| 1. |
- Abednazari, Hossin, et al.
(författare)
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Hepatocyte growth factor is a reliable marker for efficient anti-bacterial therapy within the first day of treatment
- 2014
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Ingår i: Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology. - : Scientific Research Publishing. - 2156-8456 .- 2156-8502. ; 5:10, s. 823-830
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rapid diagnosis and choice of appropriate antibiotic treatment might be life-saving in serious infectious diseases. Still the available markers that can evaluate and monitor the diagnosis and treatment are few. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been studied as a potent regenerative factor produced and released during injuries such as infectious diseases. Monitoring of HGF levels might predict therapy results better than C-reactive protein (CRP) within the first day of treatment in pneumonia. For further investigation of previous observations we aimed to study HGF as a first-day marker in over-representing infectious diseases in comparison to procalcitonin (PCT), CRP and body temperature. Fifty-one patients with community acquired infectious diseases were included consequently at admittance and the serum samples were collected before and within 18 - 24 hours of treatment. HGF levels decreased significantly in case of efficient antibiotic therapy and HGF was shown to be better than PCT, CRP and body temperature to evaluate treatment. In patients with pneumonia, monitoring of HGF was most reasonable. HGF might be used as a therapeutic marker within the first day of empiric antibiotic treatment during infection.
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| 2. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Acute glomerulonephritis associated with streptococcus pyogenes with concomitant spread of streptococcus constellatus in four rural families
- 2005
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Ingår i: Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 110:3, s. 217-231
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied history, renal histopathology and microbiology of an epidemic of acute glomerulonephritis associated with throat infections and uncommon culture results in four neighbour families. A 40-year-old man (index patient) was referred to a university hospital for dialysis and kidney biopsy due to a suspected acute glomerulonephritis. An acute tonsillitis had preceded the condition. Penicillin treatment had been started four days before the discovery of renal failure. Throat swabs were positive for β-hemolytic streptococci, group C (GCS). GCS were also found in throat cultures from his wife and two of their children. The bacteria were typed as Streptococcus constellatus. A third child had S. constellatus expressing Lancefield antigen group G. A neighbour and two of his children fell ill the following week with renal involvement. Throat swabs from both these children were positive for S. constellatus. His third child had erythema multiforme and S. constellatus in the throat while a fourth child had β-hemolytic streptococci group A, Streptococcus pyogenes. Kidney biopsies on the index patient and his neighbour showed an acute diffuse prolipherative glomerulonephritis compatible with acute post-streptococcal nephritis and microbiological analysis of renal tissue revealed in both cases S. pyogenes and S. constellatus. The families had had much contact and had consumed unpasteurized milk from our index patient's farm. In four of seven persons in two additional neighbouring families S. constellatus was found in throat swabs during the same month while two persons carried Streptococcus anginosus expressing the Lancefield C antigen. In conclusion spread of S. constellatus coincided with the occurrence of four cases of acute glomerulonephritis. The two biopsied patients had both S. pyogenes and S. constellatus present in renal tissue. The epidemic either suggested that the outbreak of glomerulonephritis was due to S. pyogenes but coincided with the transmission and colonization of S. constellatus or that the S. constellatus strains were highly pathogenic or nephritogenic and that this organism can be transmitted in such cases.
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| 3. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, et al.
(författare)
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Autoantibodies to leucocyte antigens in hydralazine-associated nephritis
- 1992
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 231:1, s. 37-42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Clinical and laboratory findings and drug history were studied in 17 patients with suspected hydralazine-associated nephritis, five of whom only had renal disease, while twelve also had extrarenal manifestations. Renal biopsies revealed extracapillary proliferative or focal segmental proliferative glomerulonephritis in 10 patients, and tubulo-interstitial nephritis in five patients. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) was found in 16 patients, but none of the 14 patients tested had antibodies to DNA. Tests for antibodies to myeloperoxidase (anti-MPO) and antibodies to neutrophil cytoplasm antigen (ANCA) were performed by ELISA. Twelve of the 14 patients tested had anti-MPO; five of these 14 patients had ANCA, while one had borderline levels. These findings suggest that hydralazine facilitates the induction of a systemic disease with multiple autoantibody production.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Detection and prevention of hepatitis C in dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients : A long-term follow up (1989–January 1997)
- 2002
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 251:2, s. 119-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Hepatitis C is frequent problem in dialysis wards.Design. A long time (1989–97) follow up of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a Swedish nephrology unit was performed with anti-HCV screening, confirmatory antibody tests, viral RNA detection and molecular characterization. Case histories were reviewed with focus, onset of infection, liver morbidity and mortality.Results. In October 1991, 10% (19 of 184) of the patients in the unit (haemodialysis-, peritoneal dialysis and transplanted patients) were verified or suspected HCV carriers, whilst the number at the end of 1996 was 8% (13 of 157). Most patients were infected before 1991 but only in one case from a known HCV-infected blood donor. No new HCV infections associated with haemodialysis occurred during the study period. A total of 13 of 24 viremic patients had HCV genotype 2b, a pattern suggesting nosocomial transmission. This was further supported by phylogenetic analysis of HCV viral isolates in seven. HCV viremia was also common in patients with an incomplete anti-HCV antibody pattern as 8 of the 12 indeterminant sera were HCV-RNA positive.Conclusions. Awareness, prevention, identification of infected patients and donor testing limited transmission. Indeterminant recombinant immunoblot assays (RIBA)-results should be regarded with caution as a result of the relative immunodeficiency in uremic patients. Our data indicate nosocomial transmission in several patients.
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| 7. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, et al.
