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Biomedical subjects

A Eriksson

Publications and source records attributed to A Eriksson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Drug and alcohol use among injured motor vehicle drivers in Sweden: prevalence, driver, crash, and injury characteristics.

Injured motor vehicle drivers who were hospitalized (Umeå: n = 130) and fatally injured drivers who were autopsied (Umeå, Northern Sweden: n = 111; Gothenburg, Western Sweden: n = 136) from May 1991 through December 1993 were tested for alcohol and for both licit and illicit drugs. Nineteen percent of the Umeå-hospitalized drivers (UHDs), 26% of the Umeå fatally injured drivers (UFDs), and 21% of the Gothenburg fatally injured drivers (GFDs) tested positive for drugs and/or alcohol. Ten percent of the UHDs, 8% of the UFDs, and 6% of the GFDs tested positive for drugs. Almost 5% of the UHDs, had illicit drugs, and 6% had licit drugs. Only 3% of the GFDs and none of the UFDs had illicit drugs. Benzodiazepines, followed by opiates, tetrahydrocannabinol, and amphetamine were the most common drugs detected. Twelve percent of the UHDs, 24% of the UFDs, and 17% of the GFDs tested positive for alcohol. Two percent of the UHDs, 6% of the UFDs, and 2% of the GFDs had a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

GABA uptake sites in frontal cortex from suicide victims and in aging.

The binding of [3H]nipecotic acid to GABA uptake sites was studied in post mortem human frontal cortex from 17 suicide victims and 21 controls without known neurological or psychiatric disorder. The suicide victims were subclassified according to the use of violent or non-violent methods and to the presence or absence of a known history of a depressive disorder. No difference was found between the suicide victims and the controls with regard to [3H]nipecotic acid binding to GABA uptake sites (Bmax) and apparent affinity (Kd). No differences were found either with regard to method of suicide or whether a depressive symptom existed or not. The binding of [3H]nipecotic acid to GABA uptake sites was also studied in post mortem human frontal cortex with regard to aging. The age of the subjects ranged from 16 to 84 years. No significant difference in either Bmax or Kd was found. The present findings suggest that the GABA uptake sites in the human frontal cortex are not subjected to regulation or degenerative changes in conditions investigated.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Comparison between blood analysis and police assessment of drug and alcohol use by injured drivers.

Official statistics for alcohol/drug use by drivers can influence the introduction of intervention measures against impaired driving. Thus, the validity of official statistics is important. Since official statistics are based on police assessment of inebriation, the present study was aimed at investigating this issue by comparing blood analysis with the rate of police detection of alcohol/drug use by injured drivers. All injured motor vehicle drivers who were hospitalized (HD) (Umeå: n = 104) and all fatally-injured drivers (FD) who were autopsied (Umeå, Northern Sweden: n = 110; Gothenburg, Western Sweden: n = 133) from May 1991 through Dec 1993 were tested for alcohol and both licit and illicit drugs. The findings of the blood analyses were compared with police assessment of inebriation. In the HD, the police suspected inebriation in 13% (n = 13) whilst blood analyses showed drug and or alcohol in 18% (n = 19) of the drivers (sensitivity 69%; specificity 97%). In the FD, the police suspected inebriation in 7% (n = 16) of the drivers whilst blood analyses showed drug and/or alcohol in 23% (n = 57) of the drivers (sensitivity 53%; specificity 100%). The blood alcohol-positive HD who the police suspected to be inebriated had significantly higher mean blood alcohol concentrations than those not suspected. To avoid biased statistics, official statistics on inebriation of injured drivers should be based on blood analysis of drug/alcohol and not on police assessment.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1997

Development of tympanosclerosis: can predicting factors be identified?

HYPOTHESIS: The etiological hypothesis is that there might be factors triggering an immunological chain reaction that eventually leads to tympanosclerosis formation. BACKGROUND: Tympanosclerosis is a condition leading to a calcification process in the middle ear and, occasionally, also to the lining of the inner ear. This sometimes leads to hearing loss due to fixation of the middle ear ossicles. In severe cases. deafness may occur as a result of the inner ear impairment. Surgery is the treatment offered, often with poor long-term results, and, alternatively, prescription of hearing aids. Some patients develop tympanosclerosis after mild inflammatory otitis media processes whereas some heal without tympanosclerosis after more aggressive infections. This difference may be due to individual variations in the inflammatory response. The biological mechanism of calcification in tympanosclerosis is probably similar to that occurring in other calcifying tissues due to diseases. METHODS: The present investigation was performed to develop methods for immunohistochemical analyses of this delicate tissue consisting of both hard bone and the very thin tympanic membrane. Sprague-Dawley rats were inoculated with a suspension of Streptococcus pneumoniae, type 3, into the middle ear and sacrificed after 1 week up to 6 months. A new technique was elaborated where the whole specimen was prefixed briefly and then en bloc incubated with the primary antibodies and after that decalcified in edetic acid (EDTA). Primary antibodies against macrophages were used for the immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Acute otitis media was successfully induced in the rats and myringosclerosis was seen in 30% of the animals, often localized close to the bony frame where macrophages could also be detected. CONCLUSIONS: Acute otitis media and myringosclerosis were introduced in the animals. Conventional immunological techniques were tested on this delicate tissue. A new method for immunohistochemical staining was elaborated in which specimens were stained en bloc before decalcification and sectioning were performed. Expression of macrophages was demonstrated in the tympanic membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Vehicle-related fatalities among Swedish conscripts.

