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Biomedical subjects

S E Olsson

Publications and source records attributed to S E Olsson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Plasma levels of cortisol and corticosteroid binding globulin during use of Norplant-2 implants.

Plasma levels of cortisol and corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) were studied during one year in eleven healthy women using NORPLANT-2 implants. NORPLANT-2 implants release approximately 50 ug of levonorgestrel/day. A significant diurnal variation of cortisol levels was found during the study. No significant change in cortisol levels compared to pretreatment levels was found. Levels of CBG showed no diurnal variation, but decreased significantly during use of the implants. This was most probably due to a direct effect of the levonorgestrel, as the levels of estradiol did not change compared to pretreatment levels, except for the values after 6 months that were significantly lower than pretreatment levels. A "free cortisol index" calculated as: level of cortisol/level of CBG, was unchanged during treatment compared to pretreatment levels. It is concluded that although CBG levels were reduced, no significant change in cortisol patterns was seen during use of the implants.

Adult↗

General and local [corrected] aetiologic factors in canine osteochondrosis.

Observations based on necropsy findings in 89 dogs with osteochondrosis are presented. Osteochondrosis was most common in the elbow joint, followed by the shoulder joint, the stifle and the hock joint. There were 59 male and 30 female dogs, and the mean age was 2 years. The high frequency of bilateral lesions and the occurrence of osteochondrosis in more than one pair of joints in 25 of the 89 dogs indicates that general factors are important. The various manifestations of osteochondrosis and their frequency are reported. Various local factors believed to be important for the occurrence of the lesions within the joints are also considered.

Animals↗

Contraception with subdermal implants releasing levonorgestrel. A clinical and pharmacological study.

Two methods for release of levonorgestrel from polydimethylsiloxane (Silastic) subdermal implants for contraception were studied. The first system consists of six 3 cm long Silastic capsules filled with levonorgestrel (NORPLANT). The second one consists of two 4 cm long rods made from Silastic and levonorgestrel, covered with thin Silastic tubing (NORPLANT-2). The contraceptive efficacy of NORPLANT implants was excellent during the four years of observation. That of NORPLANT-2 implants was very good during the first three years, but not acceptable during the fourth year. Both types of implants were well tolerated and the most common side effect experienced was bleeding disturbances such as irregular bleeding and periods of prolonged bleeding. The frequency of such disturbances decreased considerably after the first year of use. The plasma levels of levonorgestrel decreased throughout the study, and did not show any statistically significant difference between users of the two types of implants. The plasma levels of levonorgestrel in women who became pregnant did not differ from those in women who did not become pregnant. Levonorgestrel binds to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) with high affinity, and in the bound form is not biologically active. A "free levonorgestrel index" (FLI), i.e. the ratio of plasma level of levonorgestrel to SHBG capacity, was calculated. Women with NORPLANT had higher FLI than those with NORPLANT-2 and women who became pregnant had lower FLI than those who did not. It is suggested that NORPLANT-2 implants have a lower rate of release of levonorgestrel than NORPLANT implants. SHBG capacity, thyroid binding proteins and corticosteroid binding globulin decreased during treatment. Plasma total testosterone decreased during treatment, whereas free testosterone was unaltered. Thyroid function and plasma cortisol levels did not change during treatment. Treatment with phenytoin decreased the contraceptive effect. In a group of regularly menstruating women who had used NORPLANT-2 implants for more than three years, 40% showed anovulation, 20% luteinization of unruptured follicles and 40% apparent ovulation.

Adolescent↗

Cartilage proteoglycans in degenerative joint disease.

Cartilage content of proteoglycans decreases early in induced degenerative hip joint disease. Remaining molecules show structural changes indicating fragmentation. Fragments lost from the articular cartilage are released to the synovial fluid, where they can be quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Their amounts are related to the activity of the disease process.

Animals↗

Enhanced metabolism of levonorgestrel during phenytoin treatment in a woman with Norplant implants.

