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At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Cytokines, adhesion molecules, and cellular infiltration in nephropathia epidemica kidneys: an immunohistochemical study.

Puumala hantavirus-induced nephropathia epidemica (NE) is an important cause for an acute reversible renal failure in Scandinavia, European Russia, and the Balkans. The characteristic histopathological renal finding is an acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. Mild to massive proteinuria, hematuria, and a rise in the serum creatinine level are typically seen. The pathogenetic mechanisms of NE kidney failure are incompletely understood. Therefore we studied the infiltrating cell populations and local expression of cytokines and growth factors in the kidney during the acute disease. Results of the histological and immunohistological studies of eight kidney biopsies show mild to moderate interstitial infiltration of lymphocytes, plasma cells, monocytes/macrophages, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, mainly eosinophilic granulocytes and neutrophils. An increased expression of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, and platelet-derived growth factor was seen at the same sites mainly in the peritubular area of the distal nephron. Concomitantly also at the same locations expression of the endothelial adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM, and PECAM was seen. Light microscopic changes in tubuli were common. Interestingly, despite the often massive transient proteinuria, no marked changes were seen in the glomeruli of NE kidneys. No evidence of Puumala virus was found in the kidney biopsies.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A field study of environmental impacts at a bleached kraft pulp mill site on the Baltic Sea coast.

The rate of technical development in bleaching of chemical pulp and the upgrading of process control and wastewater treatment systems in the pulp industry have been extremely rapid over the past few years. When assessing the environmental impacts of bleached kraft pulp mill effluents (BKMEs), it is therefore more important than ever to carefully characterize the bleaching process, the composition of the treated effluent, and the degree of exposure of sensitive target organisms in the receiving water body. These requirements have not always been fulfilled in previous reports on biological effects of BKMEs in Scandinavia. This work presents the results of a comprehensive field study of the impacts of a 350,000-tonne kraft mill, bleaching softwood and hardwood pulp in campaigns according to the sequence O(D25,C70+D5)(EOP)D(EP)D. The effluent is treated in an aerated lagoon with a mean retention time of 8-9 days, practically eliminating chlorate and resin acids, and reducing the discharge of adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) to an average of 1 t/day (1.3 and 0.4 kg/ADt for softwood and hardwood, respectively). The treated effluent is discharged through a 1.3-km-long diffuser, at a water depth of 9-12 m, into a well ventilated coastal area, giving a 1000-fold dilution within 3-4 km from the diffuser. The actual exposure of the coastal ecosystem to BKME components was determined by analysis of extractable organic chlorine in suspended solids and of conjugates of chlorophenolics in the bile of feral perch. Despite a major damage to the benthic communities that occurred about 10 years ago, and was due to large chlorate discharges at the time, no direct detrimental effects on benthic flora and fauna could be ascribed to the present BKME discharge. Instead, a clear recovery of the Fucus community, although not yet completed, could be demonstrated. Studies of the composition, abundance and biomass of the fish community, the recruitment and survival of fish fry, and the physiological status of perch, using a set of biomarkers, revealed that even in the most BKME-exposed area, only minor effects were detected. These effects were related to eutrophication/enrichment rather than to the action of toxic substances. The general effect picture, thus, was essentially of a different type than the one recorded in previous studies of mills, which used older technology and less effective process and effluent treatment control, and which were discharging into enclosed, shallow bays of the Baltic Sea.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Fine mapping of the gene for carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome, type I (CDG1): linkage disequilibrium and founder effect in Scandinavian families.

Carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome type I (CDG I) is characterized clinically by severe nervous system involvement and biochemically by defects in the carbohydrate residues in a number of serum glycoproteins. The CDG1 gene was recently localized by us to a 13-cM interval in chromosome region 16p13. In this study 44 CDG I families from nine countries were analyzed with available markers in a region ranging from marker D16S495 to D16S497, and haplotype and linkage disequilibrium analyses were performed. One specific haplotype was found to be markedly overrepresented in CDG I patients from a geographically distinct region in Scandinavia, strongly indicating that CDG I families in this region share the same ancestral CDG1 mutation. furthermore, analysis of the extent of the common haplotype in these families indicates that the CDG1 gene is located in the region defined by markers D16S513-AFMa284wd5-D16S768-D16S406-D16S502 . The critical CDG1 region, in strong linkage disequilibrium with markers AFMa284wd5, D16S768, and D16S406, thus constitutes less than 1 Mb of DNA and less than 1 cM in the very distal part of the CDG1 region defined by us previously.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed2000

A mathematical expectation model for bird navigation based on the clock-and-compass strategy.

