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Biomedical subjects

J Geboers

Publications and source records attributed to J Geboers.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Effectiveness of treatment with antihypertensive drugs and trends in mortality from stroke in the community.

A study was made of the changes in the treatment of hypertension, in the effectiveness of that treatment, and in mortality from cerebrovascular stroke in men and women in two counties in Finland. One of these counties was North Karelia, where a comprehensive cardiovascular programme based in the community had been launched in 1972. Cross sectional surveys in large representative samples of the middle aged populations were carried out in 1972, 1977, and 1982. Average annual mortality from stroke adjusted for age was calculated for the two year periods 1971-2, 1977-8, and 1980-1. The proportion of hypertensive men being effectively treated for their hypertension increased in both areas from 1972 to 1977 and further from 1977 to 1982. Mortality from stroke in middle aged men decreased in both areas during both observation periods. The proportion of hypertensive women being effectively treated greatly increased in both areas from 1972 to 1977. This was associated with a large decline in mortality from stroke. In North Karelia the proportion of women being effectively treated was remarkably high but decreased somewhat between 1977 and 1982; this decrease was associated with an increase in mortality from stroke in the women aged 35-64. These results support the idea that effective antihypertensive treatment in the community is a major determinant of mortality from stroke in both men and women.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

HLA complex and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a European population.

HLA tissue typing was performed in 43 unrelated white persons with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) living in the northern part of Belgium. The frequency distribution of the 14-HLA-A, 18 HLA-B, 5 HLA-C and 10 HLA-D antigens, which were tested, was similar in patients with obstructive, provocable obstructive or non-obstructive HCM to that of a control group of 800 normal persons.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Serum lipid distribution and mortality in Belgium.

During the year 1982 serum cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 and B levels were measured in 1319 male subjects (mean age 20 years) from different provinces of Belgium. The serum cholesterol level and the apolipoprotein B level were distinctly lower in Dutch-speaking than in French-speaking subjects. An increase of 1.1 mg% of total cholesterol was found per kg per consumer unit per year of butter consumed and a decrease of 1.1 mg% per kg per consumer unit per year of margarine consumed. The higher cholesterol value in French-speaking subjects correlated significantly with a high regional mortality from all causes and from ischaemic heart disease in male subjects of the 45-64-year age group. A 10 mg% difference in serum cholesterol at the age of 20 years corresponds with an increase in mortality from all causes of 20% and from ischaemic heart disease of 21%. A significant difference in log GGT (gamma glutamyl-transpeptidase)--possibly due to differences in alcohol consumption--was observed between the provinces of Belgium. The difference in cholesterol and apolipoprotein B level remained significant after adjustment for log GGT.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Diastolic properties of the left ventricle in normal adults and in patients with third heart sounds.

To explore the pathogenesis of the third heart sound (S3), left ventricular hemodynamics in early diastole were studied during catheterization in normal adults without S3S (group I, n = 12) and in cardiac patients with S3S as the result of severe mitral regurgitation (group II, n = 11), dilated cardiomyopathy (group III, n = 24) or restricted left ventricular filling (group IV, n = 4). The height and steepness of the rise in left ventricular pressure after minimum diastolic pressure (the so-called rapid filling wave), maximum dV/dt, and the time constant of fall in isovolumetric pressure were measured. The completeness of relaxation was evaluated from the number of time constants elapsed at the time of minimum diastolic pressure. Pressure-volume data were fitted to simple elastic and viscoelastic models incorporating inflow rate into the equation. In all patients with S3S a significantly higher and steeper rapid filling wave was found than in normal adults. Maximum dV/dt was significantly greater in group II (1084.9 +/- 416 ml/sec; mean +/- SD) than in the other groups (463.9 +/- 177.1 ml/sec in group I, 448.8 +/- 134.0 ml/sec in group III, and 709.9 +/- 226.8 ml/sec in group IV). No significant differences in left ventricular chamber elastic properties in the different groups were found. However, intrapatient comparisons of the results of the use of elastic and viscoelastic equations revealed a significantly better curve fit (r = .930 vs .968, p less than .005) and a much higher viscous constant for group III. Similar results were found in group IV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Intermittent aortic cross-clamping versus St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegia in extensive aorta-coronary bypass grafting. A randomized clinical study.