All traffic fatalities among conscripts in Sweden from 1979 through 1988 (N = 106) were studied. More than half (58%) of the victims were on leave, nearly one-third (30%) were traveling to or from the regiment, and 13 (12%) were on duty. Forty-one percent of the drivers on leave who were involved in crashes were inebriated; the mean blood alcohol concentration was 1.6 g/kg. Fifty-two percent of the conscripts on leave were injured in single-vehicle crashes. Fatalities occurring during travel to or from the regiment most often occurred in crashes with another vehicle (69%), and all the drivers were sober. At least one of the fatally injured drivers on duty was inebriated, and in another two crashes, safety belts were not used although this was compulsory for both passengers and drivers. We conclude that collective travel could reduce the danger in traveling to and from the regiment. In addition, identifying alcohol abusers and preventing them from driving is of prime importance. Increased use of safety belts and installation of airbags should also be beneficial as well.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Transfer of radiocaesium in sensitive agricultural environments after the Chernobyl fallout in Sweden. I. County of Gavleborg.

In 1986, 15 farms in the Chernobyl-affected area of the county of Gavleborg were investigated for radiocaesium transfer to grass and cereal grain. The soil surface layer (0-5 cm) in 1986 and the crop products in 1986-1994 were analysed. The aim was to study the impact of site and soil characteristics on sensitivity of 137Cs transfer in a long-term perspective. The transfer was much higher to grass than to cereal grain. For both crop products, however, there was a considerable annual reduction. For grass, and especially in the fallout year 1986, the transfer depended on interception capacity of the stubble and grass sward, on soil fertility and K-fertilization as well as on dilution by crop growth. In the following years, the annual reduction in transfer to grass was reduced by a factor of 2 to 100. Both ploughing through the surface layer and the mixing of radiocaesium with soil contributed to a decreased transfer of radiocaesium to crops. Thick stubble and grass sward on the grassland sites was the main reason for a lag period of high persistent transfer. The annual reduction was less on organic than on mineral soils. Measures to decrease the transfer to crops are discussed in relation to a new concept to evaluate the long-term behaviour of 137Cs in agricultural environments.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1996

Induction of fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 mRNA and protein by platelet-derived growth factor BB.

Expression levels of growth factor receptors are subject to complex regulation, which is of consequence for their signaling capacity in physiological and pathological processes. We examined the regulation of expression levels of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR-1) in human fibroblasts treated with a panel of growth regulatory factors. Only platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) treatment had a significant effect and induced FGFR-1 mRNA levels fourfold, with a peak around 8 h of stimulation. The increase in mRNA levels was followed by an increased synthesis of FGFR-1 protein, which responded to basic FGF (bFGF) stimulation with induction of kinase activity and biological signaling. Thus, murine brain endothelial cells displayed an augmented induction of plasminogen activator activity in response to bFGF, following treatment with PDGF-BB. These data suggest that PDGF-BB could support FGFR-1-mediated biological responses in processes such as angiogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Brain monoaminergic and neuropeptidergic variations in human aging.

The effect of age on the monoamines 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA), their metabolites 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4-dihydroxphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and the 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP), together with the peptides neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin (SOM), and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), was studied in frontal cortex, gyrus cinguli and hypothalamus from 23 healthy control subjects, aged 16-75 years. After correcting for postmortem interval, significant decreases in gyrus cinguli NA, NPY and CRF, and hypothalamic DA, HVA, and 5-HIAA concentrations were obtained with advancing age. The involvement of the monoaminergic system in several functional abnormalities appearing in senescence is suggested. Furthermore, evidence is given of the participation of the peptidergic systems in the aging process.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Role of disease in initiating the crashes of fatally injured drivers.