A 26-year-old woman, treated with phenytoin for 10 years because of epilepsy, had Norplant subdermal implants inserted after a legal abortion. She became pregnant again after nine months of Norplant use. Her plasma levonorgestrel (LNG) levels were followed during one month during phenytoin treatment and then later during one month after discontinuation of phenytoin. During phenytoin treatment, plasma LNG levels were markedly below the levels found in healthy women with Norplant. There was a pronounced, statistically significant increase in plasma LNG levels after discontinuation of phenytoin. The plasma levels of sex hormone binding globulin were markedly above those found in normal healthy women during treatment with phenytoin and decreased significantly after cessation of phenytoin. The effects on the pharmacokinetics of LNG were reflected by effects on the menstrual cycle. During phenytoin treatment, the woman had regular ovulatory menstrual cycles. After cessation of phenytoin, her cycles became irregular and during the study period of one month, no signs of ovulation were found. It is concluded that treatment with phenytoin during use of Norplant subdermal implants enhances the metabolism of LNG to an extent where the contraceptive efficacy is endangered.

Adult↗

Androgen levels in women using Norplant implants.

Plasma concentrations of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione (A4) and levonorgestrel were studied in 17 women before and during use of two levonorgestrel covered rods resulting in identical plasma concentrations of levonorgestrel as Norplant implants. There was a highly significant decrease in SHBG during treatment. Total testosterone and A4 also decreased significantly. Free testosterone remained unchanged. Diurnal variations were found to occur for A4, total and free testosterone, but not for SHBG or levonorgestrel. Moreover, plasma concentrations of testosterone, free testosterone, levonorgestrel and SHBG were measured in a second group of 88 women participating in a clinical study on Norplant implants, who at the one year follow-up visit either denied or claimed to have developed increased facial acne during treatment. There was no difference regarding SHBG, total testosterone, free testosterone or levonorgestrel between the groups of women with and without facial acne. However, the women in the group noticing increased acne during treatment, reported significantly more often to have had acne before treatment compared to the women who did not notice increased acne during treatment. It is concluded that treatment with Norplant implants does not result in increasing plasma levels of androgens.

Acne Vulgaris↗

Aspects of thyroid function during use of Norplant implants.

Plasma thyroxin (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), T3-uptake and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in 18 women using Norplant implants or Norplant-2 implants for six months. Free T4-index and free T3-index were also calculated. All women had used non-hormonal contraceptives before insertion of the implants. T4 decreased and T3-uptake increased, indicating a lower level of thyroid binding proteins during treatment. Free T4-index remained unchanged, indicating that the free concentration of thyroxin was unaltered. All women were euthyroid and TSH was unchanged. It is concluded that treatment with Norplant implants does not result in a change in thyroid function.

Adult↗

Sacroiliac lesions as a cause of chronic poor performance in competitive horses.

The histories and clinical signs in 11 horses with longstanding poor performance attributed to chronic sacroiliac damage are described. The main clinical feature was a lack of impulsion from one or both hindlimbs causing a restriction in the hind gait or lowgrade lameness. A temporary improvement was often achieved using anti-inflammatory medication, but eventually all the horses were killed because of unsatisfactory progress at exercise. Post mortem examination revealed that changes were confined to the sacroiliac joints. The macroscopic and histological findings varied considerably and in only two cases could the changes be classified histologically as arthrosis. In the other nine horses there was increased joint surface area or irregular outline associated with extensions of the joint on the caudomedial aspect. These changes were interpreted as indicating a chronic instability of the joint leading to restriction of hindlimb impulsion. The underlying cause of the problem was not ascertained but the significance and possible pathogenesis of the lesions are discussed.

Animals↗

Proteoglycans and calcification of cartilage in the femoral head epiphysis of the immature rat.

The femoral heads of young rats have been used to monitor changes in proteoglycan structure during growth and endochondral ossification. Proteoglycans were extracted in good yield. The tissue content of proteoglycans increased until the time of calcification and then decreased. In contrast, the collagen content increased over the period studied. On Day 20, just preceding the onset of calcification, the proteoglycans had a lower glycosaminoglycan content, were somewhat smaller, and contained a larger proportion of molecules that were not capable of interacting with hyaluronic acid. On Day 25, during ongoing calcification, the proportion of proteoglycans that were not capable of interacting with hyaluronic acid was low, while it again was high on Day 40, just preceding ossification. The relative glycosaminoglycan content of the proteoglycans was somewhat lower on Day 20 and Day 40. The results indicate that both at the time of calcification and at the time of ossification the proteoglycan structure changes, perhaps indicating a functional role for the proteoglycans in the calcification process.

Animals↗

Canine hip dysplasia: study of heritability in 401 litters of German Shepherd dogs.

