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Biomedical subjects

B Petersson

Publications and source records attributed to B Petersson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Human skeletal muscle protein: effect of malnutrition, elective surgery and total parenteral nutrition.

1. The concentration of alkali-soluble protein, DNA and RNA in percutaneous muscle biopsy specimens was analysed. Tissue alkali-soluble protein/DNA ratio is a measure of muscle protein concentration, while tissue RNA/DNA ratio may reflect the capacity for protein synthesis. 2. Patients with weight loss due to cancer (n = 6) were compared with metabolically healthy patients before elective surgery (n = 7). Alkali-soluble protein/DNA and RNA/DNA ratios in the weight loss group were 248 (14) g/g and 1.3 (0.1) g/g respectively as compared with 404 (13) g/g and 2.1 (0.1) g/g in otherwise healthy patients. All of the alkali-soluble protein/DNA ratios and 5/6 of the RNA/DNA ratios in the weight loss group were below the 95% confidence interval for the healthy control subjects. 3. Patients undergoing elective open cholecystectomy (n = 7) were studied preoperatively and on days 3, 10, 20 and 30 post-operatively. The alkali-soluble protein/DNA ratio remained unchanged on post-operative day 3 but decreased by 8.7% (P < 0.01), 9.6% (P < 0.05) and 20.4% (P < 0.01) on days 10, 20 and 30 respectively in patients eating at will after the operation. No significant post-operative changes in alkali-soluble protein/DNA ratio were seen in patients given post-operative total parenteral nutrition with (n = 9) or without (n = 7) glycyl-glutamine supplementation for 3 days after surgery. 4. In conclusion, patients with weight loss due to malignant disease have a low muscle protein concentration. Elective surgery of medium magnitude results in a decrease in muscle protein lasting for more than 30 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged

Long-term changes in muscle free amino acid levels after elective abdominal surgery.

Characteristic changes in the pattern of muscle free amino acids are seen on the third day after elective surgery. The time course of the restoration to normal levels in uncomplicated cases has not been established before. Seven metabolically healthy patients undergoing cholecystectomy were studied. Muscle biopsy specimens and plasma samples were taken before operation and on days 3, 10, 20 and 30 after surgery. The level of total free amino acids in skeletal muscle decreased and the concentrations of branched chain and aromatic amino acids increased on day 3. The original levels were found to be restored on day 10 after surgery. A decrease in glutamine of 38 per cent (P less than 0.001) was seen on day 3, of 20 per cent (P less than 0.05) on day 10 and of 22 per cent (P less than 0.05) on day 30, compared with preoperative values. These results constitute a baseline for future studies in which the impact of nutritional and pharmacological therapies is to be evaluated beyond the immediate postoperative period.

Amino Acids

Suicide attempts among Greek and Danish women and the quality of their relationships with husbands or boyfriends.

Greek and Danish women 15-45 years old who attempted suicide were interviewed with an extensive semistructured schedule, in Athens and Copenhagen, after admission to the intensive care unit of 2 general hospitals and one psychiatric reception ward. This article presents 2 groups from each country, a group of married women and a group with steady relationships (n = 56), focusing on the quality of their relationships and their significance for the women's suicide attempts. Most of the women in both countries had very poor relationships, as concerns communication, intimacy, concern, recreation, sharing of everyday activities and social and private life. A high degree of psychological and physical violence was found in all 4 groups. The burdensome and humiliating relationship created shame in the women. After unsuccessful attempts to change the relationship and inability to leave it because of financial and emotional dependence, the women attempted suicide to escape from the situation.

Adolescent

Elective abdominal surgery depresses muscle protein synthesis and increases subjective fatigue: effects lasting more than 30 days.

Ten patients without metabolic disease undergoing elective cholecystectomy were studied before surgery and on days 3, 10, 20 and 30 after operation. Percutaneous muscle biopsies were taken and protein synthesis was determined from the total concentration and size distribution of ribosomes. The subjective feeling of fatigue was estimated using a visual analogue scale. The nitrogen balance was calculated at 20 days following surgery. The mean (s.e.m.) total concentration of ribosomes per milligram of DNA decreased by 27.5(6.6) per cent (P less than 0.01), 44.5(6.5) per cent (P less than 0.001), 48.3(8.9) per cent (P less than 0.001) and 45.0(8.2) per cent (P less than 0.01) on days 3, 10, 20 and 30, respectively. By 30 days after surgery no sign of restoration of normality was seen. The relative proportion of polyribosomes had decreased by 20.4(6.4) per cent (P less than 0.05) on the third postoperative day and by 20.4(3.9) per cent (P less than 0.01) on the tenth postoperative day and was restored to the preoperative level by day 20. The subjective fatigue score increased after operation and five of nine patients had not regained their preoperative scores 30 days after surgery. The daily nitrogen balance was negative for 5 days. The cumulated nitrogen losses were not restored until after 18 days following surgery. Elective abdominal surgery caused a sustained depression of protein synthesis for over 30 days, a longer period than previously presumed. These results show that long-term follow-up is required when the effect of different postoperative nutritional regimens are to be evaluated.

Cholecystectomy

Can you dope yourself with food? On the abuse aspect of bulimia nervosa.

