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Author

Pitkänen P

Bio: Pitkänen P is an academic researcher from Dartmouth College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Transthyretin & Amyloidosis. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 361 citations.

Papers
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Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: It is shown in this paper by immunohistochemical study using a specific anti-protein ASc1 antiserum that this type of amyloidosis, previously called senile cardiac amyloidsosis, is a systemic disease withAmyloid deposits in many organs.
Abstract: Senile systemic amyloid contains the prealbumin-like fibril protein, ASc1, and is the only known form of systemic age-related amyloid. Although it involves predominantly the heart, it may be found in a wide range of tissues. Immunologic studies show that ASc1 cross reacts with human prealbumin (PA) in binding reactions but not in immunoprecipitation reactions. Protein ASc1 shows complete homology with PA in four residues isolated. However, unlike PA, Asc1 may have a blocked N-terminus and is composed of at least three components. Anti-ASc1 forms a line of precipitation with sera from patients with familial amyloidosis. A similar weak reaction has been observed in some elderly patients with senile systemic amyloid.

209 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: This senile seminal vesicle amyloidosis (SSVA) is a localized disorder, and theAmyloid substance has unique histochemical and immunochemical properties not shared with any other amyloids described until now.
Abstract: Amyloid deposits were found subepithelially in the seminal vesicles of 34 of 209 consecutively studied men. The incidence increased with age and was found in 21% of men over 75 years. This senile seminal vesicle amyloidosis (SSVA) is a localized disorder, and the amyloid substance has unique histochemical and immunochemical properties not shared with any other amyloid described until now.

75 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In a series of 13 elderly patients with proven prealbumin-related senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA), depressed serum pre Albumin values were found as compared to an age-matched control group, and there was a significant correlation between serum pre albumin and serum retinol-binding proteins in both groups of patients.

45 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: Results indicate that senile aortic amyloid is distinct fromAmyloid present in primary and secondary amyloidalosis and appears to represent a third form of cardiovascular amyloids associated with the aging process.
Abstract: Aortic tissues from 22 elderly patients were analyzed by Congo red staining for amyloid deposits. All samples contained amyloid, which was resistant to the potassium permanganate reaction. Tryptophan was present in all amyloid deposits. The amyloid failed to react with antiserums to amyloid fibril protein ASc1 or human prealbumin, proteins previous demonstrated in generalized senile cardiac amyloid. It also differed from age-related isolated atrial amyloid, which has been shown to lack tryptophan. Deposits did not react with antiserums specific for amyloid fibril proteins of the A lambda IV, A lambda VI, AA, or AEt types. These results indicate that senile aortic amyloid is distinct from amyloid present in primary and secondary amyloidosis and appears to represent a third form of cardiovascular amyloid associated with the aging process.

41 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 1987-Stroke
TL;DR: The purpose of which is to review the clinicopathologic features of CAA, emphasizing theories of pathogenesis and its importance as a cause of brain hemorrhage.
Abstract: Historical Perspective The clinicopathologic entity of cerebral congophilic or amyloid angiopathy (CAA) has been recognized since die early part of this century, though it has attained the 'limelight' over the past decade primarily for two reasons: 1) the observation that CAA is the probable cause of nontraumatic primary cerebral hemorrhage producing stroke in a significant proportion of patients, in particular those who are normotensive and elderly; and 2) its close association with the other microscopic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), or senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT). Nevertheless, as with many other conditions that have been recently 'rediscovered,' elegant accounts and illustrations of the pathology of CAA appeared between 1900 and 1970'-" though interpretations of its significance and etiology were largely speculative in the absence of the modern molecular tools that have provided insights into its pathogenesis and reasonable hypotheses about its relation to brain aging. Unfortunately, it remains a puzzling entity, and CAA-related cerebral bleeding is likely to continue as a major clinical problem because of one simple fact: the single identifiable risk factor for the development of CAA—aging—is not as amenable to direct therapeutic intervention as other risk factors (e.g., hypertension) for various forms of stroke. The earlier terms used to describe CAA, "driisige Entartung der Arterien und Kapillaren," "angiopathie dyshorique," and congophilic angiopathy, nomenclature implying a specific etiology for the observed microangiopathy, now seem archaic though they retain descriptive value. Dyshoric angiopathy refers to amyloid in capillary walls often adjacent to senile plaques, whereas congophilic angiopathy describes amyloid in arterioles and small arteries. CAA or cerebrovascular amyloidosis (CVA) are synonyms currently used to describe all aspects of the microvascular change. The former will be used throughout this article, the purpose of which is to review the clinicopathologic features of CAA, emphasizing theories of pathogenesis and its importance as a cause of brain hemorrhage.

1,005 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
24 Nov 2016-Amyloid
TL;DR: Two proteins which were previously characterized as intracellular inclusions, tau and α-synuclein, are now recognized to form extracellular deposits upon cell death and thus have been included in Table 1 as ATau and AαSyn.
Abstract: The Nomenclature Committee of the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA) met during the XVth Symposium of the Society, 3 July–7 July 2016, Uppsala, Sweden, to assess and formulate recommendatio...

461 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
30 Oct 2014-Amyloid
TL;DR: The Nomenclature Committee of the International Society of Amyloidosis met during the XIVth Symposium of the Society, April 27–May 1, 2014, Indianapolis, IN, to assess and formulate recommend new names for amyloid beta-cell types.
Abstract: The Nomenclature Committee of the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA) met during the XIVth Symposium of the Society, April 27–May 1, 2014, Indianapolis, IN, to assess and formulate recommend...

433 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A novel cardiac biomarker staging system is reported that enables risk stratification in an era of emerging treatment strategies and reports a natural history of ATTRwt that is poor and the predictors of survival are poor.

406 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mean heart weight, frequency of atrial fibrillation, percentage of patients with heart failure, and frequency of myocardial infarction were increased in patients with cardiac amyloid, but these differences failed to reach statistical significance.

398 citations