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Biomedical subjects

L Friberg

Publications and source records attributed to L Friberg.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Focal ischaemia caused by instability of cerebrovascular tone during attacks of hemiplegic migraine. A regional cerebral blood flow study.

During the course of hemiplegic migraine in 3 patients, changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were recorded by the intracarotid 133Xe method and a 254 multidetector camera covering one hemisphere. The rCBF measurements were performed in conjunction with cerebral angiography. During repeated rCBF measurements all 3 patients developed focal hypoperfusion originating in the frontal lobe, subsequently spreading posteriorly to involve the precentral and postcentral regions. In 2 cases focal hyperperfusion appeared to precede the hypoperfusion. In association with the rCBF changes the patients developed transient motor and/or sensory deficits and subsequently severe headache. No signs of arterial occlusion were found. In the over and underperfused regions blood flow fluctuated rapidly because of instability of cerebrovascular tone, defined as transient constriction of the smallest cerebral vessels (arterioles) alternating with a normal calibre for these vessels and/or short periods of vasodilatation. It is considered to be a primary pathological condition of the vessels. When vasoconstriction was present the blood flow decreased to values consistent with ischaemia, which was probably the cause of the neurological deficits. On the basis of these observations and previous work from our laboratory we conclude that instability of cerebrovascular tone may cause focal ischaemia during the course of attacks of classical and hemiplegic migraine.

Aged↗

Effects of acetazolamide on cerebral blood flow and brain tissue oxygenation.

Oral administration of 1 g of acetazolamide to 8 normal subjects studied at sea level and in normoxia caused an acute increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF). During the subsequent prolonged oral treatment with 1 g of acetazolamide daily, CBF returned to normal within 2 days. The alveolar CO2 tension decreased gradually to 70% of the control value, indicating hyperventilation. At sea level hyperventilation will not increase brain oxygenation significantly in normal man, as the arterial oxygen content only increases minimally, while CBF is unchanged. At high altitude the beneficial effects of acetazolamide on the symptoms of acute mountain sickness may well be due to an improved oxygen supply to the brain, as hyperventilation will, at the low ambient PO2, cause a significant increase of the arterial oxygen content, while CBF presumably is unaffected by the drug. During hypoxia at high altitude the overall effect of prolonged acetazolamide treatment may thus be equivalent to a descent by several hundred metres.

Acetazolamide↗

Mercury concentrations in the human brain and kidneys in relation to exposure from dental amalgam fillings.

Samples from the central nervous system (occipital lobe cortex, cerebellar cortex and ganglia semilunare) and kidney cortex were collected from autopsies and analysed for total mercury content using neutron activation analyses. Results from 34 individuals showed a statistically significant regression between the number of tooth surfaces containing amalgam and concentration of mercury in the occipital lobe cortex (mean 10.9, range 2.4-28.7 ng Hg/g wet weight). The regression equation y = 7.2 + 0.24x has a 95% confidence interval for the regression coefficient of 0.11-0.37. In 9 cases with suspected alcohol abuse mercury levels in the occipital lobe were, in most cases, somewhat lower than expected based on the regression line. The observations may be explained by an inhibition of oxidation of mercury vapour. The regression between amalgams and mercury levels remained after exclusion of these cases. The kidney cortex from 7 amalgam carriers (mean 433, range 48-810 ng Hg/g wet weight) showed on average a significantly higher mercury level than those of 5 amalgam-free individuals (mean 49, range 21-105 ng Hg/g wet weight). In 6 cases analysis of both inorganic and total mercury was carried out. A high proportion (mean 77% SD 17%) of inorganic mercury was found. It is concluded that the cause of the association between amalgam load and accumulation of mercury in tissues is the release of mercury vapour from amalgam fillings.

Adolescent↗

Airborne arsenic and urinary excretion of metabolites of inorganic arsenic among smelter workers.

The relationship between airborne concentrations of arsenic and the urinary excretion of inorganic arsenic metabolites (inorganic arsenic + methylarsonic acid + dimethylarsinic acid) have been studied among smelter workers exposed to arsenic trioxide. The urinary concentrations of arsenic metabolites were found to increase steadily during the first day of the working week (after 2-3 d off from work), whereafter they reached a steady state. The concentration in the late evening after a day of exposure was very similar to that in the early morning after. Both were well correlated to the total daily excretion. In the second part of the study, comprising 18 subjects, the first-void morning urine of each participant was collected for 2 to 3 d during the steady-state phase. Total concentration of arsenic in the breathing zones was measured by personal air samplers. Airborne arsenic (8-h values) varied between 1 and 194 micrograms As/m3, and urinary arsenic between 16 and 328 micrograms As/g creatinine. With the urinary arsenic concentrations (mean values of 2-3 d for each subject) plotted against the corresponding airborne arsenic concentrations, the best fit was obtained by a power curve with the equation y = 17 X X0.56. However, four of the participants were found to excrete far more (105-260%) arsenic in the urine than possibly could have been inhaled, most likely due to oral intake of arsenic via contaminated hands, cigarettes or snuff. If these four were excluded, the best fit was obtained by a straight regression line with the slope 2.0 and the intercept 29 micrograms As/g creatinine (coefficient of correlation 0.92; P less than 0.001).

