Showing papers by "Lund University published in 1993"

Familial thrombophilia due to a previously unrecognized mechanism characterized by poor anticoagulant response to activated protein C: prediction of a cofactor to activated protein C.

Abstract: Although patients with thromboembolic disease frequently have family histories of thrombosis, well-defined defects such as inherited deficiencies of anticoagulant proteins are found only in a minority of cases. Based on the hypothesis that a poor anticoagulant response to activated protein C (APC) would predispose to thrombosis, a set of new coagulation assays was developed that measure the anticoagulant response in plasma to APC. A middle-aged man with a history of multiple thrombotic events was identified. The addition of APC to his plasma did not result in a normal anticoagulant response as measured by prolongation of clotting time in an activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) assay. Four of the proband's relatives had medical histories of multiple thrombotic events, and they and several other family members responded poorly to APC in the APTT-based assay. Subnormal anticoagulant responses to APC were also found in factor IXa- and Xa-based assays. Several possible mechanisms for the observed phenomenon were ruled out, such as functional protein S deficiency, a protein C-inhibitory antibody, or a fast-acting protease inhibitor against APC. Moreover, restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis excluded possible linkage of the underlying molecular defect to factor VIII and von Willebrand factor genes. We now describe a previously unrecognized mechanism for familial thromboembolic disease that is characterized by poor anticoagulant response to APC. This would appear to be explained best by a hypothesized inherited deficiency of a previously unrecognized cofactor to APC. As we have identified two additional, unrelated cases with thrombosis and inherited poor anticoagulant response to APC, this may constitute an important cause for familial thrombophilia.

Drug assay using antibody mimics made by molecular imprinting

Abstract: Ligand-binding assays are used for determination of minute amounts of substances in the bloodstream. Such assays require a receptor that specifically binds the substance of interest. The receptor used is often an antibody, but antibodies require special handling and a costly production procedure. We have used molecular imprinting, a method for creating selective recognition sites in synthetic polymers, to prepare polymers that mimic antibody combining sites. Molecular imprints made against theophylline and diazepam showed strong binding and cross-reactivity profiles similar to those of antibodies. Here we describe a new radiolabelled ligand-binding assay, the molecularly imprinted sorbent assay, which uses antibody mimics. This assay accurately measures drug levels in human serum, with results comparable to those obtained using a well established immunoassay technique. Antibody mimics, which are stable and readily prepared by molecular imprinting, may provide a useful general alternative to antibodies.

Pancreatitis and the risk of pancreatic cancer

Abstract: Background The results of case-control studies and anecdotal reports suggest that pancreatitis may be a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, but there have been no studies of sufficient size and power to assess the magnitude of the relation between these two diseases. Methods and Results We undertook a multicenter historical cohort study of 2015 subjects with chronic pancreatitis who were recruited from clinical centers in six countries. A total of 56 cancers were identified among these patients during a mean (±SD) follow-up of 7.4 ±6.2 years. The expected number of cases of cancer calculated from country-specific incidence data and adjusted for age and sex was 2.13, yielding a standardized incidence ratio (the ratio of observed to expected cases) of 26.3 (95 percent confidence interval, 19.9 to 34.2). For subjects with a minimum of two or five years of follow-up, the respective standardized incidence ratios were 16.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 11.1 to 23.7) and 14.4 (95 percent confidence interval, 8...

Phospholipid Fatty Acid composition, biomass, and activity of microbial communities from two soil types experimentally exposed to different heavy metals.

Abstract: The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) pattern was analyzed in a forest humus and in an arable soil experimentally polluted with Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, or Zn at different concentrations. In both soil types, there were gradual changes in the PLFA patterns for the different levels of metal contamination. The changes in the forest soil were similar irrespective of which metal was used, while in the arable soil the changes due to Cu contamination differed from those due to the other metals. Several PLFAs reacted similarly to the metal amendments in the two soil types, while others showed different responses. In both soils, the metal pollution resulted in a decrease in the iso-branched PLFAs i15:0 and i17:0 and in the monounsaturated 16:1ω5 and 16:1ω7c fatty acids, while increases were found for i16:0, the branched br17:0 and br18:0, and the cyclopropane cy17:0 fatty acids. In the forest soil, the methyl branched PLFAs 10Me16:0, 10Me17:0, and 10Me18:0 increased in metal-polluted soils, indicating an increase in actinomycetes, while in the arable soil a decrease was found for 10Me16:0 and 10Me18:0 in response to most metals. The bacterial PLFAs 15:0 and 17:0 increased in all metal-contaminated samples in the arable soil, while they were unaffected in the forest soil. Fatty acid 18:2ω6, which is considered to be predominantly of fungal origin, increased in the arable soil, except in the Cu-amended samples, in which it decreased instead. Effects on the PLFA patterns were found at levels of metal contamination similar to or lower than those at which effects on ATP content, soil respiration, or total amount of PLFAs had occurred.

