University of Kiel

About: University of Kiel is a education organization based out in Kiel, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Crystal structure. The organization has 27816 authors who have published 57114 publications receiving 2061802 citations. The organization is also known as: Christian Albrechts University & Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

Deep brain stimulation for the treatment of parkinson's disease

Abstract: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is increasingly accepted as an adjunct therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). It is considered a surgical treatment alternative for patients with intractable tremor or for those patients who are affected by long-term complications of levodopa therapy such as motor fluctuations and severe dyskinesias. Thalamic stimulation in the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) leads to a marked reduction of contralateral tremor but has no beneficial effect on other symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) are targeted for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease. Several studies have proven the efficacy of STN-DBS and GPi-DBS in alleviating off motor symptoms and dyskinesias. Sub-thalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation is currently considered superior to GPi-DBS because the antiakinetic effect seems to be more pronounced, allows a more marked reduction of antiparkinsonian medication, and requires less stimulation energy. More recently, however, a number of reports on possible psychiatric and behavioral side effects of STN-DBS have been a matter of concern. Given the chronic nature of PD and the noncurative approach of DBS, both targets will need to be reevaluated on the basis of their long-term efficacy and their impact on quality of life. Despite the rapidly increasing numbers of DBS procedures, surprisingly few controlled clinical trials are available that address important clinical issues such as: When should DBS be applied during the course of disease? Which patients should be selected? Which target should be considered? Which guidelines should be followed during postoperative care? Here is summarized the available evidence on DBS as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and the current state of debate on open issues.

The H1 detector at HERA

Abstract: General aspects of the H1 detector at the electron-proton storage ring HERA as well as technical descriptions of the magnet, luminosity system, trigger, slow-control, data acquisition and off-line data handling are given. The three major components of the detector, the tracking, calorimeter and muon detectors, will be described in a forthcoming article. The present paper describes the detector that was used from 1992 to the end of 1994. After this a major upgrade of some components was undertaken. Some performance figures from luminosity runs at HERA during 1993 and 1994 are given.

Value of body fat mass vs anthropometric obesity indices in the assessment of metabolic risk factors.

Abstract: To compare the value of body fat mass (%FM) to indirect measures of general (body mass index (BMI)) and central adiposity (waist circumference (WC); waist-to-height ratio (WC/ht)) for the prediction of overweight- and obesity-related metabolic risk in a study population with a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MSX). BMI, WC, WC/ht, body composition (by air-displacement plethysmography) and metabolic risk factors: triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), uric acid, systolic blood pressure (BPsys), insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in 335 adults (191 women, 144 men; mean age 53 ±13.9 years, prevalence of MSX 30%). When compared with BMI and WC, %FM showed weaker associations with metabolic risk factors, except for CRP and BPsys in men. In women, HDL-C and HOMA-IR showed the closest correlations with BMI. For all other risk factors, WC or WC/ht were the best predictors in both sexes. Differences in the strength of correlations between an obesity index and different risk factors exceeded the differences observed between all obesity indices within one risk factor. In stepwise multiple regression analyses, WC/ht was the main predictor of metabolic risk in both sexes combined. However, analysis of the area under receiver operating characteristic curves for prediction of the prevalence of ⩾2 component traits of the MSX revealed a similar accuracy of all obesity indices. At the population level, measurement of body FM has no advantage over BMI and WC in the prediction of obesity-related metabolic risk. Although measures of central adiposity (WC, WC/ht) tended to show closer associations with risk factors than measures of general adiposity, the differences were small and depended on the type of risk factor and sex, suggesting an equivalent value of methods.