| 1. |
- Boman, Karin, 1946-
(författare)
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Endometrial carcinoma : steroid hormones and receptors in relation to proliferation
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The significance of the hormonal milieu for endometrial changes is as well-known as its link with endometrial carcinoma. Unopposed oestradiol treatment is shown to increase the incidence for this cancer. Obesity leads to elevated levels of oestrogens and is a risk factor for endometrial carcinoma. An association between high tumour proliferation and prognosis is a general feature of human cancer. Tumour growth can be expressed as proliferation rate and flow cytometry (FCM) is a sensitive and reproducable method to estimate S-phase fraction (SPF) and ploidy level. Both parameters have been shown to correlate with prognosis. Sex steroid hormone levels were analysed together with clinical parameters, SPF, and receptors in established endometrial carcinoma.The study consisted of postmenopausal women with endometrial adenocarcinoma. H ormones were analysed in 127 patients, 99 were analysed for FCM and 60 for oestrogen and progesterone receptors. RIA technique was used for hormone assay of oestrone, oestradiol, progesterone, androstenedione and testosterone plasma levels. The receptors were analysed with an immunohistochemical method, and SPF and ploidy level by flow cytometry.A wide range of oestrogen concentrations was found. Some patients had levels comparable to fertile women. Strong correlations were found between body mass index, weight and depth of uterine cavity. No relations were found between receptors and SPF, apart from oestrogen- receptor positive tumours having a lower SPF when compared with receptor negative tumours. The influence of oestradiol on tumour proliferation expressed as SPF was ambiguous. SPF was increased with higher oestradiol levels in the group of peri-diploid, well-differentiated tumours, while a negative correlation was found for the peri-diploid, moderately differentiated tumours. The aneuploid and poorly differentiated tumours had a high SPF regardless of oestradiol concentration. The association between progesterone concentration and SPF was of a more general nature. Progesterone above a threshold level was related to a lower SPF in well-differentiated and moderately differentiated tumours. Thus endogenous progesterone seems to play a role in controlling the tumour’s proliferation activity, in contrast to oestradiol, that had a role which did not appear to relate to proliferation activity in any specific direction. The only stimulative association was seen in well-differentiated tumours, but SPF was still below the mean value for all diploid tumours.
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| 2. |
- Niklasson, Urban, 1955-
(författare)
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Spectral analysis of the heart rate variability : a methodological study
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Heart rate and other cardiovascular variables are not steady but fluctuate over time. The evolution of computer technology the last 2 decades has made detailed analysis of the fluctuations possible and has focused the attention to the information content of the variability.Autonomic nervous influence on the heart can be assessed by measuring the heart rate variability from R-R intervals in the electrocardiogram. Applications have been developed in many fields where the pathophysiological features of the patients include autonomic dysfunction.This thesis is based on clinical studies and model studies compared with results from healthy volunteers. Two patient groups, with familial amyloidosis and with myotonic dystrophy, were evaluated using simple indexes of heart rate variability. Signs of autonomic dysfunction which is a dominant clinical feature in familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy was confirmed by abnormal heart rate variability indexes. In myotonic dystrophy heart rate variability was normal but recumbent and standing plasma catecholamines were elevated. Reassessment of the heart rate variability with spectral analysis confirmed the results.The integral pulse frequency modulation (IPFM) model can be used as a simple analogy of the interface between autonomic activity and the cardiac pacemaker. Computer simulations using the IPFM model revealed marked differences in the estimated modulating variability depending on whether the intervals between simulated beats or the frequency of beats was analyzed. Comparison with data from healthy volunteers indicated that the IPFM model was valid and that heart rate should be preferred instead of R-R intervals for variability measurements.Beat-by-beat heart rate can be viewed as an irregular sample of the underlying autonomic activity. Spectral analysis of simulated heart rate variability data using the IPFM model showed attenuation of high frequency variability with decreasing mean heart rate and with increasing variability mean frequency. Application of these results on data from healthy volunteers suggest that the effects can be significant in actual variability measurements.Cholinergic blockade resulted in reduced heart rate variability at all spectral frequencies. Adrenergic beta-blockade reduced high-frequency variability in standing position indicating that high-frequency variability might partly be sympathetically mediated.
