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Biomedical subjects

A Eriksson

Publications and source records attributed to A Eriksson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Protocol for using signal peptide differential display and representational difference analysis to isolate differentially expressed cDNAs from fetal mouse brain.

Comparing female and male brain structures reveals a variety of sex differences in many vertebrates. Some of these differences are thought to be induced during the fetal period by the effect of steroid hormones produced in the gonads. Not much is known about molecular mechanisms involved in gender-specific development of the brain. We have taken a broad approach to isolate sex-specific genes from 18.5 days post coitum brain (A. Eriksson, C. Wahlestedt and K. Nordqvist. 1999. Isolation of sex-specific cDNAs from fetal mouse brain using mRNA differential display and representational difference analysis. Mol. Brain Res., 74, 91-97). Female and male mouse brains were screened with the signal peptide differential display, developed in our laboratory, and with a modified representational difference analysis of cDNA. The resulting sex-specific fragments were verified by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Here we describe these methods in detail.

Animals↗

Skateboarding injuries of today.

BACKGROUND: Skateboarding injuries have increased with the rise in popularity of the sport, and the injury pattern can be expected to have changed with the development of both skateboard tricks and the materials used for skateboard construction. OBJECTIVE: To describe the injury pattern of today. METHODS: The pattern of injuries, circumstances, and severity were investigated in a study of all 139 people injured in skateboarding accidents during the period 1995-1998 inclusive and admitted to the University Hospital of Umeå. This is the only hospital in the area, serving a population of 135 000. RESULTS: Three of the 139 injured were pedestrians hit by a skateboard rider; the rest were riders. The age range was 7-47 years (mean 16). The severity of the injuries was minor (AIS 1) to moderate (AIS 2); fractures were classified as moderate. The annual number of injuries increased during the study period. Fractures were found in 29% of the casualties, and four children had concussion. The most common fractures were of the ankle and wrist. Older patients had less severe injuries, mainly sprains and soft tissue injuries. Most children were injured while skateboarding on ramps and at arenas; only 12 (9%) were injured while skateboarding on roads. Some 37% of the injuries occurred because of a loss of balance, and 26% because of a failed trick attempt. Falls caused by surface irregularities resulted in the highest proportion of the moderate injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Skateboarding should be restricted to supervised skateboard parks, and skateboarders should be required to wear protective gear. These measures would reduce the number of skateboarders injured in motor vehicle collisions, reduce the personal injuries among skateboarders, and reduce the number of pedestrians injured in collisions with skateboarders.

Adolescent↗

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis and ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats.

We investigated the role of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in the remodeling of the left ventricle from 24 h to 12 wk after myocardial infarction in the rat. Infarct size planimetry, quantification of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) methodology, and echocardiography (left ventricular diastolic diameter and ejection fraction) were performed. Sham-operated animals showed low rates of cardiomyocyte apoptosis (0.03%) and no change in diastolic diameter or ejection fraction during the study. Twenty-four hours after infarction, TUNEL positivity was high in the infarct areas (1.4%) and border zones (4.9%). It declined to 0.34% (P < 0.01 vs. sham) at 4 wk and 0.10% at 12 wk in the border zones. In the remote myocardium, cardiomyocyte apoptosis increased to 0.07% (P = 0.03 vs. sham) on day 1 and remained on the same level up to 4 wk. The increase in diastolic diameter 1-4 wk after infarction correlated (r = 0.60, P < 0.01) with cardiomyocyte apoptosis in the noninfarcted myocardium, which quantitatively contributed most (>50%) to the apoptotic cell loss by 4 wk.

Animals↗

Teenager injury panorama in northern Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: To study non-fatal unintentional injuries among teenagers and to suggest preventive measures. SETTING: The emergency care unit of the University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden. METHODS: All injured teenagers (N = 1044) attending the emergency care unit during 1991 were asked to answer a questionnaire focusing on when, where and how the injury occurred. All available medical records were examined. Data were coded according to the Nordic Medico-Statistical Committees Classification for Accident Monitoring, NOMESCO, and to the Abbreviated Injury Scale, AIS. RESULTS: 1,043 teenagers were treated with sports and transportation related injuries as the most common ones. Most injuries were minor (AIS 1), transportation related injuries had the highest proportion of non-minor injuries (AIS > or = 2), 139 teenagers were admitted for in-patient care. Most injuries occurred during leisure/school time. CONCLUSIONS: Sports and transportation related injuries were most frequent. Body weight and length differs among teenagers, we suggest that teenagers should exercise and play together, not only by age, but also to some extent, to height and weight. Curfew laws, a compulsory bicycle helmet law are other injury reducing measures suggested.

Accident Prevention↗

Mobile autopsy teams in the investigation of war crimes in Kosovo 1999.

