Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Riska

Publications and source records attributed to H Riska.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Diagnostic value of total and differential leukocyte counts in pleural effusions.

Total and differential leukocyte counts in pleural fluid were determined prospectively in 140 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic thoracentesis. The total number of leukocytes was higher in exudates than in transudates. Lymphocytes predominated overwhelmingly (more than 80% of all leukocytes) in 29 of the 31 effusions with verified or probable tuberculous etiology and in 18 of the 24 with malignant etiology, as well as in 20 exudative pleural effusions of other causes. The significant differences in the percentage of lymphocyte distinguished tuberculous effusions from parapneumonic (p less than 0.001), nonspecific (p less than 0.001) and rheumatoid effusions (p less than 0.005), as well as from effusions caused by undefined connective tissue disease (p less than 0.001). Eosinophilia (more than 10%) of the pleural fluid was not present in any patient with proven tuberculosis and in only one patient with malignant effusion (malignant mesothelioma) but did occur in 12 of the 26 patients with nonspecific effusion. These results show that a great lymphocytic predominance is characteristic particularly of tuberculous but also of malignant pleural effusions, although this predominance cannot be regarded as disease-specific. Eosinophilia of the pleural fluid--usually a nonspecific sign--indicates nontuberculous, nonmalignant etiology.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

PHA and PPD reactivity of lymphocytes in pleural effusions.

The functional properties of lymphocytes in pleural fluid were studied in 23 patients admitted to the hospital for the diagnostic evaluation of a unilateral or bilateral pleural effusion. The in vitro reactivities of the patients' pleural fluid lymphocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and to purified protein derivative (PPD) were compared. In most patients with pleural effusion, the function of pleural fluid lymphocytes was intact and comparable to that of lymphocytes from peripheral blood. The PHA- and PPD-stimulated 3H-thymidine incorporation by peripheral blood lymphocytes did not differ significantly from that by pleural fluid lymphocytes in any of the patient groups. Similarly, the comparison of PHA- and PPD-stimulated 3H-thymidine uptake by peripheral blood or pleural fluid lymphocytes from patients with pleural effusions of various causes revealed no significant differences. In vitro reactivity to PPD by peripheral blood and pleural fluid lymphocytes correlated positively with the in vivo intradermal reactivity to PPD.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Assessment of the tuberculosis agglutination test.

A total of 139 random samples of serum taken at intervals during chemotherapy from 16 patients were analysed using agglutination methods for the serological diagnosis of tuberculosis. The series comprised six cases of far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis, four cases with advanced lesions, two cases with minimal spread and four controls. The samples were analysed simultaneously and independently using two different batches of antigen in two test systems. The test results were comparable in the two series and the diagnostic outcome of the test was not encouraging, the percentages of false negatives being 52 and 60 or 9 and 32, depending on the criteria selected, and those of false positives being 3 and 0 or 59 and 44 respectively. The magnitude of the titres obtained did not reflect the severity of the disease. In addition the test did not prove useful as a method for following up the results of treatment of individual patients in this series.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1979

Tuberculosis and kidney transplantation.

Immunosuppressive treatment enhances the risk of pulmonary and other infections. Tuberculosis is a predictable complication in transplanted patients. The present material comprises 584 kidney transplantation patients, ten of whom had had a previous history of tuberculosis. After transplantation ten patients presented with pulmonary tuberculosis during immunosuppressive treatment. One of the patients to whom no prophylactic antituberculous treatment had been given presented with a relapsing tuberculosis. The results of routine antituberculous treatment were excellent, but graft and patient survival were disappointing among the tuberculosis patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Pleural fluid lysozyme in human disease.

Lysozyme content was measured in the plasma and pleural fluid of 110 patients with pleural effusions of various causes. The concentration of pleural fluid lysozyme was significantly higher (P less than .001) in patients with tuberculous pleurisy than in those with primary pulmonary carcinoma, metastatic carcinoma of the lung, connective tissue disease, nonspecific pleurisy, or congestive heart failure. Tuberculous patients also had a significantly higher (P less than .001) pleural fluid-to-plasma lysozyme ratio than did the other patients. Plasma lysozyme activity did not differ significantly among the various patient groups. Lysozyme was identified immunohistochemically in epithelioid cell granulomas in tuberculosis, in activated macrophages in lymph nodes adjacent to tuberculous lesions, and in granulocytes in pleural empyema. No lysozyme was detected in neoplastic cells in pulmonary carcinoma. The results show that the determination of pleural fluid lysozyme is a simple, fast method for obtaining corroborative information in the differential diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

T and B lymphocytes in pleural effusions.

