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Biomedical subjects

C D Agardh

Publications and source records attributed to C D Agardh.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Association between urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase and its isoenzyme patterns and microangiopathy in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) and its isoenzymes (NAG A and NAG B) in samples from 87 type 1 diabetic patients and 40 apparently healthy reference subjects were studied with enzyme immunoassays. The diabetic patients had higher concentrations of urinary NAG than did the control subjects (P less than 0.01), but the isoenzyme pattern did not differ. There was a positive correlation between metabolic control (Hb A1c concentrations) and total NAG (P less than 0.01), NAG A (P less than 0.01), and NAG B (P less than 0.001). The diabetic patients were divided into three groups, depending on the degree of retinopathy. Subjects with severe forms of retinopathy did not have increased concentrations of urinary NAG unless they had concomitant nephropathy. The isoenzyme pattern was similar irrespective of degree of retinopathy or nephropathy. The results indicate that concentrations of urinary NAG are positively correlated to the degree of nephropathy, whereas there is no such correlation to the degree of retinopathy.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

Neurophysiological changes during insulin-induced hypoglycaemia and in the recovery period following glucose infusion in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and in normal man.

Hypoglycaemia (median venous blood glucose 1.8 mmol/l; range 1.6-2.3) was induced by an intravenous infusion of regular insulin in eight patients with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (age 28.0 +/- 7.4 years; mean +/- SD, duration 15.5 +/- 5.1 years) and in 12 age-matched healthy male control subjects. Multi-channel frequency analysis of electroencephalogram (electrophysiologic brain mapping) and recording of P300 and somatosensory evoked potentials were performed before, during and immediately after the hypoglycaemic period. The hypoglycaemia produced a significant increase in low frequency electroencephalographic activity in both groups, most pronounced over anterior regions of the brain. The electroencephalographic activity was normalised immediately after the hypoglycaemic period. The patients with diabetes showed somewhat longer P300 latencies during the initial normoglycaemic examination. Hypoglycaemia caused a marked reduction of the P300 amplitude in both groups of subjects and the amplitude was not restored immediately after normalisation of blood glucose levels. The somatosensory cortical responses were not affected by hypoglycaemia. We conclude that hypoglycaemia results in impairment in cerebral function, as measured by neurophysiological techniques, which is not immediately normalised when blood glucose is restored to normal.

Adult↗

The importance of peripheral pulses, peripheral oedema and local pain for the outcome of diabetic foot ulcers.

In a prospective study, peripheral pulses, claudication, peripheral oedema, and rest pain were evaluated in 314 sequentially presenting diabetic patients with foot ulcers. In the ulcerated limb pedal pulses were found to be present in 44% of the patients, peripheral oedema in 38%, and rest pain in 19%. Twelve per cent had claudication. Presence of pedal pulses was more common in patients whose ulcers underwent primary healing (56%) than in those who healed after amputation (23%) or died (25%, p less than 0.001). Eighty per cent of the patients with pedal pulses present underwent primary healing. However, 49% of patients with absence of pedal pulses also underwent primary healing and 12 patients developed gangrene despite presence of pedal pulses. Peripheral oedema was more common in patients who required amputation (58%) or died (55%) than in patients with primary healing (26%, p less than 0.001). A tentative predisposing factor was identified in 95% of the patients, the most common factors being neuropathy, congestive heart failure, and previous deep venous thrombosis. Rest pain was more common in patients who required amputation (48%) or died (23%) than in those with primary healing (7%; p less than 0.001). Only 50% of patients with gangrene had rest pain and of these patients, only one underwent primary healing. The presence of pedal pulses, oedema, and rest pain give valuable but imperfect information on the possible primary healing of foot ulcers in diabetic patients.

Aged↗

The influence of different insulin regimens on quality of life and metabolic control in insulin-dependent diabetics.