On request of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Danish-Swedish forensic teams worked in Kosovo during the summer and the fall of 1999. The teams worked mainly as "mobile teams" at sites with few graves. Only two larger sites were examined. Most of the bodies were buried separately. A few "multiple burial" graves were examined, but no mass graves were encountered. The main purpose of the autopsies was to establish the cause and manner of death. Identification was of less importance, but a majority of the bodies had been identified prior to the autopsy. A total of 308 bodies, mainly males, were examined. The age varied greatly with a mean age of 47 years. The most common cause of death was gun shot wounds and the most common manner of death was homicide.

Adolescent↗

[Low malignancy grade glioma in the Uppsala++/Orebro region. Prognostic factors and survival among 119 patients].

The benefit of surgery and radiotherapy for patients with low-grade gliomas is controversial. We studied case records of 119 patients diagnosed with low-grade glioma during 1987-1993 at our hospital. Statistical analysis was made on overall survival and on survival related to histological diagnosis and treatment modality. A large variation in survival of patients with similar histological diagnosis was seen. No correlation was found between survival and treatment modality. This clinical diversity probably reflects variations in tumor biological characteristics of low-grade gliomas. Greater understanding of the biology of these tumors will thus be needed for more effective therapies.

Adolescent↗

The expression of androgen receptors in human neck and limb muscles: effects of training and self-administration of androgenic-anabolic steroids.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of androgen receptors (AR) in human vastus lateralis and trapezius muscles and to determine whether long-term strength training and self-administration of androgenic-anabolic steroids are accompanied by changes in AR content. Biopsy samples were taken from eight high-level power-lifters (P), nine high-level power-lifters who used anabolic steroids (PAS) and six untrained subjects (U). Myonuclei and AR were visualised in cross-sections stained with the monoclonal antibody against AR and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. The proportion of AR-containing myonuclei per fibre cross-section was higher in the trapezius than in the vastus lateralis (P<0.05). In the trapezius, the proportion of AR-containing myonuclei was higher in P compared to U and in PAS compared to both P and U (P<0. 05). On the contrary, in the vastus lateralis, there were no differences in AR content between the three groups. Myonuclear number in both muscles was higher in P compared to U and in PAS compared to both P and U (P<0.05). In conclusion, AR content differs greatly between human neck and limb muscles. Moreover, the regulation of AR-containing myonuclei following training and self-administration of androgenic-anabolic steroids is muscle dependent.

Adult↗

Clinical outcome after successful coronary angioplasty: impact of intracoronary stent implantation.

The clinical outcome after successful conventional coronary balloon angioplasty is compared with that of stent implantation after 30 days and 12 months. The study took place at the Divisions of Cardiology and Thoracic Radiology, Norrland University Hospital, Umeå, a referral centre for northern Sweden. The first 100 consecutive patients with stable or unstable angina undergoing successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 1994 and the first 100 consecutive patients undergoing successful coronary stent implantation in 1995 were included. The cardiac endpoints studied were death, myocardial infarction, need for repeat PTCA or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Significantly more adverse cardiac events were observed in the PTCA group compared with the stent group. Event-free 12 months' follow-up (no deaths, myocardial infarction or re-intervention) was 64% in the PTCA group and 86% in the stent group (p < 0.005). The main explanation for the observed difference was a reduction in the need for a repeat PTCA (7 vs 18, p < 0.05) or CABG (4 vs 12, p < 0.05) in the stent group. Patients with stable or unstable angina who can be treated with a stent have a better clinical outcome than those treated with coronary balloon angioplasty only.

Angina Pectoris↗

Reduction mammaplasty provides long-term improvement in health status and quality of life.

The objective of this study was to assess health status and quality of life in macromastia patients undergoing reduction mammaplasty. From January of 1997 to June of 1997, the Department of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, at Stockholm Söder Hospital/Karolinska Hospital, conducted a prospective questionnaire study with preoperative and postoperative (6 and 12 months) assessments in 49 women who were 20 years or older. The questionnaire included four parts: Part I assessed pain (scale 1 to 10) in the neck, shoulders, back, breast, bra strap indention, and head. Part II assessed effects of breast size and weight on body posture, sleep, choice of clothing, sexual relations, and working capacity (scale 1 to 10). Part III assessed preoperative expectations for the operation in comparison with postoperative result (scale 1 to 6). Part TV included SF-36, an international health-related quality-of-life questionnaire, which has been standardized for Swedish women. As a result, reduction mammaplasty (mean resection weight, 1052 g) provided significant reduction of pain in all locations (p < 0.001). The improvements continued up to 12 months postoperatively. The patients' main subjective problems related to the size and weight of the breast were body posture and choice of clothing. The patients scored significant improvements of all subjective problems (p < 0.001), except sleep. The patients' expectations were met to a high extent. In some areas such as intimate situations, femininity, and social contacts, the results exceeded the preoperative expectations. Preoperatively, the mammaplasty patients scored significantly lower (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001, depending on area) in SF-36, i.e., the patients had lower quality of life compared with women in the same age group. Reduction mammaplasty resulted in significantly improved quality of life; furthermore, the results were similar after 6 and 12 months, indicating long-term improvement. In fact, after 1 year, there was no statistically significant difference between the patients who had been operated on and the age-matched women, i.e., the women were normalized in health-related quality of life as judged by the SF-36.