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

Distribution and concentration of cadmium in human kidney.

The left kidneys from twenty males, aged 30 to 59, were examined. On an average, the cortex, medulla, and the remainder (renal pelvis and adjacent fatty tissue) constituted 65, 27, and 8 percent of the whole kidney weight, respectively. The mean cadmium concentrations were 18.4, 6.9, and 3.2 micrograms Cd/g wet wt, respectively. The mean whole kidney cadmium concentration was 14.4 micrograms Cd/g wet wt. The kidney cortex concentration of cadmium can be approximated by multiplying the whole kidney concentration by a factor of 1.25, which is somewhat lower than the factor of 1.5 previously used. It may be necessary to recalculate previously reported estimates of critical concentrations for cadmium in kidney cortex based on neutron activation analyses in vivo of whole kidney.

Adipose Tissue↗

Cerebral effects of scalp cooling and extracerebral contribution to calculated blood flow values using the intravenous 133Xe technique.

With the intravenous 133Xe technique we measured cerebral blood flow (CBF) in eight healthy subjects during normal subcutaneous temperatures and during extracranial cooling. This gave rise to the possibility of evaluating the contribution of the extracerebral blood flow to the calculation of CBF values. With a two-compartmental analysis of the wash-out curves during cooling there was a significant reduction of the CBF indices f1, representing mainly fast blood flow in the grey matter and f2, representing blood flow in the slowly perfused white matter and extracerebral structures. The reduction of f1 was due to the 'slippage' phenomenon:calculation of f1 was affected by a reduction in f2 due to a considerably reduced extracerebral blood flow. The initial slope index (ISI) calculated from 30 to 90 s of the first part of the presumed mono-exponential 133Xe wash-out curve was not affected by slippage as the ISI remained unchanged in spite of reduced extracerebral blood flow. It is concluded that CBF was unaffected by extracranial cooling. Extracranial cooling can be used to reduce the extracerebral blood flow contribution to the calculated CBF values.

Adult↗

Decreased blood lead levels in residents of Stockholm for the period 1980-1984.

A number of measures have been taken to decrease the spread of lead to ambient air and food. In a study of the effect of these and other preventive measures, blood samples from approximately 100 persons living in the inner city area of Stockholm were collected and analyzed for lead content on three different occasions, in 1980, 1983, and 1984. The same subjects were examined on at least two occasions and the analytical method, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, was carefully controlled by means of reference samples on each occasion. The blood lead levels decreased during the observation period. The average blood lead concentrations for all the examined persons were 0.37, 0.26, and 0.25 mumol/l for 1980, 1983, and 1984, respectively. The mean of the differences in individual blood lead levels for 1980 and 1984 was 0.12 mumol/l. This figure corresponds to an average decrease in blood lead of 34% for all the subjects examined in 1980. The decrease occurred mainly during the period 1980-1983 (mean 0.11 mumol/l) and, thereafter, was only slight for the period 1983-1984 (mean 0.01 mumol/l). Factors such as age, sex, and change of residence during the observation period did not influence the final results.

Adult↗

Focal increase of blood flow in the cerebral cortex of man during vestibular stimulation.

This study is an attempt to reveal projection areas for vestibular afferents to the human brain. Changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were measured over 254 cortical regions during caloric vestibular stimulation with warm water (44 degrees C). rCBF was measured when the external auditory meatus was irrigated with water at body temperature as a control to vestibular stimulation. During vestibular stimulation there was only a single cortical area, located in the superior temporal region, which showed a consistent focal activation in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated side. On the rCBF display this area was located in the superior temporal region posterior to the auditory area, probably in the superior temporal gyrus. It is suggested that this area represents the primary projection area of the vestibular nerve and that it is the activation of this area during caloric stimulation that gives rise to the associated conscious vestibular sensation of vertigo.

Adult↗

Localization of cortical areas activated by thinking.

