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Biomedical subjects

L Berg

Publications and source records attributed to L Berg.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type: 2. Longitudinal assessment.

Forty-three subjects with mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT, so-called probable Alzheimer's disease) were studied longitudinally by serial administration of several tests to rate dementia. Comparison was made with 58 healthy elderly controls. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed in all 16 autopsies. At 5 years after entry into the study, the cumulative rate of nursing home placement was 73%, and of death, 30%, rising at 7 years to 84% and 44%, respectively. Four of six clinical measures of dementia were found to correlate with the natural history of SDAT. Several measures are better than a single one in carrying out longitudinal studies of the disorder.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Validation of clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease.

Clinical investigations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been limited by diagnostic inaccuracy. We employed explicit clinical inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify subjects with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT). In a consecutive series of 26 postmortem examinations from this sample, AD was histologically verified in all subjects and was the primary dementing illness. Seventeen of the 26 SDAT subjects had been diagnosed when only mildly demented. Two control subjects were examined neuropathologically; AD was absent in both. We conclude that research clinical diagnostic criteria for SDAT, even in its mild stage, are valid.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Symptoms of "depression" in dementia of the Alzheimer type.

The frequency of symptoms of depression (Feighner criteria) was evaluated in subjects with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and matched controls enrolled in a longitudinal natural history study of DAT. Despite enrollment criteria which excluded subjects with affective disorders, the collateral sources of subjects with DAT described these subjects as having significantly more "depressive" symptoms than controls without dementia at entry, and at 15- and 34-month follow-up. The collateral sources of the subjects with DAT reported that these demented individuals experienced significantly greater loss of interest, decreased energy, difficulty in thinking and concentrating, and psychomotor agitation or retardation then did the control group. The subjects with DAT reported fewer symptoms than did their collateral sources, but like their collateral sources, they did not report a global elevation of all Feighner symptoms, but rather related significantly greater difficulty in thinking and concentrating than the controls and a tendency toward loss of interest and psychomotor changes. No subject became clinically depressed. The results suggest a significant overlap between the symptoms of dementia and depression. The frequency with which the above symptoms occur in DAT confounds the use of Feighner and, by extension, DSM-III criteria in diagnosing depression in cognitively impaired individuals with DAT.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1988

Personality differences and stressful life events. Differences between treated periodontal patients with and without maintenance.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether personality differences exist between patients who have had periodontal therapy and continued in maintenance compared with those who have had periodontal therapy and no maintenance. In addition, an attempt was made to determine whether there were differences in reactions to stressful life events among the 2 groups of patients. Patients were evaluated for personality differences using the adjective check list. A background questionnaire was used to gather personal data and information pertinent to stressful life events. The maintained group had a more positive image of themselves. They had higher achievement, endurance and affiliation scores than did the patients without maintenance. The unmaintained group had higher negative aggression scores, a higher incidence of stressful life events, and less stable personal relationships in their lives.

Attitude↗
PubMed1987

Behavioral changes in patients with mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Behavioral changes in 44 subjects with well-characterized mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT) and 16 subjects with only questionable SDAT were compared to a control group of 58 subjects. Answers to both open-ended questions and personality items from the Blessed Dementia Scale were examined. Seventeen items were classified into seven categories by factor analysis and then further categorized into four clinically useful groups: passive, agitated, self-centered, and suspicious. Over 75% of subjects with mild SDAT had behavioral changes compared to 10% of controls. Passive symptoms were the most common, occurring in two-thirds of mild SDAT subjects. Agitated and self-centered symptoms were also common, occurring half as frequently as passive symptoms. Passive symptoms occurred alone in 25% of those with mild SDAT, whereas passive symptoms, together with agitated and/or self-centered symptoms, were present in 11-16% of subjects with mild SDAT. Agitated or self-centered symptoms rarely occurred alone. Characterizing the behavioral symptoms of SDAT is important for their clinical implications and for an approach to understanding brain-behavioral relationships.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Longitudinal change in three brief assessments of SDAT.

Previous research has shown that there is considerable interest in the development of brief indices for use in the diagnosis and staging of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT). Examples of such measures include the Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS) and Pfeiffer's Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ). A third measure used in the assessment of organic cognitive impairment is the Face-Hand Test (FHT). This study, which was part of a large longitudinal investigation of SDAT, examined the performance of 43 subjects with SDAT and 57 healthy controls over 30 months. The subjects were assessed three times during this period. In addition to the brief measures (BDS, SPMSQ, and FHT) all subjects were rated on a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale based on a lengthy clinical interview. The data were analyzed by means of a series of univariate, repeated measures ANOVAs, and discriminant analysis. Results indicate: control scores did not change over time on any of the measures; when classified according to severity of SDAT, different patterns of performance emerged over time for each measure; and it is difficult to accurately predict progression of SDAT from the three scores.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

The progression of personality changes in senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Passive, agitated, and self-centered behavioral changes were noted on initial evaluation in two-thirds, one-third, and one-third, respectively, of subjects with mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT). Over a 50-month follow-up period, the percentage of patients who exhibited agitated and self-centered behaviors doubled. The percentage of subjects who demonstrated all three behavioral changes increased from 11% at entry to the study (mild SDAT) to over 50% when the dementia had reached a severe stage. The presence of personality changes at a mild stage of dementia did not predispose subjects to more rapid progression to a more advanced stage of illness.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Transcription and post-transcriptional regulation of avian HSP70 gene expression.

