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Biomedical subjects

R Nordemar

Publications and source records attributed to R Nordemar.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Physical training in rheumatoid arthritis: a controlled long-term study. I.

Twenty-three patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been given physical training for 4 to 8 years. To compare, we have had a control group of equal size and with the same disease severity. The training program consisted of home-training and for most of the patients also group-training led by a physiotherapist. During the observation period we have found a significantly less pronounced progress of X-ray changes in the joints of the active patients compared with control patients. Physiological tests and clinical parameters, including sick-pension and sick-leave, show unanimously a better disease outcome in the active group of patients. There is probably a risk of overuse or disuse of the joints in RA but we believe that it is better to be overactive rather than the reverse. As in many other diseases, the general prescription of rest in RA is not adequate.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Physical training in rheumatoid arthritis: A controlled long-term study. II. Functional capacity and general attitudes.

Twenty-three patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been given physical training for 4-8 years. They are compared with a control group of patients with the same disease. In order to evaluate disease outcome, patients were given a self-administered questionnaire to report ADL capacity and some attitudes and feelings concerning their situation. Results are in agreement with earlier reports and show a significantly higher ADL capacity in the trained group compared with the control group. There is a positive correlation between ADL capacity and reported amount of physical training and a negative correlation between ADL capacity and X-ray findings and findings at clinical examination. The feeling of weakness is more pronounced in the control group and patients in this group get more discomfort from joints after physical strain than patients in the trained group. A majority of patients in the two groups wish to participate in organized group-training.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1980

Protective effect of prostaglandin E2 in the gastrointestinal tract during indomethacin treatment of rheumatic diseases.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) induce the formation of bleeding gastric and intestinal ulcers in experimental animals. The damage can be prevented by prior local administration of prostaglandins, indicating that prostaglandins have protective properties on the gastrointestinal mucosa. The protective effect was studied in humans by measuring the fecal blood loss during indomethacin treatment of 18 patients with rheumatic diseases with and without concomitant oral supplementation with 1 mg prostaglandin E2 three times daily. The study had a randomized double-blind crossover design using 51Cr-labeled erythrocytes as marker of gastrointestinal bleeding. Indomethacin increased the daily fecal blood loss from 1.0 +/- 0.3 to 2.8 +/- 0.6 ml (P less than 0.005). When oral PGE2 was taken concomitantly, the blood loss was reduced to 1.1 +/- 0.2 ml daily (P less than 0.01), i.e., to the control level. Side effects of prostaglandin E2 were negligible, and the beneficial effect of indomethacin on joint status and symptoms was not interfered with. No changes were recorded in repeated blood tests except for a slightly reduced hemoglobin and a small but statistically significant reduction of serum-calcium during indomethacin treatment, an effect hitherto not described in normocalcemic human subjects. A protective effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa by oral prostaglandin E2 has by the present study been demonstrated also in humans. The protection is unrelated to the gastric acid secretion, which is not inhibited by oral prostaglandin E2. The finding may have clinical application, as gastrointestinal side effects and bleeding are common reasons for discontinuation of NSAID in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Electron probe X-ray microanalysis of human skeletal muscle involved in rheumatoid arthritis.

Electron probe X-ray microanalysis in the scanning microscope was used to determine the elemental composition of muscle fibres from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Quantitative data concerning phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine and potassium were correlated to the fibre type by a routine method based on serial cryosectioning and histochemical staining of adjacent sections. Significantly lowered sulphur values were found in type II A and II B muscle fibres of RA patients as compared to those of healthy controls. Traces of gold were detected in muscles of two patients treated with gold salts. The basis and mechanism for the decreased sulphur content in RA muscles are so far unknown, but may depend on the decreased amount of sulphur-rich potein(s).

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Changes in muscle fibre size and physical performance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after short-term physical training.

Ten patients with rheumatoid arthritis of moderate severity were given 6 weeks' intense physical training. During the investigation period the patients improved their physical performance capacity as well as their rate of perceived exertion. There was an increase in the muscle fibre size, of type I and type II, most pronounced in the latter fibre group. No 'flare-up' of the arthritis could be seen during the training period. Comments are made as to which patients might benefit by a short-term physical training.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Changes in muscle fibre size and physical performance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after 7 months physical training.

Ten patients with rheumatoid arthritis of moderate severity were given 7 months' physical training. During the investigation period the patiens improved their physical performance capacity as well as they lowered their rate of perceived exertion during submaximum exercise. There was a small increase in muscle fibre size and a correlation was found between muscle strength and type II fibre size. Clinical examination and X-ray studies did not reveal any further joint destruction during the investigation period.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Ultrastructural and histochemical studies of muscle in rheumatoid arthritis.

Muscle biopsy material from 12 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was investigated by electron microscopy. Degenerative changes and atrophy of the muscle fibres were observed. The periphery of the fibre was indistinct and showed an increased content of lipofuscin granules and remnants of myofilaments. Mitochondria were frequent in the subsarcolemmal regions, but between the myofibrils these were rarer than in healthy subjects. The triads were often swollen and displaced. Capillaries were more frequent than in normal material; the endothelial cells and especially the basement membrane showed pathological changes. Satellite cells were frequent and are regarded as an indication of regeneration.

Adult↗