Myocardial preservation was assessed in 72 patients undergoing extensive myocardial revascularization. The patients were allocated at random to three surgical techniques: Group 1, intermittent aortic cross-clamping at 32 degrees C; Group 2, intermittent aortic cross-clamping at 25 degrees C; and Group 3, St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegia. As intraoperative markers of ischemic damage, adenosine triphosphate, creatine phosphate, and glycogen contents were determined in transmural left ventricular biopsy specimens taken at the beginning and at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass. Ultrastructure was studied in a similar pair of biopsy specimens. Release of myocardium-specific creatine kinase isoenzyme was determined intraoperatively and postoperatively. Functional recovery was assessed before and after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. The incidence of low cardiac output, myocardial infarction, and rhythm disturbances was compared between groups. Finally, actuarial survival and event-free curves were studied after 18 months' follow-up. The results show a better preservation of high-energy phosphates, glycogen, and ultrastructure in the cardioplegia group as compared to the two cross-clamp groups. However, severe myocardial damage was never observed. Release of MB creatine kinase isoenzyme was the same in all three groups. Functional recovery of the hearts immediately after cessation of cardiopulmonary bypass was better in the cardioplegia group, but the incidence of rhythm disturbances (atrioventricular conduction problems) was higher in the cardioplegia group than in the other two groups (p less than 0.05). Clinical outcome in terms of incidence of perioperative infarction, survival, and event-free follow-up was not different between groups. It is concluded that both techniques (aortic cross-clamping at 32 degrees C or 25 degrees C and St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegia) offer good myocardial protection in extensive aorta-coronary bypass operations. St. Thomas' cardioplegia, however, in contrast to intermittent aortic cross-clamping, prevents the onset of ischemia-induced deterioration of cardiac metabolism, i.e., destruction of the adenine nucleotide pool.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1984

Primary prevention of hypertension in Belgium--lessons from regional differences.

Circumstantial evidence is provided for the influence of nutritional changes such as less salt, less saturated fat and more polyunsaturated fat on blood pressure and on mortality from stroke and stomach cancer in Belgium. Nutritional differences exist between the two major regions, the North and the South of Belgium. The South has a high intake of saturated fats whereas in the North the intake of polyunsaturated fat is higher. Probably less salt is used in the South compared to the North. The observed nutritional differences correlate well with the observed changes in mortality for stroke and stomach cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Salt and hypertension.

The salt hypothesis states that salt is a necessary condition for the genesis of essential hypertension; however, it is not a sufficient condition. Other factors---primarily genetics--are necessary for the expression of the disease. The arguments in favor of this still controversial subject originate from pathophysiology, evolution, history, pharmacology, experimental and clinical medicine, and epidemiology. Epidemiologic observations favoring the hypothesis mostly relate to comparisons between populations, and much less to comparisons within populations. The arguments against this hypothesis are related mostly to the well known difficulties of proving a within-population relationship of a relatively homogeneously distributed variable to an age-related variable (blood pressure). Mortality data derived from stomach cancer and stroke, compared within and between populations, provide only circumstantial, but nevertheless important, evidence in favor of the salt hypothesis. The strong, consistent, and independent association between stomach cancer and stroke mortality is best explained by the level of salt intake in the population. The observations made in Belgium over the last years are consistent with the salt hypothesis. A decrease in salt intake at the population level correlated with a marked decrease in stroke and stomach cancer mortality, larger than in any other European country, except Finland.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

A comparative study of serum lipids between Belgium and Korea.

