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J Huttunen

Publications and source records attributed to J Huttunen.

88 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Remissions in newly diagnosed type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes: influence of interferon as an adjunct to insulin therapy.

We studied the effect of interferon as an adjunct to conventional insulin therapy on the early course of Type 1 diabetes in 43 newly diagnosed patients. Compared with conventional therapy, interferon administration slightly delayed the improvement of glucose homeostasis and the rise of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, while C-peptide secretion was unaffected. Independent of the type of therapy, 18 patients (42%) entered partial remission. The remission began 2.0 +/- 0.6 months (mean +/- SEM) from the start of therapy and lasted for 4.1 +/- 1.1 months. Seven patients (16%) were still in remission 1 year after diagnosis. The patients who entered remission had higher initial C-peptide secretion, lower glycosylated haemoglobin levels and better initial control than patients without remission. Thus, interferon provided no benefits as an adjunct to conventional insulin therapy in unselected patients with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes. An important factor for the development of remission was the presence of C-peptide secretion at the time of diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

Change in risk factors for coronary heart disease during 10 years of a community intervention programme (North Karelia project).

A comprehensive community based programme to control cardiovascular diseases was started in North Karelia, Finland, in 1972. Reductions in smoking, serum cholesterol concentrations, and blood pressure were among the central intermediate objectives. The effect of the programme during the 10 year period 1972-82 was evaluated by examining independent random population samples at the outset (1972) and five (1977) and 10 (1982) years later both in the programme and in a matched reference area. Over 10 000 subjects were studied in 1972 and 1977 (participation rate about 90%) and roughly 8000 subjects in 1982 (participation rate about 80%). Analyses were conducted of the estimated effect of the programme on the risk factor population means by comparing the baseline and five year and 10 year follow up results in the age range 30-59 years. The effect of the programme (net reduction in North Karelia) at 10 years among the middle aged male population was estimated to be a 28% reduction in smoking (p less than 0.001), a 3% reduction in mean serum cholesterol concentration (p less than 0.001), a 3% fall in mean systolic blood pressure (p less than 0.001), and a 1% fall in mean diastolic blood pressure (p less than 0.05). Among the female population the reductions were respectively, 14% (NS), 1% (NS), 5% (p less than 0.001), and 2% (p less than 0.05). During the first five years of the project (1972-7) the programme effectively reduced the population mean values of the major coronary risk factors. At 10 years the effects had persisted for serum cholesterol concentrations and blood pressure and were increased for smoking.

Adult↗

Controlled, randomised trial of the effect of dietary fat on blood pressure.

57 couples living in two communities of North Karelia, aged 30-50 years, were randomly allocated to three groups. After a 2-week baseline period group I followed a diet low in fat (23% of energy) with a high polyunsaturated/saturated (P/S) ratio (1 . 0), group II reduced daily salt intake from 192 mmol to 77 mmol, and group III (control group) continued the usual diet. After the 6-week intervention period groups I and II reverted to their usual diets. In group I systolic blood pressure declined from 138 . 4 to 129 . 5 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure from 88 . 9 to 81 . 3 mm Hg during the intervention period; the values rose during switch-back. The fall was greater among hypertensive than among normotensive subjects. In groups II and III the mean blood pressure changed very little during the study.

Adult↗

Effect of guar gum on body weight and serum lipids in hypercholesterolemic females.

The effect of guar gum (15 g/day) on serum lipids and body weight of middle-aged hypercholesterolemic females was studied in a double-blind controlled trial. No consistent changes were observed in serum cholesterol, triglycerides or HDL cholesterol in patients taking guar gum, placebo or no medication at all. A highly significant decrease in body weight (62.9 +/- 2.1 vs. 60.4 +/- 2.2 kg, p < 0.0005, paired comparison) was seen in subjects receiving guar gum, whereas body weight remained constant in the other two groups. It is concluded that the daily ingestion of 15 g of guar gum results in a permanent weight loss, but does not influence serum lipids in females with hypercholesterolemia.

Body Weight↗

Serum selenium in acute infections.

We measured the serum selenium concentration in 64 patients with uncomplicated viral (n = 33) or bacterial (n = 31) infections during the acute state of infection, during the early convalescent phase and after a minimum recovery period of three weeks and compared it to serum iron values. Both selenium (mean +/- SEM: 70.3 +/- 2.3 micrograms/l vs 79.4 +/- 2.2 micrograms/l, p less than 0.0001) and iron (8.4 +/- 0.8 micrograms vs 16.7 +/- 0.9 micrograms/l, p less than 0.0001) concentrations showed significant depressions in the acute stage of infection compared with the values after the recovery. The reduction of serum selenium did not correlate with the severity of infection measured by fever. We conclude that acute infections decrease serum levels regardless of the infective agent. The changes are of interest because of the possible connection between selenium and the immune system.

Acute Disease↗

Clinical and metabolic effects and wound healing metabolism in controlled total parenteral nutrition with high vs. low nitrogen content for seven days after abdominoperineal rectum resection for carcinoma.

The clinical, metabolic and anthropometric effects and wound healing metabolism of two regimens of total parenteral nutrition with different amount of nitrogen low, 0.1 g, and high, 0.3 g/body weight kg/day were examined in this prospective double-blind study in two groups of ten patients subjected to abdominoperineal rectum resection for carcinoma for seven postoperative days. The results showed that the high nitrogen infusion associated with metabolic stress indicated by high excretion of urea, high level of serum urea and by a higher frequency of complications. Five patients of the high and one of the low nitrogen group showed complications (p less than 0.05). Further, the metabolic load, complications and high nitrogen infusion associated with higher body temperature, degree of fatigue, levels of C-reactive proteins, leukocytosis and lower of hand pressure force than found in those with low nitrogen infusion. The patient with low or high nitrogen infusion had similar parameters in wound healing metabolism of incision and stoma. The patients with complications showed a reduced stomal hydroxyproline concentration on the third postoperative day (p less than 0.05) and an increase of stomal and wound hydroxyproline and DNA on the seventh postoperative day (p less than 0.05). It is concluded that nitrogen amount of 0.1 g body weight kg/day is a better and a good alternative as compared to 0.3 g in total parenteral nutrition after major abdominal surgery for carcinoma.

Carcinoma↗

Effects of stimulus intensity on frontal, central and parietal somatosensory evoked potentials after median nerve stimulation.

Effects of the intensity of electrical median nerve stimulation were previously reported for the subcortical and first cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) but not for later cortical waves whose applications in neurology have gained growing interest in recent years. This paper therefore describes the stimulus intensity effects on frontal, central and parietal SEP waveforms up to 90 msec after stimulus. The intensities were 1.5 and 2 times sensory threshold (ST), motor threshold (MT), and 1.5 and 2 times MT. Between 1.5 x ST and MT all SEP components grew in amplitude, except N60 which was essentially saturated already at 1.5 x ST. The growth was most marked for P14 and N20 whereas later potentials changed less, i.e. the slopes of the intensity-amplitude curves progressively flattened with increasing latency of SEP component. Between MT and 2 x MT no significant further alterations occurred in the early cortical potentials up to 30 msec. However, subtle changes occurred in the P40-N60 waveforms and subtraction of responses revealed a small centroparietal P35-N45 difference wave elicited only by high-intensity (2 x MT) stimulation. It is concluded that for practical purposes stimulation slightly above MT yields maximum cortical SEPs. The results are not generally compatible with the proposition that P40 and N60 are conveyed by higher threshold, small-diameter afferent fibers compared with N20. However, the P35-N45 difference wave at 2 x MT indicates that small-diameter afferent components may be embedded in the waveforms obtained at high intensity.

Adult↗