All autopsied car drivers (n = 480) aged > or = 18 years, who were fatally injured and died within 3 days of the crash in northern Sweden over a 13-year period were studied. A grading system was developed to assess the probability of contribution of intrinsic medical factors to the crash. This system takes into account both the risk of sudden incapacitation (inability to cope), based on intrinsic medical factors revealed in the medical history and at autopsy, and extrinsic non-medical contributing factors. Almost one quarter of the drivers were found to have intrinsic medical factors. Intrinsic medical factors were more common in males than in females. Drivers with intrinsic medical factors were often at fault and usually crossed over to the wrong side of the road and crashed into an oncoming vehicle or roadside object. In 6% of the drivers, intrinsic medical factors were probably the underlying cause of the crash; in 1.3% the probability was strong. In the > or = 60-year-old group, intrinsic medical factors were the underlying cause of the crash in 19% of the cases; the probability was strong in 4%.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Carbon monoxide suicide from car exhausts.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: the aim of the study was to analyse the victims and circumstances in carbon monoxide suicides from car exhausts in order to find strategies for mitigation of the suicide risk. DESIGN: necropsy, police and hospital records were scrutinized for 194 victims who committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhausts during a four-year period in Sweden. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: the State Institutes of Forensic Medicine in Umeå and Stockholm. RESULTS: a higher incidence (24.2/million population) was seen in the rural region than in the urban region (14.9). Males dominated (88%), most of them middle aged. Most victims committed suicide in a car outdoors. A vacuum cleaner tube connected to the compartment was most commonly used. Severe disease, mostly psychiatric, was seen in 61% of the victims. Drugs were detected in 8% of the victims under psychiatric treatment. In 37%, earlier suicide behaviour was documented. Suicide notes were found in 40%. Blood alcohol was detected in 51% of the victims and other drugs in 7%. CONCLUSIONS: environmental changes may reduce the number of carbon monoxide suicide from car exhausts, e.g. introduction of a law requiring catalyst exhaust, of automatic idling stop, and of exhaust pipes incompatible with vacuum cleaner tubes. The importance of accurate treatment of psychiatric patients is stressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Irreversible hydrocolloids for crown and bridge impressions: effect of different treatments on compatibility of irreversible hydrocolloid impression material with type IV gypsums.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this research were: 1) to determine if the compatibility between irreversible hydrocolloids (alginates) and type IV gypsums (die stones) is affected by different treatments of the impressions before pouring, and 2) to present a rating system based on Ryge's system for clinical evaluation in order to classify the quality of gypsum casts using detail reproduction and surface structure as criteria. METHODS: Impressions were taken on a Plexiglas staircase (heights of the steps 15-82 microns) with six irreversible hydrocolloids designed for crown and bridge and ten type I and II irreversible hydrocolloids. Impressions of each brand were divided into four groups. One group was treated with 2% potassium sulfate, the second with water, the third with an alginate stabilizer, Sorbanat (Guilini Chemie), and as a control, a fourth group which was not allowed to come into contact with any liquid, i.e., the impressions were poured dry. The differently treated impressions were poured with ten type IV gypsums. The quality of all gypsum casts was then judged according to the rating system. RESULTS: All the irreversible hydrocolloids, if correctly treated before pouring with a compatible gypsum, could reproduce details of 20 microns. Detail reproduction did not improve with the use of 2% potassium sulfate solution compared to water or if the impressions were poured "dry". In general, the alginate stabilizer produced casts with significantly better detail reproduction and surface structure. SIGNIFICANCE: The results show that dentists and dental technicians need to know how each specific irreversible hydrocolloid should be treated and also with which type IV gypsum it is compatible. This research also indicates that an irreversible hydrocolloid impression should not come into contact with any liquid within the first 15 min.

Alginates↗
PubMed1996

Keratouveitis--two families with a dominantly inherited disorder.

Herein we describe a relapsing acute keratouveitis without known aetiology. The disorder has been found in two families and shows an autosomal dominant inheritance. Acute anterior uveitis can be traced for five generations in one of these families. In the same family there is also an association to an autosomal dominantly inherited vascular disorder (Osler-Rendu-Weber disease). The anterior uveitis has an acute onset, a recurrent pattern and a mild activity. The associated keratitis is seen as a midstromal thin flat disc in the central cornea, sometimes with folds in Descemet's membrane as a sign of oedema. This causes a change in refraction and a mild reduction of the corrected visual acuity. There is a prompt response to topical steroid treatment, but the corneal changes have in one case become permanent. Clinical documentation and the mode of inheritance is presented.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Similar distribution of mast cells and substance P- and calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the adult human larynx.

The mechanisms causing supraglottic and subglottic edema in the human larynx are not fully understood. Substance P (SP)- and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-containing nerve fibers and mast cells have been suggested to induce inflammation and edema in other parts of the body. In this study of the adult human larynx the distribution of mast cells was studied in relation to SP- and CGRP-containing nerve fibers. Substance P- and CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers and numerous mast cells were found in the epiglottis and in the subglottic region of the larynx. Only occasional mast cells and no nerve fibers showing SP- or CGRP-like immunoreactivity were found in the vocal cords. In conclusion, the present study has shown that the distribution of nerve fibers showing SP- and CGRP-like immunoreactivity and mast cells has a similar regional variability. As the highest density of SP- and CGRP-containing nerve fibers and mast cells was present in the regions of the larynx where edema occurs, SP, CGRP, and/or mast cells might be involved in the pathogenesis of edema.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Compartmentalization of autocrine signal transduction pathways in Sis-transformed NIH 3T3 cells.