We present here a mathematical formula for the directional distribution of migratory birds if they use a vector navigation/clock-and-compass strategy to find their winter quarters. It is based on mathematical expectation theory and shows that a simple parabola can describe the expected geographical spread of clock-and-compass birds as a function of migratory distance. Predictions based on this model are then tested against all same autumn ringing recoveries of first-season Pied Flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, ringed in Scandinavia and European Robins, Erithacus rubecula, ringed in Sweden and Finland and recovered north of the Sahara Desert. We find that the predictions of our analytical model fit the ringing recovery distribution of freely migrating conspecifics extremely well.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Carbonless copy paper and workplace safety: a review.

Carbonless copy paper (CCP), introduced in 1954, is ubiquitous in the U.S. marketplace, and because of this, many workers come into contact with it. Its safety to workers who handle large amounts of CCP has been addressed in numerous studies and reports; and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on two occasions has sought to determine what, if any, hazards to health CCP might pose. This review encompasses the world's literature on CCP and provides a weight-of-evidence analysis of the safety of CCP to workers in the United States. CCP is systematically studied on large groups of humans using repeat insult patch tests. Consistently, CCP in U.S. commerce since 1987 (the focus of this review) has produced neither primary skin irritation nor skin sensitization under exaggerated test conditions, demonstrating that no irritation or sensitization is expected on contact with CCP under normal conditions of manufacture and use. Years after the introduction of CCP, the first case reports appeared in 1974 suggesting an association between CCP use and various generic symptoms. Most of the earliest reports occurred in Sweden in response to negative publicity concerning the product, and to date approximately half of all published articles originate in Scandinavia. Many early reports were questionnaire/interview studies which suffered from suggestive questions, biases, and lack of control for confounding factors. Few studies included a comparison group (i.e., people not exposed to CCP) making it impossible to estimate risk values. Later, sick building syndrome studies, accounting for many relevant factors in the office environment, found no association between CCP exposure and symptoms unexplained by other factors. Animal studies showed that compounds used to manufacture CCP do not have acute toxic potential and are not genotoxic. Finally, very few published complaints have come from the manufacturing sector where the closest and most voluminous contact occurs. A few reports of symptoms have emanated from printing facilities (with a multiplicity of other chemical exposures), but generally most symptoms are reported in the office setting where the exposure is lower than in the manufacturing or printing settings. Based on the weight of the evidence, CCP currently in commerce in the United States is shown not to be the causative agent for the reported general symptoms sometimes associated with it over the years. Recently NIOSH evaluated the literature as to possible hazards to health posed by CCP, and NIOSH is anticipated to conclude that CCP is not a hazard to workers and has only a small possibility of producing mild and transient skin irritation.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed1991

Genetic heterogeneity of the porphobilinogen deaminase gene in Swedish families with acute intermittent porphyria.

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an autosomal dominant metabolic disorder affecting the enzyme porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase in the heme biosynthetic pathway. The highest prevalence of the disorder has been observed in Scandinavia, especially in northern Sweden (Lappland) where it occurs with a prevalence of 1 in 1500. Biochemical assays of the activity and concentration of PBG deaminase in red blood cells, haplotyping with 4 intragenic restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) (MspI, PstI, BstNI, ApaLI) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and screening for known base substitutions by oligonucleotide probes was performed in 28 Swedish AIP families. There was no close relationship between haplotype, biochemical findings (PBG deaminase activity, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], and excess urinary excretion of delta-aminolevulinic acid or PBG), and a specific mutation. Three different haplotypes were identified. The haplotype 2/1/1/2 (MspI/PstI/BstNI/ApaLI; +/-/-/+) was found to be the most frequent among gene carriers (P less than 0.001). The disease segregated with the haplotype 2/1/1/2 in the 10 families originating from northern Sweden. All 28 families were screened for three known point mutations. Only one was found to carry one of these mutations. Thus, the genetic background of AIP is heterogeneous in Sweden.

