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Biomedical subjects

C Holmgren

Publications and source records attributed to C Holmgren.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Quality of life after tension-free vaginal tape surgery for female stress incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: To undertake a long-term follow-up evaluation of the quality of life (QOL) of women who had undergone a tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the period 1995-2001, 970 women with urinary stress incontinence underwent TVT surgery at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Falun Hospital. A questionnaire was mailed on average 5.7 years after the TVT procedure. Two incontinence-specific QOL instruments--the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7) and the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6)--were administered. An additional questionnaire included general questions and questions about chronic diseases that may be associated with urinary incontinence. RESULTS: The mean age at surgery was 58.7 years (range 29-89 years). Of 913 eligible women, 768 (78.9%) responded. Mean IIQ-7 and IDU-6 scores as estimated by the women improved dramatically at follow-up as compared to preoperative values: from 43.7 to 11.5 for the IIQ-7 and from 54.2 to 24.0 for the UDI-6 on a scale from 0 to 100 (p = 0.0001 for both). There were few differences in mean QOL scores even 8 years after TVT surgery, compared to those determined a shorter time after the operation. Women with diabetes, chronic constipation, chronic bronchitis and preoperative recurrent urinary infections had a relative improvement in QOL of the same magnitude as that of the remaining study population. Advanced age was negatively associated with an improvement in QOL scores. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in measures of QOL after TVT surgery are dramatic and persist for years. Women with concomitant diseases that may be associated with urinary incontinence can be assured that there is a good chance of success with TVT surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

CpG methylation regulates the Igf2/H19 insulator.

The differentially methylated 5'-flank of the mouse H19 gene unidirectionally regulates the communication between enhancer elements and gene promoters and presumably represses maternal Igf2 expression in vivo [1-6]. The specific activation of the paternally inherited Igf2 allele has been proposed to involve methylation-mediated inactivation of the H19 insulator function during male germline development [1-4, 6]. Here, we addressed the role of methylation by inserting a methylated fragment of the H19-imprinting control region (ICR) into a nonmethylated episomal H19 minigene construct, followed by the transfection of ligation mixture into Hep3B cells. Individual clones were expanded and analyzed for genotype, methylation status, chromatin conformation, and insulator function. The results show that the methylated status of the H19 ICR could be propagated for several passages without spreading into the episomal vector. Moreover, the nuclease hypersensitive sites, which are typical for the maternally inherited H19 ICR allele [1], were absent on the methylated ICR, underscoring the suggestion that the methylation mark dictates parent of origin-specific chromatin conformations [1] that involve CTCF [2]. Finally, the insulator function was strongly attenuated in stably maintained episomes. Collectively, these results provide the first experimental support that the H19 insulator function is regulated by CpG methylation.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

The 5' flank of mouse H19 in an unusual chromatin conformation unidirectionally blocks enhancer-promoter communication.

BACKGROUND: During mouse prenatal development, the neighbouring insulin-like growth factor II (Igf2) and H19 loci are expressed monoallelically from the paternal and maternal alleles, respectively. Identical spatiotemporal expression patterns and enhancer deletion experiments show that the Igf2 and H19 genes share a common set of enhancers. Deletion of a differentially methylated region in the 5' flank of the H19 gene partially relieves the repression of the maternal Igf2 and paternal H19 alleles in the soma. The mechanisms underlying the function of the 5' flank of the H19 gene are, however, unknown. RESULTS: Chromatin analysis showed that the 5' flank of the mouse H19 gene contains maternal-specific, multiple nuclease hypersensitive sites that map to linker regions between positioned nucleosomes. These features could be recapitulated in an episomal-based H19 minigene, which was propagated in human somatic cells. Although the 5' flank of the H19 promoter has no intrinsic silencer activity under these conditions, it unidirectionally extinguished promoter-enhancer communications in a position-dependent manner, without directly affecting the enhancer function. CONCLUSIONS: The unmethylated 5' flank of the H19 gene adopts an unusual and maternal-specific chromatin conformation in somatic cells and regulates enhancer-promoter communications, thereby providing an explanation for its role in manifesting the repressed state of the maternally inherited Igf2 allele.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Phosphorylation dependence of the initiation of productive transcription of Balbiani ring 2 genes in living cells.

