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Biomedical subjects

T Koivula

Publications and source records attributed to T Koivula.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Serum CA 15-3 assay in the diagnosis and follow-up of breast cancer.

Serum CA 15-3 values were determined in 177 patients with primary breast cancer and in 41 with non-malignant breast disease. Increased preoperative serum CA 15-3 values (greater than 38 U ml-1) were observed in 7%, 17%, 64% and 67% of patients with stage I, II, III and IV disease, respectively and in none of the patients with benign breast disease. Patients with elevated serum CA 15-3 values had poor 3-year cumulative survival (27%). In the postoperative follow-up 9% of patients with no clinical evidence of disease, 33% with a single metastasis and 67% with two or more metastases had elevated values. Increasing or decreasing serum CA 15-3 values correlated with the clinical outcome in 26 out of 27 cases (96%), whereas serum values remaining in the reference range had no predictive value. At the time of recurrence elevated serum CA 15-3 values were also observed in patients with normal preoperative values. Increased serum CA 15-3 values preceded the clinical detection of tumour recurrence by up to 13 months. In conclusion, serum CA 15-3 levels had prognostic value in breast cancer, reflected the extent of clinically detectable disease and the presence of occult metastatic disease. Further research is warranted on the benefits of CA 15-3 assays in relation to adjuvant chemotherapy as well as the earlier detection and treatment of metastatic disease.

Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate↗
PubMed1988

DNA ploidy level and cell cycle distribution in ovarian cancer: relation to histopathological features of the tumor.

We analyzed nuclear DNA content and S-phase fraction (SPF) from 157 paraffin-embedded ovarian tumors by flow cytometry and compared the results with the clinicopathological features of the tumors. DNA aneuploidy was more common and mean SPF was higher in advanced than in early-stage tumors (p less than 0.001). DNA aneuploidy was most often (75%) observed in undifferentiated tumors (World Health Organization classification) and most seldom (30%) in mucinous carcinomas. Mean SPF values ranged from 17.7% in undifferentiated carcinomas to 11.1% in mucinous carcinomas. DNA flow cytometric results correlated better with nuclear than with histological tumor grade. The proportion of DNA-aneuploid tumors increased from 30% in nuclear grade I to 93% in nuclear grade III, and mean SPF increased from 9.9 to 20.2% (p less than 0.001). DNA ploidy and SPF were independently associated with both stage and nuclear grade of the tumor, whereas the differences between the histopathological tumor types virtually disappeared when the groups were adjusted for nuclear grade. On the basis of these clinicopathological correlations, it appears that DNA ploidy and SPF reflect the malignant potential of ovarian tumors and thus complement the routine histopathological evaluation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

Comparison of indirect diagnostic methods for hypolactasia.

The aim of this study was to continue our previously published work and to compare the different indirect diagnostic methods for hypolactasia with the lactase to sucrase ratio obtained by jejunal biopsy. The following tests were performed in 63 adult patients: the breath hydrogen test, the lactose tolerance test with ethanol (serum galactose measurement after oral lactose load with ethanol), the urinary lactose tolerance test (urinary galactose measurement after oral lactose load with ethanol), and the strip test (like the former but using a special test strip for urinary galactose). Specificities of all these tests were good (96-98%). The 3-h breath hydrogen test was less sensitive (69%) than the other methods (81-94%). The strip test is recommended for the general practitioner for the diagnosis of this common cause of abdominal complaints.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Effects of long-term aurothiomalate and D-penicillamine treatments on renal function and urinary excretion of prostanoids in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The effects of long-term aurothiomalate and D-penicillamine treatments on renal function and the urinary excretion of prostanoids were studied in 20 patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis. Twelve-hour urine was collected overnight, on the following day blood samples were taken in the morning and 12-hour urine was collected during the following day. Albumin excretion into the urine was determined by a sensitive quantitative method. Beta-2-microglobulin (B2MIGLO) and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) serum concentrations and excretions into the urine were measured to detect possible tubular or glomerular damage, respectively. The excretions of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha into urine were determined. In the aurothiomalate group, albumin excretion ranged 1-16 mg/12 h, and in the penicillamine group 0.8-31 mg/12 h. In the penicillamine group, but not in the aurothiomalate group, total protein, B2MIGLO and PGE2 excretions were higher (p less than 0.05) during the daytime than during the night. The daytime excretion of PGE2 was higher (p less than 0.01) in the penicillamine than in the aurothiomalate group. In the penicillamine group B2MIGLO excretion into urine correlated (p less than 0.01) with PGE2 excretion in the daytime. According to the results, not even long-term aurothiomalate treatment affects renal prostanoid excretion, while penicillamine increases urinary PGE2 excretion. This could be related either to the cofactor-like activity of penicillamine in the prostanoid synthesis or to damage in tubular cells. The role of prostanoids in maintaining blood flow and filtration may be more important in patients with renal damage than in normal conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Comparison of CA 125 and placental alkaline phosphatase as ovarian tumor markers.