Alleles↗
PubMed1983

Renal cadmium content in the West of Scotland.

The trace element content of kidneys has been documented in very few international centres. Significant differences can be demonstrated between the cortical and medullary levels of calcium, zinc and cadmium. For the West of Scotland the values for the latter are similar to those found in Scandinavia. There are significantly higher cadmium contents in subjects who smoke and who have evidence of ischaemic heart disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Season of birth and Schneider-oriented diagnosis of schizophrenia, "neurosis" and psychopathy.

Most earlier studies and all studies on national samples in Scandinavia and in England and Wales have shown that schizophrenics have a significant excess of births in the early months of the year when compared with the expected distribution of the normal population. The present German study, carried out on schizophrenic patients diagnosed in a strongly Kurt Schneider--oriented clinic, in contrast to almost all other authors, demonstrated no such significant overrepresentation of births in the winter months. Thus, the findings of Danneel's (1973) German report, also utilizing Schneider-diagnosed schizophrenics, seem, at least for the present, to be confirmed.

Germany, West↗
PubMed1994

Mortality of Dutch workers exposed to carbon disulfide.

Epidemiological studies carried out in Great Britain, Scandinavia and the United States indicate that workers exposed to carbon disulfide are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and in particular for ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality. In the epidemiological study reported here a retrospective cohort design was used. The total study population consisted of 3322 workers from a Dutch viscose textile plant who had all been employed for at least half a year between 1 January 1947 and 1 January 1980. Only production and maintenance workers were selected for the study. A group of 1434 workers who had been exposed to carbon disulfide was identified from the files available at the plant. The remaining 1888 workers who had not been exposed to carbon disulfide were used as a reference group. The total study population was followed for mortality until 1 January 1988. For the 762 workers who had died before that date, the causes of death were checked at the Central Bureau of Statistics. The results show a slightly but significantly increased risk for CVD mortality (CVD-specific SMR of 115), despite the observation of the so-called healthy worker effect and the statistical uncertainties inherent to this type of study. The results are in accordance with those reported by other investigators. The results indicate that exposure to relatively low levels of carbon disulfide increases the risk of CVD mortality.

Carbon Disulfide↗
PubMed1988

Blood lead and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin in mothers and newborn infants.

Blood lead (B-Pb) and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) were measured in 78 mothers at delivery and in cord blood from 48 infants living in an area with low atmospheric Pb pollution. Median B-Pb was 35 micrograms/l (range 6-63) in mothers and 20 micrograms/l (range 6-50) in infants (P less than 0.0001), and the values were significantly correlated (rs = 0.73, P less than 0.0001). Mean B-Pb infant/B-Pb mother ratio was 0.7 (range 0.2-1.4). Mothers had lower ZPP (median 1.6 microgram/g Hb) than infants (median 2.9) (P less than 0.0001). ZPP in mothers showed a stronger relation to iron status (serum transferrin, serum ferritin) than to B-Pb (rs = 0.22, P less than 0.05). B-Pb was correlated to serum iron both in mothers (rs = 0.28, P less than 0.02) and infants (rs = 0.33, P less than 0.03). The present B-Pb levels are lower than previously reported in Scandinavia, probably due to the general decline in atmospheric Pb pollution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Therapeutic traditions in Northern Ireland, Norway and Sweden: I. Diabetes. WHO Drug Utilization Research Group (DURG).

A questionnaire survey was carried out to explore differences in the approach to treatment of patients with Type II diabetes between physicians in Northern Ireland, Norway and Sweden, and to discover to what extent it could account for the three-fold difference in drug use between the countries. A representative sample of 400 physicians in each country was asked to give their opinions on the choice of therapy for three model cases designed to cover the spectrum of treatment - from diet alone to insulin. Significantly more Swedish (65%) than Northern Irish (51%) and Norwegian (52%) doctors suggested diet alone for uncomplicated diabetes recently discovered in a middle aged, overweight man. For symptomatic diabetes in a 76 year old over-weight woman with few retinal microaneurysms, the majority of physicians in all three countries suggested treatment with sulphonylureas. Biguanides were here a more common alternative in Northern Ireland than in Scandinavia. For suspected secondary treatment failure in a 63 year old woman with no signs of complications, insulin was suggested by 71% of the Norwegian doctors but only by 44 and 49% of those in Northern Ireland and Sweden, respectively. General practitioners tended to suggest oral treatment earlier and to maintain it longer than hospital physicians. The study has demonstrated significant differences in the approach to treatment of Type II diabetes mellitus between physicians in the three countries. However, the differences were more prominent in the choice of drugs than in the threshold of drug treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Diabetes Mellitus↗
PubMed1988

