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Biomedical subjects

N T Pedersen

Publications and source records attributed to N T Pedersen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Indium-111-granulocyte scintigraphy in brain abscess diagnosis: limitations and pitfalls.

The scintigrams and records of 28 patients referred for indium-111-granulocyte scintigraphy (111In-GS) because of a suspected brain abscess were studied retrospectively. The final diagnosis was brain abscess in 8 patients, brain tumor in 18 patients, and infarct and hematoma in 1 patient each. Five patients not on corticosteroid treatment showed intense focal 111In accumulation in abscesses, whereas an abscess patient receiving a high steroid dose showed no uptake. Two patients studied twice showed intense uptake in abscesses when not on steroid therapy or on a low dose, whereas no uptake was seen when they received high or medium doses. Weak or moderate 111In uptake was observed in nine tumors. Microscopically assessed degree of tumor granulocyte infiltration, vessel proliferation, and hemorrhage did not correlate with the outcome of 111In GS. Our results suggest that intense focal cerebral 111In uptake favors the abscess diagnosis. Abscesses may go undetected, however, in patients on high- or medium-dose steroid therapy.

Adolescent↗

Immunological marker patterns in granulomatous lymph node lesions.

The distribution of various types of lymphocytes and macrophages was studied in 19 cases with granulomatous lymph node lesions using 14 monoclonal antibodies. Cases of sarcoidosis, tuberculosis and atypical mycobacteriosis all showed well demarcated granulomas devoid of B-lymphocytes and natural killer cells. In these cases, T-helper: T-suppressor cell ratios were greater than 2 and poor preservation of the normal lymphoid tissue outside the granulomas was seen. In contrast, cases of non-specific lymphadenitis showed less well-demarcated granulomas always containing B-lymphocytes and natural killer cells, with a T-helper:T-suppressor cell ratio less than 1 and good preservation of the normal lymphoid tissue outside the granulomas. Immunological marker studies may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of granulomatous lymph node lesions, as well as in the study of the pathogenesis of such lesions.

Adolescent↗

The long-acting somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 causes malabsorption.

Somatostatin and its long-acting analogue SMS 201-995 (Sandostatin) have been suspected of causing steatorrhoea. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of SMS 201-995 on fat assimilation in healthy subjects, using 14C-triolein and 3H-oleic acid as tracers of dietary triglycerides and free fatty acids, respectively, and 51CrCl3 as non-absorbable marker. Six healthy male volunteers participated in the double-blinded, randomized, crossover study. In each test period either 1 ml of SMS 201-995, containing 200 micrograms, or 1 ml of isotone saline was given subcutaneously three times within 16 h. Faeces were collected for 3 days, every stool separately. The faecal 14C-triolein and 3H-oleic acid excretion was calculated from two aliquots of faeces. In addition, the mean daily faecal fat excretion was estimated. When placebo was given, the median 14C-triolein excretion was 1% (range, 0.9-1.6%), the median 3H-oleic acid excretion was 5% (range, 3-10%), and the daily faecal fat excretion was 4 g/day (range, 1-6 g/day), all within normal limits. When SMS 201-995 was given, the faecal 14C-triolein excretion increased to a median of 75% (range, 43-119%), the 3H-oleic acid excretion increased to a median of 82% (range, 46-126%), and the faecal fat excretion increased to a median of 22 g/day (range, 4-34 g/day), all clearly above normal. The faecal 14C-triolein/3H-oleic acid test showed triglycerides and free fatty acids to be equally malassimilated, which indicates malabsorption.

Adult↗

Myocardial contractility and performance capacity after magnesium infusions in young healthy persons: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.

To evaluate the effect of intravenous magnesium (Mg) treatment on the inotropic state of the heart and maximal work capacity, 9 healthy volunteers were entered in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Separated by an interval of three weeks, the volunteers were tested twice, each time randomly allocated to receive either an intravenous injection of 10 mmol magnesium chloride dissolved in 100 ml isotonic sodium chloride or placebo of isotonic sodium chloride only. Before and after each infusion myocardial inotropism was evaluated by echocardiography. Mitral-septal distance (MSA) was used as a measure for ejection fraction. On each test day an ergometer bicycle exercise test was performed, and maximal work capacity was calculated. Magnesium treatment reduced the MSA (from 4.2 to 2.9 mm, p = 0.07), while no difference was found after placebo treatment. Likewise, a tendency toward increasing fractional shortening after magnesium treatment was detected, although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.1). No difference in maximal work capacity between the magnesium and placebo periods was found. Serum magnesium concentrations and placebo periods was found. Serum magnesium concentrations rose significantly after the infusions (from 0.82 to 1.38 mmol/l, p less than 0.001). It is concluded that intravenous magnesium does not exert a negative inotropic effect on the myocardium as previously stated. On the contrary, we found a tendency toward a positive inotropic effect. However, the observed differences are of borderline statistical significance and a more extended study, employing invasive measurements of cardiac inotropism appears to be necessary.