Administration of insulin with premeal boluses of short-acting insulin using a new injection device (Novopen) was compared with a conventional three times daily injection regimen regarding aspects of quality of life and metabolic control in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Eighteen C-peptide-negative patients with IDDM (16 men, two women, aged 31.0 +/- 7.4 years, duration of diabetes 13.0 +/- 4.6 years; mean +/- SD) participated in the study. All patients had been treated with three daily insulin injections for at least 1 year prior to the study. The patients were randomized into two groups. Group A started a 3-month treatment period with premeal injections of short-acting insulin and intermediate-acting insulin at bedtime. This period was followed by another 3 months using the initial three times daily injection regimen. Group B completed the study in the reverse order. Quality of life was assessed by using questionnaires and personal interviews by the same clinical psychologist. Metabolic control was assessed by measuring the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin. The results show that both treatment groups experienced a general improvement in mood and well-being during the period with multiple insulin injection treatment. Furthermore, during the periods of insulin pen treatment, an increased experience of freedom and less dependence on fixed meal times were noted. Overall metabolic control, insulin dosage, body weight, and number of hypoglycemic episodes did not change during the study. It is concluded that metabolic control, safety, and number of hypoglycemic episodes using premeal doses of short-acting insulin using Novopen were not different from those seen during conventional treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

High density lipoprotein concentrations after cessation of smoking: the importance of alterations in diet.

Cessation of smoking is followed by a rapid rise in plasma HDL concentrations. An earlier study has demonstrated a significant relationship between the increase in HDL concentrations and spontaneous changes in food intake, specifically an increased fat intake. In this investigation we have dissociated the effects of cessation of smoking as such from those of dietary alterations by monitoring plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations after cessation of smoking in 12 subjects whose diet was kept constant during an initial 2-week control period and during 2 weeks following cessation of smoking. Under these conditions plasma HDL-cholesterol levels did not increase significantly (1.01 +/- 0.26 mmol/l (mean +/- SD) before and 1.04 +/- 0.27 mmol/l after cessation of smoking). Similarly, no significant alterations were recorded for other plasma lipid or lipoprotein concentrations. Activities of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase were unchanged throughout the study. These results suggest that the marked rise in HDL concentrations after stopping smoking is largely related to spontaneous changes in dietary habits which occur upon cessation of smoking.

Adult↗

A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for urine and serum concentrations of the carboxyterminal domain (NCl) of collagen. IV. Application in type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

The major collagenous component of glomerular basement membrane (GBM) is collagen IV. Serum concentrations of the carboxyterminal end (NCl) of collagen IV have been proposed to be related to GBM turnover, which has been suspected to increase in diabetes mellitus. For the quantification of serum and urinary concentrations of NCl, a specific, sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with monoclonal antibodies was developed. The detection limit of the assay was 30 micrograms/l at the 50% intercept of the standard curve. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 6.2% and 13.9% for serum, respectively, and 11.9% and 39.7% for urine, respectively. The levels of NCl in serum and urine in 67 insulin-dependent diabetics and in 90 sex- and age-matched controls were compared. There were no differences in the serum concentrations of NCl between the diabetics and healthy controls. As a group, the diabetics had a higher urinary excretion of NCl than the controls (20.1 vs 12.5 ng/min, 2p less than 0.05). Furthermore, the results showed that the excretion of NCl in the urine was normal when the urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) was normal (less than 6.5 micrograms/min). The excretion was increased during the early stage of incipient diabetic nephropathy (AER 6.5-30 micrograms/min) and decreased to normal values with progression to clinical diabetic nephropathy (AER above 500 micrograms/min). Thus, it is suggested that an increased urinary excretion of NCl may be an early marker for incipient diabetic nephropathy.

Adult↗

The prevalence of retinopathy and associated medical risk factors in type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus.

The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and the associated medical risk factors, such as age at onset and duration of diabetes, metabolic control, blood pressure, albumin clearance and serum creatinine, were studied in 501 patients with type I diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of retinopathy, characterized as simplex, maculopathy, preproliferative, and proliferative, was 60.5%. Patients with retinopathy were younger at the onset of diabetes, and had a longer duration of disease. In patients with more than 10 years of diabetes, proliferative retinopathy was more frequent if onset was before they were 15 years old, despite the fact that the duration of diabetes did not differ. Patients with severe retinopathy had worse metabolic control, and were more frequently treated for hypertension. In addition, the systolic blood pressure was elevated in all groups of patients with any type of retinopathy, whereas the diastolic blood pressure was elevated only in patients with more severe forms. Patients with severe retinopathy also had higher levels of albumin clearance.

