Analysis of maternal mortality in Berlin, Germany - discrepancy between reported maternal mortality and comprehensive death certificate exploration.

Objectives: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates an average maternal mortality rate (MMR) of around 3.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for 2019-2021, based on relevant diagnoses on death certificates. However, Germany does not currently have a registry for recording the number of maternal deaths.

Organ-specific symptom patterns during oral food challenge in children with peanut and tree nut allergy.

Background: Peanut and tree nut allergies are common in childhood and often severe in nature. The clinical picture shows a wide variety of symptoms.

Objective: To analyze the distribution of clinical symptoms and severity during oral food challenges (OFC) in children.

Different Patterns of Foods Triggering FPIES in Germany.

Background: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy mainly affecting infants and young children. Allergic FPIES reactions differ from IgE-mediated food allergies, for example, regarding elicitors and clinical course.

Objective: The aim of our study was to describe causative agents and development of tolerance in German children with FPIES.

Scout-guided needle placement-a technical approach for dose reduction in CT-guided periradicular infiltration.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a technical approach for CT-guided periradicular infiltration using quantitative needle access and guidance parameters extracted from CT scout images.

Methods: Five 3D-printed phantoms of the abdomen mimicking different patients were used to develop a technical approach for scout-guided periradicular infiltration. The needle access point, puncture depth, and needle angulation were calculated using measurements extracted from anterior-posterior and lateral CT scout images.

Characterization of office laser printers for 3-D printing of soft tissue CT phantoms.

The purpose of our study is to develop and evaluate a method for radiopaque 3-D printing (R3P) of soft tissue computed tomography (CT) phantoms with office laser printers. Five laser printers from different vendors are tested for toner CT attenuation. A liver phantom is created by printing CT images of a patient liver on office paper.

Paper-based 3D printing of anthropomorphic CT phantoms: Feasibility of two construction techniques.

Objectives: To develop and evaluate methods for assembling radiopaque printed paper sheets to realistic patient phantoms for CT dose and image quality testing.

Methods: CT images of two patients were radiopaque printed with aqueous potassium iodide solution (0.6 g/ml) on paper.

A radiopaque 3D printed, anthropomorphic phantom for simulation of CT-guided procedures.

Objectives: To develop an anthropomorphic phantom closely mimicking patient anatomy and to evaluate the phantom for the simulation of computed tomography (CT)-guided procedures.

Methods: Patient CT images were printed with aqueous potassium iodide solution (1 g/mL) on paper. The printed paper sheets were stacked in alternation with 1-mm thick polyethylene foam layers, cut to the patient shape and glued together to create an anthropomorphic abdomen phantom.

The component-specific to total IgE ratios do not improve peanut and hazelnut allergy diagnoses.

Background: Specific IgE measurement predicts the outcome of oral food challenges with considerable uncertainty when evaluating food allergy.

Objective: Our aim was to assess whether accounting for the ratio of component- or allergen-specific to total IgE can improve this prediction.

Methods: This multicenter study collected blood samples from children with suspected peanut or hazelnut allergy referred to allergy specialist clinics for food challenges.

Predictive values of component-specific IgE for the outcome of peanut and hazelnut food challenges in children.

Background: Oral challenges are the gold standard in food allergy diagnostic, but time-consuming. Aim of the study was to investigate the role of peanut- and hazelnut-component-specific IgE in the diagnostics of peanut and hazelnut allergy and to identify cutoff levels to make some challenges superfluous.

Methods: In a prospective and multicenter study, children with suspected peanut or hazelnut allergy underwent oral challenges.

Surfactant protein D inhibits early airway response in Aspergillus fumigatus-sensitized mice.

Background: The surfactant protein SP-D has been reported to reduce bronchial hyper-responsiveness, blood eosinophilia, and T-helper type 2 cytokines in models of allergic asthma. However, little is known about the functional effect of SP-D on the early airway response upon allergen inhalation, which is an important feature of this disease.

Objective: We investigated whether SP-D is able to reduce the immediate allergen-induced mediator release and the early bronchial obstruction in addition to its effects on airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in an Aspergillus fumigatus mouse asthma model.

Invasive versus noninvasive measurement of allergic and cholinergic airway responsiveness in mice.

Background: This study seeks to compare the ability of repeatable invasive and noninvasive lung function methods to assess allergen-specific and cholinergic airway responsiveness (AR) in intact, spontaneously breathing BALB/c mice.

