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Biomedical subjects

O Andersen

Publications and source records attributed to O Andersen.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Infections following epidural catheterization.

Seventy-eight patients with culture-positive epidural catheters, were studied. Fifty-nine had symptoms of exit site infection and 11 patients had clinical meningitis, two of whom also had an epidural abscess. This corresponds to a local infection incidence of at least 4.3% and an incidence of central nervous system infection of at least 0.7% at Odense University Hospital. This degree of infection is of the same magnitude as that reported for intravascular devices. We found that the patients with generalized symptoms of infection had been catheterized for a longer time, and were older than patients with only local symptoms of infection. The microorganisms isolated from the tips of the epidural catheters were coagulase-negative staphylococci (41%), Staphylococcus aureus (35%), Gram-negative bacilli (14%) and others (10%). The Gram-negative bacilli and S. aureus caused serious infections more frequently than the others. We discuss the symptoms and diagnosis of spinal epidural abscess and suggest a proposal for prophylactic and diagnostic guidelines for epidural catheter-related infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

A comparison of the lactational and transplacental deposition of mercury in offspring from methylmercury-exposed mice. Effect of seleno-L-methionine.

Females exposed to methylmercury expose their offspring to mercury across the placenta as well as through milk. The relative importance of these two routes of exposure has hitherto been unresolved. Using a cross-fostering model with female mice, the transplacental and lactational exposures to mercury were evaluated separately. In female mice exposed to low, non-toxic levels of methylmercury in the drinking water the deposition of mercury in offspring before birth was quantitatively more important than later transfer of mercury from milk to offspring. Seleno-L-methionine supplementation of the dams increased the whole-body deposition in offspring. As methylmercury is anticipated to be absorbed completely and the young mice are unable to excrete mercury, these data indicate that seleno-L-methionine affects the kinetics of the inorganic mercury pool, which, due to demethylating processes, is present in both blood and milk of methylmercury-exposed females.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of onset and a better prognosis in multiple sclerosis.

The effects of pregnancy were studied in a multiple sclerosis incidence cohort. In order to eliminate interaction bias between the disease and pregnancy, analysis of the risk of relapse during pregnancy and the puerperium was limited to the onset bout, using fecundity figures for Sweden. The risk of onset bout was significantly reduced during pregnancy while the risk of onset bout in the post-partum period did not differ significantly from the risk during non-pregnancy periods. We also found a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis onset in parous compared with nulliparous women. The association between nulliparity and multiple sclerosis tended to increase with age. Furthermore, the effect of pregnancy on the long-term prognosis in established multiple sclerosis was analysed by comparing the risk of change from a relapsing-remitting to a chronic progressive course and the risk of reaching level 6 of the Disability Status Scale in women with pregnancy after multiple sclerosis onset with that in non-pregnant control patients, matched for neurological deficit, disease duration and age. There was a significantly decreased risk of a progressive course in women who were pregnant after multiple sclerosis onset.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Native human serum amyloid P component is a single pentamer.

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are members of the pentraxin protein family. SAP is the precursor protein to amyloid P component present in all forms of amyloidosis. The prevailing notion is that SAP in circulation has the form of a double pentameric molecule (decamer) whereas CRP is a single pentameric molecule. We have investigated by gel permeation chromatography the M(r) of SAP in freshly collected human serum and of SAP purified by carbohydrate affinity chromatography and anion exchange chromatography. SAP was monitored by quantitative immunoelectrophoresis and ELISA, and SAP peak fractions were analysed by use of SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and electron microscopy. The results indicate that native SAP circulates as a single pentamer, a part of which forms complexes with C4b-binding protein. The properties of SAP changed during purification as indicated by rocket immunoelectrophoresis and electron microscopy. Thus, electron micrographs of purified SAP showed a predominance of decamers. However, the decamer form of SAP reversed to single pentamers when purified SAP was incorporated into SAP-depleted serum.

Biopolymers↗
PubMed1995

Mannan-binding protein forms complexes with alpha-2-macroglobulin. A protein model for the interaction.

We report that alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) can form complexes with a high molecular weight porcine mannan-binding protein (pMBP-28). The alpha 2M/pMBP-28 complexes was isolated by PEG-precipitation and affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose, protein A-Sepharose and anti-IgM Sepharose. The occurrence of alpha 2M/pMBP-28 complexes was further indicated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis and by use of an anti-alpha 2M affinity column and chelating Sepharose loaded with Zn2+. The eluates from these affinity columns showed alpha 2M subunits (94 and 180 kDa) and pMBP subunits (28kDa) in SDS-PAGE, which reacted with antibodies against alpha 2M and pMBP-28, respectively, in Western blotting. Furthermore, alpha 2M/pMBP-28 complexes were demonstrated by electron microscopy. Fractionation of pMBP-containing D-mannose eluate from mannan-Sepharose on Superose 6 showed two protein peaks which reacted with anti-C1 s antibodies in ELISA, one of about 650-800 kDa, which in addition contained pMBP-28 and anti-alpha 2M reactive material, the other with an M(r) of 100-150 kDa. The latter peak revealed rhomboid molecules (7 x 15 nm) in the electron microscope and a 67 kDa band in SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. This band was also seen in eluates from the anti-alpha 2M and chelating Sepharose columns. Based on these observations and previous findings by other investigators of a serine protease with about 67 kDa subunits which copurifies with human MBP we propose a model for the interaction of pMBP-28 with alpha 2M.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Inheritance of spinal dysmyelination in calves.

