Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Asbrink

Publications and source records attributed to E Asbrink.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Facial palsy.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Erythema↗
PubMed1985

Tick-borne spirochetes as a cause of facial palsy.

Twenty consecutive patients visiting an otolaryngological department in Sweden with a facial palsy were investigated for serological signs of tick-borne spirochete infection. Four patients showed serological evidence of and had a medical history compatible with a tick-borne spirochetosis. Spinal fluid analyses were performed in 3 of these patients and showed elevated specific antispirochetal antibody titres and an increase in mononuclear cells. The importance of a correct diagnosis and of antibiotic therapy in patients with spirochete-induced facial palsy is emphasized.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Successful cultivation of spirochetes from skin lesions of patients with erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans.

Spirochetes could be cultivated from 9 out of 13 skin biopsies from patients with erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius (ECMA) and from 2 out of 5 biopsies from patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) by using a newly modified serumless Kelly's medium. The different spirochete strains grew best at a low oxygen tension. Attempts to grow spirochetes from blood and cerebrospinal fluid failed. The cultivation of spirochetes from secondary ECMA lesions favours the presumption that a spirochetemia may occur in ECMA. The isolation of spirochetes from an ACA patient who had a disease duration of greater than 10 years proves that the spirochetes may survive in the human body for a considerable time.

Acrodermatitis↗
PubMed1985

An immunohistochemical staining of epidermal Langerhans' cells in tinea cruris.

Epidermal Langerhans' cells (LC) were investigated in fresh cryostat sections of ten biopsies from patients with mycologically proven tinea cruris, using OKT6 monoclonal antibodies and avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase. Compared to the controls, more epidermal LC and an increased number of LC in the upper half of the epidermis were found in the sections from tinea patients. In a double staining method for both OKT6-positivity and hyphae, a tendency towards a gathering of LC and fungal elements was found. The results of this study are in agreement with the theory that epidermal LC are responsible for the antigen uptake in dermatophytosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Serologic studies of erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans with indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

To determine whether antibodies to Borrelia spirochetes were present, sera from 88 patients with uncomplicated erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius (ECMA), from 9 patients with ECMA-related extracutaneous complications and from 26 patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) were submitted to an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an indirect immunofluorescence (IF) assay. The assays were calculated to be 95% specific. There was good correlation between the IF test with a polyvalent conjugate and IgG ELISA. Of patients with uncomplicated ECMA, 18% were seropositive by IgG ELISA and 11% by IgM ELISA, and 15% showed elevated IF titers. Elevated serum antibody levels of IgG as measured by ELISA and elevated IF titers were found in all patients with extracutaneous complications and in the patients with ACA. Declining IgG titers were observed at follow-up 6-12 months after therapy, but the majority of the patients with ACA were still seropositive.

Acrodermatitis↗
PubMed1985

Clinical manifestations of erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius in 161 patients. A comparison with Lyme disease.

Clinical symptoms were studied in 161 consecutive patients with erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius and in a follow-up study signs of late manifestations were investigated. General symptoms such as headache, fever, myalgia and/or arthralgia were found in about half of the patients with a disease duration of less than or equal to 3 weeks. Three patients had coexisting lymphadenosis benigna cutis. Two untreated patients developed meningitis/meningoradiculitis and one untreated patient arthritis. The importance of a sufficient antibiotic therapy to prevent late manifestations is stressed. Although there are many similarities between erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius and Lyme disease, the results of the present study also point to differences. Multiple skin lesions, pronounced general symptoms, laboratory abnormalities and major symptoms from the joints were less common in patients with erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius than reported in patients with Lyme disease, but a prolonged course of the skin eruption was more common.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. Early and late manifestations of Ixodes ricinus-borne Borrelia spirochetes.

In the present thesis consecutive patients, 231 with ECMA, 41 with ACA and 20 with facial palsy (Bell's palsy), have been studied. It has been shown that spirochetes, transmitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus, are involved in the etiology of ECMA and ACA. This has been shown through the isolation and cultivation of spirochetes from ticks and from the skin of patients with ECMA and ACA. The spirochetes have morphological characteristics similar to those of the genus Borrelia. No antigenic differences have been found between ECMA and ACA strains by the use of four different monoclonal antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi. In serological studies, with the indirect IF test and with the ELISA, elevated antibody titers against these spirochetes were found in sera from patients with ECMA and ACA. Significantly increasing titers were found in sera from patients who developed extracutaneous complications and decreasing titers as a response to therapy. The serological tests are of good diagnostic help for patients with ACA and in many of the patients with ECMA-related extracutaneous complications, but in the present study only 15-28% of the patients with uncomplicated ECMA were seropositive. The study has shown that a tick bite and/or an untreated ECMA may be followed by symptoms from the nervous system (facial palsy, meningoradiculitis), the joints and from the heart as well. It has also been shown that ACA may sometimes be preceded by an untreated ECMA and that manifestations from the nervous system and/or the joints may precede or accompany ACA. There may be a long period of latency (several years) between a spontaneously healing ECMA and the development of ACA lesions. In ACA patients with abnormalities of joints or bones the concordance in site of the cutaneous involvement and changes in the underlying joints or bones may in these cases be consistent with a progressive localized spirochetal infection. Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus-like lesions found in patients with ACA indicate that a Borrelia infection may result in lichen sclerosus et atrophicus-like reactions. The recognition of ACA may be difficult and a combination of clinical, histopathological and serological findings may be necessary to secure the diagnosis. Clinical differences between ECMA-related disorders in Sweden an Lyme disease in the United States have been found and there may also be antigenic differences between the spirochetes involved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acrodermatitis↗
PubMed1984

The spirochetal etiology of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans Herxheimer.

