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Biomedical subjects

A Finn

Publications and source records attributed to A Finn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Morphologic parameters of early cleavage-stage embryos that correlate with fetal development and delivery: prospective and applied data for increased pregnancy rates.

BACKGROUND: Many different embryo selection criteria have been used in assisted reproductive technologies (ART), but there are no published prospective studies to ascertain their usefulness in predicting implantation. METHODS: In a prospective trial, 20 early scoring parameters previously reported to influence clinical outcome were collected, but embryos were selected for transfer by current laboratory protocols; day 1 pronuclear (PN) (Z) score combined with day 3 or 5 morphology. Data points for each oocyte/embryo were scored independently and tracked individually. Data were analysed retrospectively for parameters most likely to result in a positive pregnancy test, fetal heartbeat (FHB) and delivery. RESULTS: Results indicated that day 1 PN morphology and nucleolar precursor body (NPB) ratio, day 2 cell number, blastomere symmetry and nucleation and the ability to cleave from day 2 to day 3 were the six most significant factors in fetal development. This outcome was then applied prospectively over 8 months. The implantation rate (IR) and clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) increased in each age group, and the number of embryos used decreased. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, early parameters that include PN morphology, number and ratio of NPBs per nucleus and the day 2 morphology of cleaving embryos are stronger positive predictors of implantation than day 3 morphology or the ability to achieve the blastocyst stage of development. Parameters that were most consistently correlated with no delivery were lack of PN symmetry, day 2 multinucleation and uneven cell size. Day 3 and day 5 parameters were not significant compared with the combination of early parameters.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[A novel questionnaire to assess activity in patients after hip arthroplasties].

BACKGROUND: Until now, the activity of the lower limb could only be exactly measured with expensive electronic pedometers. The aim of this study was to develop a feasible questionnaire to measure the activity of patients after arthroplasty. METHODS: The "Daily Activity Questionnaire" (DAQ) was developed in several steps and the evaluation was carried out in three groups of patients with osteoarthritis of the hip (160 patients and 855 investigated days). The psychometric characteristics were verified. RESULTS: The retest reliability (ICC) of the DAQ is in a range comparable to the electronic pedometer StepWatch. The testing of the criterion validity showed high correlations between the StepWatch and the DAQ (r=0.743). CONCLUSION: Because of its high correlations to the load changes actually performed, the DAQ is especially suited to answer arthroplasty-related questions. In all patient groups, projected load changes between 1.8 and 2.4 million per year were found, which by far exceed the generally accepted test standards for endoprostheses.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

Influence of age and carriage status on salivary IgA to Neisseria meningitidis.

Asymptomatic carriage of Neisseria meningitidis is common (5-35% of individuals) while the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease is fairly low (<1-5 per 100,000 per annum in Europe). Naturally acquired protective immunity may account for this difference. In this study, we investigated the relationship between anti-meningococcal salivary IgA and age and carriage. We showed that salivary IgA to a range of meningococcal antigens increased successively with age with some specificity for commonly circulating serosubtypes. In a group of 258 students 37 (14%) of whom were carriers of N. meningitidis serogroup B, higher levels of specific IgA were associated with carriage. Stratified analysis revealed a positive relationship between smoking and specific anti- N. meningitidis IgA independent of current carriage, weighted odds ratio (OR) 4.1 (95% CI 1.1-18) and OR 3.8 (95% CI 0.96-16) for reference strains B:1:P1.14 and B:4:P1.5,4 respectively. These data implicate IgA as a factor in host defence from meningococcal invasion, although the precise mechanisms remain uncertain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Inhibitory effect of exogenous orexin a on gastric emptying, plasma leptin, and the distribution of orexin and orexin receptors in the gut and pancreas in man.

