Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Lindholm

Publications and source records attributed to T Lindholm.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis B and C viruses among different groups of medical staff.

The prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) among the medical staff of a department of infectious diseases and a dialysis unit was studied (n = 80). Among medical staff from some selected emergency and operating units at elevated risk for blood exposure (n = 231) the prevalence of antibodies to both hepatitis B and C viruses was determined. Three out of 311 staff members tested (0.96%) were positive for anti-HCV, 1 from an emergency unit and 2 from surgery departments. 14/231 tested for anti-HBc (6.1%) were positive. None of these was positive for HBsAg. Thus, the prevalence of anti-HCV among medical staff frequently dealing with anti-HCV positive patients or at elevated risk for blood exposure was low and did not differ considerably from what has been found among healthy blood donors. The prevalence of markers for passed hepatitis B was only slightly augmented compared to what has been reported from the general population.

Hepacivirus↗

HLA-A region in highly sensitized patients: another immune response gene region.

HLA haplotypes were assigned by family typing in 94 prospective kidney transplant recipients. An HLA-A region of the HLA-A, B, DR haplotypes was found in association with high levels of antibodies against lymphocytes. There was a significant difference in the frequency of HLA-B8-positive haplotypes among the patients with regard to the distribution of HLA-A alleles (p = 0.0028); on the same haplotype the A1 and B8 alleles were found in moderately and weakly sensitized patients and HLA-A alleles other than A1 were present with B8 in highly sensitized patients. A significantly higher number of highly sensitized patients when compared with moderately sensitized patients had haplotypes with HLA-A alleles in negative linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B alleles (77 vs. 10%, p = 0.014). The results are in good agreement with a previous suggestion that the interaction between the HLA-A class I and class II regions regulates the immune response. Determination of HLA haplotypes might identify patients at high risk for broad and persisting sensitization.

Alleles↗

Proliferative cell response to loosening of total hip replacements: a cytofluorographic cell cycle analysis.

Monocyte/macrophages and fibroblasts are the major reactive cells in the periprosthetic connective tissue in a loose totally replaced hip. Monocyte/macrophages are bone-marrow-derived, hematogenous cells, whereas mesenchymal fibroblasts replenish by local proliferation. The cell-cycle-phase frequency distribution therefore reflects the local mitotic fibroblast response to the loose total hip replacement (THR) implant. In 13 patients who underwent revision of a loose THR implant, most of the local cells were in the resting G0/G1 phase (88.1 +/- 6.3%, mean +/- SD), whereas 8.6 +/- 3.7% were in the S phase of the cycle, and 3.4 +/- 2.9% had already reached the G2/M phase. The highest DNA values were recorded in an osteoarthritic patient undergoing revision 4 years after the primary uncemented THR, while the lowest values were observed in a rheumatoid arthritis patient with a loose cemented prosthesis 15 years after the primary operation. The results suggest that the local proliferative fibroblast response in general is uniform and does not seem to depend on the type of prosthesis or the use of cement. The responses in aggressive granulomatous-type loosening and the common type of loosening were similar.

Aged↗

Stability of prevalences of mental disorders in a normal population cohort followed for 16 years.

Results from the Finnish UKKI study on longitudinal changes in prevalences of different mental disorder categories in a population cohort (n = 723) are presented. The subjects were investigated three times: in the original survey during 1969-71, and in two follow-ups (5 and 16 years after the original survey). The prevalence of all mental disorders was about 30% in all phases of the study, although the prevalence of psychoses increased from 1.1% to 3.5%. A special focus of interest was the changes in different 10-year birth cohorts during the 16 years. The results indicated that the youngest birth cohort (born in 1945-54) did not reach the same prevalence level of all mental disorders combined as the birth cohort 10 years older upon reaching the same age.

Adolescent↗

Interrater agreement when assessing alexithymia using the Drawing Completion Test (Wartegg Zeichentest).

Due to insufficient agreement regarding the definition of the concept of alexithymia, a number of theoretically different approaches have been used when assessing the phenomenon. Primarily psychiatric interviews and questionnaires have been used, but also projective tests, principally the TAT, and the Rorschach. In this study four independent assessments of alexithymia were made, using the Wartegg, for a cohort of 50 randomly selected subjects, acting upon the alexithymia description of von Rad. Intraclass correlations were on an average 0.77.

