia takes place in the undescended testes of children from 2-6 years in comparison to children from birth to 2 years. 4. The difference in the number of spermatogonia of descended and undescended testes increases in children above the age of 2. It must be concluded from this study that the pathological alterations of the germinative epithelium increase in children beyond the age of 2. Assuming that pathological alterations of the germinative epithelium are caused by the dystopy of the testes, medical treatment should be carried out before the child is more than 2 years old.