Spirochetes were recovered from the skin lesion of 1 out of 10 acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans patients (ACA). Spirochetes from this skin isolate and from Ixodes (I.) ricinus and I. dammini spirochetes were used as antigens in indirect immunofluorescence tests. All sera from 17 ACA patients showed high antibody titers to the three antigens. Seven of the 17 sera which had the highest titers had crossreactive antibodies to treponemal antigen detectable in the FTA-ABS test. The results indicate that spirochetes are of importance for ACA and probably the causative agent of this disease. The connection between ACA and tick bites and the relationship to erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius (ECMA) and Lyme disease are discussed. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that ECMA and ACA are different manifestations of the same spirochete, with ACA as a late manifestation.

Acrodermatitis↗
PubMed1984

Serum IgE levels in patients with bullous pemphigoid and its correlation to the activity of the disease and anti-basement membrane zone antibodies.

The serum levels of IgE were found to be increased in 24 of 34 patients with an acute exacerbation of bullous pemphigoid. There was no statistically significant correlation between the serum IgE level or the serum anti-basement membrane zone antibody titer and the extent of the disease during an exacerbation. There was however a positive correlation between anti-basement membrane zone antibody titers and serum IgE levels. All but 2 patients showed a normalisation or decline in serum IgE 2-4 months after an exacerbation of the disease. There was also a tendency to declining antibasement membrane zone antibody titers in many patients but changes of these titers could usually not be measured as early as alterations of serum IgE levels were found. Thus in most patients serum IgE was found to be a better laboratory parameter than indirect immunofluorescence for following the activity of the disease.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1984

The spirochetal etiology of erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius.

We have obtained spirochetes from Ixodes (I.) ricinus ticks collected in different areas in Stockholm where erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius (ECMA) cases are known to occur sporadically. Titers of antibody against spirochetal isolates, cultured in modified Kelly's medium, from Swedish I. ricinus and American I. dammini ticks were determined by indirect immunofluorescence. With the I. ricinus respectively the I. dammini spirochete as antigen the ECMA group had a significantly higher median titer (73 respectively 128) than the control group (28 respectively 31). Spirochetes have also been isolated from the periphery of one ECMA lesion by injecting skin homogenates into rabbit testicles. The findings are in agreement with spirochetal etiology in ECMA.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Atopic hand dermatitis: a comparison with atopic dermatitis without hand involvement, especially with respect to influence of work and development of contact sensitization.

A group of 77 patients with atopic hand eczema were compared with 136 atopic dermatitis patients without hand manifestations. Age distribution was identical in the two groups, peaking at 25-39 years of age. Both groups were dominated by female patients. No differences existed between them with respect to atopic heredity, occurrence of other atopic manifestations, or distribution of serum IgE values. The fingers represented the predilection sites for hand involvement. Patients with hand lesions changed jobs more frequently (p less than 0.001) than those with unaffected hands, and change from a wet or unclean occupation was more common (p less than 0.001) than from a dry one. Change of work entailed improvement in the skin status of both groups. Prevalence of positive patch test reactions was high and statistically identical in both groups. Occurrence of positive responses did not explain the development of hand affliction; in only 3 patients did the test result correspond to exacerbation of the hand eczema. The number of positive reactions was high in patients with low serum IgE levels, while high levels were associated with fewer positive patch test reactions.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Effects of a beta-receptor blocking agent (propranolol) on synthesis of IgE in vitro by peripheral blood lymphocytes from atopic patients.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with atopy were studied for IgE production in vitro. Addition of a beta-receptor blocking agent (propranolol) to lymphocytes from 9 of 10 patients with low spontaneous IgE production in vitro caused increased IgE production. In 10 tests with lymphocytes from patients, who were undergoing hyposensitization treatment for cat epithelium and/or birch pollen allergy, no spontaneous in vitro production of the relevant antigen-specific IgE antibodies was detected. However, when propranolol was added to the lymphocyte cultures in vitro, production of antigen-specific IgE antibodies was found. No such production was found when lymphocytes from patients who were not allergic to either of these antigens were studied. Szentivanyi's theory of a partial blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors in atopy and a possible linkage between this theory and the hypotheses of disturbed regulatory functions in the immune system of patients with atopy is discussed.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1981

Clinical variations in bullous pemphigoid with respect to early symptoms.

We report the clinical variations and the duration of prodromal symptoms in 20 patients with bullous pemphigoid. Nearly two-thirds of the patients had prodromal symptoms. THe duration of the prodromal eruptions was up to 6 weeks if papular and/or urticarial and up to 2 years if eczematous, before the blisters appeared. Evidently longer prodromal periods were found in the present study than in earlier investigations. It is not known when in the course of the disease the direct immunofluorescence will be positive. Two of our patients were immunofluorescence-positive 1 and 2 weeks respectively before the blisters appeared. A common clinical manifestation in this study was vesicles on palms and/or soles. These eruptions, particularly as an early symptom, may cause misinterpretation in patients with bullous pemphigoid.

Aged↗