Shifts in the structure of soil microbial communities in limed forests as revealed by phospholipid fatty acid analysis

Abstract: The effects of lime and wood-ash on the microbial community structure were evaluated by analyzing the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition of soils from two areas in the south of Sweden. A pine forest was amended with lime or ash at two concentrations, and a spruce forest was limed at one concentration. The treatments were carried out 5–6 years before sampling and raised the pH from approx. 4.0 to values between 4.8 and 7.0. At both sites there was a difference in the PLFA composition between the treated plots and the controls. The changes found were similar at both sites and correlated to the pH changes. No difference was found between limed plots and those treated with wood-ash. The methyl-branched fatty acids i15:0, i16:0 and 10Me16:0, the monounsaturated fatty acids 16: 1ω 7t and 18: 1ω 9, the cyclopropane fatty acid cy 19:0, and the saturated fatty acid 20:0 were more abundant in the control plots. In the plots with the highest pH there was a three-fold increase in the fatty acid 16: lω 5. An increase was also found for the fatty acids i14:0, 16:lω9, 16:lω 7c, cy17:0, 18:lω 7 and 10Me18:0. No effect on 18:2ω6 was found. The changes in PLFA pattern indicated that the increased pH caused a shift in the bacterial community to more Gram-negative and fewer Gram-positive bacteria, while the amount of fungi was unaffected. The increase in 10Me18:0 in limed soils indicated an increase in actinomycetes.

Pharmacology of lower urinary tract smooth muscles and penile erectile tissues.

Abstract: The Morgan2McClintock Translator permits prediction of meiotic pachytene chromosome map positions from recombination-based linkage data using recombination nodule frequency distributions. Its outputs permit estimation of DNA content between mapped loci and help to create an integrated overview of the maize nuclear genome structure.

Design and feasibility

Abstract: The Malmo Diet and Cancer study is a 10-year prospective case-control study in 45-64-year-old men and women (n = 53,000) living in a city with 230,000 inhabitants. One objective is to clarify whether a western diet is associated with certain forms of cancer whilst taking other life-style factors into account. Another broad question is whether oxidative stress and the activity in DNA-repairing systems influence the impact of diet on the development of all or certain forms of cancer. The study is also to act as a resource available for testing new hypotheses emanating from other studies. Initially food intake, heredity, socio-economic factors, life-style pattern, occupational situation, previous and current diseases, symptoms and medications, will be determined. Viable lymphocytes, granulocytes, erythrocytes, and plasma/serum will be stored in a biological bank together with tumour specimens gathered from cases. The incidence and mortality of all cancer forms will then be followed for 10 years by existing registries. Data from the initial examination in these cases will then be compared with those of control subjects not having developed any form of cancer. A biomarker programme, utilizing the biological bank, has been developed and is aimed at finding predictors and/or precursors of cancer. A high participation rate (> 70%) and a high quality biological bank are prerequisites for a successful project. The experience gathered so far indicates that these goals are feasible.

Case Survey Methodology: Quantitative Analysis of Patterns Across Case Studies

Abstract: Case surveys bridge the gap between nomothetic surveys and idiographic case studies to combine their respective benefits of generalizable, crosssectional analysis and in-depth, processual analysis....