Using polytene chromosomes of salivary gland cells of Chironomus tentans, phosphorylation state-sensitive antibodies and the transcription and protein kinase inhibitor 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB), we have visualized the chromosomal distribution of RNA polymerase II (pol II) with hypophosphorylated (pol IIA) and hyperphosphorylated (pol II0) carboxyl-terminal repeat domain (CTD). DRB blocks labeling of the CTD with 32Pi within minutes of its addition, and nuclear pol II0 is gradually converted to IIA; this conversion parallels the reduction in transcription of protein-coding genes. DRB also alters the chromosomal distribution of II0: there is a time-dependent clearance from chromosomes of phosphoCTD (PCTD) after addition of DRB, which coincides in time with the completion and release of preinitiated transcripts. Furthermore, the staining of smaller transcription units is abolished before that of larger ones. The staining pattern of chromosomes with anti-CTD antibodies is not detectably influenced by the DRB treatment, indicating that hypophosphorylated pol IIA is unaffected by the transcription inhibitor. Microinjection of synthetic heptapeptide repeats, anti-CTD and anti-PCTD antibodies into salivary gland nuclei hampered the transcription of BR2 genes, indicating the requirement for CTD and PCTD in transcription in living cells. The results demonstrate that in vivo the protein kinase effector DRB shows parallel effects on an early step in gene transcription and the process of pol II hyperphosphorylation. Our observations are consistent with the proposal that the initiation of productive RNA synthesis is CTD-phosphorylation dependent and also with the idea that the gradual dephosphorylation of transcribing pol II0 is coupled to the completion of nascent pol II gene transcripts.

Amanitins↗
PubMed1993

Fixation of cemented acetabular prostheses. The influence of preoperative diagnosis.

The authors evaluated the fixation of cemented acetabular prostheses in patients with osteoarthritis (20 hips), rheumatoid arthritis (15 hips), and sequelae after fracture of the femoral neck (13 hips) using roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis. The three-dimensional displacements of the cups were measured during the first 2 postoperative years, and radiographs were examined to assess bone quality, containment, inclination, and area of cement surrounding the cups. There was a greater proportion of migrating cups in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and fracture of the femoral neck compared with osteoarthritis. Patients with poor bone quality according to the modified Engh index, small cement area surrounding the cups, and cups with small inclination displayed increased frequency of migration.

Acetabulum↗
PubMed1988

Predictors of stroke in the elderly.

Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and cigarette smoking have repeatedly been identified as risk factors for stroke in young and middle-aged individuals. In order to find predicting factors for stroke in the elderly we assessed health characteristics in 55 stroke victims in the age range 65-75 years (mean 70.7 +/- 2.7) allocated to our stroke unit at Ostra University Hospital in Gothenburg. For comparison we used data from 2,009 individuals participating in the ongoing longitudinal population study "70-year-old people in Gothenburg, Sweden". Among the stroke victims we found a higher prevalence of hypertension (63.5% vs. 27.8%, p less than 0.001), diabetes mellitus (21.8% vs. 6.2%, p less than 0.001) and a history of previous myocardial infarction (12.7% vs. 4.8%, p less than 0.01), thus confirming previous findings. There was no difference with regard to smoking habits (32.7% vs. 27.5%, NS), which is at variance with findings in the young and middle-aged.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1986

Gender differences in the relationship of drinking motivations and outcomes.

Questionnaire data were used to test the hypothesis that stated motivations for drinking would be more directly related to drinking outcomes among adolescent girls than among adolescent boys. Evidence in support of this hypothesis was found, and we suggest that this gender difference might be due to different norms and role expectations in regard to drinking by boys and men and girls and women in our society.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1983

Alienation and drinking motivations among adolescent females.

The present study examined a hypothesized relation between alienation and stated motivations for alcohol use. It was predicted that such a relation would emerge more clearly among adolescent females than among adolescent males, and this prediction was confirmed. Among females, problem-related drinking motivations correlated positively with alienation, whereas social-convivial motivations correlated negatively with this attribute. No comparable correlations were found among the male subjects. It was concluded that important sex differences in the dynamics of problem drinking in our society are worthy of additional study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Drinking motivations and alcohol consumption among adolescent females.

The relationship between motivations for alcohol use and drinking patterns was investigated within a sample of 188 adolescent American female high school students. Previous research has revealed a positive correlation between problem-solving drinking motivations and alienation among similar samples. It was predicted that such stated motivations for drinking would correlate positively with heavier rates of drinking in this population. This hypothesis was supported in terms of quantity and frequency of wine, beer, and liquor intake.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Validation of the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis ineffective airway clearance.

The investigators designed this validation study to determine the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis ineffective airway clearance. Using Fehring's Diagnostic Content Validity Model, 546 nurses who care for respiratory clients validated one major and 19 minor defining characteristics. Nine characteristics previously described in the literature were eliminated. Clarification of the defining characteristics of this diagnosis improves communication in practice, education and research.

Airway Obstruction↗