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Biomedical subjects

K Holmberg

Publications and source records attributed to K Holmberg.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Fungal arthritis simulating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Petriellidium boydii is often isolated from maduromycosis but has recently been associated with arthritis. A previously healthy 6-year-old boy developed chronic purulent arthritis of the knee after a bicycle accident. Culture of aspirate grew no pathogens and antibiotic treatment had no effect. Culture of synovial fluid grew P boydii, which responded initially to amphotericin but reappeared after six months. Subsequent treatment with miconazole was stopped after development of haematuria. The fungus was sensitive to ketoconazole, and treatment with this drug cured the infection. With the introduction of ketoconazole it is of practical importance to recognise fungal infections.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1982

DNA and chromosome alterations in lymphocytes of operating room personnel and in patients before and after inhalation anaesthesia.

In order to evaluate the possible genotoxic effects of inhalation anaesthetics, the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges and chromosome aberrations was studied in peripheral lymphocytes of control subjects, operating room personnel and patients before and after inhalation anaesthesia during orthopaedic operations. In the patients, the frequency of DNA breaks was studied as well. None of the genotoxic parameters showed an increase which could be related to anaesthetic exposure. The frequency of sister chromatid exchange was very similar in the control and personnel groups, as well as in patients before and after operation. The frequency of chromosome aberrations was unusually low in the control group, whereas the personnel and patient groups showed normal levels of chromosome aberrations which did not differ from previously studied control groups. There was no statistical difference in the frequency of chromosome aberrations or DNA breaks in the patient group after, as compared to before, operation. Smokers were found to have a significantly increased frequency of chromosome gaps compared to nonsmokers, but there was no indication that this difference was related to anaesthetic exposure. The data presented give no indications of genotoxic effects in vivo of inhalation anaesthetics by either occupational exposure to waste anaesthetic gases, or anaesthesia during operation. On the other hand, our present data do not contradict previous data indicating that hospital personnel, irrespective of exposure to inhalation anaesthetics, may have a small average increase of chromosome abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Studies of Candida serology in denture stomatitis patients.

The aim of the study was to determine the humoral antibody response to Candida by means of hemagglutinin and precipitin tests and to correlate these results to yeast colonization in the oral sites and feces and to the relapse tendency after treatment; and furthermore, to evaluate whether Candida serology can serve as a tool to predict a denture stomatitis risk group. The serologic tests were performed by means of passive hemagglutination (HA) and immunoelectroosmophoresis (counterimmunoelectrophoresis, CIE) tests in 51 denture stomatitis patients and compared with 25 individuals in the reference group. There were significantly more patients with increased hemagglutinin titers (pos. greater than or equal to 1:160) to Candida albicans polysaccharide (mannan) antigen and/or precipitin to crude C. albicans cytoplasmic antigen in serum (P less than 0.01) than in the reference group. In the denture stomatitis group there was no correlation between the presence of hemagglutinating and precipitating Candida antibody in serum and the parameters yeast colonization of the oral sites/feces, yeast score on the denture base and palatal erythema score. After local oral antimycotic treatment there was no significant change in the serum Candida hemagglutinin titers and serum precipitins. Serologic tests might be useful as a guidance in a selected group of patients for continued prosthetic treatment and as a prognostic instrument.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Effects of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibitors FLA-57 and FLA-63 on ethanol metabolism and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in rats.

In rats pretreated with the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH)-inhibitors FLA-57 and FLA-63 (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, for 4 and 18 hrs), no effects on the blood acetaldehyde level after ethanol administration or on the activity of the low-Km aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the liver were found. FLA-63 but not FLA-57 decreased the rate of ethanol elimination. FLA-63 inhibited the low-Km enzyme in vitro, but much less than the ALDH-inhibitors disulfiram and cyanamide. FLA-57 caused no inhibition in vitro. The results show that the previously observed suppression of ethanol intake in rats by FLA-57 and FLA-63 was not caused by an acetaldehyde-mediated aversion such as during the disulfiram-ethanol reaction.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1982

Characterization of allergen extracts by two-dimensional electrophoretic techniques: Micropolyspora faeni antigens.

Thermophilic actinomycetes and saprobic fungi are important in the etiology of allergic occupational diseases such as "farmer's lung" disease. Each such organism produces several protein antigens. Inhaled, these antigens stimulate production of antibodies. Detection of precipitating antibodies has been useful in the diagnosis of diseases so induced. Characterization of allergen extracts from microorganisms associated with these diseases is important, to improve the sensitivity and precision of the precipitin analysis. For this purpose we submitted crude allergen extracts to electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing in agarose gels. Staining the gels revealed many protein components in each extract, especially after isoelectric focusing. After separation in one dimension, a lane of gel was cut out and the proteins were electrophoresed at right angles into another gel, which contained antibodies. Several arcs of immunoprecipitates, indicating different antigens, were seen. This technique ("crossed immunoelectrofocusing") has earlier been used with polyacrylamide in the first dimension, but it is improved by using instead agarose of a special quality. Further to improve the quantification, we isolated pieces of gel containing the proteins of interest and used them as samples in zone immunoelectrophoresis assay. This method is straightforward, easy to evaluate, and about 100-fold as sensitive as radial immunodiffusion. The amount of protein in each sample is usually proportional to the distance from the upper gel surface to the front of each immunoprecipitate. The increased sensitivity allows study of many hitherto unexamined antigens.

Allergens↗
PubMed1980

Serologic immunodiagnosis of of invasive aspergillosis.

Two sensitive methods, counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for detecting antibodies to Aspergilus were used to study serial specimens from patients with histologically proven invasive aspergillosis for measurement of conversion from negative to positive immunoprecipitin reactions and changes in ELISA titers during immunosuppression. Sera from 12 granulocytopenic patients without invasive aspergillosis served as controls. Positive CIE reactions were demonstrated in 70% of patients with clinically suspected aspergillosis. In addition to a greater sensitivity (80%) of ELISA, the serial determination of antibody response by Elisa allowed for separation of seropositive patients into two groups. A serial rise in ELISA titer appeared to correlate with histologically documented recovery from infection, whereas those with declining or persistently intermediate titers were found to have disseminated aspergillosis at autopsy. Thus, serial antibody determination by ELISA was valuable as both a diagnostic and prognostic tool.

Antibodies, Fungal↗
PubMed1978

Genital occurrence of oral microbiota.

Recent studies indicate that tonsillar gonococcal infection or colonization is fairly common. Carriage rates of about 8% have been found. These studies also indicate that oro-genital contacts are common. Since very little is known about the amount of oral microbiota transmitted to the genitals, we have studied the occurrence of oral streptococci and Neisseria species in urethra and cervix. Among 128 patients attending an STD-clinic we found 10 carriers of oral streptococci, one Streptococcus mitior, four Streptococcus sanguis, one Streptococcus mutans and four Streptococcus salivarius and case of urethritis due to Neisseria menigitidis. Seventy-three of the patients had recently had their genitals exposed to the oral flora of their partners. Despite the heavy contamination with oral microbiota that can be assumed to occur in these cases, there seems to be no colonization of the genitals with oral microbiota.

Adult↗