[Chronic pulmonary diseases: point of view of partners and their assessments with regard to the effects of lung sports]. / Chronische Lungenerkrankung: Sicht der Partner und deren Einschätzung bezüglich der Effekte von Lungensport.

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases of the respiratory organs have, besides restrictions of lung function, also physical, mental and social consequences. The chronic disease impacts negatively not only the patient's own quality of life but also that of his/her partner and/or relative. As treatment modalities, besides drug therapy, above all outpatient rehabilitation measures have proved to be effective. In this pilot study we sought answers to three questions: (i) How is the quality of life of the patient's partner and/or relative influenced by the disease? How does the partner/relative assess the effect of the disease on the chronically ill patient? How does the partner/relative assess the effect of lung sports on the chronically ill patient? METHODS: A specially conceived questionnaire was given to the partners/relatives of 25 patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. The patients, 23 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 2 with pulmonary fibrosis, have been participating in lung sports once a week for more than three years. The average age of the patients was 67 years. RESULTS: The patients' illness also negatively influenced the quality of life of the partner to a considerable extent. The impact of the patients' pulmonary disease on the healthy partner was assessed as being rather moderate. Restrictions of social life were essentially influenced by the amount of assistance required by the pulmonary patient. The therapeutic effects of lung sports on the well-being of the patient were aways considered to be positive by the respective partner/relatives. CONCLUSION: A chronic pulmonary illness also has a negative influence on the partner/relative's quality of life. The necessity for extensive assistance in daily life is accompanied by a considerable negative impact on the partner's quality of life. According to the opinion of the partner/relative, lung sports have positive effects in all of the chronically ill patient's fields of life.

Reactive oxygen species induce reversible capacitation in human spermatozoa.

Leucocytospermia has been associated with reduced sperm motility and decreased capacity for sperm-egg interaction. This effect could be mediated through reactive oxygen species (ROS), which, at high concentrations, induce lipid peroxidation and cellular death. The high impact on sperm capacitation reported in other mammalians should be more accurately assessed in the human because premature activation could affect sperm fertilizing capacity. The aim of this study was to evaluate both the effect of ROS on sperm capacitation and the protective role of seminal plasma. Spermatozoa selected by Percoll gradient were incubated with polymorphonuclear (PMN) granulocytes isolated from blood and activated by phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Different seminal plasma concentrations were added immediately or after 3-h incubation. Afterwards, ROS production was evaluated by luminescence and sperm capacitation by chlortetracycline stain. In PMN granulocytes and sperm suspensions, the basal ROS production was < 32 x 103 relative luminescence units (RLU). After stimulation with PMA, the rate of ROS production by PMN increased to 1,287 x 103 RLU. Incubation of sperm with activated PMN resulted in an increase of sperm capacitation (37% versus 19% in the control). Immediate addition of seminal plasma caused a significant reduction in ROS (P < 0.01) and prevented sperm from capacitating. A higher effect in inhibition of sperm capacitation was observed when seminal plasma had been added after 3-h incubation. The results suggest that human sperm capacitation can prematurely be induced by exogenous ROS and this effect can be reversed by seminal plasma. Thus, human sperm capacitation is another functional parameter that may be affected by nonphysiological ROS production.

Trapping and survival probability in two dimensions.

We investigate the survival probability Phi(n,c) of particles performing a random walk on a two-dimensional lattice that contains static traps, which are randomly distributed with a concentration c, as a function of the number of steps n. Phi(n,c) is analyzed in terms of a scaling ansatz, which allows us to locate quantitatively the crossover between the Rosenstock approximation (valid only at early times) and the asymptotic Donsker-Varadhan behavior (valid only at long times). While the existence of the crossover has been postulated before, its exact location has not been known. Our scaling hypothesis is based on the mean value of the quantity S(n), the number of sites visited in an n-step walk. We make use of the idea of self-interacting random walks, and a "slithering" snake algorithm, available in the literature, and we are thus able to obtain accurate survival probability data indirectly by Monte Carlo simulation techniques. The crossover can now be determined by our method, and it is found to depend on a combination of c and n. It occurs at small Phi(n,c) values, which is typically the case for large values of n.

Croconazole in the treatment of tinea pedis.

Croconazole hydrochloride is a new antifungal agent of the imidazole type. A 1% croconazole cream (Pilzcin, Merz + Co., D-Frankfurt/Main) was investigated in a multicentre trial involving 132 patients (mean age 46.7 +/- 15.5 years; 69 men, 63 women) suffering from tinea pedis (interdigital space, n = 86; other foot sites, n = 46). The fungal infections were caused predominantly by Trichophyton rubrum (interdigital space, n = 43; other foot sites, n = 33), followed by other Trichophyton and Candida species. The patients were treated once daily for a period of up to 3 weeks. In the majority of cases complete cure was achieved at both locations. On fungal microscopy no fungi were seen after 3 weeks in 82.6% of patients in the 'interdigital space' group and in 80.4% of patients in the 'other foot sites' group. Two weeks after the end of the treatment no fungi could be found in culture in 81.4% of the patients in the 'interdigital space' group and in 80.4% of patients in the other group. All skin symptoms of the mycoses (itching, scaling, erosions, reddening) decreased during the observation period. In 82.6% of patients in the 'interdigital space' group and in 76.1% of patients treated in the 'other foot sites' group efficacy was rated by the physician as good or very good. Tolerability was evaluated as good or very good in 90.7% and 89.1% of the cases. Local skin intolerabilities were not observed. The therapeutic results show that croconazole cream, when applied once a day, is an effective and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of tinea pedis, regardless of its location.

[Antistreptolysin-o latex test. A simple screening method for the determination of antistreptolysin-o antibodies]. / Der Antistreptolysin-O Latextest. Einfache Screeningmethode zur Bestimmung von Antistreptolysin-O Antikörpern

Experiences with a rapid latex slide test to distinguish elevated fron normal antistreptolysin-O titers are reported. A series of 1000 randomly selected sera were tested in parallel with the ASO latex test and the classical antistreptolysin-O titration test. All sera with an ASO titer of more than 200 I.U. produced a positive agglutination with the ASO latex test. No false negative results were recorded. 6,2% of the sera with a positive ASO latex test exhibited less than 200 I.U. in the titration test. A further advantage of the ASO latex test, apart from its easy practicability, is that it is not inhibited by serum lipids like the hemolytic titration test. The dextransulphate precipitation method combined with the ASO titration showed no advantaged when compared with the ASO latex test combined with the ASO titration without dextransulphate. When patients in our series with ASO TITERS OF 500 AND MORE I.U. were considered in relation to their clinical diagnosis it as found that infections with beta-hemolytic streptococci would not be overlooked, when the ASO latex test is used as a screening procedure. The ASO latex test therefore all s a considerable reduction of personnel and working time. It is however, essential that industry should keep the quality of latex reagents strictly standardized.