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Biomedical subjects

M Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to M Christensen.

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

Variable interpretation of liver scintigraphy in malignancy as an aid in clinical decision-making.

Despite technical progress in liver radioisotope scintigraphy, the overall accuracy in detecting metastases has not improved. It has been suggested that a fixed scintigram interpretation in reply to changing clinical problems is partly responsible. An evaluation of the possibilities of improving the clinical value of the test by using six cutoff levels in the scintigraphic interpretation is presented. The test population is a prospectively planned consecutive series of 185 patients strongly suspected of having gastric or colo-rectal malignancies. The incidence of liver metastases was 15%. The relationship between the predictive value of a positive test and the false negative ratio at different incidences of metastases is demonstrated graphically. To improve the clinical value of liver scintigraphy, a close cooperation between clinicians and physicians in nuclear medicine to define the clinical problem and the appropriate scintigraphic cutoff level is necessary.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1982

The diagnostic value of fasting serum total bile acid concentration in patients with suspected liver disease. A prospective, consecutive study.

To assess the diagnostic value of fasting serum total bile acids (STBA) in liver disease, STBA together with serum bilirubin (BIL), serum alkaline phosphatase (AP), and serum aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) were measured in 66 consecutive patients who had a liver biopsy. Twenty-four of the patients who had normal liver histology all had normal STBA values (less than 8 mumol/l). In the remaining 42 patients with abnormal liver histology STBA values were elevated in 21, corresponding to a sensitivity of 0.50. The same figures for BIL, AP, and ASAT were 0.52, 0.76, and 0.79, respectively. The predictive values of elevated (PVpos) and normal (PVneg) STBA for disclosing or excluding liver disease, respectively, were not better than the figures for BIL, AP, and ASAT. None of the tests were suited for distinguishing among various liver diseases. It is concluded that STBA had no diagnostic advantage as compared with the commonly used liver function tests BIL, AP, and ASAT.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Aqueous immune complexes in immunogenic uveitis.

A primary immunogenic uveitis was produced in rabbits by the intravitreal injection of bovine plasma albumin or ovalbumin. A secondary or recurrent uveitis was induced by intravenous injection of the specific soluble antigen several months after the cessation of primary inflammation. Aqueous antigen-antibody complexes were studied at times of maximal clinical response in both primary and recurrent forms during resolution of primary immunogenic uveitis, and in a nonspecific protein extravasation induced by aqueous paracentesis. Immune complexes could be demonstrated only during times of clinically evident inflammation in immunogenic uveitis. The results indicate the importance of antigen-antibody complex formation in the pathogenesis of this form of experimental ocular inflammatory disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

An evaluation of interpretative criteria for liver scintigraphy in a population with suspected or proven colo-rectal cancer. A prospective, consecutive study.

Radioisotope liver scintigraphy is a method commonly used to reveal metastases. In clinical trials the method is found at least as good as biochemical tests, ultrasonography or computed tomography. However, despite technical progress, the clinical value of the test seems not to have improved. By using three cutoff levels in the scintigraphic interpretation--depending on the degree of suspicion of focal defect(s)--an attempt to improve the clinical value of the test is evaluated in a population consisting of 142 patients strongly suspected of having colo-rectal cancer. The incidence of liver metastases was 0.15. In the diagnostic situation the best scintigraphic cutoff level gives the predictive value of a positive test = 0.71 with the nosological false-negative ratio = 0.52. In the screening situation the best cutoff level gives the predictive value of a negative test = 0.96 with the nosological false-positive ratio = 0.21. The benefit of close cooperation between clinicians and physicians in nuclear medicine in order to define the clinical problem and the scintigraphic cutoff level is accordingly emphasized.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1981

An investigation of the efficacy of oral myofunctional therapy as a precursor to articulation therapy for pre-first grade children.

This study investigated the assumption that oral myofunctional services might facilitate remediation of articulation disorders. Subjects were ten 6-year-old elementary school children who exhibited both tongue-thrust behaviors and articulation errors. All subjects had equal service time for a 14-week period, half receiving articulation services only and the other half receiving oral myofunctional services prior to and in conjunction with articulation services. Results showed that children in both programs made essentially equal progress in correcting placement of tongue-tip sounds, remediating /s/ and /z/ misarticulation, and remediating general articulation errors. Only children who received oral myofunctional services remediated tongue-thrust behaviors.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMed1981

The value of liver scintigraphy in the management of patients with suspected gastric cancer. A prospective, consecutive study.

Patients with gastric cancer and liver metastases are believed not to benefit from gastric resection. In 43 patients with strong suspicion of--or proven--gastric cancer, fit for elective, radical surgery, preoperative liver scintigraphy was performed, in an attempt to select patients with liver metastases before laparotomy. Liver scintigraphy identified 6 out of 7 patients with metastases. One patient with massive steatosis had a false-positive scintigram. Percutaneous scan-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy verified 4 true positive scintigrams. True-positive scintigrams in 2 patients heralded a change in the planned treatment. We consider that a preoperative liver scintigraphy in a population thus selected is beneficial in the planning of treatment: only patients with a negative scan-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy should be operated upon.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1980

Immune complexes in Sjögren's syndrome.

Sera from 48 patients with Sjögren's syndrome were examined for immune complexes by the Raji cell assay. There was no correlation between levels of immune complexes and the degree of lymphocytic infiltration of the labial salivary glands. Serum complement levels were normal. Five patients were serially followed during the development of pseudolymphoma or malignant lymphoma. Immune complex levels in 4 of the 5 patients were generally unchanged throughout the illness and did not parallel disease activity, rheumatoid factor, or SS-A and SS-B concentrations. Possible roles for immune complexes in Sjögren's syndrome are discussed.

Antibody Formation↗
PubMed1980

Immune complexes and carcinoembryonic antigen levels in metastatic choroidal tumors.

We studied 11 patients with metastatic choroidal tumors and one patient with a metastatic choroidal melanoma by using the Raji cell radioimmunoassay to detect immune complexes, and the carcinoembryonic assay. Ten (91%) patients with choroidal metastases had an increase of either immune complex levels or carcinoembryonic antigen results.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1980

Characterization of retinoblastoma immune complexes.

Immune complexes from retinoblastoma sera were characterized with molecular sieve chromatography, affinity chromatography, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Retinoblastoma patients' sera had two well-defined peaks of immune complex activity after molecular sieve chromatography. These protein fractions had a molecular weight of approximately 1.6 x 10(5) and 2.0 x 10(6) daltons. Affinity chromatography with Sepharose 4B-protein A and analytical PAGE demonstrated that IgG was the predominant immunoglobulin in these immune compelxes. Immune complexes also had affinity for Sepharose-concanavalin A, indicating the glycoprotein nature of the antigen component.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1979

Immune complexes in uveitis.

We determined the incidence of immune complex increases, the nature of immune complexes, and the correlation between the immune complex level and clinical uveitis status in patients with chronic iridocyclitis and chronic diffuse uveitis. Ten of 16 patients with chronic iridocyclitis had increased levels of immune complexes, and this correlated with disease activity. Immune complexes were detected in ten of 12 patients with chronic diffuse uveitis. These complexes have a molecular weight of approximately 2 X 10(6) daltons. The antibody component of immune complex is IgG; however; the antigenic component of the immune complexes is unclear.

Adolescent↗