Haemodynamic, anti-anginal and anti-ischaemic effects of sublingual nitroglycerin: dose-response, duration and time of onset of action.

To establish the time of onset of action and magnitude of response to the quickest disintegrating sublingual nitroglycerin tablet available in Scandinavia (Nitromex), nine patients with stable exercise-induced angina were studied whilst performing bicycle exercise tests. In the first session, placebo, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 mg sublingual nitroglycerin (Nitromex) was given in a double-blind cross-over fashion on different days. In the second session (1 h after Session 1), nitroglycerin 0.5 mg (Nitromex), placebo and 0.5 mg of a different brand of nitroglycerin were compared for the time of onset of attenuation of ST-segment depression when administered during exercise. In Session 1, there was a dose-dependent fall in systolic blood pressure and a concordant rise in heart rate whilst sitting at rest prior to exercise. Exercise time and ST-segment depression were dose-dependently prolonged, significantly by the two higher doses, (mean 20 and 26%, respectively) which did not differ from one another. In Session 2, nitroglycerin (Nitromex) caused ST-segment reversal after a mean of 123 s after administration, which was shorter than after ordinary nitroglycerin (mean 157 s) and placebo (two tests, 186 and 192 s). It is suggested that when nitroglycerin is administered during exercise, chest pain and ischaemic ECG-changes are largely improved through coronary vasodilatation and reduced afterload rather than through increased venous pooling and reduction in preload.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Multiple sclerosis in Europe.

At a symposium held in conjunction with the 13th World Congress of Neurology, epidemiological data were presented from 23 European countries. In addition to the confirmation of the well-known north-south gradient, new details emerged on the high-prevalence areas of the British Isles and Scandinavia and on high-prevalence areas in some of the eastern and Mediterranean countries requiring more intensive exploration and confirmation. It became evident that higher prevalences existed in some places in Southern Europe previously thought to be regions of very low frequency. Limitations in the evaluation and comparison of data presented were obvious in view of differences in concepts, techniques and the intensity of surveys carried out. There was general agreement that this first collaborative attempt to map the frequency of multiple sclerosis in Europe should be followed up by standardized procedures and more cooperation in epidemiological surveys.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Canine protozoan polyradiculoneuritis.

Four pups in a litter of eight Labrador Retrievers suddenly developed hind limb weakness. In three, paralysis ascended rapidly resulting in quadriplegia, cervical weakness, dysphagia and death. Postmortem examination revealed a severe polyradiculoneuritis in which roots, ganglia, and spinal and cranial nerves were heavily infiltrated by lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages and contained abundant protozoan pseudocysts. On sections of the brain and spinal cord protozoa were less frequent and appeared independent of the glial nodules which marked focal areas of necrosis. The organisms initially were thought to be Toxoplasma gondii, but this supposition was not supported by serological, immunocytochemical, or electron microscopic findings. Ultrastructurally the organisms resembled an unidentified sporozoan parasite, which has been reported in the CNS of dogs in Scandinavia. The inflamed spinal roots contained many degenerated and demyelinated axons. Electron microscopic studies indicated that the tachyzoite-like organisms, through their invasive and proliferative activities, brought about many of the degenerative changes in the Schwann cells and axons of the spinal roots and nerves.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Infantile bilateral striatal necrosis. Clinical and morphological report of a case and a review of the literature.