Orexin A (OXA) is a novel peptide that appears to play a role in the regulation of food intake, arousal, and energy balance. The aim of this study was to study the effect of iv infusion of OXA on gastric emptying, appetite, leptin, ghrelin, and glucose metabolism in man (six normal men) and the localization of OXA and orexin receptors (OXRs) 1 and 2 in the human gut. Gastric emptying was studied scintigraphically after ingestion of a 99mTc-labeled omelet and iv infusion of OXA (10 pmol/kg.min). Appetite ratings and blood samples were obtained at regular intervals. The immunohistochemical distribution of OXA and OXRs was examined using antibodies recognizing OXA, OX1R, and OX2R in human gastrointestinal tissue. OXA had no effect on lag phase or gastric half-emptying time. However, the gastric emptying rate was significantly slower without affecting appetite ratings. Plasma concentrations of insulin were increased by OXA, whereas plasma leptin decreased and ghrelin was unchanged. OXA immunoreactivity was observed in a subset of neurons and varicose nerve fibers in the mucosa, ganglia, and circular muscle layer and mucosal endocrine cells in the stomach and small intestine. OXA-immunoreactive cells in the islets of Langerhans contained insulin with a subset expressing OX2R. In conclusion, peripheral OXA seems to slightly affect the regulation of gastric emptying in humans without affecting appetite ratings. OXA decreased plasma levels of leptin, suggesting a possible interaction between leptin and OXA in the regulation of energy homeostasis.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Production and characterization of antibodies for the specific determination of the opioid peptide Met5-Enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7.

Endogenous opioids serve as modulators of neuroendocrine and immune system processes, the investigation of which calls for high-specificity radioimmunoassays (RIAs). This study focuses on the development and use of a specific radioimmunoassay for the opioid peptide Met5-Enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 (MEAP), the C-terminus part of proenkephalin A. Antibodies were raised in four rabbits and investigated in terms of titre, avidity and specificity, followed by finding ideal conditions for these antibodies in RIA. MEAP concentrations were determined in crude extracts of rat hypothalamus, dorsal root ganglia, adrenals and ankle using this standardized assay after an oxidizing process. At reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), the position of immunoreactive material from rat hypothalamus eluted as two peaks out of which one was compatible with that of synthetic MEAP. All rabbits exhibited individual differences in relative immune response and time of its onset. The avidity constant was 10 times higher on a molar basis for ab 4108 compared with ab 4182. There was no cross-reactivity for ab 4182 to related peptides, such as enkephalins and dynorphin B, and negligible background values for ab 4108. The relative levels ofimmunoreactive MEAP from the CNS versus peripheral tissues contrasted in accordance with current knowledge. It is suggested that reports with RIA results should include characterization of antibodies, extraction procedures, standard curves and compositions of buffers. Furthermore, the results should preferably be expressed in relation to total protein content.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Mucosal immunology of vaccines against pathogenic nasopharyngeal bacteria.

The introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines during the 1990s was followed by dramatic decreases both in the incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b related invasive disease and in nasopharyngeal carriage of the organism. The extent of this effect has been influenced by the fact that Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines reduce nasopharyngeal carriage and induce herd immunity. Based on the success of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines, chemical conjugation has been applied to the development of pneumococcal and meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines. Evidence has begun to accumulate that these new polysaccharide based conjugate vaccines can also reduce nasopharyngeal carriage and can induce immune responses at the local mucosal level, which may be responsible for these effects. This article reviews recent studies on mucosal immune responses induced by polysaccharide based vaccines and some protein vaccine antigens against several pathogenic nasopharyngeal bacteria, and discusses the mechanisms and functions of these immune responses that may help our understanding of mucosal immune responses to both immunisation and infection.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed2003

Conflicting advice.

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Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2003

Pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage in children following heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in infancy.