These experiments were undertaken to demonstrate that pure mental activity, thinking, increases the cerebral blood flow and that different types of thinking increase the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in different cortical areas. As a first approach, thinking was defined as brain work in the form of operations on internal information, done by an awake subject. The rCBF was measured in 254 cortical regions in 11 subjects with the intracarotid 133Xe injection technique. In normal man, changes in the regional cortical metabolic rate of O2 leads to proportional changes in rCBF. One control study was taken with the subjects at rest. Then the rCBF was measured during three different simple algorithm tasks, each consisting of retrieval of a specific memory followed by a simple operation on the retrieved information. Once started, the information processing went on in the brain without any communication with the outside world. In 50-3 thinking, the subjects started with 50 and then, in their minds only, continuously subtracted 3 from the result. In jingle thinking the subjects internally jumped every second word in a nine-word circular jingle. In route-finding thinking the subjects imagined that they started at their front door and then walked alternatively to the left or the right each time they reached a corner. The rCBF increased only in homotypical cortical areas during thinking. The areas in the superior prefrontal cortex increased their rCBF equivalently during the three types of thinking. In the remaining parts of the prefrontal cortex there were multifocal increases of rCBF. The localizations and intensities of these rCBF increases depended on the type of internal operation occurring. The rCBF increased bilaterally in the angular cortex during 50-3 thinking. The rCBF increased in the right midtemporal cortex exclusively during jingle thinking. The intermediate and remote visual association areas, the superior occipital, posterior inferior temporal, and posterior superior parietal cortex, increased their rCBF exclusively during route-finding thinking. We observed no decreases in rCBF. All rCBF increases extended over a few square centimeters of the cortex. The activation of the superior prefrontal cortex was attributed to the organization of thinking. The activation of the angular cortex in 50-3 thinking was attributed to the retrieval of the numerical memory and memory for subtractions. The activation of the right midtemporal cortex was attributed to the retrieval of the nonverbal auditory memory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Brain Mapping↗

Frontal subcutaneous blood flow, and epi- and subcutaneous temperatures during scalp cooling in normal man.

Cooling of the scalp has been found to prevent hair loss following cytostatic treatment, but in order to obtain the hair preserving effect the subcutaneous temperature has to be reduced below 22 degrees C. In order to establish the relationship between epicutaneous and subcutaneous temperatures during cooling and rewarming and to measure the effect of scalp cooling on subcutaneous scalp blood flow, subcutaneous blood flow and epi- and subcutaneous temperatures were measured in the frontal region at the hairline border before and during cooling with a cooling helmet, during spontaneous rewarming of the cooling helmet and after removal of the rewarmed helmet in 10 normal subjects. Subcutaneous blood flow was reduced to about 25% of the postcooling control level during cooling. The flow was constantly reduced until the subcutaneous temperature exceeded 30-32 degrees C. A linear relationship between epicutaneous and subcutaneous temperatures could be demonstrated with the regression equation: s = 0.9 c + 4.9 (r = 0.99). In eight of the 10 subjects the subcutaneous temperature could be reduced below 22 degrees C with the applied technique. It is concluded that the hair preserving effect of scalp cooling during cytostatic treatment is mainly due to the metabolic effect of cooling, and only to a minor extent due to the flow reducing effect.

Adult↗

Conceptual problems in establishing the critical concentration of cadmium in human kidney cortex.

The definition of the "critical concentration" for cadmium is compared with the concepts used to establish this measure in some recent publications. The term has not been clearly defined on a population basis and this has given rise to certain confusion. Different groups of investigators therefore have arrived at different estimates of the "critical concentration" for cadmium in human kidney cortex. A new measure, the "population critical concentration" (PCC) with a clearly defined response rate, is suggested. A reanalysis of the published data indicates that the PCC-10 (10% response rate) for cadmium in kidney cortex is likely to be in the range 180-220 micrograms/g and the PCC-50 is likely to be about 25% higher.

Cadmium Poisoning↗

Swedish early separated twins: identification and characterization.

A sample of twins separated early in life has been identified in the Swedish Twin Registry. When the registry was compiled in 1961 (old cohort) and 1973 (young cohort), one or both members of 961 pairs indicated that they were separated by the age of 10. In May 1979, both members of 698 pairs were alive and were sent a questionnaire concerning the circumstances of separation. Items included reasons and timing of separation, biological relatedness of rearing parents, degree of contact after separation (including whether they lived in the same area, attended the same school, or lived together again), rough measures of selective placement, and current frequency of contact. An attempt was then made to categorize the pairs based on degree of separation. A total of 257 pairs met the criteria: rearing parents of one twin biologically unrelated to rearing parents of the cotwin, twins not living together again after separation, and contact after separation a few times a year or less. As much as 50% were separated by their first birthday, and 80% by the age of five. Various data from the twin registry are presented describing the entire sample of early separated twins as compared to a matched sample of twins reared together.

Adolescent↗

Cadmium and the kidney.

The paper is a review of certain aspects of importance of cadmium and the kidney regarding the assessment of risks and understanding of mechanisms of action. The review discusses the following topics: history and etiology of cadmium-induced kidney dysfunction and related disorders; cadmium metabolism, metallothionein and kidney dysfunction; cadmium in urine as indicator of body burden, exposure and kidney dysfunction; cadmium levels in kidney and liver as indicators of kidney dysfunction; characteristics of early kidney dysfunction; the critical concentration concept; critical concentrations of cadmium in kidney cortex; and prognosis.

Animals↗