Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F Rasmussen.
We report two cases of mesonephric remnants involving the renal pelvis and prostatic urethra, respectively. The morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the lesions with special emphasis on the differentiation towards adenocarcinoma are described.
In 245 patients with previously untreated advanced carcinoma of the prostate, serum concentrations of testosterone have been measured before androgen deprivation therapy, and patients were divided in quartiles according to their serum concentration. Pretreatment level of serum testosterone was confirmed as having significant prognostic value on progression-free, overall, and cancer-specific survival, and the hazard ratios of lower quartiles compared to the upper quartile for these endpoints were 2.3, 2.1, and 2.0, respectively. However, correlations with symptomatology and other pretreatment parameters suggest that low serum testosterone merely is a consequence of the advanced malignancy rather than a causative factor in the pathogenesis of prostatic cancer.
In a multicenter trial conducted by the Danish Prostatic Cancer Group, 264 patients with advanced prostate cancer were randomized either to undergo bilateral orchiectomy or to receive combination treatment with goserelin acetate and flutamide. This report is an update of that study, covering a median follow-up for survival of 57 months. Of 262 patients who were evaluated, 208 have died. As noted in earlier analyses of this study, no differences in time to progression and cause-specific and overall survival could be identified between the two treatment groups. In conclusion, the combination of goserelin and flutamide was not clinically superior to bilateral orchiectomy in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
This study's objective was to assess the impact of familial factors, day-care center attendance, and passive smoking on the incidence of protracted secretory otitis media (SOM). An unselected cohort of 1306 Swedish children were followed from birth to 7 years of age. Information about physician visits and insertions of tympanostomy tubes for SOM was collected at the ENT-departments in one Swedish county. The material was analyzed by life table methods and Cox's regression analysis. At the ages of 3, 5 and 7 years, 1%, 4% and 6%, respectively, of the children had been treated by tympanostomy tubes for SOM. The cumulative incidence of protracted SOM was four times higher among the children who had a sibling with the same health problem. Attendance at a day-care center of 12 or more months during the first 4 years of life increased the risk for protracted SOM by 2.6 times. No association was found between parents' smoking habits and the incidence of protracted SOM.
An in vitro test to determine the acaricidal effect of organophosphorous insecticides (OP) is described. The effect of parathion, phoxim and phosmet against the pig mange mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis was evaluated. The test is based on the migration ability of mites on the surface of agar gels containing the acaricide. The mite activity is expressed as a migration index (MI) and compared with the OP concentration in the agar. Good dose-response data were obtained for all three OPs tested, although the instability of phosmet required special precautions concerning the analysis of the agar. The test was found to be accurate, sensitive, easy to carry out and applicable for routine determinations. However, the test requires that the actual concentrations of the OPs in the gel batches are determined. For the three OPs used analytical methods were developed. While the lower threshold for acaricidal effect in vitro was approximately 1-2 micrograms g-1 for all three OPs tested, a significant difference in the higher concentration range was seen between the dose-response curve for parathion and the curves for phoxim and phosmet. While the latter curves decreased only slightly at concentrations above 3-6 micrograms g-1 (corresponding to MI values around 5-10), the curve for parathion was linear down to an MI value of 1, corresponding to a parathion concentration of approximately 30 micrograms g-1. This discrepancy was ascribed to different rates of uptake through the cuticula due to differences in the lipophilicity of the OPs.
In 40 experiments on 20 pigs three different organophosphorus insecticides (OPs), parathion (n = 6), phoxim (n = 7) and phosmet (n = 7), were administered both intravenously (i.v.) and dermally (d.) as 'pour-ons' in a crossover design in order to determine the dermal bioavailability of the OPs. As percutaneous absorption of drugs may be affected by the vehicle used, three chemically different vehicles--DMSO, 1-octanol and macrogol 400-were used for the dermal administration of each of the OPs. The pharmacokinetic parameters measured showed that 15-30% of dermally applied parathion is absorbed when administered in DMSO or octanol, but only 4-5% when administered in macrogol. Absorption was fastest with DMSO and slowest with macrogol. For the two ectoparasiticides, phoxim and phosmet, only between 0.5 and 3% of the dermal dose was absorbed with little difference in the absorption rate between the three vehicles. On the basis of the very limited dermal bioavailability for these two OPs it seems doubtful whether sufficient concentrations can reach the ectoparasites through the systemic route.