AIMS: To ascertain whether the reduction in nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine serotypes induced by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PnCV) administered to infants persists beyond the age of 2 years. METHODS: Non-randomised, unblinded controlled study of 2-5 year old children who had received three doses of heptavalent PnCV (7VPnCV) in infancy and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at 13 months, and unimmunised controls. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken in summer (150 vaccinated subjects, 126 controls) and winter (143 vaccinated subjects, 188 controls). The swabs were cultured and serotyped for Streptococcus pneumoniae. RESULTS: Carriage rates (vaccinated subjects: 24.7% and 43.4%; controls: 27.0% and 41.0%, in summer and winter respectively) and carriage of vaccine serotypes (subjects: 10.0% and 30.0%; controls: 13.5% and 31.5%, in summer and winter respectively) were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Effects of vaccination in infancy on rates of nasal carriage of pneumococcus and serotype replacement in children living in a largely unvaccinated population are no longer evident by 2-5 years of age.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2002

Should the new pneumococcal vaccine be used in high-risk children?

A new conjugate 7-valent vaccine to prevent pneumococcal infection (Prevenar, Wyeth) has recently received a European licence for use in young healthy children. The vaccine is not currently included in the universal immunisation schedule in the UK or elsewhere in Europe, although it is being used widely in the USA. Its availability for purchase raises the question whether paediatricians should consider using it in high risk children, including those for whom the polysaccharide 23-valent vaccine was previously recommended, until (or unless) it is introduced into general use-indeed the Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales has recently made a recommendation regarding such children aged less than 2 years. We review the evidence concerning use of the vaccine in such children and make suggestions as to how the vaccine may be used while further information is collected.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed2001

Cholecystokinin-8 promotes recovery of sympathectomy induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in adult mice.

We used an experimental model of sympathetic neuropathy to investigate the effects of intraperitoneal cholecystokinin-8 (CCK-8) administration on the recovery of injured peripheral neurones. After treatment of adult mice with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), which known to induce peripheral sympathectomy, nerve growth factor (NGF) in peripheral tissue first increased and then rapidly decreased to baseline levels. Following this observation, sympathectomised mice were treated with CCK-8 starting when the NGF levels lowered toward the control value. Our results show that injections with 8 nmol/kg of CCK-8 promote not only recovery of noradrenergic innervation but also NGF and neuropeptide Y (NPY) synthesis in peripheral tissue. This latter observation suggests that the effect of CCK-8 might be mediated through the stimulation of NGF synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Safety and immunogenicity of three lots of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine administered at 2, 3 and 4 months of age.

The reactogenicity and immunogenicity of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate (MenC) vaccine was assessed in 322 infants vaccinated at 2, 3, and 4 months of age, with concomitant administration of mixed diphtheria-tetanus-whole-cell pertussis vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (DTwP-Hib) and oral polio vaccine. All infants in whom post-vaccination meningococcal C anticapsular IgG levels were assayed (n = 265) attained > or = 2 microg ml(-1). Serum bactericidal titres were assayed for a proportion of subjects (n = 171), 98% of whom obtained a reciprocal titres > or = 8. Local reactions were less frequent at the MenC injection site than at the DTP-Hib site. Systemic events were frequent, but consistent with established DTwP-Hib experience. The study demonstrates that MenC vaccine is immunogenic and well tolerated in infants at manufacturing scale production levels.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed2001

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli-induced neutrophil adhesion to urinary epithelium is strain-specific and mediated by CD11b/CD18.

Adherence of Escherichia coli to urinary tract epithelium induces neutrophil migration across the uroepithelium to combat bacterial infection. Neutrophil adherence to the apical membrane of uroepithelial cells may be an important factor for bacterial clearance. We used an in vitro model of urinary tract infection to examine the effects of uropathogenic E. coli on neutrophil adhesion to the uroepithelial cell line RT4. We found that distinct clinical isolates caused different levels of neutrophil adherence. One particular isolate caused significant neutrophil adhesion in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The neutrophil adhesion-promoting effect induced by this isolate was not caused by bacterial secreted products, suggesting that contact between intact E. coli and uroepithelial cells is required for promoting neutrophil adhesion. This adhesion was almost exclusively mediated by CD11b/CD18, suggesting that E. coli upregulates CD11b/CD18 counterligands on the uroepithelial surface. These data suggest that certain uropathogenic E. coli selectively promote adhesion of neutrophils to ligands on uroepithelial cells by a CD11b/CD18-dependent mechanism.

