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Biomedical subjects

K Aho

Publications and source records attributed to K Aho.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Significance of false positive syphilis reactions and anticardiolipin antibodies in a nationwide series of pregnant women.

The highly sensitive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination tests were used to determine the frequency of false positive syphilis reactions in a nationwide series of pregnant women in Finland. The frequency found was 14/10,000. Two cases of systemic lupus and 2 of undefined connective tissue disease were found during a 20-month period among 134 false positive reactors in a series of 110,000 separate pregnancies. The risk of subsequent fetal loss among false positive syphilis reactors was 7%, similar to the risk in RPR negative controls. Half of the sera in the highest RPR titer groups and 1/3 in the lowest titer groups had elevated levels of anticardiolipin antibodies in solid-phase enzyme immunoassay. This assay did not increase the risk of clinical disease or subsequent fetal loss above the risk of RPR test alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Egg-grown and tissue-culture-grown variants of influenza A (H3N2) virus with special attention to their use as antigens in seroepidemiology.

A field strain of influenza A (H3N2) virus isolated in embryonated eggs during the 1984-5 influenza outbreak (A/Finland/13/85E) was compared in an antigenic analysis with virus from the same clinical specimen isolated in MDCK cell cultures (A/Finland/13/85M). The M-virus appeared to be more sensitive to haemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies against heterologous viruses than did the E-virus. The results of propagation and plaque purification experiments support the hypothesis that a single clinical specimen may consist of distinct antigenic variant subpopulations promoted selectively by the host during isolation procedures. Receptor-binding properties are discussed as a possible explanation for this selectivity. A set of 471 paired sera consisting of pre-epidemic and post-epidemic specimens taken from the same subjects in 1984-5 was studied for haemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies to six influenza A (H3N2) virus strains, including the E-virus and the M-virus from A/Finland/13/85. Of the antigens used, the M-virus detected significant antibody increases more frequently than did the E-virus (10.0 v. 5.9%). The superiority of the M-virus may rest primarily in its ability to pick out anamnestic antibody responses. Irrespective of this cross-reactivity, pre-epidemic antibody to the M-virus was fairly well associated with protection. In the set of sera (230 specimens) collected in summer 1985 to represent different age groups, the antibody status against the M-virus was significantly better than the status against the E-virus. The results suggest that, at least in some instances, antibody to MDCK-grown virus is a more accurate indicator of the immune status of a community than antibodies to egg-grown virus variants.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Raised acute-phase glycoprotein and IgM levels in cord serum.

The usefulness of a combined screening for acute-phase glycoproteins and IgM level in cord sera to denote various intrauterine or delivery-associated disorders was tested in approximately 2,000 consecutive cord sera. Increased glycoprotein level, measured by sensitive and technically simple concanavalin A binding nephelometry, showed a significant association with birth injuries and abnormalities of amniotic fluid, whereas raised IgM levels were linked to maternal genitourinary infections and to cesarean sections performed because of fetal distress. The correlation between these putative risk indices was poor (r = 0.38). Both indices were connected with severe neonatal disease and/or poor outcome of the child, but since such conditions were also otherwise evident at birth, routine screening by these tests was considered unwarranted.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1987

Multiple sclerosis in a nationwide series of twins.

A nation wide Finnish Twin Cohort was linked with sickness insurance and hospital discharge registers on the basis of the unique identification number assigned to each Finnish citizen. The study series consisted of 4,063 monozygotic (MZ) and 9,001 dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs born before 1958 and alive in 1981. Altogether, 22 subjects representing 11 MZ pairs and 10 DZ pairs showed clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). In one MZ pair both members had the disease. The frequency of MS among DZ twins corresponded to the figure in the Finnish population, but the prevalence was higher in MZ twins than in DZ twins.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Anticardiolipin response in acute infections.

Paired serum specimens from 149 patients with six different infections verified by a significant rise in the specific antibody level were tested for anticardiolipin antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Significantly raised levels, at least in one immunoglobulin class, were detected in 32% of the cases, and significant changes in the level indicating an ongoing process, in 26%. Taken as a whole, the response involved the immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, and IgA, although in patients with mumps the significantly raised levels were virtually confined to the IgA class. The binding of syphilitic antibodies to solid-phase cardiolipin was readily inhibited by cardiolipin liposomes, whereas this pattern of reactivity was noted in only one of four nonsyphilitic sera. It was concluded that anticardiolipin antibodies occur very frequently in a wide variety of uncomplicated infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

C-reactive protein in population samples.

The significance of C-reactive protein (CRP) was studied in three different sets of specimens. Raised levels (greater than 10 mg/l) were detected in 2.0% of 380 healthy blood donors from whom two blood specimens, taken at an interval of half a year, were tested. Except for two cases, only one of the two specimens was positive. Raised levels were found three times as frequently (in 6.6%) in a random middle-aged population sample consisting of 531 subjects. More than 40% of the raised levels could be connected to acute respiratory infections, and about 20% to smoking. Five of the 35 subjects (14%) in the population sample with elevated CRP had rheumatoid arthritis. The third set of sera comprised pre-illness specimens from 22 subjects who developed rheumatoid arthritis a few months to five years later. Although it had previously been proved that the majority of these sera contained rheumatoid factors, the CRP concentration was increased in one specimen only.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

The distribution of class-specific rheumatoid factors is similar in rheumatoid and pre-illness sera.

The occurrence of IgM, IgG, and IgA class rheumatoid factors (RF) was compared by means of ELISA in 21 sera from patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 22 pre-illness sera from subjects who 4 months to 5 years later developed seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. The positive cases were virtually confined to three groups of about equal size: positive for all three RF classes, positive for IgM-RF and IgG-RF, and positive for IgM-RF only. Thus, the distribution of the RF isotypes was similar in rheumatoid and pre-rheumatoid sera.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1986

Occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis in a nationwide series of twins.

The nationwide Finnish Twin Cohort was linked with the Sickness Insurance Register on the basis of the unique identification number assigned to each Finnish citizen. The study series consisted of 4137 monozygotic (MZ) and 9162 dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs born before 1958 and alive in 1975. Altogether, 261 subjects in the series had the right to receive free medication for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) under the Sickness Insurance Act that covers the entire Finnish population. The pairwise concordance percentage for RA was 12.3 in MZ twins and 3.5 in DZ twins. The age and sex adjusted ratio of observed per expected numbers of concordant pairs (relative risk) was 8.6 for MZ pairs and 3.4 for DZ pairs. These figures are lower than those previously reported on twins but compatible with results from family studies on the genetic component of RA.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

When does rheumatoid disease start?

Stored serum specimens collected in connection with a community-oriented epidemiologic study were available from 30 subjects who later developed seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. In 9 of these pre-rheumatoid specimens, the Rose-Waaler test result was positive, and in 16, the latex fixation test was positive. Two-thirds of the samples were positive when the interval between taking the blood specimen and onset of the disease was less than 4 years, and one-third were positive when the interval was greater than or equal to 4 years. The occurrence of rheumatoid factor preceded the onset of clinical disease more often in males than in females.

Adult↗