Transient incubation of chicken lymphoblastoid (MSB) cells at elevated temperatures induces the synthesis of three heat shock proteins of 89,000 Da (HSP89), 70,000 Da (HSP70), and 23,000 Da (HSP23). We have examined the effects of heat shock on the transcription and post-transcriptional regulation of the chicken HSP70 and beta-actin genes. The rate of HSP70 transcription is rapidly induced by heat shock, reaches maximal levels by 60 min, and thereafter decreases. The level of HSP70 mRNA increases 20-fold by 60 min and remains constant through 6 h of heat shock. Upon return of heat-shocked cells to normal growth temperatures, the level of HSP70 mRNA rapidly decreases to pre-heat shock levels. These results suggest that HSP70 mRNA is stably maintained and translated during heat shock, but rapidly degraded during recovery from heat shock. The effect of heat shock on beta-actin mRNA is opposite to the apparent stabilizing effects of elevated temperatures on HSP70 mRNA.

Actins↗
PubMed1986

Repression of bovine papilloma virus replication is mediated by a virally encoded trans-acting factor.

Cells transformed with bovine papilloma virus type 1 mutants in the E6 or E6/7 genes are resistant to high-copy-number amplification of wild-type DNA after supertransfection. Transient and stable replication assays demonstrate this effect. If the supertransfected DNA has a mutation in a newly defined gene (M), this cellular immunity to high-copy-number replication is overcome, resulting in transient replication of the input DNA. In contrast, the resident plasmid does not participate in amplification and is maintained at a constant low copy number. Cotransformation of M- mutants and wild-type DNA into these cells leads to shutoff of replication of both genomes. Thus, M- mutants define a trans-acting negative modulator that regulates viral replication. This function is distinct from the positive factors required for replication. We propose a model that explains why the loss of E6 and E6/7 function leads to immunity of the infected cell.

Bovine papillomavirus 1↗
PubMed1986

A longitudinal, behavioral study of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Subjects with mild cases of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT n = 18) were followed up over four years with 16 behavioral tests given during four test periods. This group was compared with a normal group (n = 30) matched on age (64 to 81 years), sex, and socioeconomic status. Each of the 16 tests reflected significant group differences, with the normal subjects showing little or no decline and the subjects with SDAT showing progressive decline. The test showing the greatest decline over the four years was the logical memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the test showing the least decline was the Wechsler Memory Scale digit span forward subtest. Even the latter test, however, reflected much decline. There were five subjects with SDAT whose dementia remained mild throughout the four-year study. The others progressed to more severe levels. The five subjects performed more ably on each of the 16 tests than those who progressed to more severe levels. In fact, after an initial level of decline, several of the tests showed little or no decline among the five subjects. Four hypotheses are offered in examining the differences between those subjects whose dementia remained mild and those whose dementia did not.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

The bovine papillomavirus replicon.

The bovine papillomavirus genome contains two cis-acting sequences which can serve as signals for replication. At least three virally encoded genes seem to be involved in plasmid replication: E6, E6/7 and E1. Mutations in either the E6 or the E7 open reading frame create plasmids that are maintained at a low copy number per cell. Mutations in the E1 open reading frame are absolutely lethal to replication. Complementation experiments show that these mutations define separate genes. Experiments are described which show that cells harbouring plasmids with mutations in either the E6 or the E7 open reading frame acquire an immunity to high copy-number plasmids. We suggest that either the cell or the virus encodes a repressor. The positive action of E6 and E6/7 modulates the activity of this repressor to allow for the high copy-number state. Though the viral oncogenes are capable of transforming cells separately when they are expressed as part of certain recombinant DNA expression systems, it is clear that, in the context of the entire viral replicon, interactions between the transforming functions and replication functions must exist.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Clinical and volumetric analysis of three-wall intrabony defects following open flap debridement.

Fourteen defects were treated with flap debridement procedures using the Prichard principle of epithelial exclusion. Six defects were considered to be medium in width (3-4 mm), seven defects were wide (greater than 4 mm), and one defect was narrow (1-2 mm). The parameters studied were changes in gingival and plaque scores, attachment levels, and bone scores. All defects were reentered 9 to 16 months after surgery and changes between the pretreatment and posttreatment bone levels were recorded. The mean gain in probing attachment level was 2.76 mm. The mean amount of defect fill measured from models was 2.56 mm, while the mean defect fill from direct measurements was 3.26 mm. The percentage defect fill measured from study models was 61%. Crestal resorption was 9.7%. The average change in defect volume unadjusted for crestal resorption was 61.8 cu mm. Seven defects had a 50% or greater decrease in defect volume, while seven defects had less than a 50% change. Intrabony defects where calculus is present on the involved tooth surface prior to therapy will repair with substantial amounts of bone as a result of open debridement.

Alveolar Process↗