Adult↗

Significance of ventricular ectopic activity in the early recovery phase of acute myocardial infarction.

Holter monitoring of 51 patients on the 4th to 6th day after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) disclosed complex ventricular ectopic beats in 17 (35%), nine of whom (53%) died in the following 26 months. Of the remaining patients with no or only non-complex ectopic beats, five (15%) died. The difference was significant using Gehan's test of censored data (p less than 0.01). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant increase of death risk associated with complex ventricular ectopic beats as well as with heart failure (relative risk 3.6 and 5.9, respectively). Age, gender, number of ventricular ectopic beats, cardiac enlargement on X-ray and angina pectoris had no significant effect on mortality. The prevalence of ventricular ectopy was 84% (n = 43) irrespective of age and sex and equal to the finding in the late hospital phase reported by other investigators, and in healthy subjects. Complex ventricular ectopic beats appeared in 35% (n = 17). The prevalence increased significantly with age and was significantly higher in post-infarction patients (38%) than in healthy individuals (8%). The present results indicate that a subgroup containing most of the high-risk patients may be identified early after AMI by detecting complex premature ventricular beats in continuous electrocardiographic recordings.

Adult↗

Serum cathodic trypsin-like immunoreactivity, pancreatic lipase, and pancreatic isoamylase as diagnostic tests of chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic steatorrhea.

We compared serum concentrations of cathodic trypsin-like immunoreactivity, pancreatic lipase, and pancreatic isoamylase as diagnostic tests of chronic pancreatitis (and of pancreatic steatorrhea in the 41 patients with steatorrhea) in 105 patients (57 men, 48 women) consecutively investigated because of clinical suspicion of chronic pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis (36 patients), pancreatic steatorrhea (24 patients), and other diseases were diagnosed without knowledge of the serum levels of the three enzymes. When evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic curves, no differences were found in diagnostic performance of the enzymes with regard to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic steatorrhea. The sensitivity and specificity for recognition of chronic pancreatitis ranged from 0.306 to 0.444 and from 0.942 to 0.986 when the discrimination values were chosen to give highest efficiencies. The similar ranges for pancreatic steatorrhea were 0.500-0.708 and 0.882-0.941. In conclusion, none of the three enzymes had any advantage over the others as diagnostic tests of chronic pancreatitis or of pancreatic steatorrhea. Only positive test results have clinical importance because of the low sensitivities of the three enzymes.

Adult↗

A method for determination of zinc in mononuclear leucocytes.

A method for the determination of the concentration of zinc in a well-characterized fraction of mononuclear leucocytes from human blood is described. Leucocytes were separated from whole blood by use of the one-step sodium metrizoate/Ficoll procedure. The cell suspensions obtained by the separation procedure had the following composition (mean, range) (N = 15): 82% (70-85%) lymphocytes, 15% (10-15%) monocytes and 4% (2-10%) neutrophils. The ratio of platelets to leucocytes was 1:1 (1:1-1.5). Cell pellets were sonicated before zinc analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. 10 healthy volunteers (5 males and 5 females) aged 21-45 years, median age 33 years, were studied. The concentration of zinc in mononuclear leucocytes was 1.14 +/- 0.14 mumol/10(10) cells or 156 +/- 8 mumol/g protein (mean +/- SD).

Adult↗

Accumulation of indium-111-labeled granulocytes in malignant tumors.

In a retrospective study of 220 [111In]granulocyte scintigrams from 208 patients, 25 patients had malignant neoplasms. Among these, tumor uptake of 111In activity was observed in ten patients (intense activity in two patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and colonic carcinoma, respectively; moderate uptake in a patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and in a patient with an ovarian carcinoma; weak activity in three patients with cerebral neoplasms; and activity within otherwise "cold" metastatic lesions of the liver in three patients). Microscopic investigation following specific granulocyte staining revealed the greatest extent of granulocyte infiltration in the tumors which took up 111In activity, emphasizing the importance of tumor granulocyte infiltration as the single most important factor underlying tumor accumulation of 111In activity during [111In]granulocyte scintigraphy.

Adolescent↗

Detection of liver metastases in small-cell lung cancer: a comparison of peritoneoscopy with liver biopsy and ultrasonography with fine-needle aspiration.

