Influence of physical activity on periodontal health in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A blinded, randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to investigate the effect of physical activity on periodontal health and HbA1c levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) over a period of 6 months. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with non-insulin-dependent T2DM were included in the study. The intervention group (n=20) performed physical activity over a period of 6 months. The control group (n=17) did not receive any intervention. Baseline and final examinations included dental parameters and concentrations of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). RESULTS: Physical activity showed a positive effect on periodontal health. Both the BOP (p= 0.005) and the severity of periodontitis (p= 0.001) were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group. Furthermore, HbA1c levels were reduced (p= 0.010) significantly in the intervention group while hsCRP levels significantly increased in the control group (p= 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this randomized, controlled trial, physical activity over a period of 6 months is a health-promoting measure for patients with T2DM and improves both periodontal health and HbA1c concentrations.

Quality monitoring, standardized documentation and management with a computerized system in oncology.

Within the last years the prerequisite was prepared to develop a computerized tumor--patient documentation system including quality monitoring and oncological therapy recommendations for every day use. In medicine today, there is an increasing need for quality oriented low cost and transparent management--what is especially true in the field of oncology. The German Federal Authority of Health demands the documentation of all tumor disorders for the establishment of an cancer registry. For these reasons our study group established the program "OncoDoc" in cooperation with the laboratory for Artificial Intelligence of the University Bremen.

[Neurolisteriosis with acute myelitis]. / Akute Myelitis bei Neurolisteriose.

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection with Listeria monocytogenes mostly affecting immunocompromised patients. In every fourth case, the CNS is involved, usually as meningoencephalitis. This case report of an immunocompetent woman represents the first one of neurolisteriosis initially presenting as cervical myelitis and progressing to supratentorial areas of the brain. Diagnosis was based on universal polymerase chain reaction from a cortical brain biopsy, followed by sequencing of the amplified rDNA gene. Under antibiotic treatment with gentamycin and ampicillin, the patient slowly recovered and has been improving ever since.

[Fetal arrhythmia]. / Fetale Arrhythmien.

Our present knowledge of fetal arrhythmias is described with reference to the literature and to the authors' personal experience. Most types of arrhythmia are harmless. Fetal tachyarrhythmias are of clinical importance, because of the danger of fetal cardiac insufficiency, and atrioventricular blocks because they are closely associated with infantile heart defects and maternal collagen disease. Problems of diagnosis and management are discussed.

[Cardiovascular changes of the foetal circulation during deceleration in acute foetal hypoxia (author's transl)]. / Kardiovaskuläre Anderungen des fetalen Kreislaufs während Dezelerationen bei akuter fetaler Hypoxie.

Acute foetal hypoxia trials were conducted in 11 foetuses of sheep. The following parameters were determined continuously besides heart rate, art. pO2, arterial and venous blood pressure: cardiac output, stroke volume and system resistance. Acute foetal hypoxia was produced in two ways: 1) Compression of the maternal vena cava The arterial blood pressure in the foetus is increased. This is reflected mainly by the systolic blood pressure. This increase is provoked by the increase in stroke volume (up to 100%). This increase in stroke volume is so great that the cardiac output is increased despite the onset of deceleration. The system resistance remains unchanged. 2) Maternal hypoxia In contrast to foetal hypoxia as described above, the increase of stroke volume is not so pronounced at the onset of deceleration, and the system resistance is increased. After termination of maternal hypoxia there is an abrupt change of system resistance back to the original value. Both types of foetal hypoxia will subsequently not differ significantly from each other.

[New aspects by the therapy of ovarian cancer--What changes after the ASCO-Meeting 2001]. / Neue Aspekte bei der Therapie des Ovarialkarzinoms - Was ändert sich nach dem ASCO-Meeting 2001?

The standard primary therapy of advanced ovarian cancer consists of platinum derivatives in combination with paclitaxel. In a first report presented at this year's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) docetaxel appeared to be as effective as paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin, while the toxicity profile present some advantages. The addition of a third drug to platinum-taxane-combination does not appear to improve the therapeutic index. According to the data of the ICON1- and ACTION-trial, carboplatin containing chemotherapies are associated with a significant benefit also in early ovarian cancer. Platinum-resistant disease remains a therapeutic challenge, since the available drugs display only limited activity of short duration. Some experimental data suggest evidence for a possible therapeutic role of small molecules that inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor (OSI-774) or antisense oligonucleotides interfering with EGF-receptor signalling (ISIS 5132). Novel classes of chemotherapeutic agents, including the acylfulvenes and the epothilone-analogues warrant further study in this disease. Multimodal therapies combining cytotoxic agents with antibodies against CA 12-5 or metalloproteinase inhibitors have failed to demonstrate any survival benefit in patients with ovarian cancer. Despite significant progress in the last decade ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynaecologic malignancy in women in most western countries. Further multicenter clinical studies are needed to better define new therapeutic options.

