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Biomedical subjects

K P Andersen

Publications and source records attributed to K P Andersen.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation increases spinal BMD in healthy, postmenopausal women.

We undertook a double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a calcium and vitamin D supplement and a calcium supplement plus multivitamins on bone loss at the hip, spine and forearm. The study was performed in 240 healthy women, 58-67 years of age. Duration of treatment was 2 years. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the lumbar spine, hip and forearm. A dietary questionnaire was administered twice during the study and revealed a fairly good calcium and vitamin D intake (919 mg calcium/day; 3.8 micrograms vitamin D/day). An increase in lumbar spine BMD of 1.6% was observed in the treatment group after 2 years (p < 0.002). In the placebo group no significant changes were observed during the 2 years. Lumbar spine BMD was significantly higher in the treatment group at both 1 (p < 0.01) and 2 years (p < 0.05) compared with the placebo group. Though not significant, the same trend was seen at the hip. No significant changes from baseline values were observed at the distal forearm in either the treatment or the placebo group. In conclusion, we found a significant increase in urinary calcium excretion in the treatment group compared with the placebo group. Together with significant changes in serum calcium and serum parathyroid hormone, this indicates that a long-term calcium and vitamin supplement of 1 g elementary calcium (calcium carbonate) and 14 micrograms vitamin D3 increases intestinal calcium absorption. A positive effect on BMD was demonstrated, even in a group of early postmenopausal age, with a fairly good initial calcium and vitamin D status.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Cimicifuga and Melbrosia lack oestrogenic effects in mice and rats.

OBJECTIVES: The natural medicines, Cimicifuga and Melbrosia, are widely sold. Cimicifuga is an extract of Cimicifuga racemosa (L.), and Melbrosia is a mixture of Gelée Royale, perga-pollen and pollen. Cimicifuga and Melbrosia are used through self-medication to relieve symptoms of hot flushes and other menstrual or menopausal discomfort in many of the Danish women consulting private gynaecologists. A gynaecologist tends to treat these symptoms with oestrogen, so the present experiments were therefore made to investigate whether Cimicifuga and Melbrosia have oestrogenic effects as defined by the classical biological methods: uterine growth in immature mice and vaginal cornification in ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Vehicle, 6, 60 or 600 mg/kg Cimicifuga or 30, 300 or 3000 mg/kg Melbrosia was administered orally for 3 days to groups of 10 immature mice and the uterus weight measured on the fourth day. Similarly, vehicle, 6, 60, 600 mg/kg Cimicifuga or 3, 30, 300 mg/kg Melbrosia was injected subcutaneously in groups of 12 ovariectomized rats for 3 days and vaginal smears investigated for signs of cornified cells. All experiments were repeated once. RESULTS: No signs of an oestrogenic effect connected with the preparations were found in any of the experiments. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that the eventual beneficial effects on menstrual or menopausal discomfort connected with Cimicifuga and Melbrosia self-medication cannot be explained as a traditional oestrogenic effect as measured in biological experiments.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A recombinant Leishmania chagasi antigen that stimulates cellular immune responses in infected mice.

Cellular immune mechanisms resulting in gamma interferon production are critical for protection against visceral leishmaniasis. Antigens stimulating T-cell responses are likely present in the intracellular amastigote form of the parasite, since this is the form found in a mammalian host. To identify T-cell antigens of Leishmania chagasi, the parasite causing South American visceral leishmaniasis, we used a double antibody-T-cell technique to screen an amastigote cDNA library. One cDNA selected (Lcr1) encodes an antigen that stimulated proliferation of splenic T lymphocytes from infected mice that were either resistant (C3H.HeJ) or susceptible (BALB/c) to L. chagasi infection. The Lcr1 cDNA contains four highly divergent 201-bp repeats homologous to the 204-bp repeat of a Trypanosoma cruzi flagellar antigen gene. Results are consistent with a single copy of the Lcr1 gene producing an mRNA of > 10 kb and a protein of > 200 kDa. Recombinant Lcr1, cloned adjacent to polyhistidine and purified on a nickel affinity column, stimulated gamma interferon but not interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, or IL-10 secretion by T-cell-enriched splenocytes from either susceptible or resistant mice during L. chagasi infection. Immunization with Lcr1 partially protected BALB/c mice against challenge with L. chagasi, indicating the utility of the double screening approach in selecting relevant T-cell antigens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