The serum concentrations of CA 125 and placental alkaline phosphatase were analyzed in 16 patients with ovarian cancer. Increased serum levels of CA 125 and placental alkaline phosphatase were observed in 75% and 50% of the cancer patients, respectively. The serum levels of these tumor markers were not correlated, supporting their distinct antigenic nature. CA 125 seems to be a more promising tumor marker for ovarian cancer than placental alkaline phosphatase.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Aneuploid DNA content and high S-phase fraction of tumour cells are related to poor prognosis in patients with primary breast cancer.

The prognostic impact of DNA content and S-phase fraction (SPF) of tumour cells was studied in 93 patients with primary breast cancer. Aneuploid DNA content and high SPF were clearly associated with poor differentiation state of tumours and absence of steroid, especially progesterone receptors. Aneuploidy and high SPF tended to become more common with increasing primary tumour size, with more extensive nodal involvement and with more advanced stage of the cancer. Patients with diploid tumours had a slightly longer disease-free interval and survival than those with aneuploid tumours, whereas below median SPF as compared to above median SPF was associated with significantly longer (P less than 0.01) relapse-free interval and survival in patients with stage II-III cancer. We conclude that the DNA analysis of tumour cells is a promising method for the estimation of prognosis in breast cancer patients.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1987

Tumour DNA ploidy as an independent prognostic factor in breast cancer.

We determined nuclear DNA content from 308 archival paraffin-embedded malignant breast tumours and evaluated the survival of the patients by univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. The overall 8-year survival rate of stage I-III breast cancer patients was 74.3% in DNA-diploid and 51.2% in DNA-aneuploid tumours (P less than 0.0001). DNA ploidy had prognostic significance in both node-negative and node-positive breast cancer, primarily in cases with steroid receptor-positive tumours. In a Cox multivariate analysis DNA ploidy (P = 0.001), primary tumour size (P = 0.0007), nodal status (P = 0.04) and the content of progesterone receptors (P = 0.0008) emerged as significant independent prognostic factors, whereas oestrogen receptor status, age and menopausal status of the patients had no significant independent prognostic value. If the histological grade of ductal carcinomas was also included in the Cox model, both grade and DNA ploidy had independent prognostic effect. In conclusion, our results indicate that the analysis of DNA ploidy is a useful adjunct in the assessment of prognosis for breast cancer patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Intact parathyroid hormone, ionized calcium and calcium infusion test in the evaluation of hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure.

We studied the parathyroid function in patients with advanced renal failure by determining their plasma concentrations of ionized calcium (iCa), intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) and its inactive metabolites (PTH-MM). The suppressibility of the parathyroidism was studied with a calcium infusion test. The intact PTH values of the nondialysis and dialysis patients did not statistically differ from each other. The concentrations of PTH-MM were, however, higher in the dialysis patients than in the nondialysis patients (p less than 0.05). The ratio of PTH-MM to intact PTH was lowest in healthy reference subjects and highest in dialysis patients (p less than 0.01), and did not correlate with the degree of intact PTH elevation in the patient groups. The calcium infusion test was carried out on 15 patients. All showed suppression in the elevated plasma intact PTH concentration and in 6 the intact PTH value normalized. The PTH-MM value did not normalize in any of the patients. During oral calcium treatment the degree of intact PTH suppression at an achieved concentration of plasma iCa was predictable from the infusion test. Three patients were parathyroidectomized after the calcium infusion test. In 2 of these elevated intact PTH normalized within 24 h while in 1 no change took place. In this latter case on clinical improvement was noted. We conclude that the determination of plasma intact PTH concentration especially of combined with plasma iCa value is a reliable means of studying the hyperparathyroidism associated with chronic renal failure.

Calcium↗
PubMed1987

Lactoferrin in acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Lactoferrin, as measured in the pancreatic juice, has been thought to be of diagnostic value in chronic pancreatitis, but due to the hazards in cannulation of the pancreatic duct in the acute phase of pancreatitis the behavior of lactoferrin has remained obscure. In this study, lactoferrin levels were studied in pancreas tissue specimens obtained in ablative surgery for acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and in serum samples. A higher pancreatic lactoferrin content was found in ANP than in normal pancreas. Lactoferrin seemed not to leak from a necrotic pancreas in any considerable amounts into the circulation, as no differences were found in serum lactoferrin concentrations between ANP and controls. It remains an open question whether the lactoferrin increase is only an unspecific reaction in inflammation or is something specific for pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

Decreased serum level of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in postmenopausal women with ovarian cancer.

Serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were measured in 41 postmenopausal women with ovarian tumor (16 with ovarian cancer, 6 with borderline malignant and 19 with benign ovarian tumor) and in 21 postmenopausal women without ovarian neoplasm. Circulating DHEAS levels were significantly lower in patients with ovarian cancer than in women with benign ovarian tumor and in control subjects. Women with advanced ovarian cancer had lower DHEAS levels than those with local ovarian cancer. An age-related decrease in DHEAS levels was noted in the control group, while circulating DHEAS levels were independent of age in the ovarian cancer group. The results indicate the effect of ovarian cancer on this adrenal androgen and the possible presence of ovarian factor in malignant ovarian neoplasm.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1987

Strip test is reliable in common prevalences of hypolactasia.

The object of this study was to compare the indirect diagnostic methods on the basis of urinary galactose determination in the diagnosis of lactose malabsorption with the actual lactase activities. One hundred and seven patients were studied. The specificity and sensitivity of the strip test were 97%. With 30% actual prevalence the positive predictive value was 94%, and the negative predictive value was 99%. In common prevalences of hypolactasia the strip test was reliable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Characterization of uraemia-induced decrease in insulin binding on erythrocytes.

In the present study it was found that uraemic plasma contains inhibitors which affect insulin binding on erythrocyte insulin receptors. Insulin radioreceptor assays performed in the absence of uraemic plasma revealed no defects in the receptors of the uraemic erythrocytes. Uraemic plasma caused a 48% decrease in insulin binding on healthy erythrocytes at a high (10.1 ng/ml) insulin concentration, but only a 17% decrease at a low (70 pg/ml) insulin concentration. The inhibition of insulin binding by uraemic plasma decreased during a haemodialysis treatment from 18% to 13% at the low insulin concentration, and from 30% to 23% at the high insulin concentration. Insulin insensitivity in uraemia appears to be due to inhibition of the insulin receptors.

Erythrocytes↗
PubMed1987

Increased serum placental-like alkaline phosphatase activity in smokers originates from the lungs.

To study the origin of increased serum placental-like alkaline phosphatase (PLAP-like) activity in smokers, heat stable alkaline phosphatase activity was assayed from serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in 83 smoking and non-smoking patients. PLAP-like activity was increased in about 80% of the smokers, independently of the underlying lung disease. Isoenzyme activities in BAL fluid correlated (r = 0.631, p less than 0.001) with serum values. When adjusted for the albumin concentration, mean PLAP-like activity in BAL fluid was almost 1000-fold higher than that in serum, suggesting local synthesis of PLAP-like isoenzymes in the lungs. Although a direct dose-response effect was not observed, the values in serum and in BAL fluid tended to be higher in patients smoking over 10 cigarettes daily as compared to patients smoking less. In ex-smokers the results indicated that PLAP-like activity decreased to the level observed in non-smokers within 5 years after cessation of smoking. PLAP activity was L-leucine sensitive compatible with the Nagao-variant type of PLAP in almost all cases. In three patients the activity was due to the L-leucine resistant (true placental) isoenzyme.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1986

Peripheral and ovarian venous concentrations of steroid and gonadotropin hormones in postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian tumors.

Peripheral serum concentrations of estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), cortisol, prolactin, LH, and FSH were measured in 28 postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian tumors (12 ovarian cancer, 5 borderline malignant, 11 benign neoplasms) and in 15 controls before bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and 1 and 8 weeks postoperatively. The levels of these hormones were also measured in ovarian venous blood of 15 patients with ovarian tumors. E2 was significantly higher in the tumor group than in controls preoperatively and the levels of E1 and E2 decreased after radical operation. Hormone levels were similar in the benign and malignant tumor groups. Only DHEAS levels in peripheral serum were significantly lower in ovarian cancer patients than in the group with benign neoplasm. This was not the case in testosterone and androstenedione measurements. The measured levels of the hormones in ovarian venous blood were highest in mucinous ovarian tumors. E2 and testosterone levels were higher in mucinous ovarian tumors than in others. LH(hCG)-receptor levels were measured in 24 specimens and none of these showed detectable concentrations of LH(hCG) receptor. The results indicate that of all epithelial tumors mucinous ovarian tumors had hormonal activity most often, and malignancy had no effect on hormonal activity.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Metabolic effects of branched chain amino acids in patients with severe pancreatitis.

Twenty-four patients with acute severe pancreatitis were randomised to receive total parenteral nutrition for 7 days with one of two isocaloric (35 kcal/kg/day) and isonitrogenous (0.16 g/kg/day) programmes containing either a low (15.5% w/w (control group)) or a high (57%) content of branched chain amino acids (BCAA (BCAA group)). During treatment, the nitrogen balance was similar in both groups. The concentrations of serum protein, albumin, prealbumin and retinol-binding protein did not differ between the groups. The plasma concentrations of BCAA measured 2 h after discontinuation of amino acid infusions rose in the BCAA group. In urine, only the concentrations of valine increased as compared with those of control patients. Serum glucose levels were higher in the BCAA group than in the control group, although the BCAA group received slightly more insulin than the control group in order to keep the blood glucose concentration below 10 mmol/l. The results suggest that BCAA-enriched solutions may stimulate gluconeogenesis without affecting catabolism.

Journal Article↗