A case of infantile bilateral striatal necrosis (IBSN) is reported, the first one found in Scandinavia. Extensive clinical and laboratory investigations did not reveal any evidence of a neurometabolic disease. By computed tomography (CT) degeneration of putamen of either side was detected. The neuropathologic findings included extensive bilateral destruction of the striatum and pallidum and degeneration of the substantia nigra and tegmental nuclei. In the damaged regions, accumulations of cells containing sudanophilic lipids were found and Alzheimer type II glial cells, which were also seen in the cortex. On the basis of the clinical picture and the destruction of nerve cells in particular areas of the brain, in the present case and previously published cases of IBSN, the possible role of glutamate and other excitotoxic transmitters in the pathogenesis of the disease is discussed.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1986

Salivary antibody responses to oral and parenteral vaccines in children.

Salivary IgA antibody to poliovirus and tetanus toxoid was measured in whole salivas of 151 children between 2 and 48 months of age from North America and from Scandinavia. Children from urban and suburban populations in the greater Boston, MA, area receive both oral poliovaccine and a parenteral injection with tetanus toxoid (TT), initially at approximately 2 months of age. Children from Göteborg, Sweden, initially receive parenteral injections of TT at 2 months of age and parenteral injections of killed polio vaccine initially at 9 to 10 months of age. Twenty-six percent of the Boston subjects who were less than 12 months old had detectable salivary IgA antibody to poliovirus after oral immunization. In contrast, within the first year after parenteral immunization with killed poliovirus, the Swedish group had detectable salivary antibody in 9% (1 of 13) of the subjects. Forty to 65% of the children in the older Boston-area age groups had positive salivary IgA antibody levels to this antigen. No differences were seen in salivary IgA antibody to TT among the three populations. By 36 months of age at least 50% of all populations had detectable salivary antibody to TT. The ratio of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) activity using rabbit anti-human secretory component versus rabbit anti-human alpha chain was significantly higher in subjects less than 12 months of age compared with older groups. This suggested either that free secretory component was binding to tetanus toxoid or that secretory antibody of isotypes other than IgA was present in these youngest subjects.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Odontological identification of fire victims--potentialities and limitations.

A retrospective study was performed to analyse the power of odontological evidence in burn victims. The material comprised 292 single fire cases registered at 4 centers of forensic odontology in Scandinavia (DK: Aarhus, Copenhagen; N: Oslo; S: Goteborg) covering a 10-year period. Filed antemortem (am) and postmortem (pm) data were critically reviewed and registered. New systems for classification of the degree of injuries to the teeth and jaws and of the quality of dental records were developed. Matching dental am-pm units/features were recorded using the tooth as unit. Units were scored as either ordinary or extraordinary if the frequency of occurrence in a Danish reference population was > or = 10% or < 10%, respectively. The ID conclusion of a single case was classified into one of the categories: no conclusion, ID possible, ID probable or ID established, depending on the number of ordinary/extraordinary matching units. All age groups were represented. Most fatal burns occurred in house fires (62%) and there was a preponderance of males (71%). Detailed written records supplied by single or by systematic radiographs were available in 71% of cases. About 50% of burn victims were classified into the no-injury group and approximately 25% of cases showed injuries to the anterior teeth only. The number and complexity of dental restorations increased with age. The dental examination was a powerful tool in identification of burn victims. Thus, dental identity (ID) was established in 61% of burn victims and dental evidence assisted the identification in another 31% (ID possible 19%; ID probable 12%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Sex habits, recent disease, and drug use in two groups of Danish male homosexuals.

Interviewed to obtain the first quantitative data from Scandinavia on lifestyle factors of possible importance for their health were 259 Danish male homosexuals. The frequency of various sex acts, frequency of change in partner, visits to the United States, sexual contacts with victims of the immune suppression syndrome, education, smoking and drug habits, and recent medical problems were recorded. Of those interviewed, 170 were from the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and 89 were from a smaller provincial town, Aarhus. Sexual habits and most other factors were very similar in men from the two cities. Furthermore, the sex habits of those who had visited a venereal disease clinic were similar to those of the group as a whole except for a frequent change of partners. Our data on level of sexual activity resemble those available for the San Francisco Bay area of 1970. The Copenhagen men, however, had more partners per year, had more sexual contact with U.S. citizens and immune suppression syndrome victims, and more had used nitrite inhalation than the men in Aarhus. The frequency of venereal disease was the same in the two groups, but the Danish cases of Kaposi's sarcoma and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome all have come from the Copenhagen area. Two of those interviewed have developed AIDS subsequent to homosexual contact with a case of Kaposi's sarcoma.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