The absenteeism of Swedish pre-school children from municipal day-care centre departments (DCCDs) was studied for the years 1977 and 1990. The research questions were: (1) has absenteeism due to illness changed from 1977 to 1990?; and (2) is absenteeism caused by illness which is influenced by socio-demographic factors? Absenteeism was recorded during February, March and April for 92% of 0-6 year olds enrolled in 476 DCCDs in 1977, and for 88% of the children in 561 DCCDs in 1990. It was measured as the number of days the children were not in attendance due to any illness, divided by the total number of days they could have attended their DCCD. Absenteeism was higher in 1977 than in 1990 for all ages. In 1977 and 1990, among 0-1 year olds it was 20.5% and 14.3%, respectively. The proportion of 0-2 year olds who had been absent for 25% or more of possible days of attendance was 24.5% in 1977 and 14.0% in 1990. Children 0-2 years of age with self-employed mothers were absent less from their DCCD than those whose mothers were manual workers or non-manual employees. Among 0-2 year olds living in the largest cities, absenteeism was higher for those living in apartments compared with the children living in single-family houses.
Passage of benzylpenicillin across the mammary gland epithelium was studied both after systemic administration of benzylpenicillin in four goats and after intramammary infusion in three goats and two cows. The results after benzylpenicillin administration alone were compared with the results after combined administration of benzylpenicillin and probenecid. The studies on passage of benzylpenicillin through the blood-milk barrier showed, when milk to plasma ultrafiltrate ratios of benzylpenicillin were plotted versus time for each half of the udders, that active transport takes place from blood to milk during steady-state plasma concentrations. Active transport was demonstrated by inhibition with probenecid: (1) The entry of benzylpenicillin into milk was slowed down under the influence of probenecid. The AUC (area under the curve)-values during the first 30 min. were reduced by 66 +/- 9% compared with the AUC-values found without coadministration of probenecid. (2) In the presence of probenecid and during equilibrium between blood and milk concentrations, benzylpenicillin reached concentration ratios in the ultrafiltrates of milk and plasma which corresponded to those expected for diffusion alone. Without probenecid these ultrafiltrate concentration ratios were more than two times higher indicating an active transport of benzylpenicillin from blood to milk. After intramammary infusion of benzylpenicillin, active transport was demonstrated from milk into blood. The absorption rate for benzylpenicillin from the mammary gland was reduced by probenecid, as measured by the ratio of benzylpenicillin to urea absorption half-life, which was increased by 40-50% in the presence of probenecid.
The differences between parents' assessments of their child's handicap and professionals' assessment of disabilities were studied in 486 Nordic children with myelomeningocele aged 4-18 years. Although disability and handicap are conceptually different, agreement between the parents' assessments of the handicap and the degree of disability according to Lorber's classification was found in 51% of cases. The parents' assessments showed close agreement with overall disability according to Lagergren's method in 45% of cases. The factors most strongly associated with parental assessment of the handicap were the child's motor disability, intellectual functioning, faecal and urinary incontinence and the parents' inclination to feel inadequate with respect to the child's needs. Data from professional assessment of disabilities alone are of limited value in understanding the impact of disabilities on the daily life of a child.
This study was carried out to examine the efficacy of extraperitoneal pelvioscopy in detecting pelvic metastasis in patients scheduled to undergo radical cystectomy without preoperative chemo- or radiotherapy. The results of pelvioscopy were compared with those obtained by laparotomy. 54 consecutive patients underwent pelvioscopy without complications. Three were technically insufficient. Lymphatic tissue was biopsied in 29 (54%). Pelvioscopy demonstrated tumor dissemination in 5 patients (9.3%): 2 had pT4b tumor, 2 pelvic nodal metastases and 1 both. The remaining 49 patients with benign pelvioscopy were scheduled for laparotomy but 7 patients did not undergo the procedure: 3 had extrapelvic metastasis, 1 bronchial carcinoma, 1 aortic aneurysm, 1 refused surgery and 1 had pulmonary insufficiency. Accordingly, 42 patients underwent open exploration which demonstrated pelvic metastasis in 11: 9 had nodal metastasis, 1 a pT4b tumor and 1 both. Consequently the sensitivity of pelvioscopy in detecting pelvic metastasis was calculated at only 31%. This result indicates that extraperitoneal pelvioscopy should be considered a screening procedure rather than an accurate staging procedure for pelvic metastasis.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The effect of iohexol and ioxaglate on granulocyte adherence to nylon fibers was investigated with blood from 15 patients undergoing angiography, and from 24 patients undergoing excretory urography. Decreased adherence and increased numbers of granulocytes in the circulation were observed soon after injection of iohexol or ioxaglate in the aorta, or injection of ioxaglate i.v. Increased adherence and decreased numbers of granulocytes in the circulation were observed soon after injection of iohexol i.v. The differences were small soon after the injection of contrast media (CM). More pronounced decreased adherence and increased numbers of granulocytes were detected 2 and 5 hours after injection in the aorta for both CM.