Bulimia Nervosa (BN) fulfilling the DSM-III-R criteria have been seen in Denmark since 1980. In this article the syndrome is divided in two parts, an abuse part, the binge-eating and a part related to the socialization of women, the different forms of weight regulation. The development and treatment of the syndrome is discussed from experience with women in group psychotherapy.

Anorexia Nervosa

Tissue culture of human fetal pancreas. Effects of nicotinamide on insulin production and formation of isletlike cell clusters.

Human fetal pancreas (HFP) is a potential source of beta-cells for transplantation to insulin-dependent diabetic patients. We have previously described a method for tissue culture of HFP that results in the in vitro development of isletlike cell clusters (ICCs) containing a minority of insulin-positive cells. Recently we found that nicotinamide, an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase, induces an increased islet cell DNA replication both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, this culture technique was used to evaluate the effects of addition of 10 mM nicotinamide on HFP explants cultured in RPMI-1640 medium plus 10% human serum. ICCs developed in 11 of 19 consecutive cultures with nicotinamide increased the yield of ICCs by 40%. Also, the insulin content of ICCs increased approximately 50% with nicotinamide supplementation, although measurements of DNA indicated an unchanged number of cells in each ICC. Neither the rates of insulin release in response to 16.7 mM glucose plus 5 mM theophylline nor the (pro)insulin or total protein biosynthesis rates were affected by nicotinamide addition. The combined results of this study suggest that nicotinamide is useful for stimulating the formation of ICCs from HFP.

Culture Techniques

Analysis of the role of alcohol in mortality, particularly sudden unwitnessed death, in middle-aged men in Malmö, Sweden.

An analysis of the role of alcohol in death was made in an unselected population of middle-aged males in Malmö, Sweden. 347 deaths were investigated in the years 1975-1981 among males who had been invited to a preventive screening program. An alcoholic background was prominent in the males whose deaths were sudden and unwitnessed. In general, definite pathology was not demonstrable post mortem for such deaths. Their possible mechanisms are discussed.

Alcoholism

Tissue culture of human fetal pancreas: growth hormone stimulates the formation and insulin production of islet-like cell clusters.

The human fetal pancreas (HFP) is a potential source of insulin-producing B-cells for transplantation to insulin-dependent diabetic patients. We recently described a technique for culturing HFP tissue in vitro which results in the development of islet-like cell clusters (ICC). These clusters exhibited (pro)insulin biosynthesis and a modest rate of insulin secretion, and immunocytochemical staining indicated the presence of insulin-positive cells in the cell clusters. In this study this technique was used to evaluate the effects of the addition of 1000 micrograms/L GH to HFP cultured in medium RPMI-1640 plus 10% human serum. ICCs developed in 21 of 33 consecutive cultures. GH increased the yield of ICC by 35% compared to explants supplemented with human serum alone. The insulin content of the ICCs also was increased, but the size of individual ICCs was not affected by GH, as reflected by an unchanged DNA content. GH also caused increased insulin release when the ICCs were stimulated with 16.7 mM glucose plus 5 mM theophylline. However, (pro)insulin biosynthesis was not affected by the addition of GH. These results suggest that GH stimulates the formation of both ICCs and insulin production within the explants. These observations are relevant both for the production of human fetal B-cells intended for transplantation into insulin-dependent diabetic patients and for our knowledge of the growth regulation of the HFP B-cell.

Culture Techniques

Tissue culture of human fetal pancreas. Effects of human serum on development and endocrine function of isletlike cell clusters.

The human fetal pancreas represents a source of insulin-producing beta-cells with a potential for transplantation to diabetic patients. It has previously been shown that such cells can be viably maintained in tissue culture media containing fetal calf serum (FCS) and that these explants continue to synthesize and release insulin. In this study the effects of human serum (HS) on the growth and function of human fetal pancreatic explants have been compared with those of FCS. For this purpose, pancreatic glands, obtained after prostaglandin-induced abortions, were briefly exposed to collagenase, and the digest was cultured in RPMI-1640 medium plus 10% pooled HS or FCS. The outgrowth of isletlike cell clusters (ICCs) was monitored. In 31 of 58 consecutively explanted glands, development of ICCs was observed. In the presence of FCS the outgrowth of ICC took place on top of a fibroblast monocellular cell layer; HS effected less growth of fibroblasts and increased the formation of ICCs about sevenfold compared with explants from the same glands maintained in FCS. However, in the explant cultures with HS, the cell number per ICC, expressed as DNA content, was reduced by 50%. In both FCS and HS the insulin content of the medium showed great variability and progressively declined from day 2 to day 5. The medium glucagon concentration also decreased but not to the same extent as that of insulin. Immunocytochemical-stained ICCs showed insulin- and glucagon-positive cells scattered among most nonstained, presumably nonendocrine cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood

The effect of cysteamine on the somatostatin content of guinea-pig islets.

Cysteamine is known to deplete the immunoreactive somatostatin content in different organs from rat and mouse. The aim of the present work was to test if cysteamine also affects the somatostatin content in guinea-pig islets, since guinea-pigs have a carbohydrate metabolism different from that of other laboratory animals. Cysteamine was injected to guinea-pigs and the pancreatic islets were isolated four hours later. Cysteamine was also incubated in vitro with isolated pancreatic islets from untreated guinea-pigs. Cysteamine depleted the somatostatin content in the pancreatic islets in both the in vivo and in vitro studies.

Animals