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Biomedical subjects

R Roine

Publications and source records attributed to R Roine.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Liquid-chromatographic determination of acetylated hemoglobin.

In this liquid-chromatographic assay for acetylated hemoglobin in human blood, glycated hemoglobins in hemolysates are first removed by affinity chromatography on boronate-agarose columns. Acetylated hemoglobin in the nonretained fraction is determined by cation-exchange chromatography. The absorbance of the effluent is monitored at 415 nm. The mean within-assay CV was 8.5%, the between-assay CV 17%. The mean proportion of acetylated hemoglobin in 20 pregnant, nondiabetic women was 1.9%, and in 17 alcoholics it was 2.7%. Rapid and reproducible, this method is suitable for use in routine determination of acetylated hemoglobin.

Acetylation↗

Comparison of the effects of two different doses of alcohol on serum lipoproteins, HDL-subfractions and apolipoproteins A-I and A-II: a controlled study.

Our earlier studies have shown that heavy alcohol intake increases the serum concentration of HDL2. The present study aimed to test which HDL subfraction is affected by moderate alcohol intake, and to examine the time- and dose-dependency of alcohol-induced changes in serum lipoproteins. Therefore, 30 or 60 g day-1 of alcohol were given to 10 healthy male volunteers during two 3-week periods separated by an abstinence period of 3 weeks. Lipoproteins were fractioned by sequential flotation. On both doses the total HDL3 concentrations rose progressively, the maximum increases being 10 and 25% at the end of respective drinking periods. In contrast, the HDL2 increased slightly only on the dose of 60 g day-1. The serum concentrations of apoprotein A-I and A-II increased on both doses but significantly only on the dose of 60 g day-1; the increments being 22 and 35%, respectively. On the basis of these and our earlier findings we conclude that (i) the effects of heavy and moderate alcohol intake on serum HDL-subfractions are different: the former preferentially increases the HDL2 whereas the latter augments the HDL3; (ii) alcohol-induced changes in serum lipoproteins are both time- and dose-dependent.

Adult↗

Cerebrospinal fluid neuron-specific enolase is decreased in multi-infarct dementia, but unchanged in Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were measured in 22 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and in 35 patients with multi-infarct dementia, and in 15 controls. CSF NSE in patients with Alzheimer's disease did not differ from those in controls. In patients with multi-infarct dementia without recent vascular events CSF NSE was lower than in controls or in Alzheimer patients. This finding is in accord with the prevailing opinion that vascular dementia is caused by multiple infarcts and not by continuous neuronal ischaemia.

Aged↗

Intervention of heavy drinking--a prospective and controlled study of 438 consecutive injured male patients.

We studied 120 injured male patients of working age who were heavy drinkers or alcoholics, obtaining seven points or more in the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). They were randomly allocated either to an intervention group (IG) or to a control group (CG). In addition to the MAST interview, the consumption of alcohol during the previous week prior to hospital admission was calculated and laboratory measures (serum GGT, ASAT and ALAT) were obtained. Counselling of the patients in the IG was carried out by a trained assistant nurse and a physician. Forty-nine patients in IG and 40 patients in CG were re-examined after 6 months. In the IG 45% and in the CG 20% of the patients were improved (Chi square test, P less than 0.05). Improvement criteria were a decrease in alcohol consumption by at least one-third and decrease of S-GGT by at least 20% during the follow-up period. In respect to the laboratory measures the groups were identical at the beginning of the study and after 6 months' follow-up. Our results are encouraging and suggest that the assessment of heavy drinking should be a routine in the treatment of alcohol-related injuries and that education and counselling must be intensive to be effective.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Neurotoxic and other side effects of high-dose interferon in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

6 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were treated with intravenous infusion of 100-200 million IU per day of human leukocyte interferon. Side effects of treatment included fever, chills, malaise, nausea, marked leukopenia, mild anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Tiredness, confusion, papilledema, and overall signs of acute encephalitis were observed. Tendon reflexes and muscle force decreased. EEG activity was slowed, and evoked potentials showed significant slowing of conduction times. Neuropsychological tests revealed congitive dysfunction. The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion developed in all patients. All side effects were reversible with cessation of interferon treatment.

Adult↗

Prophylactic methenamine hippurate or nitrofurantoin in patients with an indwelling urinary catheter.

