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Biomedical subjects

S Koskinen

Publications and source records attributed to S Koskinen.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Comparison of a beta 2-agonist, terbutaline, with an inhaled corticosteroid, budesonide, in newly detected asthma.

BACKGROUND: The presence of airway inflammation even in mild asthma points to the potential value of antiinflammatory therapy. We compared the effect of an inhaled corticosteroid, budesonide, with that of an inhaled beta 2-agonist, terbutaline, in the long-term treatment of newly detected asthma. METHODS: We studied 103 patients (29 male and 74 female patients 15 to 64 years old) in whom asthma had appeared within the previous year. The patients were randomly assigned in blinded fashion to two treatment groups: one to receive 600 micrograms of inhaled budesonide twice a day, and the other to receive 375 micrograms of inhaled terbutaline twice a day. The study period was two years. RESULTS: After six weeks of treatment, the patients treated with budesonide tolerated inhaled histamine better than the patients treated with terbutaline (a difference of one doubling dose step, P less than 0.001), and the difference was sustained. Patients' diaries kept during the first three months of the study and during the last month of the first and second years showed budesonide to be more effective than terbutaline in improving peak expiratory flow in the morning (average increase from the pretreatment value, 32.8 liters per minute for budesonide vs. 4.8 liters per minute for terbutaline; P less than 0.001) and in the evening (P less than 0.01). Budesonide was also more effective in reducing the symptoms of asthma (P less than 0.01) and the use of supplemental beta 2-agonist medication (P less than 0.01). Ten patients were withdrawn from the terbutaline group because treatment was insufficiently effective, whereas only one dropped out of the budesonide group. The adverse reactions to both treatments were few and mild. CONCLUSIONS: Antiinflammatory therapy with inhaled budesonide is an effective first-line treatment for patients with newly detected, mild asthma, and it is superior to the use of terbutaline in such patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Tissue relaxation enhancement after intravenous administration of (ITCB-DTPA)-gadolinum conjugated albumin, an intravascular magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent.

Gadolinium-isothiocyanato-benzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (ITCB-DTPA-Gd), a derivative of Gd-DTPA, was multiply conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA). In the synthesis of BSA-(ITCB-DTPA-Gd) conjugate, none of the five carboxylate groups of DTPA is functionalized for protein-chelate linkage. The rationale for this modification is to improve the affinity for Gd3+. We obtained a high-stability constant for the complex, comparable to unbound Gd-DTPA. Also, the complex had a T1 relaxivity as high as 30.3 seconds-1mmol-1 at 29 MHz (at 24 degrees C). At this field strength, and T1 of rat blood declined 91% after injection of 300 mg/kg of BSA-(ITCB-DTPA-Gd), corresponding to a Gd dose of 0.02 mmol/kg, while at 0.86 MHz it declined 64%. The shortening of T1 in vitro of blood, as well as spleen, lungs, and kidneys, persisted for 60 minutes. Better enhancement on post-contrast magnetic resonance images of rats was obtained at 1.0 T than at 0.04 T. Tissues with rich vascularization and large venous structures were well displayed at the higher field.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

A placebo-controlled dose-response study of enprofylline in the maintenance therapy of asthma.

We assessed the efficacy and side effects of oral enprofylline in the maintenance therapy of 206 asthmatics 19 to 71 yr of age. After a 1-wk placebo run-in, patients were randomized to receive in double-blind fashion one of three doses of slow-release enprofylline tablets (150 mg, 300 mg, or 450 mg twice daily) or matching placebo for 4 wk. At baseline, mean (SD) peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was 62 (19)% of predicted normal values. The mean increase in morning PEFR 12 h after dosing was: for 450 mg, 14(17)%; for 300 mg, 8(23)%; for 150 mg, 2(11)%, for placebo 0(10)%. The increases over baseline for 450 mg and 300 mg compared with 150 mg and placebo were statistically significant. The mean asthma symptoms score (scale zero to 3) exhibited a dose-related reduction. Significantly less beta 2-receptor agonist inhalations were used in the 450-mg group than in the placebo group. There was a statistically significant increase in headache and nausea with the doses 450 mg and 300 mg given twice daily during the first treatment week compared with 150 mg and placebo. Subsequent to the first week, there were no differences between the active treatments and placebo with respect to the incidence of these and other side effects. We conclude that oral enprofylline, in a dosage of 300 to 450 mg twice daily is an effective and well-tolerated drug that may be useful in the maintenance therapy of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Association of serum lipids and obesity with cardiovascular mortality.

Serum lipid concentrations, relative body weight, and smoking habits were assessed in a cohort of 1648 middle-aged Finnish men who were subsequently followed for seven years. Multivariate analysis showed that serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations and smoking were all independently associated with cardiovascular mortality. High serum triglyceride concentrations increased the risk of cardiovascular death only when they exceeded 1.7 mmol/l (150 mg/100 ml), but this occurred at all cholesterol and relative body weight levels. Obesity influenced death rates only in men with raised serum lipid levels, while smoking was associated with increased mortality when any combination of the other factors was present. Men who had raised triglyceride concentrations combined with smoking or obesity had the highest risk of cardiovascular death.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