A study was performed to establish the inheritance of spinal dysmyelination in cross-bred American Brown Swiss calves. Daughters of a carrier bull were mated to another carrier resulting in 254 calves. 228 calves were found to be normal while 25 calves were affected with spinal dysmyelination. One calf was excluded from the study. The number of affected males and females did not differ significantly. The ratio between normal and affected calves corresponded to the 7:1 ratio expected in the experimental design used. It is therefore concluded that spinal dysmyelination is an autosomal recessively inherited defect. All cases in Denmark can be traced to a single American Brown Swiss bull.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Multiple isoforms of the human pentraxin serum amyloid P component.

Human serum amyloid P component (SAP) isolated from 20 healthy individuals was analyzed by anion exchange chromatography and isoelectric focusing (IEF) in order to investigate the existence of multiple forms of SAP and interindividual structural differences. Anion exchange chromatography showed one major and several minor subpopulations of SAP. IEF of all SAP isolates showed a previously unreported degree of heterogeneity with six isoelectric forms (pKi range 5.5-6.1) and with minor interindividual differences in respect of isoelectric points. Total enzymatic deglycosylation of SAP reduced the number of bands in IEF to two indicating the existence of two types of polypeptide chains.

Blood Proteins↗
PubMed1995

Reduced frequency of memory CD8+ T lymphocytes in cerebrospinal fluid and blood of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Three color flow cytometry was used to analyze immunoregulatory lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood (PB) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 21 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 15 age-matched healthy control subjects. Two cell surface antigens associated with T lymphocyte memory and activation, CD45R0 and CD29, were analyzed on the CD4+ and CD8+ subpopulations, respectively. A selective decrease in the expression of the CD45R0 isoform among CD8+ cells was noted in both PB (p < 0.005) and CSF (p > 0.0001) of patients with MS as compared with the control group while the expression of CD29 did not differ between the groups. These changes could indicate a defective differentiation into mature memory CD8+ T lymphocytes in patients with MS. Furthermore, the CD3+CD16/56+ T lymphocyte subset capable of mediating NK cell-like activities was investigated. Although this cell population is quantitatively small, a significant reduction of the proportion of this cell type was detected in both BP and CSF of the MS group compared with the controls (p < 0.01 and p > 0.001, respectively). Further studies are needed to establish the role of these observations in the pathogenesis of MS.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Primary liver cancer and renal cell carcinoma in laundry and dry-cleaning workers in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown an excess risk of primary liver cancer among women working in laundries and dry-cleaning shops in Denmark at the time of the census in 1970. During the period 1970-1987, 14 cases of primary liver cancer were observed (standardized mortality ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5-4.5). A nested case-referent study was undertaken in order to classify laundry workers and dry-cleaning workers separately. According to hints in the literature, renal-cell carcinomas were also included in this analysis. METHODS: Original census forms from 1970 were retrieved from the Danish National Record Office for the 17 cases with primary liver cancer and the 16 cases with renal-cell carcinoma and five matched referents per case. RESULTS: All of the 17 patients with primary liver cancer worked in laundries in 1970, whereas only 74% of the referents worked in laundries. Neither was the risk of renal-cell carcinoma associated with dry-cleaning work (relative risk 0.7, 95% CI 0.2-2.6). CONCLUSIONS: The excess risk of primary liver cancer observed for women working in laundries and dry-cleaning shops in Denmark is not likely to be explained by exposure to dry-cleaning solvents. Excessive alcohol consumption is not a likely explanation either, and the excess risk therefore remains unexplained.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
PubMed1995

Two ferritin subunits of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): cloning of the liver cDNAs and antibody preparation.

The ferritin heavy (H) and middle (M) subunit cDNAs were isolated from the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) liver. Full-length clones encoding the ferritin M subunit of 176 residues were obtained by screening of a liver cDNA library. The evolutionary conserved iron-responsive element (IRE) was identified in the upstream untranslated region. Ferritin H cDNA was cloned by running reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on salmon liver mRNA. The salmon ferritin H subunit of 177 residues showed 67% sequence identity with the M subunit. Northern blot analysis revealed ferritin H mRNA in the liver, gonads, head kidney, heart, and spleen, whereas M subunit mRNA was found almost exclusively in the gonads. Polyclonal antibodies against both salmon ferritin H and M were raised in rabbits.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

[Familial aggregation of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Denmark. A nation-wide population study].

