Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Johansson

Publications and source records attributed to C Johansson.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

The effect of yoga on puborectalis paradox.

Nine patients with severe defaecation difficulties primarily considered to be due to puborectalis dysfunction (puborectalis paradox), verified by electromyography (EMG) of the striated anal sphincter muscles, were offered training in Yogic techniques of relaxation and muscle control in order to change the activity of the pelvic floor muscles during attempted defaecation. Five patients completed the training program of 20 2-hour sessions and were re-examined clinically and with EMG. One patient regained a normal EMG pattern but none of the patients improved clinically.

Adult↗

Is paradoxical sphincter reaction provoked by needle electrode electromyography?

In 10 patients with emptying disturbances, the anal sphincter reaction was investigated clinically and by electromyography with needle and wire electrodes to elucidate whether pain during the investigation could provoke the paradoxical sphincter reaction. In eight of the patients, the paradoxical reaction was easily felt at digital examination. Two patients complained of pain during the needle electrode recording; none complained during the wire electrode investigation. Nevertheless, all 10 patients had paradoxical sphincter reaction independent of the electrode used at electromyography. With careful clinical investigation, most cases of paradoxical sphincter reaction can be diagnosed. When this is inconclusive, the diagnosis should be confirmed by electromyography, preferably by the wire technique.

Adult↗

Prevalence of fractures among 10,000 women from the 1900 to 1940 birth cohorts resident in Gothenburg.

The prevalence of fractures in women aged 45-86 years resident in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, was investigated by means of a postal questionnaire. A sample of 10,000 women from seven birth cohorts (1900-1940) was obtained at random from the population register. The response rate was 70.1% in the 1900-1920 and 81.0% in the 1930 and 1940 birth cohorts. When the prevalence of fractures sustained between 25 and 46 years of age was analyzed a higher figure emerged for women from the 1930 and 1940 birth cohorts than for those from the 1900-1920 cohorts, indicating an increasing incidence of fractures over time. There was a significant independent correlation between early menopausal age and a high rate of fractures. Menopausal age decreased with increasing tobacco consumption. There was also a significant independent correlation between tobacco-smoking and a high fracture rate. The prevalence of tobacco-smoking increased from 30.0 to 38.1% between the 1930 and 1940 birth cohorts, which may further increase the fracture risk in future years. Despite increasing vitality and longevity among the elderly in Gothenburg, there are indications that the number of fractures will increase in the future.

Age Factors↗

Release of corrosion products from amalgam in phosphate containing solutions.

The effect of phosphate concentration on corrosion was compared for two types of amalgam: a conventional alloy (ANA 68) and a high-Cu admixed alloy (Dispersalloy). The test specimens were stored for 4 months in electrolytes containing 85 mM NaCl and 85 mM NaCl with 2.5, 10, or 100 mM phosphate buffer respectively. The solutions were renewed each month and analyzed for Cu, Zn, Sn, Hg, and Ag in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The surfaces and cross-sections of the specimens were studied in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive detector (EDAX). The corrosion products, mainly Sn-compounds, at the surface of the amalgams were less in the solutions containing high concentrations of phosphate. In cross-section subsurface corrosion of the high-Cu amalgam was observed especially in specimens immersed in the NaCl solution without phosphate. The conventional amalgam showed surface corrosion only. The decrease in release of elements with time from the conventional amalgam in all the experimental solutions might indicate passivation. For the high-Cu amalgam the release of elements increased with time, except for Cu and Sn in the solution with 100 mM phosphate, indicating that phosphate inhibits corrosion of the Cu-Sn-phases. Release of corrosion products from the high-Cu amalgam was more dependent on the presence of phosphate than the conventional amalgam.

Chlorides↗

Area ratio effects on metal ion release from amalgam in contact with gold.

The effect of area ratio, chloride concentration and brushing on amalgam in contact with gold was studied by measuring the amounts of elements released in the electrolyte. A type III gold alloy was stored for 4 months in contact with a conventional amalgam, area relations 6/1 and 6/3, in an electrolyte containing 85 mM NaCl with 10 mM phosphate buffer. A specimen with area relation 6/1 was also stored in a 10 mM NaCl solution with 10 mM phosphate buffer. The solutions were renewed each month and analyzed for Cu, Zn, Sn, Hg, and Ag in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Cross-sections of the amalgams were studied in a scanning electron microscope. The tendency for Sn and Cu to be released from the amalgam was greater than for the other elements. The Sn-release probably mainly originated from surface corrosion and Cu-release from subsurface corrosion. A stronger galvanic influence enhanced only the release of Cu, and to a less extent Zn. The subsurface corrosion of the amalgam and increasing release of Cu was, in contrast to the other elements, largely dependent on a high chloride concentration in the electrolyte. Light brushing of the specimens had no effect on the amounts of elements released.

Chlorides↗

Novel epitopes on the CA50-carrying antigen: chemical and immunochemical studies.