Adult↗

Wound classification is more important than site of ulceration in the outcome of diabetic foot ulcers.

The importance of wound classification and site of ulceration was evaluated in 314 consecutive diabetic patients with foot ulcers. The ulcers were classified as superficial (through the full thickness of the dermis; n = 150), deep (n = 50), osteomyelitis and/or abscess (n = 46), minor gangrene (n = 39) or major gangrene (n = 29). Wound healing was defined as intact skin for at least 6 months. In patients with superficial and deep ulcers, primary healing occurred in 88% and 78%, respectively, compared with 57% in those patient who developed an abscess and/or osteomyelitis. Only 2 out of 68 patients with gangrene healed (through mummification) without amputation. Patients with gangrene had lower ankle and toe blood pressure than patients with all other types of ulcers. There were only marginal differences in primary healing rate between different ulcer sites. The highest rate was seen in ulcers localized to the metatarsal heads (78%). Patients with multiple ulcers had the lowest primary healing rate (5%) compared with single ulcers at all sites. These differences were probably due to circulatory factors, since patients with multiple ulcers had lower distal perfusion pressures compared with all other groups.

Blood Pressure↗

Putative risk factors associated with retinopathy in patients with diabetes diagnosed at or after 30 years of age.

In a cross-sectional study of diabetic patients diagnosed at or after 30 years, and with different stages of retinopathy, factors such as duration of diabetes, treatment mode, metabolic control, blood pressure, and clinical signs of nephropathy were examined. The different stages of retinopathy used were absence of retinopathy, simplex, and severe retinopathy. Patients with simplex and severe retinopathy were older than those without retinopathy (p less than 0.001, and p less than 0.01, respectively). They also had a longer duration of diabetes (p less than 0.001), and were more often treated with insulin (p less than 0.001) and in larger doses (p less than 0.001). Their glycosylated haemoglobin levels were higher (p less than 0.01). Their systolic blood pressure was higher (p less than 0.01), but the diastolic blood pressure did not differ, and the number of patients treated for hypertension was similar in all groups. Albumin clearance was higher (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.001), as were urinary albumin levels (p less than 0.001). The only variables that distinguished patients with simplex from those with severe retinopathy were albumin clearance (p less than 0.01) and urinary albumin levels (p less than 0.05).

Adult↗

Prognostic value of systolic ankle and toe blood pressure levels in outcome of diabetic foot ulcer.

The prognostic value of distal blood pressure measurements has been studied in 314 consecutive diabetic patients with foot ulcers. Systolic toe blood pressure was measured with a strain-gauge technique, and ankle pressure was measured with strain-gauge or Doppler techniques. Wound healing was defined as intact skin for at least 6 mo. One hundred ninety-seven patients healed primarily, 77 had amputations, and 40 died before healing had occurred. In 294 of 300 patients, it was possible to measure either ankle or toe pressure. Fourteen patients were not available for pressure measurements. Of these, 10 patients healed primarily, and 4 died before healing occurred. Both ankle and toe pressures were higher (P less than .001) among patients who healed without amputation compared with those who underwent amputation or died before healing. No differences were seen in ankle or toe pressure levels among those who had amputations or died. No patient healed primarily with an ankle pressure less than 40 mmHg. An upper limit above which amputation was not required could not be defined. Primary healing was achieved in 139 of 164 patients (85%) with a toe pressure level greater than 45 mmHg, whereas 43 of 117 patients (36%; P less than .001) healed without amputation when toe pressure was less than or equal to 45 mmHg. In conclusion, a combination of ankle and toe pressure measurements is a useful tool to predict primary healing in diabetic foot ulcers.

Aged↗

Nicotine does not affect plasma lipoprotein concentrations in healthy men.

The effects of nicotine administration (2 mg eight-times daily as nicotine chewing gum for two weeks) on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations were studied in young healthy volunteers. Plasma levels of the nicotine metabolite, cotinine, reached levels comparable to those seen in smokers. Plasma concentrations of triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoproteins AI and B, were determined repeatedly before, during and after cessation of nicotine intake. All these variables, as well as the activities of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in post-heparin plasma, remained unchanged throughout the study. The results strongly suggest that the effects of smoking on plasma lipoprotein metabolism are not mediated via nicotine, and indicate that nicotine chewing gum, when used therapeutically in anti-smoking programmes, does not carry the same metabolic side effects as smoking.

