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Biomedical subjects

T Lindback

Publications and source records attributed to T Lindback.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

[Gastroesophageal reflux associated with severe cerebral paresis].

Five patients, aged 9-16, living in a community-based home for the mentally retarded, have undergone Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux. They were all severely physically handicapped by cerebral palsy. Their symptoms had persisted from 1-10 years, and included chronic retching and vomiting, intermittent obstruction of the upper airways, frequent bronchial and pulmonary infections, and episodic abdominal pain and failure to thrive. Three had hematemesis. Two patients lost a great deal of weight. One had chronic reflux associated with lower airway obstruction, which improved postoperatively. All patients had undergone conservative medical treatment of four to 12 months duration, with no lasting improvement. There were very few postoperative complications. One patient had to be reoperated. After surgical treatment their main symptoms had disappeared and their subsequent management was easier. We have reasons to believe that this condition is seriously underdiagnosed in our society, thereby causing unnecessary pain and distress in patients who are unable to convey their complaints to others.

Adolescent

Childhood autism: a complex disorder.

Twenty-four-hour urine samples from psychotic and autistic children were precipitated with benzoic acid at pH 4.3. Fractionation of the aromatic complexes thus formed with benzoic acid-protein and peptides and uric acid, proteins and peptides on G-25 columns-yielded filtration patterns that may be of diagnostic value. Peptide material could be extracted from the formed complexes and refractionated on P2 gels. Increased levels of peptide material, especially of N-substituted peptides, could be demonstrated. Several bioactive factors (Reichelt et al. 1981) are under study. Possible etiological factors are discussed, and a working hypothesis is presented.

Adolescent

Bacteriolytic activity of amniotic fluid.

Bacteriolytic activity and lecithin concentration were measured in amniotic fluid samples from both normal and pathologic pregnancies, including conditions such as severe Rh isoimmunization, placental dysfunction, preeclampsia, and diabetes. The bacteriolytic activity increased threefold from the 25th gestational week to term, after which a slight reduction was found. No difference was found between pathologic and normal pregnancies. No correlation was found between lecithin content and bacteriolytic activity. Samples from pregnancies in which the infant developed respiratory distress syndrome had low lecithin concentrations but showed normal bacteriolytic activities.

Amniotic Fluid

Positional fatty acid composition in total and acetone-precipitated amniotic fluid lecithin.

The fatty acid composition of lecithin has been determined separately at the 1- and 2-position in 22 samples of amniotic fluid. Palmitic acid (16:0) was the main fatty acid present at both carbon atom positions throughout the last trimester. Myristic acid (14:0) was present in very small amounts only. There was no evidence of 1-palmitoyl/2-myristoyl lecithin being present in more than trace amounts before 35 weeks of gestation. The positional specificity of the methylation pathway is therefore doubtful. Acetone precipitation of lecithin did not alter the observed fatty acid composition at either position, indicating that this procedure precipitates the different lecithin subspecies in equal proportion, without any preference for disaturated species. This method therefore fails to isolate a lecithin fraction with a specific fatty acid composition.

Acetone

Amniotic fluid palmitic acid concentrations and prediction of fetal lung maturity.

A method for rapid determination of total esterified palmitic acid concentration (TEPAC) in amniotic fluid is described. The correlation coefficient between the TEPAC and the lecithin concentration was 0.93 in 123 samples of amniotic fluid obtained during the last trimester. The respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurred in 73% of the cases studied with TEPAC less than mmol/l in predelivery samples. The RDS was not observed with higher concentrations except in cases of maternal diabetes mellitus. The predictive value of total esterified fatty acid studies was confirmed to the concentration of palmitic acid recorded, and no specific fatty acid distributions or ratios were reliable in identifying RDS or estimating gestational age.

Amniotic Fluid

Phospholipid concentrations in amniotic fluid from diabetic pregnant women.

Amniotic fluid phospholipid concentrations measured in 104 samples from 65 diabetic patients have been related to gestational age, tevelopment of the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). There is statistically significant evidence of accelerated surfactant production in White classes D, F, from 34 to 37 weeks gestation. Classes A, B, C, have phospholipid concentrations not significantly different from a reference series. RDS occurred in 26% and was frequently associated with mature phospholipid concentrations. There was a significant correlation between low Apgar scores and subsequent development of RDS.

Amniotic Fluid

Amniotic fluid lecithin concentrations in pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders and intrauterine growth retardation.

Amniotic fluid lecithin has been measured in 92 samples from 75 patients with hypertensive disorders and in normotensive pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). For the group with hypertensive disorders the lecithin concentrations were not significantly different from a reference material at any stage in gestation. Pre-eclampsia associated with moderately elevated blood pressure and complicated by IUGR showed significantly higher lecithin concentrations than any other diagnostic subgroup. The lecithin concentrations showed no relationship to maternal urinary estrogen excretion. The value of serial estrogen measurements in predicting IUGR has been emphasized. An evaluation of the amniotic fluid lecithin concentration in relation to respiratory function has been made. Respiratory distress syndrome may occur even in growth retarded babies.

Amniotic Fluid

Effect of centrifugation on amniotic fluid phospolipid recovery.

Amniotic fluid lecithin and sphingomyelin were determined quantitatively in 33 samples obtained throughout the last trimester. Each sample was divided into three parts and each part was centrifuged at different relative forces prior to extraction. It is shown that centrifugation always removes considerable amounts of both lecithin and sphingomyelin from the supernatant towards the end of pregnancy, but very little at the beginning of the last trimester. The fatty acid composition of amniotic fluid lecithin, studied by gas liquid chromatography, indicate that surface active lecithin is lost by centrifugation of the fluid prior to extraction.

Amniotic Fluid

Influence of intrauterine haemolysis on the amniotic fluid phospholipid concentration.

The relationship between surfactant synthesis measured by amniotic fluid lecithin concentration and L/S ratio, and the degree of intrauterine haemolysis as judged by the Liley optical density difference, has been studied in 125 samples from 62 rhesus immunized pregnant women. In forty cases where the samples were obtained within one week of delivery, the results have been correlated with cord blood haemoglobin concentrations. There is evidence that a mild intrauterine haemolytic process may stimulate surfactant production while severe intrauterine haemolysis may be inhibitory in some cases. Intrauterine anaemia did not seem to have any effect upon respiratory function after birth as long as the L/S ratio was adequate.

Amniotic Fluid