Liver evaluation of 131 patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) was performed both by peritoneoscopy (PS) with liver biopsy and by ultrasonography (US) with fine-needle aspiration. A total of 33 patients (25%) had liver involvement, 82% detected by US and 76% detected by PS. The difference was due to 27 incomplete investigations by PS and two incomplete investigations by US. In 104 patients in whom both investigations were "successful," PS confirmed 86% and US confirmed 79% of the patients with liver metastases. In each of the investigations, 7% (PS) and 14% (US) of patients had false-negative conclusions as compared with histologic evidence obtained by the other method. US found six patients with extrahepatic intraabdominal disease, while PS found none. S-lactic dehydrogenase (s-LDH), SGOT, and s-alkaline phosphatase were found to be too unspecific to indicate liver metastases unless all three tests were normal or abnormal. It is recommended that US should be used as the initial procedure when staging patients with SCLC, and that PS can be considered complementary in patients with negative US.

Biopsy↗

Estimation of the 3-day faecal fat excretion and fat concentration as a differential test of malabsorption and maldigestion.

The diagnostic efficiency of estimating the faecal fat excretion and faecal fat concentration in uncontrolled 3-day collections was estimated from a prospective series of 87 consecutive patients. The diagnoses were established on the basis of morphologic criteria, and the assimilation was established from the faecal 14C-triolein/3H-oleic acid test. These investigations showed the diagnostic sensitivity of the 3-day faecal fat excretion to be 90%. The 3-day mean faecal fat concentration was less than or equal to 5.1% w/w in patients with normal lipid assimilation. Of the patients with malassimilation 90% had a faecal fat concentration greater than or equal to 5.1% w/w. The faecal fat concentration was especially high in patients with maldigestion. When 10% w/w was used as the discrimination level between malabsorption and maldigestion, the faecal fat concentration correctly distinguished between these in 66% of the patients with malassimilation. The day-to-day variation of the faecal fat concentration was modest. Diagnosis of the lipid assimilation as estimated by the 1-day faecal fat concentration agreed with the diagnosis of the mean 3-day faecal fat concentration in 115 of the 122 1-day samples. The 1-day faecal fat concentration seems useful as a first screening test when malassimilation is suspected.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

Intraluminal pH in the stomach, duodenum, and proximal jejunum in normal subjects and patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

In situ pH was measured simultaneously with microelectrodes in the stomach, duodenal bulb, midduodenum, duodenojejunal junction, and proximal jejunum. Fourteen healthy subjects and 8 patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency were studied under fasting conditions and for 3 h after a standard liquid meal. The luminal pH gradient was steepest in the proximal 10 cm of the duodenum, where acidity was reduced from pH 2 to pH 5 in the fasting state and from pH 1.7 to pH 4.3 in the second and third postprandial hour. Acidity was further reduced in the distal duodenum to a pH between 5 and 6 at the duodenojejunal junction. The frequent wide and rapid pH fluctuations seen in the duodenal bulb were gradually reduced along the duodenum and became rare in the jejunum. In patients with pancreatic insufficiency, duodenal or jejunal acidity did not differ significantly from the controls, with the exception of the single 10-min period occurring 70-80 min after the meal when duodenal bulb pH was 2.1 as compared with 3.1 in the normal subjects (p less than 0.05). All patients, including 2 patients with a very high duodenal acidity, demonstrated a duodenal pH gradient as steep as that found in the normal subjects, indicating sources of bicarbonate other than the pancreas.

Adult↗

Prevalence of hyperglycaemia and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The prevalence of hyperglycaemia and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus was assessed in 214 consecutive patients admitted to the coronary care units with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). On admission, 16 patients (7.5%) had known diabetes, and 19 patients, not previously known to be diabetic, had blood glucose concentrations of greater than or equal to 9 mmol/l. Fifteen patients survived for 2 months at which time a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test showed diabetes in 9 (60%) and impaired glucose tolerance in 4 (27%). Ten of these 13 patients (77%) with abnormal glucose tolerance had elevated glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) on admission, indicating pre-existing glucose intolerance or diabetes. The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 4.5% (9/198). However, we may have overlooked undiagnosed diabetes in a small number of patients on admission, since only a random blood glucose less than 8 mmol/l rules out diabetes, WHO criteria. Elevated blood glucose in patients with AMI is more likely to reflect a stationary pre-existing abnormal glucose tolerance than a temporary stress-induced phenomenon.