The neutrophil granulocytes contain granules in which different proteins are present. When activated the neutrophils degranulate and thereby release some of these proteins to the surroundings. Some of these proteins are specific for this type of cell, e.g., lactoferrin and elastase. To investigate the influence of contrast media (CM) on this release, blood was incubated with diatrizoate, ioxaglate, iohexol, iodixanol, hyperosmolar saline, and hyperosmolar mannitol at different concentrations, and the amount of the neutrophil specific proteins lactoferrin and elastase were measured. Decreasing protein concentrations were observed for increased medium concentrations, suggesting that the degranulation process of the neutrophils was inhibited by the CM. The protein concentrations were lowest after incubation with the two ionic media diatrizoate and ioxaglate. Significantly decreased values of plasma lactoferrin were observed one min after i.v. injection of iohexol or ioxaglate in 82 patients undergoing urography. There was no significant difference between the two CM.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Granulocytes isolated from whole blood of 10 volunteers with Hypaque/Ficoll or Percoll gradient centrifugation showed a significant inhibition of their chemotactic response when incubated with diatrizoate. The influence of 4 different i.v. injected radiographic contrast media (CM) on granulocyte chemotaxis was evaluated using the under agarose assay. Each CM was injected in 10 consecutive outpatients referred for urography. Cells and serum were obtained before and 20 min after the injection of CM. Autologous serum was used as chemoattractive agent, and the cell suspensions from both samples were tested against serum drawn both before and after the injection of CM. No significant changes in granulocyte chemotaxis or the chemotactic potential of serum were seen. Furthermore, there was no change in the chemotactic response towards homologous serum or N-fmlp after injection of diatrizoate or iohexol. In conclusion, the investigation did not unveil any change in granulocyte chemotaxis 20 min after the injection of CM in the 40 subjects studied.
To evaluate the influence of radiographic contrast media (CM) on human granulocytes, the ability of these cells to ingest latex particles after intravenous injection of ioxaglate and iohexol was investigated. Both CM inhibited the phagocytic properties of granulocytes; the inhibition was the most pronounced immediately after the injection, but inhibition was also observed 60 min after injection of ioxaglate. The inhibition 1 and 5 min after injection of CM was more pronounced after injection of ioxaglate than after injection of iohexol. However, this difference between the 2 CM was not significant. Significant inhibition of phagocytosis was found for mannitol solutions with osmolalities higher than 369 mOsm/l. Significant inhibition of phagocytosis was observed when granulocytes were isolated with either Hypaque/Ficoll or Percoll gradient centrifugation and then incubated with diatrizoate. Thus the ability of granulocytes to phagocytize latex particles was inhibited after i.v. injection of 50 ml ioxaglate or iohexol. Part of this inhibition may be due to hyperosmolality.
Different amounts of diatrizoate, ioxaglate, iohexol, iodixanol, NaCl 1,000 mOsm/kg, mannitol 1,098 mOsm/kg, and meglumine (meglumine concentrations corresponding to the content in the diatrizoate solutions) were added to either whole blood or a suspension of granulocytes in autologous plasma, and the adherence to nylon fibers was determined. At high concentrations all the investigated contrast media (CM) inhibited granulocyte adherence. The degree of inhibition was significantly greater when the ionic CM diatrizoate and ioxaglate were used, as compared with the nonionic media. Meglumine solutions at high concentrations also inhibited adherence but significantly less than diatrizoate solutions containing the same amount of meglumine. Diatrizoate showed the greatest inhibitory effect on granulocyte adherence, and significant inhibition could be detected even with a 1.25% solution.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.