Chlamydiae in febrile children with respiratory tract symptoms and age-matched controls, Ghana.

Members of the Chlamydiales order are obligate intracellular pathogens causing acute and chronic infectious diseases. Chlamydiaceae are established agents of community- and zoonotically acquired respiratory tract infections, and emerging pathogens among the Chlamydia-related bacteria have been implicated in airway infections. The role of both in airway infections in Africa is underexplored. We performed a case -control study on the prevalence of Chlamydiaceae and Chlamydia-related emerging pathogens in children with febrile respiratory tract infections in West Africa, Ghana. Using a pan-Chlamydiales broad-range real-time PCR, we detected chlamydial DNA in 11 (1.9%) of 572 hospitalized febrile children with respiratory tract symptoms and in 24 (4.3%) of 560 asymptomatic age-matched controls (p 0.03). Chlamydiaceae were found to be common among both symptomatic and healthy Ghanaian children, with Chlamydia pneumoniae being the most prevalent species. Parachlamydiaceae were detected in two children without symptoms but not in the symptomatic group. We identified neither Chlamydia psittaci nor Simkania negevensis but a member of a new chlamydial family that shared 90.2% sequence identity with the 16S rRNA gene of the zoonotic pathogen Chlamydia pecorum. In addition, we found a new Chlamydia-related species that belonged to a novel family sharing 91.3% 16S rRNA sequence identity with Candidatus Syngnamydia venezia. The prevalence and spectrum of chlamydial species differed from previous results obtained from children of other geographic regions and our study indicates that both, Chlamydiaceae and Chlamydia-related bacteria, are not clearly linked to clinical symptoms in Ghanaian children.

Partner orientation and speaker's knowledge as conflicting parameters in language production.

Two parameters of language production, the partner model and the mentally represented knowledge about a spatial constellation, are investigated with respect to their influence on spatial reference. At issue is whether the verbally expressed point of view in route directions is primarily influenced by the needs of the partner or by the underlying mental representation of the speaker stemming from his or her own experience with an object. Two experiments in which participants (N = 90) were asked to produce a set of route directions are reported. The experimental situation was such that the point of view of the speaker did not correspond to the point of view of the partner. The results show that more participants localize from their own point of view than from the point of view of the partner. Discussion centers on the fact that speakers do not always behave in a truly partner-oriented manner.

[Effects of knowledge acquisition on verbal linearization about spatial orientation]. / Einflüsse des Wissenserwerbs auf die Linearisierung beim Sprechen über räumliche Anordnungen.

This paper deals with determinants of linearization in spatial communication. The well-known linearization principles, such as the principle of natural order, primarily emphasize features of the given information. We assume that verbal linearization is in addition influenced by the speakers' knowledge acquisition. Six experiments with a total of 272 participants are reported here. A particular spatial constellation was presented to the participants, who were asked to talk about it afterwards. The linearizations then produced were defined as dependent variables. The results show that the linearizations were influenced by the speaker's experience with the configuration (according-to-experience effect) and also demonstrate the importance of the first encounter (anchor effect). Further characteristics of the effects mentioned above are described and discussed regarding memory research and psycho-linguistics.

[Effect of physical training on the aerobic-anaerobic transition in chronic liver diseases]. / Die Wirkung körperlichen Trainings im aerob-anaeroben Ubergangsbereich bei chronisch Leberkranken.

7 males, aged 30 to 60 years, with bioptically ascertained chronic liver diseases underwent a four-week preservance training programme on the bicycle ergometer in the aerobic-anaerobic transitional area (performance at 2-4 mmol 1(-1) lactate). The training caused a significant amelioration of the aerobic functional capacity of the test persons. The hypothesis of a liver-protective effect of the perserverance training was confirmed. The inclusion of a dosed physical training in the therapy and rehabilitation programme, respectively, of patients with chronic liver diseases can be recommended, particularly, since there is no causal medicamentous therapy of chronic liver diseases possible at present.

[Modification of plasma blood coagulation factor activity by physical stress]. / Beeinflussung der Aktivität plasmatischer Gerinnungsfaktoren durch körperliche Belastung.

The influence of physical stress (bicycle ergometer and track) on 13 parameters of the plasmatic coagulation system was investigated in trained and untrained test persons. Shortenings of the coagulation times as well as distinct increases of the activity or concentration were observed in the partial thromboplastin time (PTT), the factor VIII activity (VIII:C) and the factor VIII-associated antigen (VIIIR:Ag). The results are discussed with regard to their causes and their clinical importance.

[Skeletal muscle reaction to the loading limit. III. Changes in the contractile apparatus]. / Die Reaktion der Skelettmuskulatur auf Grenzbelastungen. III. Veränderungen des kontraktilen Apparates.

A description is given of the changes in the contractile apparatus of the skeletal muscle following extreme long-term exercise. In detail, they include Z-stripe dehiscences, myofibril disintegrations and destructions of single sarcomer . These findings are known from myopathology . A characteristic feature is their subsarcolemmic localisation. The pathogenesis is discussed. In connection with the alterations of the sarcolemma and the mitochondria as well as the increased endo- and exocytosis of the muscle fibre, the cause is seen in a local intracellular catabolism. At the same time, the possible importance to the effluence of enzymes, especially of creatine phosphokinase, is pointed out.

Plasma vasopressin and oxytocin in response to exercise and during a day-night cycle in man.

Plasma vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) were determined by radioimmunoassay in healthy young men before, during and after a running exercise until exhaustion. In four of the five test subjects (one subject was underloaded) physical load resulted in a marked increase in plasma AVP with peak values of 11.7 to 57.8 pg/ml at exhaustion. Plasma OXT increased in three test subjects with peak values of 4.5 to 23.9 pg/ml. Within 1 h of recovery, both neuropeptides returned to basal plasma levels. The relationship between plasma AVP and osmolality (p less than 0.001) suggests that changes in osmolality play a dominant role in regulating the secretion of AVP. Besides peripheral effects, the increased levels of AVP and/or OXT during and immediately after the exercise, respectively, might induce a favourable action on the brain function. Determination of plasma AVP and OXT during a day-night cycle in the same test subjects reveals increased AVP levels from 02.00 to 08.00 h as compared to the other time periods chosen (18.00--24.00 h, p less than 0.001; 08.00--16.00 h, p = 0.031). In contrast, OXT does not differ between these time periods but decreased from 08.00 to 16.00 h (p less than 0.01). Accordingly, no correlation exists between both neuropeptides suggesting an independent secretion. It is unclear whether the circadian variations shown are able to influence the neuropeptide response to exercise.

Metoprolol eyedrops 3%, a short-term comparison with pilocarpine and a five-month follow-up study. (Multicenter).

A comparative study comprising 30 patients with glaucoma and 11 ocular hypertensives showed that pilocarpine 2%-4% and metoprolol 3% lowered the intraocular pressure to the same extent over a 4-week period. The magnitude of effect corresponded to 29.0% of the untreated pressure level in the pilocarpine group and to 31.9% in the metoprolol group. No statistically significant difference in the pressure lowering effect was found between glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Sufficient control of the intraocular pressure could not be achieved in approximately 35% of the patients with metoprolol single therapy and a tendency towards fading efficiency of metoprolol was noted, but no significant tachyphylaxis appeared during a 5-month follow-up period. Local irritation was the predominant side-effect of metoprolol treatment. Objective adverse reactions recorded were transient, epithelial keratopathy (3 patients) and exanthema (1 patient). Deterioration of a pre-existing visual field defect was observed in one case.