Heritability of hip dysplasia was estimated to be about 0.4 to 0.5 when based on the radiographic evaluations of the hip joints of 2,404 German Shepherd Dogs born at The Armed Forces Dog Training Center in Sweden. The material included all dogs in 401 litters born at the Center from 1965 through 1973 that reached the age of 15 months. To be expected with such high heritability, frequency of hip dysplasia in the offspring was shown to be affected by the hip joint status of sire and dam as well as by the hip joint status of their parents and littermates. Even matings between sires with normal hip joints and dams with only slight dysplasia resulted in significantly higher frequency of hip dysplasia in the offspring, when compared with the frequency if both sires and dams had normal hip joints. Frequency of hip dysplasia in the progeny of sires with normal hip joints varied greatly. Since 1973, selection of the breeding stock has been based on hip joint status (phenotype) of the breeding animals and of their relatives as well as on what had become known about frequency of hip dysplasia in the litters already born (progeny testing). In this way, frequency of hip dysplasia in 347 dogs born at the Center during 1975 was lowered to 28%. This figure should be compared with the figure of 50%, which represents the frequency of hip dysplasia in the kennel up to 1970, when selection was not as strict as could be expected in a well-controlled kennel.

Animals↗

Articular-cartilage proteoglycans in aging and osteoarthritis.

The composition of macroscopically normal hip articular cartilage obtained from dogs of various ages was studied. Pieces of cartilage with signs of degeneration were studied separately. In normal aging, the extraction yield of proteoglycans decreased; the keratan sulphate content of extracted proteoglycans increased and the chondroitin sulphate content decreased. The extracted proteoglycans were smaller in the older cartilage, mainly owing to a decrease in the chondroitin sulphate-rich region of the proteoglycan monomers. The hyaluronic acid-binding region and the keratan sulphaterich region were increased and the molar concentration of proteoglycan probably increase with increasing age. The degenerated cartilage had higher water content and the proteoglycans, as well as other tissue components, gave higher yields. The proteoglycan monomers from the degenerated cartilage were smaller than those from normal cartilage of the same age, and hence had a smaller chondroitin sulphate-rich region and some of the molecules also appeared to lack the hyaluronic acid-binding region. Increased proteolytic activity may be involved in the process of cartilage degeneration.

Aging↗

Heredity of osteochondrosis, body constitution and leg weakness in the pig. A correlative investigation using progeny testing.

Sixty-three boars of the Swedish Landrace and the Yorkshire breed were progeny tested. Production variables were correlated with frequency of osteochondrotic lesions at three sites, length of radius, and presence of leg weakness in 416 offspring. Osteochondrotic lesions in distal femur and humerus were found to be correlated with desirable production variables. No correlation existed between presence of osteochondrosis and leg weakness. Analysis of variance showed that breed and boar within breed influenced frequency and distribution of osteochondrosis. The pigs of the Yorkshire breed were less affected. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.14 to 0.30 for the osteochondrotic lesions at three sites. It should be noted that these figures are preliminary because of the limited number of offspring. It was concluded that a possibility exists to lower frequency of osteochondrosis in the pig with only some loss of valuable production qualities.

Animals↗

Osteochondrosis in growing bulls. Pathology, frequency and severity on different feedings.

Lesions typical for osteochondrosis were found in the joint cartilage and metaphyseal growth plates of growing bulls, of which many showed clinical signs of so-called leg weakness. Of 48 bulls included in the investigation, 23 were on intensive feeding and they all were found to have osteochondrosis at several locations. Of the 25 bulls of lower intensity feeding, only 13 had osteochondrosis. The lesions in those bulls were less severe than in the bulls on the high intensity feeding. At slaughter, when the lesions were inspected, the bulls on high energy feeding were much younger than the ones on the lower energy feeding. This must be kept in mind, when a comparison is made. As the bulls of the high intensity feeding were growing more rapidly, frequency and severity of osteochondrosis seemed to be correlated with rapid growth. Other etiological factors were, however, considered. A comparatively low intake of calcium in relation to daily weight increase may be one explanation for the high frequency in the bulls in high intensity feeding. Lack of exercise and large amounts of concentrates were possible explanations for the overall high frequency of osteochondrosis in the present material. The lesions in the joints and growth plates in the bulls were similar to those seen in pigs and horses. The reason why some partly or completely detached bodies contained bone is discussed. A possible connection between osteochondrosis and so-called subchondral bone cysts, as previously described in horses, is mentioned.

Animal Feed↗