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| 3. |
- Slunga, Lisbeth, 1958-
(författare)
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Serum lipoprotein(a) in relation to ischemic heart disease and associated risk factors
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) consists of an LDL-like particle and the specific protein apo(a), which is very similar to plasminogen. Apo(a) contains repeated kringle structures and a serine protease domain, which cannot be activated by t-PA. Lp(a) is considered to be a predictor for atherosclerotic disease. It has been found incorporated in atherosclerotic plaques and inhibits in vitro fibrinolysis.Lp(a) was determined in 1527 randomly selected individuals participating in the Northern Sweden WHO-MONICA project. A weak but significant relation between Lp(a) and increasing age was found. Menopausal status was the strongest independent predictor of Lp(a) level in women. Fibrinogen was independently related to Lp(a) in both sexes. Only a minor fraction of Lp(a) variance could be explained for in a multiple regression model, which is in agreement with the contention that Lp(a) is highly genetically determined.Lp(a) was determined in 1571 patients investigated with coronary angiography because of suspected severe coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with proven CAD at elective angiography had significantly higher Lp(a) than patients without significant CAD or healthy controls. Lp(a) was found to be an independent discriminator of CAD in both sexes.HLA-DR genotype 13 or 17 was found more frequently in 30 male patients with angiographic CAD at young age (< 50 years) than in 30 age matched controls. These genotypes were common in patients with high Lp(a) levels, which indicates that Lp(a) may be related to immunological processes.The reaction of Lp(a) was investigated in 32 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Lp(a) increased during the first week, but the response was comparatively weak. Individual Lp(a) responses were heterogeneous and no correlations to infarct size or changes in the acute phase proteins were found.In a randomized cross-over study on 36 hypercholesterolaemic patients treated with simvastatin/placebo during 12+12 weeks Lp(a) did not change significantly, but patients with high Lp(a) levels at baseline tended to develop further increased Lp(a).To conclude, Lp(a) was found to be an independent predictor of angiographic CAD in both men and women. Lp(a) levels are primarily genetically determined and only a small fraction of Lp(a) variance could be explained by other factors in this study. Lp(a) may be related to HLA DR types and immunological processes involved in atherosclerotic disease. Lp(a) increased slightly during the first week of AMI, but was not related to changes in the acute-phase proteins. The effective LDL-lowering agent simvastatin did not influence Lp(a) significantly.
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| 4. |
- Backman, Clas, 1952-
(författare)
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Cold finger
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Post Traumatic Cold Intolerance is the most common, and often the most prominent disabilityfrom hand trauma. The discomfort caused by cold is believed to be linked to a dysfunction o f thedigital vasoregulation, but its pathophysiology is poorly understood. Cold induced vasospasm, i.e.the pathologically increased reactivity o f the digital vessels to cold, is commonly found in handsthat have sustained trauma, especially with damage to vascular and neural structures.This thesis is based upon a series o f clinical and laboratory studies on cold induced vasospasm andcold intolerance in 35 patients treated for digital amputation. The replanted digit was used as astudy model, since it represents a body part which at the moment o f reconstruction is devoid o f allinnervation. Replantations were performed according to two different principles o f vascularreconstruction; using long or short vessel grafts. Finger Systolic Pressure (FSP) was used as aparameter o f digital vasoregulation at different temperatures, and cold intolerance was assessedusing a logarithmic rating scale (Borg). Non-injured fingers and amputation stumps were used ascontrols. Clinical and laboratory investigations were performed at different intervals from oneweek to three years after the reconstruction.During the first two weeks following replantation, whole body cold exposure, or cooling o f thereplanted part to 10°C, did not cause serious spasm in the replanted vessels. Follow upinvestigations demonstrated that a cold related vasospastic tendency is established inapproximately 60% o f the replanted parts within one year after trauma. The once establishedpathologic vasoregulation, is unlikely to normalize spontaneously. Whether a cold related arterialspasticity will develop in the replanted digit or not, is not related to the surgeon's choice o ftechnique for vascular reconstruction. Cold related arterial spasticity was more common inamputation stumps than in replanted digits, Our findings suggest that there is a pathologicalreaction to cold in the distal palm vessels but the nature o f this disturbance is not clear.All patients developed some degree o f Post Traumatic Cold Intolerance. Approximately 60% o fthe patients stated that some improvement took place, but none o f the patients was free o f coldintolerance 1-7 years after the injury. Patients with a pathological cold induced vasospasm is likelyto present with severe cold intolerance, which indicates that the vasospasm is involved as one o fthe causes o f Post Traumatic Cold Intolerance.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Burman, Lars Å., 1938-
