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B Grahn

Publications and source records attributed to B Grahn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Development and reliability of the Motivation for Change Questionnaire.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the development of the Motivation for Change Questionnaire (MCQ) and to test its intra-patient reliability on musculoskeletal pain patients in interdisciplinary rehabilitation as a basis for use in rehabilitation planning. METHOD: The MCQ questionnaire was developed from a literature search in the Medline, Cinahl and Psychlit databases concerning motivating factors for change in the life and work situation. Questions covering these factors were developed (item generation). Factor analysis of the questions implied a reduction of the number of questions (item reduction). Inter-item correlation was assessed on the baseline administration of the questionnaire by calculating Cronbach's alpha. When testing the structure of the scales, it was shown that the MCQ questionnaire could be described in two scales, one scale relating to motivation for change in the life situation and the other focusing on motivation for change in the work situation and in total 49 questions. RESULTS: The test -- retest reliability was calculated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. One question was excluded due to the threshold limit of > 0.5. Seven scales relating to the life situation were accepted by the analysis: social support, mastery in life, challenges in life, control in life, values, self-efficacy and self-confidence. Six scales relating to the work situation were also accepted: co-worker support, supervisory support, challenges in work, job control, interaction and job-satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The MCQ questionnaire with 48 questions is reliable for use on musculoskeletal pain patients in interdisciplinary rehabilitation. It can be used to identify each individual's motivating factors for change in life and work situation as a basis for motivational work within rehabilitation and/or to measure within-subject changes in motivation over time. The validity and the responsiveness of the MCQ, need to be studied.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

How long can donor sclera be safely stored?

PURPOSE: To determine whether after prolonged storage of sclera in glycerin, there is any bacteriologic contamination that will reactivate, whether reconstituted sclera retains its tensile strength, and whether sclera retains its microstructural integrity. METHODS: Sixty-six scleral shells stored in glycerin for 9 to 19 years, as well as 11 controls stored for 6 months to 4 years, were studied by cutting a small wedge of tissue from the anterior margin of each and directly inoculating into thioglycolate broth, cutting an equatorial ring and determining its break strength using a tensiometer, and cutting a small piece from the remaining posterior portion and examining by scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: After such prolonged storage, bacteriologic contamination was not detected, tensile strength generally increased with increasing duration of storage, and ultrastructural integrity was maintained on scanning electron microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that storage of scleral shells can be safely prolonged; we hope this can facilitate an increased supply of donated sclera to patients and surgeons.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2000

Motivation as a predictor of changes in quality of life and working ability in multidisciplinary rehabilitation. A two-year follow-up of a prospective controlled study in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the two year outcome of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQL) and working ability. In addition, predictors of outcome were examined. METHODS: The rehabilitation group and the matched control group comprised 122 and 114 patients respectively. Baseline data were compared with two year follow-up data within and between the groups. The variables that were measured were: HRQL (Nottingham Health Profile), motivation, body awareness, pain, pain-related medicine consumption, psychosomatic symptoms, working environment and working ability. RESULTS: Variables which improved significantly for the rehabilitation group compared with the control group were: HRQL (p = 0.049), emotional reactions (p = 0.043), pain related to movements (p = 0.028) and need for pain-related medicines (p = 0.009). Multivariate regression analysis including all patients revealed that motivation was a predictor of change in HRQL (p = 0.001) and working ability (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The rehabilitation programme appeared to improve HRQL to a greater extent than ordinary treatment available within primary care. The patient's level of motivation could be an important predictor of outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Antizyme inhibitor is rapidly induced in growth-stimulated mouse fibroblasts and releases ornithine decarboxylase from antizyme suppression.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) catalyses the first step in the synthesis of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine. The polyamines are essential for cell growth, but at elevated levels they may be tumorigenic, toxic, or may induce apoptosis. Therefore, ODC activity is highly regulated. It is induced when cells are stimulated to grow, and it is subjected to feedback inhibition by the polyamines. By causing ribosomal frameshifting, polyamines induce the synthesis of antizyme, a 23-kDa protein, which binds to ODC, inhibits its activity and promotes its degradation by the 26 S proteasome. Antizyme, in turn, is inhibited by antizyme inhibitor (AZI). We describe the cloning of a mouse AZI cDNA, encoding a protein with high homology to mouse ODC. Using purified recombinant proteins, we show that AZI (which has no ODC activity) can release enzymically active ODC from antizyme suppression in vitro. We also show that ODC reactivation takes place in mouse fibroblasts upon transient transfection with an AZI-expressing plasmid construct. Finally we demonstrate that the AZI mRNA content of mouse fibroblasts increases significantly within an hour of growth stimulation, i.e. much earlier than ODC transcripts. Our results indicate that induction of AZI synthesis may represent a means of rescuing ODC molecules that have been inactivated and tagged for degradation by antizyme, when culture conditions improve and polyamine production is needed for cell growth and proliferation.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2000

Functional activities and psychosocial factors in the rehabilitation of patients with low back pain.