Adult↗

Inpatient care quality: analyzing Swedish hospitals with stroke as a tracer.

Mortality statistics are an important source of information concerning variations in time and place, identification of risk factors and the evaluation of treatment programs. In this study, a new death certificate was completed "blind" on the basis of hospital records from the last episode of care, across a random sample of 1,376 cases. The results showed that the overlap between the official register's underlying cause of death and that of a panel was 72 per cent at the three-digit level. The official underlying cause of death from cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) was 72 cases in this sample, while 93 were deemed to have CVD by a panel. Additionally, of the 1,233 cases originally reported as non-CVD, the panel deemed non-CVD to be the true underlying cause in 1,176 cases. The paper concludes that CVD was most often correctly reported as the underlying cause of death in the investigated ages up to 75 years but plain differences were found between specialities and in different hospital size.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

An ultrasonic method for noninvasive estimation of vascular impedance to an absolute level: in vitro validation of the relationship between impedance and phase velocity.

Vascular impedance is a quantity that characterizes the properties of the vascular bed. Assuming Newtonian fluid, laminar flow and linear system, impedance is related to phase velocity. The agreement between theoretical relationship and measured data is evaluated in an in vitro study. The setup consist of a computer-controlled flow generator, a variable fluid impedance and a measuring section. Phase velocity is calculated from multiple recorded vessel pulsations detected by ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. The reference impedance is calculated from simultaneously measured high-fidelity pressure and flow data. The impedance is analyzed in the range of 1-40 Hz with 1-Hz resolution. The evaluation of the noninvasive ultrasonic technique is focused on the resonance frequencies and the characteristic impedance. No significant difference (p > 0.05) is found in the resonance frequencies nor in the characteristic impedance. However, the impedance below 5 Hz is underestimated and the extension of the measuring section causes spatial averaging effects with reduced frequency resolution.

Analysis of Variance↗

Acoustic effects of variation in vocal effort by men, women, and children.

The acoustic effects of the adjustment in vocal effort that is required when the distance between speaker and addressee is varied over a large range (0.3-187.5 m) were investigated in phonated and, at shorter distances, also in whispered speech. Several characteristics were studied in the same sentence produced by men, women, and 7-year-old boys and girls: duration of vowels and consonants, pausing and occurrence of creaky voice, mean and range of F0, certain formant frequencies (F1 in [a] and F3), sound-pressure level (SPL) of voiced segments and [s], and spectral emphasis. In addition to levels and emphasis, vowel duration, F0, and F1 were substantially affected. "Vocal effort" was defined as the communication distance estimated by a group of listeners for each utterance. Most of the observed effects correlated better with this measure than with the actual distance, since some additional factors affected the speakers' choice. Differences between speaker groups emerged in segment durations, pausing behavior, and in the extent to which the SPL of [s] was affected. The whispered versions are compared with the phonated versions produced by the same speakers at the same distance. Several effects of whispering are found to be similar to those of increasing vocal effort.

Adult↗

Alcohol and unnatural deaths in Sweden: a medico-legal autopsy study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate alcohol involvement in all types of unnatural deaths in Sweden. METHOD: All cases of unnatural death that underwent medico-legal autopsies (1992-1996) in Sweden were analyzed (N = 15,630; i.e., 68% of all unnatural deaths). Alcohol was regarded as contributing to the death if: (1) there was any indication that the deceased was a "known alcoholic"; (2) the underlying or contributing causes of death were alcohol-related; (3) the deceased had alcohol-related inpatient diagnosis during a period of 3 years prior to death; or (4) the case tested positive for blood alcohol. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of the blood-tested cases (n = 13,099) were positive for alcohol. Almost 40% of the unnatural deaths were associated with alcohol. Alcohol involvement was most common in the intoxication group (84%), followed by the "undetermined" (65%), homicide (55%), fall (48%), fire (44%), asphyxia (41%), suicide (35%) and traffic (22%) groups. More than half (52%) of the deaths in the age group 30-60 years, 35% of those aged 0-29 years and 25% of those aged 60 and over were associated with alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: In Sweden, two of five unnatural deaths are associated with alcohol; this is a conservative estimate. Alcohol-associated mortality varies considerably between different groups of external causes of death, between men and women, and with age.

Accidents↗