The transforming protein of simian sarcoma virus is homologous to the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) B-chain. Fibroblasts transformed with simian sarcoma virus constitutively produce a growth factor that stimulates the endogenous tyrosine kinase of PDGF receptors in an autocrine manner. Autophosphorylation of PDGF receptors upon ligand stimulation provides binding sites for Src homology 2 domains of intracellular signaling molecules, which thereby become activated. We have characterized the PDGF receptor-mediated signal transduction in NIH 3T3 cells transformed with a PDGF B-chain cDNA (Sis 3T3 cells) in the absence and presence of suramin, a polyanionic compound that quenches PDGF-induced mitogenicity and reverts the transformed phenotype of the Sis 3T3 cells. Our data show that in the presence of suramin the general level of tyrosine phosphorylation was decreased. Nevertheless, autophosphorylated receptors complexed with substrates persisted in the cells. Suramin had no effect on activation of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase or on tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma and GTPase-activating protein of Ras. On the other hand, kinase activation of Src and Raf-1, phosphorylation of protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1D/Syp and Shc, and complex formation with Grb2 were greatly diminished by suramin. A possible explanation for our findings is that different PDGF receptor-coupled signaling pathways are active in different structural or functional compartments in the cell. Those pathways that are not affected by suramin might elicit distinct cellular responses, which are not sufficient for growth and transformation.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Demonstration of functionally different interactions between phospholipase C-gamma and the two types of platelet-derived growth factor receptors.

Phosphorylated tyrosine residues in receptor tyrosine kinases serve as binding sites for signal transduction molecules. We have identified two autophosphorylation sites, Tyr-988 and Tyr-1018, in the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) alpha-receptor carboxyl-terminal tail, which are involved in binding of phospholipase C-gamma (PLC-gamma). The capacities of the Y988F and Y1018F mutant PDGF alpha-receptors, expressed in porcine aortic endothelial cells, to bind PLC-gamma are 60 and 5% of that of the wild-type receptor, respectively. Phosphorylated but not unphosphorylated peptides containing Tyr-1018 are able to compete with the intact receptor for binding to immobilized PLC-gamma SH2 domains; a phosphorylated Tyr-988 peptide competes 10 times less efficiently. The complex between PLC-gamma and the PDGF alpha-receptor is more stable than that of PLC-gamma and the PDGF beta-receptor. However, PDGF stimulation results in a smaller fraction of tyrosine-phosphorylated PLC-gamma and a smaller accumulation of inositol trisphosphate in cells expressing the alpha-receptor as compared with cells expressing the beta-receptor. We conclude that phosphorylated Tyr-988 and Tyr-1018 in the PDGF alpha-receptor carboxyl-terminal tail bind PLC-gamma, but this association leads to only a relatively low level of tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of PLC-gamma.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Bone mineral density in patients with prostatic cancer treated with orchidectomy and with estrogens.

Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured in the femoral neck area, trochanteric area and Wards triangle, and in the distal radius of the left forearm before and after 1 year of endocrine treatment in 27 patients with prostatic cancer. Eleven of the patients were treated with orchidectomy and 16 with combined oral and intramuscular estrogens. The patients were free from metastases during the entire observation period. In the orchidectomized patients, BMD and BMC of the distal radius decreased significantly following treatment, whereas no changes were observed in the estrogen-treated patients. These preliminary results demonstrate that estrogens may protect bone in male subjects also and may merit further investigations on larger groups of patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

The perceptual evaluation of F0 excursions in speech as evidenced in liveliness estimations.

In order to learn how listeners evaluate F0 excursions, a set of experiments was performed in which subjects had to estimate the liveliness of utterances. The stimuli were obtained by LPC analysis of one natural utterance that was modified by resynthesizing F0, the formant frequencies, and the time scale in order to simulate some of the natural extra- and paralinguistic variations that affect F0 and/or liveliness, namely the speaker's age, sex, articulation rate, and voice register. In each case, the extent of the F0 excursions was varied in seven steps. The results showed that, as long as the stimuli appeared to have been produced in the modal register (of men, women, and children), listeners judged F0 intervals to be equivalent if they were equal in semitones. When the voice register was shifted without adjustment in articulation, listeners appeared to judge the F0 excursions in relation to the spectral space available below F1. The liveliness ratings were found to be strongly dependent on articulation rate and to be affected by the perceived age of the speaker which, with the manipulated stimuli used here, turned out to be significantly affected by the sex of the listener.

Adult↗