A four-week rehabilitation programme for back patients, focusing on functional activities and psychosocial factors in the demands of work and daily living, was evaluated. The programme is a combination of training of functional activities and increased psychological knowledge, body awareness and coping. A total of 40 patients with lumbago or lumbago ischias participated in the program and were compared with a matched control group. The results showed that the patients had significantly more ergonomic and psychosocial problems in their working environment than did the controls. A significant reduction in ratings of low back pain was noted in patients compared with controls after rehabilitation. Increased functional ability and physical fitness were shown in the patient group after rehabilitation. Significantly more patients than controls returned to work after the rehabilitation.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Motivation for change in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders: a qualitative two-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the process of motivation for change in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders and to identify factors that might influence change resulting in increased independence. METHOD: A qualitative two-year follow-up study. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the qualitative case study design. An initial conceptual framework was developed to bound and guide the study. Twenty patients were selected using purposive sampling with respect to motivation level (highly motivated to less-motivated) to create a sample of maximum variation. Data were collected using repeated interviews and standardized scales. The study comprised three data collection periods. RESULTS: Motivation for change followed different processes depending on the level at entry to the study. The highly motivated patients improved in independence, the moderately motivated ones remained at an unchanged level and the less-motivated patients became more dependent. Central themes of importance to the process of motivation for change were: the utilization of professional networks (healthcare, regional social insurance office), emotional support (nuclear family, close relatives), use of personal coping resources (energy, positive beliefs, problem-solving) and social support at work (employers, colleagues). CONCLUSIONS: The performance of a structured motivation analysis, including questions about emotional networks and social support at work in addition to the clinical examination of the patient, is recommended. This might guide healthcare professionals when it comes to motivation for change in the patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Trypanosoma cruzi has not lost its S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase: characterization of the gene and the encoded enzyme.

All attempts to identify ornithine decarboxylase in the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi have failed. The parasites have instead been assumed to depend on putrescine uptake and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) for their synthesis of the polyamines spermidine and spermine. We have now identified the gene encoding AdoMetDC in T. cruzi by PCR cloning, with degenerate primers corresponding to conserved amino acid sequences in AdoMetDC proteins of other trypanosomatids. The amplified DNA fragment was used as a probe to isolate the complete AdoMetDC gene from a T. cruzi genomic library. The AdoMetDC gene was located on chromosomes with a size of approx. 1.4 Mbp, and contained a coding region of 1110 bp, specifying a sequence of 370 amino acid residues. The protein showed a sequence identity of only 25% with human AdoMetDC, the major differences being additional amino acids present in the terminal regions of the T. cruzi enzyme. As expected, a higher sequence identity (68-72%) was found in comparison with trypanosomatid AdoMetDCs. When the coding region was expressed in Escherichia coli, the recombinant protein underwent autocatalytic cleavage, generating a 33-34 kDa alpha subunit and a 9 kDa beta subunit. The encoded protein catalysed the decarboxylation of AdoMet (Km 0.21 mM) and was stimulated by putrescine but inhibited by the polyamines, weakly by spermidine and strongly by spermine. Methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG), a potent inhibitor of human AdoMetDC, was a poor inhibitor of the T. cruzi enzyme. This differential sensitivity to MGBG suggests that the two enzymes are sufficiently different to warrant the search for compounds that might interfere with the progression of Chagas' disease by selectively inhibiting T. cruzi AdoMetDC.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗
PubMed1998

Effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme on health-related quality of life in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders: a 6-month follow-up of a prospective controlled study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this prospective, controlled, follow-up study (6 months) was to examine the effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme on perceived health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders (PMSD). The programme focused on body awareness therapy and cognitive and relaxation treatment. METHOD: The rehabilitation group comprised 122 patients, and there were 114 patients in the matched control group (CG). Both groups of patients had access to primary health care. Baseline data were compared with 6-month follow-up data within and between the groups. The following measurements were employed: HRQL (Nottingham Health Profile), body awareness, postural control, pain (VAS), pain-related medicine consumption, isometric arm muscle endurance, aerobic capacity, psychosomatic symptoms, physical and psychosocial working environment and sick leave. RESULTS: Variables that improved significantly as compared with the CG were: HRQL, anxiety, pain related to movements, psychosomatic symptoms and need for pain-related medicines. CONCLUSIONS: The multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme used here improved HRQL in patients with PMSD to a greater extent than the standard treatment provided within primary heath care (p = 0.01) at least in the short term.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Polyamines regulate both transcription and translation of the gene encoding ornithine decarboxylase antizyme in mouse.

