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- Amin, Kawa, et al.
(author)
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Inflammatory cell and epithelial characteristics of perennial allergic and nonallergic rhinitis with a symptom history of 1 to 3 years' duration
- 2001
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In: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 107:2, s. 249-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Perennial rhinitis is an inflammatory condition of the mucosal lining of the nose that may be caused by allergic and nonallergic mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize the cellular pattern and structural changes in the nasal mucous membrane of patients with perennial rhinitis and compare them with those of control subjects. METHODS: Biopsy specimens were obtained from 27 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), from 12 patients with perennial nonallergic rhinitis (PNAR) with eosinophils present in the nasal smear, and from 6 control subjects without rhinitis. In 10 of 27 patients with PAR who were also allergic to pollen, biopsy specimens were taken within the respective season (PARseason). In the other 17 patients, the biopsy was taken outside the pollen season (PARoutside season). Inflammatory cells were identified by using mAbs to their unique granular proteins. RESULTS: The characteristic feature of perennial rhinitis was the accumulation of activated (degranulated) mast cells and eosinophils in the nasal mucosa. The tissue eosinophil/neutrophil ratio was higher, and the loss of epithelial integrity was greater in all patient groups compared with the control subjects. The extent of epithelial damage was significantly larger in patients in the PARseason group compared with that in the PARoutside season and PNAR groups, which did not significantly differ from each other in this respect. The number of eosinophils and mast cells was higher in the PNAR group compared with the PAR groups. In all patient groups, the number of eosinophils correlated with the loss of epithelial integrity. The number of mast cells did not correlate with the extent of epithelial damage nor did the number of neutrophils, except in patients in the PARseason group. CONCLUSION: The accumulation of eosinophils and mast cells, as well as loss of epithelial integrity, was characteristic for perennial rhinitis. Loss of epithelial integrity in the nasal mucosa may be a consequence of the activity of accumulated eosinophils.
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| 2. |
- Dahlén, Inger, et al.
(author)
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Changes in inflammatory markers following treatment of acute exacerbationsof obstructive pulmonary disease
- 2001
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In: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 95:11, s. 891-897
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim ofthe study was to investigate changes in inflammatory markers following emergency treatment of obstructive pulmonary disease. The study comprised 43 patients. After acute treatment, they were given either 30 mg of prednisolone p.o. or 1600 microg of inhaled budeson de daily for 1 week. Over the following 3 weeks, all the patients were given 1600 microg of inhaled budesonide daily. Blood samples for measurements of eosinophil cationic protein (S-ECP), eosinophil peroxidase (S-EPO), total eos nophil count (B-Eos), myeloperoxidase (S-MPO) and human neutrophil lipocaline (HNL) were taken and spirometry was performed before emergency treatment and after 1 and 4 weeks. There was no difference in the improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) between patients given prednisolone or budesonide. Patients with an improvement in FEV1 of >20% of baseline after 1 and 4 weeks displayed a larger decrease in eosinophil markers. The correlation between deltaFEV1 and deltaS-ECP was r= -0.37, P < 0.05, deltaS-EPO -0.40, P < 0.01 and deltaB-Eos -0.44, P < 0.01, after 4 weeks. This correlation was highly significant in patients who had smoked < or = 5 pack-years, while the correlation was not significant in patients with a longer smoking history and chronic airflow limitation (best FEV <80% of predicted). We conclude that the change in eosinophil markers is correlated to the improvement in lung function in non-smokers or short-term smokers following the emergency treatment of obstructive pulmonary disease. This study indicates that following eosinophil markers is more useful in patients with asthma than patients with COPD.
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- Peterson, Christer, et al.
(author)
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Common stock repurchases : a first year Swedish sample and comparative reactions on the US and the Finnish markets
- 2003
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In: Liiketaloudellinen Aikakauskirja. - 0024-3469 .- 2242-4296. ; 52:4, s. 455-474
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Public companies in Sweden were finally permitted to repurchase their own shares at the beginning of 2000 after a long and tenacious debate. This paper examines the effects on the prices of the first year Swedish sample. And what is original in the paper is the use of a sample of firms without prior experience in using this mechanism to remunerate shareholders. Moreover, we compare the price reactions with those on the US and Finnish markets. We have found significant abnormal returns of at least 1 percent in open market repurchases within one day. This result is similar to the reaction on the neighbouring Finnish market. However, this is significantly lesser than reported returns on the US stock exchange, probably due to severe institutional restrictions in designing a Swedish repurchase program.
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