Long-term prognosis for diabetic patients with foot ulcers.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE. To evaluate the recurrence of foot ulcers as well as the cumulative amputation and mortality rates in diabetic patients with previous foot ulcers. DESIGN. A prospective study of consecutively presenting diabetic patients admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine because of foot ulcer with a median follow-up of 4 years. SETTING. A multidisciplinary foot-care team. POPULATION. Five-hundred-and-fifty-eight consecutive diabetic patients with foot ulcers treated between 1 July 1983 and 31 December 1990 were followed to final outcome. Out of these patients, 468 healed either primarily (n = 345) or after minor or major amputations (n = 123) and 90 died before healing had occurred. Those 468 patients who healed were included in this prospective study from the time of healing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Patients were followed according to a standardized protocol with registration of foot lesions, amputation, morbidity and mortality. Clinical examination was performed twice yearly. RESULTS. After 1, 3 and 5 years of observation 34%, 61% and 70% of the patients, respectively, had developed a new foot ulcer. The recurrence rate of foot lesions was slightly higher among patients who previously had had an amputation (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and non-significant, respectively). Among patients with previous primary healing the cumulative amputation rates were 3%, 10% and 12% after 1, 3 and 5 years of follow-up compared with 13%, 35% and 48% among those who previously healed after amputation, irrespective of previous amputation level (P < 0.001 at all time-points). All amputations except three were initiated by a foot ulcer deteriorating to deep infection or progressive gangrene. The long-term survival ratio was lower among patients healed after previous amputation (80%, 59%, 27%) compared with patients with previously primary healing (92%, 73%, 58%) after 1, 3 and 5 years of observation, respectively (P < 0.001, P < 0.01 and P < 0.001 respectively). The mortality rate was twice as high among primarily healed and four times as high among patients with amputation compared to an age- and sex-matched Swedish population. CONCLUSION. These findings stress the need for life-long surveillance of the diabetic foot at risk and the necessity of preventive foot care among diabetic patients with previous foot lesions, and particularly among those who had had a previous amputation. (Less)

Administration of different Lactobacillus strains in fermented oatmeal soup: in vivo colonization of human intestinal mucosa and effect on the indigenous flora.

Abstract: In vivo colonization by different Lactobacillus strains on human intestinal mucosa of healthy volunteers was studied together with the effect of Lactobacillus administration on different groups of indigenous bacteria A total of 19 test strains were administered in fermented oatmeal soup containing 5 x 10(6) CFU of each strain per ml by using a dose of 100 ml of soup per day for 10 days Biopsies were taken from both the upper jejunum and the rectum 1 day before administration was started and 1 and 11 days after administration was terminated The administration significantly increased the Lactobacillus counts on the jejunum mucosa, and high levels remained 11 days after administration was terminated The levels of streptococci increased by 10- to 100-fold in two persons, and the levels of sulfite-reducing clostridia in the jejunum decreased by 10- to 100-fold in three of the volunteers 1 day after administration was terminated In recta, the anaerobic bacterium counts and the gram-negative anaerobic bacterium counts decreased significantly by the end of administration Furthermore, a decrease in the number of members of the Enterobacteriaceae by 1,000-fold was observed on the rectal mucosa of two persons Randomly picked Lactobacillus isolates were identified phenotypically by API 50CH tests and genotypically by the plasmid profiles of strains and by restriction endonuclease analysis of chromosomal DNAs(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Long‐term pattern of alternative stable states in two shallow eutrophic lakes

Abstract: SUMMARY 1 Lake Takern and Lake Krankesjon, two moderately eutrophic, shallow lakes in southern Sweden, have during the past few decades shifted several times between a clear-water state with abundant submerged vegetation and a turbid state with high phytoplankton densities. 2 Between 1985 and 1991, Lake Takern was in a clear state, whereas Lake Krankesjon shifted from a turbid to a clear state. During this shift, the area covered by submerged macrophytes expanded, followed by an increase in water transparency, plant-associated macroinvertebrates, and piscivorous fish. Nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton biomass and abundance of planktonic cladocerans decreased. 3 In both lakes, water level fluctuations were the most common factor causing shifts, affecting submerged macrophytes either through changes in light availability or through catastrophic events such as dry-out or mechanical damage by ice movement. 4 Our data give further support for the existence of two alternative stable states in shallow lakes maintained by self-stabilizing feedback mechanisms.

Consequences of a hip fracture: a prospective study over 1 year.

Abstract: From a population of 230 000 residents, 1429 consecutive hip fracture patients were studied with regard to their social and physical functions both before sustaining the fracture and 1 year later. Changes in the patients' accommodation, need of help and walking aids were described. Using logistic regression we found important factors regarding the ability to return home, mortality within 1 year and length of hospital stay. The cost of a hip fracture over the time a patient is in hospital is, including the cost of an internal fixation, about US $6000. The total cost over 1 year is about US $26 000 per patient, including the operation.

