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Biomedical subjects

O Ostman

Publications and source records attributed to O Ostman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

A new nested polymerase chain reaction method very efficient in detecting Plasmodium and Haemoproteus infections from avian blood.

Recently, several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for detection and genetic identification of haemosporidian parasites in avian blood have been developed. Most of these have considerably higher sensitivity compared with traditional microscope-based examinations of blood smears. These new methods have already had a strong impact on several aspects of research on avian blood parasites. In this study, we present a new nested PCR approach, building on a previously published PCR method, which has significantly improved performance. We compare the new method with some existing assays and show, by sequence-based data, that the higher detection rate is mainly due to superior detection of Plasmodium spp. infections, which often are of low intensity and, therefore, hard to detect with other methods.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Host specificity in avian blood parasites: a study of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus mitochondrial DNA amplified from birds.

A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of avian malaria (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was amplified from blood samples of 12 species of passerine birds from the genera Acrocephalus, Phylloscopus and Parus. By sequencing 478 nucleotides of the obtained fragments, we found 17 different mitochondrial haplotypes of Haemoproteus or Plasmodium among the 12 bird species investigated. Only one out of the 17 haplotypes was found in more than one host species, this exception being a haplotype detected in both blue tits (Parus caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major). The phylogenetic tree which was constructed grouped the sequences into two clades, most probably representing Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, respectively. We found two to four different parasite mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes in four bird species. The phylogenetic tree obtained from the mtDNA of the parasites matched the phylogenetic tree of the bird hosts poorly. For example, the two tit species and the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) carried parasites differing by only 0.6% sequence divergence, suggesting that Haemoproteus shift both between species within the same genus and also between species in different families. Hence, host shifts seem to have occurred repeatedly in this parasite host system. We discuss this in terms of the possible evolutionary consequences for these bird species.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Child and adolescent psychiatric patients in adulthood.

A total of 142 consecutive patients cared for by child and adolescent psychiatry were followed up to the age of 33-37 years; 49% were treated in adult psychiatry between the ages of 20-25 years, and 20% of these were hospitalized. The frequency of hospitalization was 4-5 times that of a control group. Between the ages of 20-34 years, 32% were admitted some time for inpatient psychiatric care. Psychiatric diagnoses of the patients: schizophrenia 4%, manic-depressive 5%, neurosis and reactive insufficiency 11%, personality disorders and/or abuse diagnosis 12%. Patients with a schizophrenia diagnosis in adulthood needed the most hospitalization. The symptom picture was stable from child and adolescent psychiatric care through to adulthood, but abuse increased with age. The frequency of sick leave was 2.5 times higher among the child and adolescent psychiatric care patients than among the control group. At the age of 34-36 years, 13% of the former patients received disability benefits as compared with 1% for the same age groups in the entire population of Sweden. Twenty-one percent received sentences for criminal offenses from the age of 20-34 years. The number of crimes decreased with increasing age. Nearly 50% were in contact with the social welfare services, 3 times as many as in the control group. A third of the men completed their national military service. A total of 6 men and 1 woman died, indicating an increased mortality rate for men. All deaths except one were related to the mental disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Patients in child and adolescent psychiatric care: psychopathology and background factors.

All 142 consecutive patients born between January 1, 1947 and February 28, 1949 who were cared for at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at General Hospital in Uppsala are described. The patients' symptoms, family situation, early development, CNS dysfunction and social situation are presented. The negative factors were numerous: 78% of patients had some form of family affliction, 60% had minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) factors which, while not associated with a clinical diagnosis of MBD, included hyperactivity, motor handicap, reading and writing difficulties, poor fine muscle activity and pathological EEG, and 58% had negative factors in their home environment. The majority were judged as having been subjected to negative parental attitudes. When psychotic symptoms were present, there was a high prevalence of psychotic illness in the family. A negative social situation in the home environment was most common for maladjusted patients. The presence of MBD factors was associated with disturbances in the child's early development. Nevertheless, many background factors continually affected one another and contributed to the mental disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Psychiatric hospital care of children and adolescents in Sweden.

In Sweden in-patient psychiatric care of children and adolescents is in decline. At the same time the out-patient care is increasing. These findings stem from a study of the annual patient statistics provided by the National Board of Health and Welfare. There are considerable differences among the counties in Sweden. In certain counties more than four times as many children and adolescents receive hospital care as in other counties. The distribution between child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry also varies considerably. However, it is usual that from the age of 18 years care is given in adult psychiatric clinics. Among patients with a diagnosis of psychosis and when compulsory care is necessary, adult psychiatric clinics are also responsible for patients 16 and 17 years old. Care of children at mental hospitals, still common in the 1960's, is nowadays no longer existent. The study is a starting-point for a discussion about how to attain better co-operation between child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry.

Adolescent↗