(författare)
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Streptococcus pneumoniae : epidemiological, clinical and serological studies
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A retrospective study of invasive pneumococcal disease in patients from Greater Göteborg in 1964- 1980 identified 125 cases of meningitis, 305 of pneumonia, 61 of septicemia with unknown focus, and 17 with other manifestations, all verified by cultures from normally sterile body fluids. The incidence was several times higher in infants and in the elderly than in any other age-group. A wide variety of underlying conditions were present in 23% of the infants, 34% of the children, and 81% of the adults. In adults alcoholism was known in one third of the cases. The case fatality rate was 24% among patients with underlying conditions and 9% among previously healthy individuals. The case fatality rate was 50% in patients with hospital-acquired infection.Twohundred-fifteen pneumococcal strains, isolated from blood or CSF from 1971 to 1983 at the laboratories of clinical bacteriology of Göteborg, Malmö, and Umeå were serotyped by coagglutination (COA). Of all isolates, 89% belonged to serotypes represented in the 23-valent vaccine. In a separate study COA was compared with counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). COA was found to have several advantages; rapidity, lower cost, and ability to disclose serotypes with neutral charge, which constituted 19% of all strains.In a prospective study the etiology was determined in 196 hospitalized patients with pneumonia, most of them community-acquired. Culture of specimens from blood, transtracheal aspirate (TTA), sputum, and nasopharynx, assays of antigen in sputum, urine, and TTA, and assays of pneumococcal antibodies to capsular polysaccharide, C-polysaccharide, and pneumolysin in paired sera were performed. The etiology was established in 64% of the patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common agent (32%).In a serological study of patients with pneumococcal infection, diagnosed by culture of CSF, TTA, or blood, IgG antibodies against C-polysaccharide and pneumolysin were determined by ELISA. The diagnostic sensitivity was only 51% and 60%, respectively.In conclusion, invasive pneumococcal disease is strongly overrepresented at tender and high age and in patients with concomitant conditions, notably alcoholism. S. pneumoniae remains a predominant causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia in adults needing hospitalization. Due to the low sensitivity and/or specificity of individual microbiological techniques, a combined use of several techniques is necessary when trying to assess the relative importance of pneumococci and other agents in pneumonia. Extended use of the currently available pneumococcal vaccine and development of improved pneumococcal vaccines seem highly warranted.
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| 7. |
- Carlberg, B, et al.
(författare)
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The prognostic value of admission blood pressure in patients with acute stroke.
- 1993
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Ingår i: Stroke. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 24:9, s. 1372-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with acute stroke are often found to have high blood pressures at hospital admission. Previous studies have shown variable results regarding the prognostic value of high blood pressure in acute stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of admission blood pressure in a population-based sample of patients with acute stroke.METHODS: Eighty-five patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and 831 with ischemic disease were included in the study. The relations between admission blood pressure and 30-day mortality were studied by logistic regression analyses.RESULTS: High blood pressure in patients with impaired consciousness on hospital admission was significantly related to 30-day mortality in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (P = .037) and in patients with ischemic disease (P < .0001). In patients without impaired consciousness, high blood pressure at time of admission was not related to increased mortality at 30 days.CONCLUSIONS: High admission blood pressure in alert stroke patients was not related to increased mortality. Stroke patients with impaired consciousness showed higher mortality rates with increasing blood pressure. However, this does not provide a basis for recommending antihypertensive therapy for such patients.
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| 8. |
- Ekselius, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Personality disorders in DSM-III-R as categorical or dimensional.