The degradation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is mediated by antizyme, a protein regulated by the end-products of ODC activity, the polyamines. High levels of polyamines induce a +1 ribosomal frameshift in the translation of the rat antizyme message leading to the expression of a full-length protein. We have studied whether the regulation of antizyme expression occurs only at the level of translation or whether polyamine levels also affect the transcription of the antizyme gene. Thus, we have cloned and sequenced the mouse homologues of the rat ODC-antizyme gene and cDNA. Northern blot analysis shows that although high concentrations of polyamines do not affect the steady-state levels of antizyme message in L1210 leukemia cells, polyamine depletion using 2-(difluoromethyl)ornithine [Orn(F2Me)] leads to a marked decrease in mRNA levels. Results of transient transfections of luciferase-reporter-gene constructs driven by antizyme promoter fragments in untreated and Orn(F2Me)-treated Balb/C 3T3 cells indicate that the transcription of the antizyme gene is altered upon polyamine depletion. The amount of antizyme protein on Western blots was also altered by polyamine depletion and addition, and the polysomal distribution of antizyme message suggests a general translational increase of the message when polyamine concentrations are high. These results indicate a role for polyamines in the transcriptional and translational regulation of ornithine decarboxylase antizyme.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Interference with DNA methyltransferase activity and genome methylation during F9 teratocarcinoma stem cell differentiation induced by polyamine depletion.

When ornithine decarboxylase, the initial and highly regulated enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, is irreversibly inactivated by alpha-difluoromethylornithine, F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells are depleted of putrescine and spermidine and as a result differentiate into a cell type which phenotypically resembles the parietal endoderm cells of the early mouse embryo. Simultaneously the level of decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine (dcAdoMet), the aminopropyl group donor in spermidine and spermine synthesis, increases dramatically, as the aminopropyl group acceptor molecules (putrescine and spermidine) become limiting. When this excessive accumulation of dcAdoMet is prevented by specific inhibition of the AdoMet decarboxylase activity, the differentiative effect is counteracted, despite the fact that the extent of polyamine depletion remains almost identical. Therefore, it may be concluded that dcAdoMet plays an important role in the induction of differentiation. Moreover, this key metabolite acts as a competitive inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase and is therefore capable of interfering with the maintenance methylation of newly replicated DNA. During the course of F9 cell differentiation, the highly methylated genome is gradually demethylated, and its pattern of gene expression is changed. Our present findings, that the DNA remains highly methylated and that the differentiative process is counteracted when the build-up of dcAdoMet is prevented, provide strong evidence for a causative relation between the level of dcAdoMet and the state of DNA methylation as well as cell differentiation.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗
PubMed1997

Pathology of ocular lesions in free-living moose (Alces alces) from Saskatchewan.

Clinical signs of impaired vision or neurological disease occurred in seven of 74 free-living moose (Alces alces) from Saskatchewan, Canada, submitted for necropsy between 1969 and 1994. Several lesions were found in each eye, including retinal degeneration (seven cases), cataract (six cases), lymphocytic-plasmacytic anterior uveitis (six cases), corneal scars (six cases), keratitis (four cases), and microphthalmia (one case), but their cause was not determined. Moraxella bovis was isolated from the cornea of one moose. Lesions in the brain and spinal cord were mild or absent.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Down-regulation of ornithine decarboxylase by an increased degradation of the enzyme during gastrulation of Xenopus laevis.

The present study was designed to analyze the regulation of the levels of the polyamines and their biosynthetic enzymes during embryonic development of Xenopus laevis. The activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a rate-controlling enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, is elevated until, during gastrulation, there is a precipitous drop in activity. This is not attributable to a decrease in ODC mRNA content and polysome profiles reveal no apparent decrease in ODC message associated with polysomes. ODC synthesis seems to be maintained at a low, relatively constant rate until neurulation whereupon ribosome loading of ODC mRNA increases. During gastrulation the rate of ODC degradation increases dramatically, which can account for the decrease in ODC. S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC), another rate-controlling enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, shows a low and constant activity from cleavage to neurulation. Subsequently, the AdoMetDC activity increases dramatically. The changes in AdoMetDC activity parallel the changes in AdoMetDC mRNA levels, suggesting a transcriptional control of AdoMetDC expression during this development period. The activities of ODC and AdoMetDC produce a steady increase in putrescine and spermidine content of the embryo. The spermine content also increases until gastrulation, but then decreases until the tailbud stage.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