One hundred and twenty three elderly patients without urinary tract infection who required an indwelling urinary catheter because of cerebrovascular disease were divided into three groups. One was given methenamine hippurate (MH), one nitrofurantoin (NF), while a control group received no prophylactic urinary tract disinfectant. Catheter complications, symptomatic urinary tract infections and the clinical course were recorded. At regular intervals bacteria were cultured from the urine, tests were made for antibody-coated bacteria (ACB) and routine laboratory investigations were performed. NF significantly delayed the appearance of ACB; however, it did not prevent their appearance if a catheter was used for more than two months, by which time ACB were present in most patients irrespective of treatment. MH had less effect on the bacteriological findings, although it significantly decreased the need for antibiotic courses given for treatment of symptomatic urinary tract infections. In both MH- and NF-groups there were fewer patients with mechanical catheter complications. Forty seven patients died, generally due to cerebrovascular disease, and 22 autopsies were performed. Gross inflammatory changes in the urinary tract were commonly found at autopsy in all groups if a catheter had been used for more than two weeks. A positive test for ACB considerably increased the probability of inflammatory changes in the kidneys, but because of the frequency of such changes after prolonged use of an indwelling catheter, the test does not seem to offer much advantage as a guideline for therapy. Prophylactic urinary tract disinfectants may not be warranted in all patients with an indwelling catheter. If, however, recurrent clinical complications such as clogging of the catheter or symptomatic infection occur, continuous use of a urinary tract disinfectant is indicated. MH is preferred because it has fewer side effects than NF.

Aged↗

Comparison of effects of pentobarbital and ethanol on the neuronal activity in the posterior parietal association cortex.

The problem of this study was whether the effects produced by alcohol in the posterior parietal association cortex are specific to this drug or shared by other centrally acting depressant drugs such as barbiturates. The effect of graded doses of pentobarbital on multineuronal impulse activity was recorded with transdural microelectrode technique in 30 expts. in Brodmann's area 7 of five stump-tailed monkeys (Macaca speciosa). The results were compared with those from 32 expts. performed with alcohol and published separately. The dosage of the two drugs was determined on the basis of the monkeys' sensori-motor coordination which was assessed with a rating scale of reaching accuracy for food rewards. There were several recording sites where the actions of the two drugs were similar at similar behavioural levels of intoxication. However, in the distribution of effects among various functional types of recording sites a significant difference was found between pentobarbital and alcohol. Alcohol commonly diminished cellular activity related to motor behaviour (reaching, grasping) and only rarely responses to somesthetic stimuli, whereas the effects of pentobarbital were the opposite being most common on somatosensory responses and least common on activity related to motor behaviour. Also responses to visual stimuli were more sensitive to pentobarbital than to alcohol. The actions of pentobarbital and alcohol on responses evoked by sensory stimulation differed significantly (P less than 0.01). We conclude that significant differences exist in the mechanisms of action of alcohol and barbiturate on the associative systems of the brain.

Animals↗

Effect of ethanol on neuronal activity in the parietal association cortex of alert monkeys.

The effect of alcohol was studied in alert monkeys on the cellular mechanisms of the posterior parietal association cortex, a region that normally participates in visuo-spatial co-ordination of hand movements. In thirty-two experiments, the effects of intracardiac administration of ethanol were monitored by the intracortical multiple-unit recording technique. Alcohol produced rhythmic groupings of the spontaneous impulse activity; the rhythm was accentuated by closing the eyes. The dominant frequency of this rhythm (3.5 to 1 Hz) correlated inversely with the blood alcohol level. Three groups of response types were studied in Brodmann's area 7. At 8 of 12 recording sites, a close correlation was observed between the monkey's reaching accuracy and the magnitude of integrate multineuronal responses to reaching with the contralateral arm under visual guidance, or to grasping an object. Half of the 10 recording sites which were activated by complex visual stimulation also showed a close correlation with the behavioural action of alcohol. Least sensitive to alcohol were somatosensory responses; only 3 of 10 of such recording sites were influenced by moderate doses of alcohol. Larger doses producing coma increased the proportion of responses blocked by alcohol, whereas no effects were observed in the adjacent primary somatosensory cortex. Our results show that the posterior parietal association cortex is very sensitive to the action of alcohol. Moreover, these findings support the theory that the action of alcohol in various parts of the central nervous system depends on the complexity of synaptic contacts to the location under study.

Action Potentials↗