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of familial aggregation of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), among Danish families with a diabetic child and to compare epidemiological data for familial and sporadic cases of IDDM children. All IDDM patients aged 19 years or less treated at paediatric departments or departments of internal medicine were identified and asked to complete a questionnaire regarding diabetes onset and family history. Of 1574 probands identified, 1419 participated (90.2%). Additional cases of IDDM were found in 12.8% of the families. Among these families, in 6.8% the father and in 2.1% the mother were diabetics and in 5.0% at least one of the siblings were diabetics. In familial cases the proband was significantly younger at diabetes onset, the parents were younger at birth of the IDDM child and no differences in gender were observed in contrast to sporadic cases, where more males were found. Thus, heterogeneity in epidemiological characteristics was observed between familial and sporadic cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Automatic sequencing of mitochondrial tRNA genes in patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy.

We have investigated nine children with infantile onset of mitochondrial myopathy and two adults with myoclonus epilepsy and ragged-red fibers (MERRF) and chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO), respectively. These patients lacked any of the previously known pathogenic tRNA mutations. Southern blot analysis of muscle mtDNA revealed no deletions. The tRNA genes of muscle mtDNA were sequenced. Restriction enzyme analysis of PCR fragments was performed to verify the presence of the mutations identified by automatic sequencing. Several tRNA mutations were found, but they were all homoplasmic. Furthermore, the mutations were either present in controls or did not change nucleotides conserved between species. This strongly suggests that none of the tRNA mutations identified in the 11 patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy was pathogenic. It can thus be concluded that mitochondrial tRNA mutations and mtDNA deletions probably are an infrequent cause of mitochondrial disorders in infants. Patients with MERRF and CPEO may lack both pathogenic point mutations of tRNA genes and deletions of mtDNA.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Meningitis].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Child↗
PubMed1994

The microvascular changes in cases of hereditary multi-infarct disease of the brain.

A report on a cerebro-vascular disease with autosomal dominant inheritance, characterised by stroke-like episodes beginning in early adulthood and progressive dementia, afflicting one family living in Sweden was presented in 1977. Another afflicted member showing gait and coordination disturbances and impaired cognitive functions is now introduced. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple brain lesions indicating ischaemic injuries. Previous autopsy studies of other cases revealed white matter atrophy, multiple infarcts and lacunes. In one patient who had died from a cerebral haemorrhage, obliteration of intracerebral arteries, occasionally with organised thrombi was present. Autopsy material has now been reinvestigated with special attention to changes of intracerebral arterioles. Cases with long duration of the disease presented pronounced fibrous thickening of the wall of numerous intracerebral arterioles, degeneration of smooth muscle cells of the media and obliteration of the lumen. Immunohistochemistry showed marked expression of fibrillary collagen types I, III and V and of the basal lamina components collagen type IV and laminin. These depositions are probably induced by some primary dysfunction of smooth muscle cells or endothelial cells. Perivascular reactive astrocytes with endothelin-1-like immunoreactivity were present in some brain regions. Endothelin-1 is the most powerful vasoconstrictor peptide known to date. Structural remodelling of intracerebral arterial vessels, actions of different vasoactive factors and rheological disturbances may all interfere with local blood flow in this disease and cause the parenchymal changes of the brain.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Human spumaretrovirus antibody reactivity in multiple sclerosis.

The role of human spumaretrovirus (HSRV) infections in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was investigated with recombinant HSRV env-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The presence of HSRV antibodies was determined in pairs of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 60 MS patients. In 7 of these patients serial serum and CSF samples were obtained in relation to the clinical activity of the disease during a period of 2 years. No increased antibody reactivity was demonstrable in the MS population compared with 14 aseptic meningitis patients, 50 blood donors and 16 healthy controls. Slightly elevated levels of antibodies were demonstrable in serum and/or CSF in 4 MS patients but also in 1 patient with aseptic meningitis, 1 blood donor and 1 child. No marked serum or CSF HSRV antibody fluctuation was observed in the MS patients followed longitudinally. Thus, this study does not support the involvement of HSRV in the pathogenesis of MS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Prediction of outcome in multiple sclerosis based on multivariate models.

An incidence cohort of 308 multiple sclerosis patients was followed up repeatedly during at least 25 years of disease. In the patients with acute onset, multivariate survival analyses were performed and predictive models created. The endpoints DSS 6 and start of progressive disease were used. A number of variables were tested. The most important of these for prediction and therefore included in these models were: age at onset, sex, degree of remission after relapse, mono- or polyregional symptoms, type of affected nerve fibres, number of affected neurological systems. The relapse rate did not correlate with prognosis. In the predictive models, coefficients and risk ratios are provided that can be used for calculating the risk of progression and DSS 6 or to predict the median time for these endpoints in individual patients. It was also found that the risk of progression is not constant, but has a maximum a certain time after disease onset. For a patient with early onset, the risk is low in the beginning, but reaches a maximum level, which is several times higher, after about 15 years. The patient with a late onset has a much higher risk of endpoint immediately after onset, but reaches the maximum in a few years, and after that the risk decreases.

Acute Disease↗