Methods: Using noninvasive head-out body plethysmography and the decrease in tidal midexpiratory flow (EF50), we determined early AR (EAR) to inhaled Aspergillus fumigatus antigens in conscious mice. These measurements were paralleled by invasive determination of pulmonary conductance (GL), dynamic compliance (Cdyn) and EF50 in another group of anesthetized, orotracheally intubated mice.

Controlled oral food challenges in children--when indicated, when superfluous?

The diagnostic work-up of suspected food allergy includes the skin prick test (SPT), the measurement of food specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies using serologic assays, and more recently the atopy patch test (APT). For specific serum IgE and the SPT, decision points have been established for some foods allowing prediction of clinical relevance in selected cases. The APT may be helpful, especially when considered in combination with defined levels of specific IgE.

Specific IgE levels do not indicate persistence or transience of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Food allergy in early childhood usually resolves with time; however, little is known about predictors for persistence or transience of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether specific IgE levels in serum could be a useful predictor of the outcome of oral re-challenges.

Methods: In 74 children, 99 oral food challenges were performed (cow milk n = 48, hen egg n = 37, and wheat n = 14) and repeated after a median time interval of 16 months.

Differential effects of estradiol, raloxifene and tamoxifen on estrogen receptor expression in cultured human skin fibroblasts.

The balance between ER-alpha and ER-beta in fibroblasts may be crucial in the physiological response to ligands. Up- or down-regulation of the ERs in response to different compounds could mediate the reversal of certain age-related changes in skin and connective tissue. The time-dependent effects of 17-beta estradiol, raloxifene and tamoxifen on ER-alpha and ER-beta mRNA expression in the skin fibroblast cultures were performed.

Importance of chamber size for the outcome of atopy patch testing in children with atopic dermatitis and food allergy.

Because the small backs of young children offer little space for atopy patch testing, it would be helpful to use smaller chambers. We therefore compared 6-mm chambers with the 12-mm chambers used in previous studies. We performed 55 double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges in 30 children (17 boys, 13 girls) aged 3 to 58 months (median, 13 months).

17beta-estradiol enhances cortical cholinergic innervation and preserves synaptic density following excitotoxic lesions to the rat nucleus basalis magnocellularis.

Estradiol exerts beneficial effects on neurodegenerative disorders associated with the decline of cognitive performance. The present study was designed to further investigate the effect of 17beta-estradiol on learning and memory, and to evaluate its neuroprotective action on cholinergic cells of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis, a neural substrate of cognitive performance. Female rats were ovariectomized at an age of 6 months.

Predictors of positive food challenge outcome in non-IgE-mediated reactions to food in children with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis is frequently associated with food allergy. In general, clinically manifested food allergy is regarded as IgE mediated. However, there are some children with food allergy for whom IgE hypersensitivity cannot be proven.

Atopy patch tests, together with determination of specific IgE levels, reduce the need for oral food challenges in children with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis is commonly associated with food allergy. In addition to skin prick tests (SPTs) and measurements of specific IgE levels, the atopy patch test (APT) has recently been introduced into the diagnostic procedure for food allergy.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate whether a combination of allergologic tests could improve the prognostic value of the individual tests for positive food challenge results.

Missed abortion complicated by Candida infection in a woman with rested IUD.

Although Candida species are frequent saprophytes of the female genital tract, chorioamnionitis or intrauterine fetal infections are rarely caused by these fungi. The present report describes a 34-year-old woman G2, P2, presenting with vaginal bleeding in the 11.6 weeks of gestation.

What safety measures need to be taken in oral food challenges in children?

Background: Food allergens are often accused of causing numerous ailments. This is particularly true for the pediatric population, where the incidence of food allergy is four times as high as in adults. As food challenges may provoke life-threatening reactions, intensive safety measures need to be taken during provocation, and prompt medical intervention may become necessary.

Heat shock proteins and heat shock protein-antibody complexes in placental tissues.

Objective: The relationship between pregnancy outcome and expression of the heat shock proteins (hsps) or hsp-antibody complexes of 60kD (hsp60), 70kD (hsp70), and 90kD (hsp90) in placental tissue and circulating antibodies to hsps was evaluated.

Method: Expression of hsp60, hsp70, and hsp90 in placentae from 12 women with preterm birth, eight with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and 10 with term birth, as well as the presence of the corresponding antibodies, was investigated by a new carbocyanine double fluorescence technique. Results were compared with microbiological findings and circulating antibodies to hsps in sera.

HCG secretion by peripheral mononuclear cells during pregnancy.

Peripheral mononuclear cells (MNC) in culture release a biologically active hCG. This effect is detectable during pregnancy with a maximum between the 9th and 16th wk. Peripheral MNC already secrete hCG between the 7th and 11th d after embryo transfer.