Novel tumour-associated epitopes showing elevated levels in sera from patients with colon carcinoma were studied by means of monoclonal antibodies with respect to co-expression with the tumour-associated epitope CA50 on the cancer antigen (CanAg) glyco-conjugate complex. Co-expression of the different epitopes and CA50 was found on CanAg both from COLO 205 spent medium and sera from patients with colorectal cancer. In a few sera from patients with non-mucinous ovarian tumours, the CanAg complex was also found to express the CA125 epitope. The chemical characterisation showed that all of the novel epitopes on CanAg were of carbohydrate nature, and the results may suggest a structural relationship between several of them.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease among relatives of patients with Crohn's disease.

The prevalence of familial inflammatory bowel disease was 13.4% in a population-based study of 1048 patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Seventy-two of the index cases had 82 first-degree relatives. Forty-nine were more distantly related (19 first cousins from the same generation as the index patient). The prevalence of CD among first-degree relatives was 21 times higher than among non-relatives. Four of six monozygotic twins were concordant. The age at onset was 25 years in the patients with familial CD, compared with 33 years in the entire group. An additional 53 relatives were found to have ulcerative colitis (UC). The prevalence of UC among first-degree relatives of patients with CD was six times higher than among non-relatives.

Adolescent↗

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to the globular domain of collagen IV.

Monoclonal antibodies were produced against NC1, the globular noncollagenous domain of collagen IV, isolated from bovine glomerular basement membrane. Cells from eight positive wells were cloned and the resulting monoclonal antibodies were studied in detail by immunofluorescence on human kidney sections, by Western blot and by ELISA against denatured subunits from NC1 hexamers and against native NC1 hexamers from different tissues. The monoclonal antibodies could be divided into two groups. Firstly, those monoclonal antibodies that, in ELISA and Western blot, reacted with peptides related to the alpha 1 chain of collagen IV and stained all basement membranes in the kidney. Secondly, a monoclonal antibody that, in ELISA and Western blot, reacted with peptides related to the Goodpasture antigen, the alpha 3 chain of collagen IV. When this antibody was applied to human kidney sections it stained the glomerular basement membrane very intensively. Bowman's capsule and some tubular basement membrane were also stained, although to a lesser extent. This staining pattern is the same as that observed with sera from patients with Goodpasture's syndrome. An attempt was made to separate different subtypes of the NC1 hexamer. A monoclonal antibody from the first group was used to make an affinity chromatography column. Glomerular basement membrane digested with collagenase was separated on this column and the collected fractions were analyzed by ELISA and SDS-PAGE. The result from this study support the idea that glomerular basement membrane is composed of at least two different subtypes of type IV collagen.

Animals↗

Functional properties of calbindin D9K mutants with exchanged Ca2+ binding sites.

We have constructed three different engineered proteins based on calbindin D9K by either exchanging the two calcium binding sites within the protein or making the amino acid sequence of the two calcium binding sites identical. The individual calcium binding sites of the engineered proteins retain most of their ion binding characteristics as well as the basal structure of their Ca2+ ligand sphere in the new environment. Even the protein with its sites interchanged, a mutation involving 30 amino acids out of a total of 75, still binds calcium with an affinity as high as that of many natural EF-hand proteins.

Binding Sites↗

[The Svalebo program--successful rehabilitation of hip fracture patients].

The aim of the Svalebo programme is improved rehabilitation and increased home discharge of patients with hip fractures, and a better use of health care resources. The programme includes contact with the hip fracture patients at the orthopaedic clinic, a rehab programme on an outpatient basis 1-3 days a week. As a result of the programme, the role of the day hospital has become clearer and the flow of patients through the orthopaedic department has increased, the mean duration of hospitalisation having decreased by 30 per cent. In a one-year follow up of 42 patients, it was found that in many cases hip function was incompletely restored. In general, our view is that the Svalebo programme assures good care and rehabilitation of the hip fracture patient, and decreased consumption of institutional care facilities.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Protein surface charges and Ca2+ binding to individual sites in calbindin D9k: stopped-flow studies.

The kinetics of calcium dissociation from two groups of site-specific mutants of calbindin D9k--a protein in the calmodulin superfamily with two Ca2+ sites and a tertiary structure closely similar to that of the globular domains of troponin C and calmodulin--have been studied by stopped-flow kinetic methods, using the fluorescent calcium chelator Quin 2, and by 43Ca NMR methods. The first group of mutants comprises all possible single, double, and triple neutralizations of three particular carboxylate groups (Glu-17, Asp-19, and Glu-26) that are located on the surface of the protein. These carboxylates are close to the two EF-hand calcium binding sites, but are not directly liganded to the Ca2+ ions. Conservative modification of these negative carboxylate side chains by conversion to the corresponding amides results in a marked reduction in the Ca2+ binding constants for both sites, as recently reported [Linse et al. (1988) Nature 335, 651-652]. The stopped-flow kinetic results show that this reduction in Ca2+ affinity derives primarily from a reduction in the Ca2+ association rate constant, kon. The estimated maximum value of the association rate constant (kon(max) for Ca2+ binding to the wild-type protein is ca. 10(9) M-1 s-1. In contrast, for the mutant protein with three charges neutralized the maximum association rate constant is estimated to be only 2 X 10(7) M-1 s-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding Sites↗

Biophysical studies of engineered mutant proteins based on calbindin D9k modified in the pseudo EF-hand.