Adult↗

The prevalence of PSE-CATEGO disorders in a Finnish adult population cohort.

A normal Finnish population cohort, originally aged 15-64 years, has been followed psychiatrically for 16 years. In the 16-year follow-up, 742 of the original sample of 1000 persons could be contacted and personally examined i.a. by means of the full 140-item version of the PSE. The age-adjusted prevalence of mental disorders in the population aged 30-80 years was 9.9% (6.9% in men and 12.4% in women). The prevalence of psychotic conditions was exceptionally high in comparison to other studies, 2.7%. The occurrence of mental disorders was associated with marital status and social class in men but not in women. Other factors examined, namely age, education, occupational category and experience of unemployment during the follow-up period, were not associated with the occurrence of mental disorders. The results are compared with the results from other studies using the same case finding method.

Adult↗

Alexithymic features in relation to the dexamethasone suppression test in a Finnish population sample.

Hypothesizing that a positive DST result could reflect an aberrant stress reaction in subjects with alexithymic features, the authors investigated the relationship between alexithymic features and DST results in 266 subjects from a Finnish adult population sample. Alexithymic features were assessed with the Beth Israel Questionnaire. The authors found a statistically significant association between observed alexithymic features and a positive DST result. This association could be seen after adjustment separately for age, social rank, marital status, and the occurrence of depression.

Adolescent↗

Human fetal dopamine neurons grafted into the striatum in two patients with severe Parkinson's disease. A detailed account of methodology and a 6-month follow-up.

By using stereotaxic surgical techniques, ventral mesencephalic tissues from aborted human fetuses of 8 to 10 weeks' gestational age were implanted unilaterally into the striata in two patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. The patients were treated with a cyclosporine, azathioprine, and steroid regimen to minimize the risk for graft rejection. They were examined for 6 months preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively and continued to receive the same doses of antiparkinsonian medication. There were no significant postoperative complications. No major therapeutic effect from the operation was observed. However, in the clinical tests, both patients showed small but significant increases of movement speed for repeated pronation-supination, fist clenching, and foot lifting. The rate of walking also increased in the one patient tested. For both patients, there was an initial worsening postoperatively, followed by improvement vs preoperative performance at 1 to 3 months. Both patients also showed significant improvement in the magnitude of response to a single dose of levodopa (L-dopa), but there was no increase in the duration of drug action. The motor readiness potential increased in both patients postoperatively, primarily over the operated hemisphere. Neurophysiological measurements also showed a more rapid performance of simple and complex arm and hand movements on the side contralateral to transplantation in one patient at 5 months postoperatively. Positron emission tomography demonstrated no increased uptake of 6-L-(18F)-fluorodopa in the transplanted striatum at 5 and 6 months. Taken together, these results suggest that the fetal nigral implants may have provided a modest improvement in motor function, consistent with the presence of small surviving grafts. Although our results support further scientific experimentation with transplantation in Parkinson's disease, widespread clinical trials with this procedure are probably not warranted at this time.

Contingent Negative Variation↗

Repeated application of EMLA cream 5% for the alleviation of cannulation pain in haemodialysis.

The analgesic effect and the occurrence of local reactions after repeated application of a lidocaine/prilocaine cream (EMLA 5%) were investigated in 31 haemodialysis patients. The cream was used for alleviation of cannulation pain prior to the haemodialysis (HD) for a period of 1-1.5 years. In each patient 300 to 312 applications of the cream were made during the period. Local skin reactions were recorded after the cream applications and the analgesic effect was evaluated with double-blind, crossover placebo controls at regular intervals. Seventeen patients completed the study. EMLA gave considerable pain relief and was significantly better than placebo at all effect evaluations but one. The frequency of local reactions was low and not correlated to the number of applications of EMLA. Two patients, however, interrupted their treatment due to local irritation.

Aged↗

Ultrastructure of the photosynthetic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum.