(författare)
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Fibroblast Growth Factor 23, Hepatocyte Growth Factor, Interleukin-6, High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor. Inflammation Markers in Chronic Haemodialysis Patients?
- 2013
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0300-9475 .- 1365-3083. ; 78:3, s. 285-290
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sera from 84 haemodialysis (HD) patients and 68 healthy blood donors were analysed with commercially available ELISA techniques for fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), interleukin-6 (Il-6), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), to find a possible correlation of FGF-23 and HGF with the earlier recognized inflammatory markers Il-6 and hs-CRP or suPAR. All patients studied had significantly elevated levels of FGF-23, HGF, hs-CRP and suPAR as compared to the controls. Il-6 and hs-CRP correlated for patients (R=0.6) as well as for patients and controls altogether. Ln (natural logarithm) of HGF correlated weakly with Ln Il-6 and Ln CRP (R 0.28-0.37). Ln FGF-23 correlated only with Ln HGF (r=-0.25) in controls. Ln HGF correlated with ln suPAR (r=0.6) in both patients and controls. Although elevated as compared to controls, we found no correlation of FGF-23 with the recognized inflammatory markers Il-6, hs-CRP, nor HGF or the new marker suPAR in HD patients. Ln HGF correlated with Ln Il-6, Ln CRP and Ln suPAR. Although probably involved in vessel disease, FGF-23 and HGF may play other roles than acting in inflammatory vessel disease in HD patients. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the role of these immunological markers in chronic haemodialysis patients with atherosclerosis.
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| 8. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-
(författare)
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Immunoglobulins, immunoglobulin subclass-distributions and serologic markers in some renal and systemic disorders
- 2000
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this study we evaluated pathogenetic factors and possible mediators of renal and systemic disorders where immunologic mechanisms might be of importance.An abberant immunoglobulin and IgG-subclass distribution was detected in 103 patients with primary and secondary glomerulonephritis as well as in 38 patients with the systemic disease primary Sjögren 's syndrome or purpura hypergammaglobulinemica (elevated IgG1 and low IgG2 ).The drug hydralazine, an anti-hypertensive, was considered to cause renal disease on an immunologic base in 17 patients, with autoantibody production (mainly ANA and antibodies to myeloperoxidase).Dialysis-patients showed adequate antibody responses to vaccination against pneumococci but low responses against hepatitis B, while the IgG-subclass response of the hepatitis B antibody (anti-HBs) was low, but not shown to be significantly different from that of healthy adults.A therapeutical removal of igG-antibodies with immunoadsorption or plasmapheresis was considered to have a possible adjuvant effect to medical immunosuppressive treatment alone in 44 patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common in dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients. In 20 anti-HCV positive sera from 1988-91 recombinant immunoblott assay (RIBA) was positive in 8 cases and indeterminate in 7, while HCV RNA was present in 13/20 tested sera. In October 1991 17% of our hemodialysis patients were verified or suspected carriers while 11% were verified or suspected carriers in January 1997. Genotype 2b was found in 13/24 tested cases and in 7 amplifiable 2b sequences a strong phylogenetic relationship occurred. In 8 out of 12 RIBA-3 indeterminate sera HCV-RNA was still positive. Awareness and preventive measures limited transmission between patients.Indeterminate RlBA-results should, also with modem assays, be regarded with caution due to the relative immunodeficiency of uremic patients.In conclusion renal and systemic diseases may affect the serum immunoglobulins and immunoglobulin G-subclasses, while a study of the specific antibody subclass distributions (anti-HBs) showed no difference in renal (dialysis) patients and healthy adults. Medication (hydralazine) and infection may be triggering factors of various forms of glomerulonephritis. Uremia affects the antibody responses to hepatitis C in dialysis patients. The extent of renal disease as well as the possibility of therapeutic removal of antibodies is also important for the immunologic responses of such disorders.
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| 9. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, et al.
(författare)
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Increased Prevalence of Anti-Gliadin IgA-Antibodies with Aberrant Duodenal Histopathological Findings in Patients with IgA-Nephropathy and Related Disorders
- 2006
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Ingår i: Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. - : Uppsala Medical Society. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 111:3, s. 339-352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Antibodies present in coeliac disease may occur in IgA-nephropathy. This raises the question of food intolerance in the disease. Evidence for a true correlation between the two disorders has however been scarce.Design: Sera from 89 patients with IgA-nephropathy and 13 other patients with IgA deposits in the glomeruli of kidney biopsies were analysed for IgA-antibodies to gliadin, endomysium and tissue transglutaminase (92/102 patients).Results: Eleven out of 89 (12.4%) of the patients with IgA-nephropathy and five of the 13 others (38%) had elevated titres of IgA-antibodies to gliadin but, in all cases but one, normal IgA-antibodies to endomysium. Patients with IgA-nephropathy and elevated IgA-antibodies to gliadin had elevated total serum IgA more frequently than patients who had not (p<0.01). Two patients with IgA-nephropathy and one with Hennoch Schönlein's purpura had elevated IgA-antibodies to tissue transglutaminase.Small bowel biopsy in 7 out of 11 IgA-antibodies to gliadin positive patients with IgA-nephropathy was pathologic in three cases (two with Marsh I). One patient with chronic glomerulnephritis also had Marsh I.Conclusions: We found no increased frequency of verified coeliac disease in 89 patients with IgA-nephropathy. Two patients with IgA-nephropathy and one patient with chronic glomerulonephritis with IgA deposits in the kidney biopsy had a Marsh I histopathology. The findings suggest a possible link of celiac disease to IgA-nephropathy and a role for antibodies to food antigens in this disorder.
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