The genes for four mutant proteins from calbindin D9k, all with mutations in the N-terminal Ca2+-binding domain (pseudo EF-hand) have been synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purification scheme has been modified to minimize the formation of deamidated proteins. The set of modifications in the pseudo EF-hand is an attempt to turn this site into a structure resembling an archetypal EF-hand, with its characteristic 113Cd-NMR shift (-80 to -110 ppm) and high calcium-binding constants, whereas the C-terminal Ca2(+)-binding site (EF-hand) is kept intact in all mutant proteins. The mutant proteins studied here all have pseudo EF-hands with a lower calcium-binding constant and a higher calcium off-rate to the pseudo EF-hand than the wild-type protein. From the results obtained it is obvious that proline 20 in the pseudo EF-hand, which has been deleted or replaced by glycine in three of the mutants, has a stabilizing effect on calcium binding to that site. Furthermore, the modifications in the pseudo EF-hand seem to have only a local effect, leaving the tertiary structure of the protein and the calcium-binding properties of the unmodified site virtually unchanged.

Alanine↗

Slow transit chronic constipation (Arbuthnot Lane's disease). An immunohistochemical study of neuropeptide-containing nerves in resected specimens from the large bowel.

Seven patients (6 women, 1 man) with severe idiopathic chronic constipation, who underwent surgery with subtotal colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis, were investigated for the occurrence and density of nerve fibres, immunoreactive to different neuropeptides in the mucosa, submucosa, ganglia and smooth muscle in fresh specimens from the colon ascendens, the colon transversum and the colon descendens-sigmoideum. The following substances were studied: enkephalin, substance P, somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide, bombesin, motilin, tyrosine hydroxylase, dynorphin and galanin. Nerve fibres immunoreactive to CGRP occurred in large numbers in the myenteric ganglia of the patients with severe idiopathic chronic constipation, whereas in the myenteric ganglia of the control cases they only occurred in low numbers. In two patients there was no detectable motilin immunoreactivity and in one patient only sparse in the mucosa and the smooth muscle. The other neuropeptides investigated occurred in the density and distribution previously reported in the normal gut. With the present technique there were indications that patients with severe idiopathic chronic constipation have a significant difference in the occurrence of immunoreactive nerve fibres to CGRP and motilin compared to control patients.

Adult↗

An improved technique for hyaluronan histochemistry using microwave irradiation.

A hyaluronan binding protein (HABP), extracted from cartilage, was biotin-labelled and used for histochemical localization of hyaluronan (HA) in tissue sections. Various tissues were fixed for a mixture of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde during microwave irradiation. The microwave oven when set at 700 W and 45 degrees C yielded an intense and specific staining of HA. Under these conditions the relative proportion of the two aldehydes did not influence the staining intensity. Aldehyde fixation during microwave irradiation for HA histochemistry, (1) save time, (2) eliminates the use of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), and (3) improves the reproducibility.

Adrenal Glands↗

Slow transit of the colon associated with severe constipation after the Ripstein operation. A clinical and physiologic study.

Eighteen patients with severe constipation after undergoing the Ripstein operation for rectal prolapse (n = 11) or internal rectal procidentia (n = 7) were studied with defecography, anorectal manometry, electromyography of the external anal sphincter and the puborectalis muscle, colonic transit time, and blood tests. Thirteen patients had slow-transit constipation. None showed a completely normal pattern in the parameters studied. The authors emphasize the importance of careful preoperative investigation to identify the patients who have associated colorectal disturbances together with their rectal prolapse or internal rectal procidentia.

Adult↗

A combined electromyographic and cineradiologic investigation in patients with defecation disorders.

Records from 20 patients on whom defecography and electromyography were performed simultaneously because of defecation disorders were analyzed. According to the electromyographic investigation, the patients could be divided into three main groups: 1) normal sphincter reaction; 2) paradoxical sphincter reaction; and 3) combined reaction. Group A was characterized by a marked reduction of muscular activity during emptying and a pronounced closing reflex after emptying. This was followed by return of normal tonic activity. Patients in group B had no relaxation of the sphincters during emptying but a pronounced increased activity in the external sphincter and the puborectalis muscle. They also had severe emptying difficulties at defecography. No closing reflex was seen. In group C the electrical activity in the sphincters increased during moderate straining and when emptying was complete a clear closing reflex was seen. In this study, a dynamic visualization of the defecation together with a registration of electromyographic activity in the striated anal sphincters was performed. It was shown that patients with paradoxical sphincter reaction were lacking a closing reflex after emptying was complete. This has not been reported previously and is important evidence for the paradoxical defecation pattern. It was also shown that the patients with rectoceles had paradoxical sphincter reaction.

Adult↗