New cellular structures, bifurcated oral tentacles, were observed in many specimens of the photosynthetic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum from the northern Baltic Sea. Cross-sections of tentacles revealed rings (cylinders) of 14 microtubules with spokes. The number of microtubules per ring decreased from 14 to 12 or 11 inside the cell but no true kinetosomes were detected. These "micro-rings" were often associated with extrusomes and the tentacle tips consisted of extrusomes. A nucleus of a symbiotic alga was present, surrounded by algal cytoplasm containing plastids and delimited from the ciliate cytoplasm by two membranes. Each plastid was bounded by four membranes and was associated with one nucleomorph, suggesting a symbiotic origin as a cryptophyte. The unique symbiotic organization and the organelles of 14 microtubules make Mesodinium rubrum an organism of unusual evolutionary interest.

Animals↗

Polysorbate 20 as a drug release regulator in ethyl cellulose film coatings.

Tablet coatings of hydrophobic ethyl cellulose have been made more hydrophilic by the addition of a non-ionic surfactant, polysorbate (Tween) 20, to the film. As its content increased, so did the release of sodium salicylate from the coated tablets. With a certain content of surfactant and specific thickness of the tablet coat, zero order release kinetics were observed. Leaching of the polysorbate 20 occurred from all formulations. Scanning and transmission electron micrographs showed that the structure of the coats consisted of several layers parallel to the tablet surface. Polysorbate 20 was seen as small drops in some coats.

Cellulose↗

Performance of the Lundia PRO dialyzer.

Dialyzers with a new polycarbonate membrane have been tested in four studies since 1980. In the first acute study, no adverse reactions were observed even though a patient showing strong reactions against Cuprophan was included. The performance of the dialyzers was evaluated in two studies; in one the dialyzers were sterilized with gamma radiation, in the other with ethylene oxide gas. In the fourth study, the long-term effects were studied. Up to now the polycarbonate dialyzers seem to be very good. The chronic study still going on will be extended.

Carboxyhemoglobin↗

Vancomycin and netilmicin as first line treatment of peritonitis in CAPD patients.

The first line treatment of peritonitis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in our hospital was recently altered from a combination of gentamicin and clindamycin, given as continuous peritoneal lavage, to one of vancomycin and netilmicin given in peritoneal dialysis fluid with prolonged dwell time (4-6 h). The change was prompted by the emergence of multiply resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis among CAPD patients and nursing staff. In 9 of 19 episodes of peritonitis treated with gentamicin/clindamycin, the infecting organism could still be isolated from peritoneal fluid 5-15 days after commencement of therapy. All of 35 culture verified episodes treated with vancomycin/netilmicin were cleared bacteriologically within 3 days (P less than 0.0005). The vancomycin and netilmicin serum levels achieved were 6.5-37.0 mg/l and 1.0-8.1 mg/l, respectively. Apart from an asthmatic reaction, possibly triggered by vancomycin, no side effects were seen. However, audiometry was not performed regularly and the possible effect of netilmicin on the residual renal function was not systematically investigated.

Adult↗

Juvenile diabetes mellitus--a risk factor for postoperative venous thromboembolism?

In a retrospective analysis of 125 patients and a prospective evaluation of 83 patients with terminal uremia undergoing kidney transplantation, juvenile diabetes mellitus was found to be a significant risk factor for the development of postoperative thromboembolism. We found a high frequency of objectively verified thromboembolism despite the relatively young age of the patients. Besides diabetes, no other clinical risk factor differed between patients with and without thrombosis.

Adult↗

Temperature and vascular stability in hemodialysis.

The temperature of the blood returning from an extracorporeal circuit may influence the vascular stability. Mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate and the temperature in the in-and outlet lines for blood and dialysis fluid of the dialyzer (TBa, TBv, TDi and TDo) were continuously measured in 8 patients suffering from vascular instability during standard dialysis. The TBv was adjusted to 37, 36 and 35 degrees C at the start of dialysis by manipulating TDi. The patients were studied two times at each temperature level during a 4-hour dialysis. At the start of dialysis TBa was 35.7 +/- 0.3 degrees C. The patient's mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate decreased and increased, respectively, continuously during TBv 37 and 36 degrees C experiments, but were fairly stable at an TBv of 35 degrees C. The standard TDi of 37 degrees C should be abandoned for a temperature which is similar to TBa (35.7 degrees C) to avoid the vascular effects of heating or cooling the blood in the extracorporeal system.

Adult↗