CD18 Antigens↗
PubMed2001

Autonomic innervation of tendons, ligaments and joint capsules. A morphologic and quantitative study in the rat.

We analyzed the neuronal occurrence of autonomic transmitters; noradrenaline (NA), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), in the Achilles tendon, medial and lateral collateral ligaments and knee joint capsule in the rat--by immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, the tissue concentrations of the sympathetic neuropeptide, NPY, and the parasympathetic peptide, VIP, were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). IHC demonstrated nerve fibers containing sympathetic vasoconstrictors--NA and NPY--and the parasympathetic vasodilator, VIP, in all tissues. NPY- and NA-positive nerve fibers were predominantly observed in larger blood vessels, whereas, nerve fibers immunoreactive to VIP were found in smaller vessels. In many nerve fibers a co-localization of the transmitters was seen. RIA showed that the concentration of NPY compared to VIP was 15-times higher in ligaments and twice as high in tendons and capsules. The differences noted may reflect a difference in vulnerability to degenerative conditions. In pathological conditions, dysregulation of autonomic transmitters in hypovascularized tissues subjected to repetitive mechanical load may contribute to tissue hypoxia leading to degeneration and rupture of tendons and ligaments.

Achilles Tendon↗
PubMed2001

Protein assays for diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and X-linked thrombocytopenia.

Mutations in the gene encoding the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) give rise to Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), a condition that exhibits a wide spectrum of clinical severity. Patients may develop mild thrombocytopenia or suffer from a wide range of associated disorders including eczema, immune dysfunction, autoimmune disease and malignancy. The clinical diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) can be difficult and is usually supported by the detection of WASp gene mutations using genetic analysis. Recently, protein-based assays have been used to demonstrate the absence of WASp in patients known to have WASp gene mutations. We have now reversed this approach and report on the use of immunoblot assays to rapidly diagnose WAS in 13 patients. There was a complete absence of WASp in 10 out of 13 patients and an abnormal protein form was detected in the remaining three patients. In all cases, subsequent genetic analysis confirmed the presence of a WASp gene mutation. We believe that protein-based assays should be employed as the first line of investigation in the diagnosis of WAS spectrum disorders.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Primary and booster mucosal immune responses to meningococcal group A and C conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines administered to university students in the United Kingdom.

Meningococcal group A+C capsular polysaccharide (PS) conjugate vaccines may prime for serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) memory responses to meningococcal capsular PS. It is not known whether these vaccines induce immunological memory at the mucosal level, which may be important in reducing nasopharyngeal carriage. Mucosal immune responses to meningococcal conjugate and PS vaccines in young adults were investigated. Healthy university students were randomized to receive either a groups A+C meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MACconj, n = 100) or a group A+C meningococcal PS vaccine (MACPS, n = 95). One year after the primary immunization, both groups were randomized again to receive a MACconj or a MACPS booster vaccination. Saliva samples were collected before and 1 month after the primary and booster vaccinations. Anti-meningococcal A (MenA) and C (MenC) PS IgA and IgG antibody levels were measured by a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After the primary vaccination, salivary MenA and MenC IgG and MenA IgA concentrations were significantly increased after immunization with both MACconj and MACPS vaccines, but the salivary Men C IgA level was increased only after MACPS vaccine (P < 0.01). IgA responses to both serogroups were greater for MACPS than MACconj vaccine (P < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were seen for IgG responses. MenA IgG titers were higher after the MACPS booster in MACconj-primed subjects than after the MACPS primary vaccination, suggesting the presence of IgG memory. Antibody responses to a dose of either MACPS or MACconj were not significantly reduced in those previously given MACPS compared to the primary responses to those vaccines. Meningococcal A+C conjugate and PS vaccines induce significant mucosal responses in young adults. MACconj priming may induce IgG memory at the mucosal level, which is likely to be a reflection of an anamnestic serum IgG response. No evidence of mucosal hyporesponsiveness was observed after MACPS priming in this study.

Adolescent↗