Differentiation between human fetal breathing patterns by investigation of breathing-related tracheal fluid flow velocity using Doppler sonography.

We report our results from the analysis of Doppler measurements of breathing-related fluid flow velocity waveforms in the trachea in human fetuses. Our aim was to determine whether, using the proposed method, reproducible patterns can be recognized over the latter half of gestation. Breathing-related tracheal fluid flow velocity of 47 normal fetuses at 20-39 weeks' gestation were analysed. Colour Doppler was used to document 'streaming' of fluid in the trachea, followed by spectral Doppler to record flow velocity waveforms. More than 40 (median 94; range 42-725) continuous breathing cycles (inspiration+expiration) were obtained in each case. Although breathing-related fetal tracheal fluid flow waveforms were found to be highly variable, we were able to distinguish by visual analysis between a regular and an irregular pattern. Among the regular patterns, we further differentiate between a regular symmetric (sinusoidal type) and a regular asymmetric (deep inspiration with expiratory flow retardation) pattern. The regular pattern occurred consistently in all age groups studied and there were no significant (p<0.05) differences in the occurrence rate of the regular symmetric and asymmetric pattern. The incidence of the regular pattern increased significantly (p<0.05) from 11.74+/-3.38% (mean +/- SEM) at 24-27 weeks to 20.72+/-1.75% at 28-31 weeks of gestation and remained constant thereafter. This study shows that the proposed method can provide detailed information on breathing-related tracheal fluid flow velocity as early as 20 weeks of gestation. The information that a regular symmetric pattern was observed throughout the second half of gestation is important. Hence, a higher standardization of on-going fetal breathing movements studies may be achieved by measuring breathing-related tracheal fluid flow velocity waveform parameters only during this pattern.

Pharmacokinetics and serum bactericidal activities of quinolones in combination with clindamycin, metronidazole, and ornidazole.

To enhance the antimicrobial spectrum of the quinolones against anaerobic organisms and gram-positive bacteria, we investigated in two studies the parenteral combinations of ciprofloxacin (200 mg) and ofloxacin (200 mg) with metronidazole (500 mg) or clindamycin (600 mg) and the oral combinations of enoxacin (400 mg) and fleroxacin (400 mg) with metronidazole (400 mg), clindamycin (300 mg), or ornidazole (500 mg) (only with fleroxacin). The pharmacokinetics and serum bactericidal activities (SBAs) against 5 aerobic and 2 anaerobic species (total, 58 strains) were determined in two groups of 10 healthy volunteers by using a randomized crossover study design. The additions of metronidazole, clindamycin, and ornidazole did not affect the pharmacokinetics of the quinolones. The combination of clindamycin with ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and, to a lesser extent, fleroxacin resulted in an increase of the SBA against gram-positive strains (mean peak titers): Staphylococcus aureus, ciprofloxacin alone, 1:5.5; ciprofloxacin-clindamycin, 1:19.9; ofloxacin alone, 1:3.6; ofloxacin-clindamycin, 1:17.5; fleroxacin alone, 1:4.3; fleroxacin-clindamycin, 1:8.1; Streptococcus pneumoniae (fleroxacin and enoxacin were not tested), ciprofloxacin alone, 1:2.0; ciprofloxacin-clindamycin, 1:53; ofloxacin alone, 1:2.6; and ofloxacin-clindamycin, 1:49.2. The high SBA of quinolones against gram-negative bacteria was not affected by the combinations; however, relatively low activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa were detected. In general, against anaerobic bacteria, low bactericidal activities were determined in both studies (mean peak titers ranged from 1:2.1 to 1:3.1; mean trough titers range from 1:2.0 to 1:2.9). In clinical settings with severe mixed infections, a parenteral therapy consisting of modern quinolones together with clindamycin or imidazole derivatives seems to be active and offers no obvious interactions.