Serum cholesterol values are markedly lower in Korea than in Belgium in both males and females. This is attributed to the much lower consumption of saturated fat in Korea. A mean population serum cholesterol value of about 160 mg/dl appears to be compatible with excellent general health and with the absence of ischemic heart disease or other atheromatous diseases. The influence of age, height and weight on cholesterol between Belgium and Korea is qualitatively similar but quantitatively different. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol values are lower in Korea than in Belgium, particularly in females. Differences in the HDL cholesterol level thus cannot explain the low prevalence of ischemic heart disease in Korea.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Nutrition and gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (Gc) is generally conceived as having a multifactorial origin. Different genetic factors, soil, nutritional and socioeconomic factors have all been mentioned in the literature as possible causes. Further research on the causation of Gc has, in fact, been hampered by the large number of hypotheses. A strong geographic association between gastric cancer and stroke mortality was found by chance in 1964; this association could be spurious, but the quantitative analysis of the data showed similar relationships both between countries and within countries (e.g., in countries as different as the US and Japan), a very unlikely situation if due to chance. The same quantitative relationship was maintained using multiple regression analysis of stroke mortality. All this was observed for each sex separately and for both sexes combined. The working hypothesis was set forth in 1965 that salt intake was the predominant linking factor for both types of mortality. Stroke would then be influenced by the relationship between salt and blood pressure; Gc would result from the delaying and caustic properties of a hypertonic stomach content. The latter condition could produce atrophic gastritis, a common problem in Japan, Chile and Columbia. Atrophic gastritis favors the synthesis of endogenous nitrites and, henceforth, of nitroso-carcinogens. The salt hypothesis can give an explanation for the geographical and time behavior of Gc and stroke mortality and for the socioeconomic gradient of both diseases. Gc mortality can also be used to provide a rough estimate of the salt intake in a given country and year. The hypothesis was tested in Belgium through a deliberate attempt to lower the salt intake of the population. The observed decreases in Gc and stroke mortality were consistent with the measured decrease in salt excretion. Further research is urgently needed through the monitoring of 24-hour salt and creatinine excretion in different countries and over many years.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serum lipids in the People's Republic of China. Comparison of Western and Eastern populations.

Serum cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels were measured in an urban and a rural population of the People's Republic of China and compared with cholesterol values obtained in Belgium and in the Republic of Korea, with use of the same methodology. Total cholesterol levels were markedly lower in the People's Republic of China than in Belgium and generally lower than in Korea, both in male and female subjects. However, the differences in HDL cholesterol levels among the three populations were small in males and only significantly higher in Belgium in the age classes below 34 years. In women of all age groups, HDL cholesterol values were significantly higher in Belgium than in China and Korea. Total cholesterol levels below 100 mg/dl were found in the People's Republic of China in about 2% of the participants. Apolipoprotein B was significantly lower, and the apolipoprotein A1/B ratio was significantly higher, in China and Korea compared to Belgium.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen and plasminogen activator inhibitor in diabetes mellitus.

Parameters of fibrinolysis, including euglobulin fibrinolytic activity, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PA-inhibitor) activity, and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complex (PAP) were studied in 62 patients (35 women and 27 men; ages 53 +/- 16 years) with either insulin-dependent (IDDM) or noninsulin-dependent (NIDDM) diabetes mellitus. Compared to a control group of similar age (n = 57), the diabetic patients had a significantly lower mean euglobulin fibrinolytic activity (1.2 +/- 0.7 vs. 1.7 +/- 1.1 ng/ml, p less than 0.01) but significantly higher mean t-PA antigen (15.7 +/- 8.4 vs. 6.6 +/- 2.9 ng/ml, p less than 0.001) and PA-inhibitor activity (2.6 +/- 1.3 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.7 IU/ml, p less than 0.001) levels. Significant univariate correlations were observed between PA-inhibitor activity and age (r = 0.32, p less than 0.05), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.42, p less than 0.01) and euglobulin fibrinolytic activity (r = -0.40, p less than 0.01). In multivariate analysis, only body mass index (positively) and euglobulin fibrinolytic activity (negatively) remained significantly related to PA-inhibitor activity in the total diabetic population as well as in the NIDDM group. The only parameter in the IDDM group significantly related to PA-inhibitor activity was diastolic blood pressure. These results suggest that PA-inhibitor plays a role in the regulation of fibrinolysis in diabetes patients and that factors like obesity and hypertension may be related to reduced fibrinolysis via PA-inhibitor levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiological study of the relationship between calcium and blood pressure.

During an epidemiological survey of 9321 male Belgian subjects, a highly significant positive correlation was found between the serum calcium level and blood pressure. The slope of the equation relating serum calcium level to blood pressure was higher in subjects who restricted their sodium intake than in subjects who did not. The slope was also significantly higher in subjects who did not take medication for hypertension compared to those who did. There was a significant and positive correlation between urinary calcium measured from 24-hour samples and blood pressure, both in the Belgian study and in a further epidemiological survey in Korea. In the Korean study, no significant correlation was found between 24-hour urinary magnesium excretion and blood pressure.

Adult↗