To determine the diagnostic significance of the determination of T and B lymphocytes in pleural fluid, we studied these cells in peripheral blood and in pleural fluid by means of surface markers. Our study comprised 30 patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary malignancy, connective tissue disease, nonspecific pleurisy or congestive cardiac failure. In pulmonary tuberculosis, both the percentage and absolute numbers of T lymphocytes in pleural fluid were significantly higher than in peripheral blood. In patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary malignancy or nonspecific pleuritis, the percentages and absolute numbers of B lymphocytes were significantly lower in pleural fluid than in peripheral blood. Considered together with other clinical and laboratory indices, these determinations may aid in the differential diagnosis of pleurisy of various etiology.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Systemic lupus erythematosus and DNA antibodies in pleural effusions.

The quantity of antibodies to double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) in 53 pleural effusions from 48 patients was measured by means of a modified Farr technique. In 10 samples, binding of ds-DNA was greater than 5 mg/l (range 6--14 mg/l), five samples being from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), four from patients with lung cancer, and one from a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis. After treatment of pleural effusion samples with DNase, there was a marked increase of ds-DNA binding in the SLE group (n = 5), but none in the lung cancer group (n = 7) or in 4 patients with pleural effusions of various origin. In pleural fluid, demonstration of antibodies to ds-DNA and anti-ds-DNA-ds-DNA complexes, unmasked by DNase, may prove valuable when differentiating clinical conditions with pleural effusions.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1977

Acid glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion.

Pleural fluid glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in 64 patients with various diseases were isolated by anion-exchange chromatography after proteolysis, and characterised by spectrophotometric, electrophoretic and enzymatic techniques. GAG concentrations ranged from 7 to 1178 microng hexuronate/ml pleural fluid. The highest values (1178, 161 and 160 micron/ml) were found in patients with diffuse mesothelioma. Over 90% of the pleural fluid GAG consisted of hyaluronic acid (HA) in these patients. In other types of pleural effusion the relative HA content varied from 42 to 70% of the total GAG. Determination of pleural fluid HA consequently appears extremely valuable in the diagnosis of the form of mesothelioma producing HA. The mean GAG concentration of pleural fluid was significantly higher in tuberculous pleurisy than in hydrothorax (P less than 0.01), secondary malignant pleural effusion (P less than 0.0005) and idiopathic pleurisy (Pless than 0.03). It was impossible to demonstrate definite correlations between GAG and protein, and GAG and glucose concentrations of pleural fluid.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1976

Extracorporeal irradiation of thoracic duct lymph as immunosuppressive treatment in rheumatoid arthritis.

Thoracic duct drainage and re-infusion of the irradiated lymph was carried out as immunosuppressive treatment in 2 patients with progressive, therapy-resistant rheumatoid arthritis. In both patients, a marked clinical improvement was achieved even during the first days of treatment. A reduced number of T cells in the blood was seen 3 days after onset of drainage, whereas no significant change in the number of B cells was observed. No recirculation of the infused cells could be detected, nor was the radiation removal of T cells accompanied by rapid proliferation of "new" T cells. As clinical improvement and reduction in T cells occurred simultaneously, there is probably a connection between these two events. The beneficial clinical response and the achievement of T cell suppression by thoracic duct drainage--the result of irradiation and re-infusion of irradiated lymph--encourage further clinical trials with this type of treatment in severe therapy-resistant rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1976

Acute renal failure subsequent to the administration of rifampicin. A follow-up study of cases reported earlier.

A clinical presentation is made of a 2-3 year follow-up of six cases of acute renal failure that have been reported earlier. The patients had developed transient renal failure after the intermittent administration of rifampicin. The stage of olig-anuria lasted for 1-3 weeks, and five of the patients were treated by hemodialysis. Two of the patients died due to unrelated causes during the follow-up period. The four patients re-examined were clinically cured. Pathologic findings by light microscopy and immunofluorescence at biopsy were scarce. Nothing abnormal was seen by electron microscopy in two of the cases studied. Renal function was normal. In three cases the excretion at 131I-hippuran renography was slightly slowed. Although in the acute stage the renal lesions histologically appeared toxic, evidence suggestive of an immunological mechanism cannot be excluded.

Acute Kidney Injury↗