Adult↗

Free radicals and brain damage.

Although free radicals have been suggested to contribute to ischemic brain damage for more than 10 years, it is not until quite recently that convincing evidence has been presented for their involvement in both sustained and transient ischemia. The hypothesis is examined against current knowledge of free radical chemistry, as it applies to biological systems, and of cellular iron metabolism. It is emphasized that those advents have changed our outlook on free radical-induced tissue damage. First, it has been realized that damage to DNA and proteins may be an earlier event than lipid peroxidation, perhaps also a more important one. Second, evidence now exists that the triggering event in free radical-induced damage is a disturbance of cellular iron metabolism, notably delocalization of protein-bound iron, and its chelation by compounds that trigger site-specific free radical damage. Third, methods have been developed that allow the demonstration of partially induced oxygen species in tissues, and scavengers have become available that can curb free radical reactions. As a result of these events, it has been possible to demonstrate formation of free radicals in oxygen toxicity, trauma, and ischemia, and their participation in the cell damage that is incurred in these conditions, particularly in causing vascular pathology and edema. It is suggested that in ischemia, free radical damage becomes pathogenetically important when the ischemia is of long duration, when conditions favor continued delivery of some oxygen to the ischemic tissue, and particularly when such partially oxygen-deprived tissue is reoxygenated.

Brain Ischemia↗

Plasma lipids and plasma lipoproteins in diabetics with and without proliferative retinopathy.

The single most important factor related to the development of diabetic retinopathy is the duration of diabetes. Little is known about the underlying mechanisms, but many factors have been suggested to be involved, among them derangements in plasma lipids and plasma lipoproteins. In the present study we examined the relation between plasma lipids, plasma lipoproteins, and the duration of diabetes in Type I diabetics with and without proliferative retinopathy. The duration of diabetes in the two groups was 12.2 +/- 2.8 and 21.5 +/- 9.0 years, respectively (mean +/- SD; p less than 0.01). Except for moderately low HDL levels, plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations were normal in both groups of patients. The levels of lipids and lipoproteins did not correlate with the duration of diabetes. Furthermore, no differences were seen between patients with and without proliferative retinopathy. Thus, the present study does not indicate that plasma lipids and plasma lipoproteins play any major role in the development of diabetic proliferative retinopathy.

Adult↗

Optic disc swelling in an insulin-dependent diabetic. A result of drastic improvement of glucose control?

Rapid improvement of glucose control in diabetics may cause a transient progression of ischemic retinopathy. We report a transient bilateral acute asymptomatic optic disc swelling associated with rapid improvement of metabolic control in a male Type I diabetic. It is d, suggested that the optic disc swelling could be caused n of by a rapid near-normal normalization of the blood glucose.

Adult↗

Autonomic and peripheral nerve function in early diabetic neuropathy. Possible influence of a novel aldose reductase inhibitor on autonomic function.

Autonomic and peripheral nerve functions as well as the possible short-term effect of a novel aldose reductase inhibitor (ARI) on neuropathy were evaluated in 30 male type I diabetics (age 25-44 years, mean 34; duration of diabetes 10-20 years, mean 34) with neurographic signs of peripheral neuropathy (PN). Autonomic neuropathy (AN) was established by the heart rate reactions to deep breathing (E/I ratio = vagal function) and to tilt (acceleration index = sympathetic and vagal functions; the brake index = vagal function). Twenty-nine patients, 13 with AN, completed the study. Among neurographic variables, only sural nerve function tests correlated with autonomic functions. Patients with AN showed significantly lower mean sensory action potential amplitudes (SAPA) sural, indicating axonal losses, than patients without AN (3.58 +/- 0.79 microV v. 7.34 +/- 1.12 microV; p less than 0.01). PN as measured by neurography did not improve during ARI treatment. On the other hand, vagal function (brake indices) improved (p less than 0.05) during ARI in AN patients.

Adult↗