Adult↗

Symptomatic effect of pancreatic enzyme therapy in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

The symptomatic effect of pancreatic enzyme substitution therapy was examined in a 4-week double-blind crossover study. Twenty patients, 11 with and 9 without steatorrhoea, were examined. Pancreatic steatorrhoea was reduced from a median of 24 g/day to 10 g/day by the enzyme therapy (P less than 0.01). No significant pain reduction was found in either of the two groups, although there was a tendency to reduction in pain and analgetic consumption in the patients with steatorrhoea when treated with pancreatic enzymes. It is concluded that pancreatic steatorrhoea is still the only indication for pancreatic enzyme therapy.

Adult↗

Potentiated hepatotoxicity from concurrent administration of acetaminophen and allyl alcohol to rats.

Female Wistar rats were treated with acetaminophen 3.0 g/kg BW and allyl alcohol 75 microliter/kg BW by gastric tube. Hepatic function, measured as galactose elimination capacity and prothrombin index, was reduced to about 0.40 times control value. Plasma alanine transferase activity was elevated more and earlier after treatment with acetaminophen and allyl alcohol compared to administration of acetaminophen alone. Also prothrombin index was reduced more and earlier from the combination. Hepatic glutathione was depleted to a lower level 3 hr after administration of the combination of toxins, compared to administration of acetaminophen alone, after 6 hr there was no difference. Excretion of acetaminophen metabolites, especially the acetaminophen mercapturate, into urine was not changed from the combination. After administration of the toxic combination histological changes in the liver were minor. The results indicate that the two toxins potentiate each other's action. The potentiation is proposed to be due to prevention of compensatory hyperfunction of non-necrotic liver cells rather than to direct metabolic interaction of the toxins.

1-Propanol↗

Primary malignant lymphoma of the central nervous system.

The occurrence of primary malignant lymphomas of the central nervous system in a population of approximately 1 million people has been analyzed retrospectively. Over a 12-year period, about 1000 tumors of the central nervous system were registered. Among these, 22 were primary malignant lymphomas; incidence, 1.83 per million per year. Thirteen of these tumors were of high-grade malignancy and nine were of low-grade malignancy (Kiel classification of non-Hodgkin lymphomas). The majority of the tumors were B-cell lymphomas, and there were no Hodgkin lymphomas. Neither spinal nor meningeal lymphomas occurred. Nine patients were treated only surgically, whereas 11 received postoperative irradiation or chemotherapy, or both. Of the latter patients, six are alive and well at the time of writing. The importance of making a correct diagnosis preoperatively is stressed, inasmuch as radical operation is unfavorable for these patients. A better prognosis is obtained with combinations of irradiation and chemotherapy.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Phenobarbital induction does not potentiate hepatotoxicity but accelerates liver cell necrosis from acetaminophen overdose in the rat.

Rats were pretreated with phenobarbital to induce hepatic cytochrome P-450. Compared to noninduced rats, a similar relation between the dose of acetaminophen and mortality, and between dose and changes in liver function (prothrombin index) and identical time courses, was found. The urinary excretion of acetaminophen mercapturate and acetaminophen cysteine was identical in induced and noninduced rats. The metabolism of acetaminophen in terms of blood levels and excreted metabolites was not influenced by phenobarbital induction. At the same dose level, hepatic necrosis was accelerated (maximum 24 h) compared to noninduced animals (maximum 72 h), but no difference in the maximum extent was found. These data cannot support the concept that induction of cytochrome P-450 leads to greater formation of the hypothetical toxic metabolite of acetaminophen, or that induction enhances its hepatotoxicity, in the rat. Several factors may contribute to accelerate the necrotic changes which make it possible to histologically identify cell damage and death. In that case, functional studies are more relevant than morphological evaluation in quantitative assessment of liver damage.

Acetaminophen↗

Autoantibodies in chronic pancreatitis.

In 60 consecutive patients clinically suspected of having chronic pancreatitis the serum concentration of the immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM), the IgG- and IgA-type non-organ-specific autoantibodies against nuclear material (ANA), smooth and striated muscle, mitochondria, basal membrane, and reticulin, and the IgG- and IgA-type pancreas-specific antibodies against islet cells, acinus cells, and ductal cells (DA) were estimated blindly. In 23 of the patients chronic pancreatitis was verified, whereas chronic pancreatitis was rejected in 37 patients (control group). IgG and IgA were found in significantly higher concentrations in the patients with chronic pancreatitis than in the control group but within the normal range. ANA and DA occurred very frequently in both groups but with no statistical difference. Other autoantibodies only occurred sporadically. The findings of this study do not support the view of an immunological pathogenesis in chronic pancreatitis.

Adult↗