Interleukin-8 and the neutrophil response to mucosal gram-negative infection.

Abstract: Urinary tract infections activate a mucosal inflammatory response, which includes cytokine secretion and neutrophil influx. The mechanisms involved in the neutrophil influx have not been identified. Interleukin-8, a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, is produced by urinary tract epithelial cell lines in vitro. This study analyzed the human IL-8 response to deliberate Escherichia coli infection of the urinary tract. Urine and serum samples were obtained before and after intravesical instillation of E. coli. Neutrophil numbers were determined on uncentrifuged urine, and IL-8 levels were measured by ELISA. A urinary IL-8 response was found in all patients after bacterial instillation, but no serum IL-8 was detected. There was a strong correlation between urinary IL-8 levels and urinary neutrophil numbers. The same E. coli strains used to colonize the patients stimulated IL-8 production in urinary tract epithelial cells. The level of IL-8 secreted by epithelial cell lines was influenced by the fimbrial properties of the E. coli. These results demonstrated that E. coli elicit a mucosal IL-8 response in humans, and suggested that IL-8 is involved in the onset of pyuria. Epithelial cells may be an important source of IL-8 during urinary tract infection.

DiffractiveJ/Ψ electroproduction in LLA QCD

Abstract: Cross section of diffractiveJ/ψ production in deep inelastic scattering in the Born and the leading-log approximations of perturbative QCD are calculated

Test characteristics of the Hopkins Symptom Check List-25 (HSCL-25) in Sweden, using the Present State Examination (PSE-9) as a caseness criterion

Abstract: The Hopkins Symptom Check List-25 (HSCL-25) is a screening instrument designed to identify common psychiatric symptoms. It has been widely used in different settings outside Sweden and also compared to assessments of psychiatric illness made by general practitioners. The aim of the present study was to validate the HSCL-25 against a psychiatric interview using the Present State Examination (PSE-9) in a Swedish sample of patients in general practice. Validity coefficients of the HSCL-25 were calculated for two different thresholds of caseness, ≥1.55 and ≥1/75, respectively. When ≥1.75 was chosen as a cutoff point, the validity coefficients obtained by the HSCL-25 in this study were comparable to those obtained in other studies.

Coexpression of neurotrophins and their receptors in neurons of the central nervous system

Abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are neuronal survival molecules which utilize the Trk family of tyrosine kinase receptors. Using double-label in situ hybridization, we demonstrate that mRNAs for BDNF and its high-affinity receptor TrkB are coexpressed in hippocampal and cortical neurons. Also, a large number of neurons in these areas coexpress NGF and BDNF mRNAs. Epileptic seizures lead to increased levels of both BDNF/TrkB and NGF/BDNF mRNAs in double-labeled cells. Our results show that individual neurons of the central nervous system can coexpress neurotrophins and their receptors and produce two neurotrophic factors. These factors could support neuronal survival after brain insults, not only via retrograde transport but also through autocrine mechanisms.

An adaptive cache coherence protocol optimized for migratory sharing

Abstract: Parallel programs that use critical sections and are executed on a shared-memory multiprocessor with a write-invalidate protocol result in invalidation actions that could be eliminated. For this type of sharing, called migratory sharing, each processor typically causes a cache miss followed by an invalidation request which could be merged with the preceding cache-miss request.In this paper we propose an adaptive protocol that invokes this optimization dynamically for migratory blocks. For other blocks, the protocol works as an ordinary write-invalidate protocol. We show that the protocol is a simple extension to a write-invalidate protocol.Based on a program-driven simulation model of an architecture similar to the Stanford DASH, and a set of four benchmarks, we evaluate the potential performance improvements of the protocol. We find that it effectively eliminates most single invalidations which improves the performance by reducing the shared access penalty and the network traffic.

Effects of Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Terrestrial Plants

Abstract: Determination of spectral radiation within plant tissues is normally complicated by the intricate path taken by photons of light through the tissue as a result of scattering, internal reflection, and absorption, none of which occurs in a uniform way. Methods which have been employed to estimate the penetration of radiation into plant tissues have included theoretical calculations, measurements of whole leaf or epidermal reflectance and absorptance, and the direct measurement of the internal spectral regime using fiber optics.