- 1993
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Ingår i: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-690X .- 1600-0447. ; 88:3, s. 183-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the atheoretical approach of the DSM-III-R, the personality disorders have their roots in specific theoretical schools. Due to clinical tradition, analogies with Axis I and the tradition in psychiatry and medicine, the personality disorders are presented as categories although there is more empirical support for a dimensional approach. This study attempted to determine whether the separate personality disorders meet Kendell's criteria for distinct entities, i.e., bimodality with distinct points of rarity. None of the personality disorders met the criteria for a distinct disease entity. Instead, all of the personality disorders presented as continuous, dimensional personality traits present among healthy subjects and more pronounced in patients with mental disorders.
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| 9. |
- Flygare, Lennart, et al.
(författare)
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Calcified cartilage zone and its dimensional relationship to the articular cartilage in the human temporomandibular joint of elderly individuals
- 1993
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Ingår i: Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0001-6357 .- 1502-3850. ; 51:3, s. 183-191
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to describe the appearance of the calcified cartilage zone (CCZ) and to determine its dimensional relationship to the articular cartilage thickness in the normal human temporomandibular joint. An autopsy material comprising 21 joints from 12 elderly individuals was examined microscopically. The appearance of the CCZ was examined, and the thickness of the CCZ and of the total articular cartilage was measured in 18 different positions in each joint. The CCZ was outlined by a flat or gently undulating tidemark and an irregular osteochondral junction. The cellularity of the CCZ varied extensively. The cells were numerous in the CCZ when the overlying articular cartilage displayed high cellularity. Statistical analysis of the measurements demonstrated a relationship (p < 0.001) between the thickness of the CCZ and of the articular cartilage. Our findings, both qualitative and quantitative, indicate a close relationship between the physiology of the CCZ and of the overlying articular cartilage.
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| 10. |
- Jonsson, Håkan, 1953-
(författare)
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Knee joint laxity and kinematics after anterior cruciate ligament rupture : roentgen stereophotogrammetric and clinical evaluation before and after treatment
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) increases anterior-posterior (AP) laxity. The treatment aims to reduce or teach the patient to control this instability. Altered kinematics due to absent ligament function may result in knee arthrosis. This study evaluated the clinical and functional results of reconstructive surgery. Roentgen stereophotogrammetry (RSA) was used to analyse the stabilising effect of knee braces, reconstructive surgery and the kinematics of the knee with and without weight-bearing.The stability of the knees were assessed in 86 patients with ACL injuries before and/or after reconstructive surgery with the RSA technique and with the KT-1000 arthrometer The KT- 1000 (89 N) recorded smaller side to side differences than the RSA set-up without any correlation between the methods.The effect of three different braces on the AP and rotatory laxity was studied on patients with ACL injuries. The ECKO and the modified Lenox Hill reduced the instability with about one third. The SKB had no significant effect. None of the braces decreased the internal rotatory laxity but the Lenox Hill reduced the external rotatory laxity.Thirty-two patients with old ACL tears were treated with surgical reconstruction using the over the top technique (OTT) with or without augmentation. A small reduction in AP laxity was observed at the 6 month follow-up, The AP laxity was almost the same two years after as before surgery. No correlation was observed between the stability and knee function.Fifty-four patients with old unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injuries were randomised either to the over the top (OTT) or the isometric femoral tunnel position (ISO) at ACL reconstructive surgery. Seven of 24 (ISO) and 9 of 25 (OTT) had "normal" laxity two years after surgery. The patients operated with the ISO technique did not have better subjective knee function, muscle strength, functional performance or knee stability than patients operated with the OTT technique.The knee kinematics in patients with chronic unilateral ACL ruptures were examined during active extension in the supine position (13 patients) and during extension and weight-bearing (13 patients). The tibia displaced at an average 1.9 mm more anteriorly and 0.8 mm distally in the injured than in the intact knees during active extension. During extension and weightbearing the tibia was about 2 mm more posteriorly positioned than in the intact knee. The ACL rupture did not affect tibial rotations.Conclusions: The RSA recorded larger side to side differences in ACL injured and reconstructed patients than the KT-1000 arthrometer. Some knee braces are able to reduce AP laxity in ACL injured knees. No correlation was observed after surgery between knee laxity and functional scoring or tests. ACL reconstructions with isometric graft position on the femoral side did not offer any advantages compared to the over the top placement. Altered knee kinematics in the ACL injured knees were observed during knee extension with and without weight-bearing.
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