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Biomedical subjects

B Nilsson

Publications and source records attributed to B Nilsson.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of oligosaccharides from neutral glycosphingolipids of murine B cell hybridomas.

Monoclonal B cell hybridoma cell lines express glycolipids characteristic of both the myeloma and normal lymphocyte parents. The neutral glycolipids from hybridoma cell lines metabolically radiolabeled with [14C]galactose plus [14C]glucosamine separate by high performance thin layer chromatography into patterns that may reflect differences in glycolipid expression among B cell subsets. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of oligosaccharides released by trifluoroacetolysis from neutral glycolipids extracted from 10(9) clonally expanded hybridoma cells reveals the carbohydrate composition of the major glycolipid components detected by thin layer chromatography. Glycolipids differentially expressed among six cell lines analyzed include monohexosylceramide, lactosylceramide, globotriaosylceramide, globoside, asialo-GM2, and 2'fucosyllactosylceramide. The latter compound has not been described previously in cells from the mouse.

Animals↗

Antineural antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome and lymphocytic meningoradiculitis (Bannwarth's syndrome).

Antineural antibodies occur in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), but have not been studied in lymphocytic meningoradiculitis (Bannwarth's syndrome), which has clinical features in common with GBS. Employing a sensitive complement-fixation assay with homogenates of nerve root and brain as antigens, we recorded positive serum reactions to either tissue in 14 of 18 samples from patients with GBS during the first three weeks of the disease. Five of nine samples were positive during the fourth to eighth weeks, whereas all seven patients sampled thereafter had negative reactions. Four GBS serum samples reacted only with nerve root, seven reacted only with brain, and eight reacted with both antigen preparations. One of 12 patients with meningoradiculitis and one of 50 supposedly healthy blood donors had serum antibodies to brain. Our results support the concept of an autoimmune mechanism in GBS, while in Bannwarth's syndrome an infectious cause related to that of Lyme disease may be suspected.

Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic↗

Cerebellar atrophy following phenytoin intoxication.

Cerebellar degeneration has been demonstrated in several patients receiving phenytoin therapy. In most cases it has been unclear, however, whether the degeneration was caused by the drug per se or by other mechanisms known to lead to cerebellar damage. We describe a patient who developed a marked cerebellar atrophy, demonstrated on computed tomographic scan, following an episode of acute, severe phenytoin intoxication. The patient received phenytoin prophylactically for 2 1/2 months after an uncomplicated subarachnoid hemorrhage and was in good health when the treatment was started. He has never had seizures, and no other possible cause of chronic cerebellar changes is known. The initially severe clinical signs of cerebellar dysfunction have subsided slowly. We conclude that phenytoin can directly cause cerebellar degeneration.

Adult↗

Possibilities for an extended classification of bladder cancer.

Patients with bladder cancer were evaluated for T-class, histo-pathological grade and U-CEA (urinary carcinoembryonic antigen) before treatment and the cytological picture 4 months after treatment. Previous work has shown that these variables are not significantly intercorrelated. Scores were computed, consisting of the sums of these (dichotomized) variables. In a statistical analysis with the life-table technique, the scored variables have been log-rank tested for a prognostic trend. In 155 patients, p for symptom-free survival between subgroups with low and high scores was 0.0019 and for relative survival 0.0005. This implies that a combination of variables may have predictive value in bladder cancer.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Relationship between radiological and clinical variables in spondylolysis.

A clinical and radiological follow-up investigation with at least 20 years observation time was made of 255 persons with lumbar spondylolysis with or without spondylolisthesis. The main purposes were to study the relationship between clinical and radiological features and to look for radiological and other variables of prognostic value. There was a clear positive correlation of symptoms and functional impairment during the observation period to disc degeneration and vertebral slipping at follow-up, as well as to a decrease in lumbar index at the time of diagnosis. Individual factors and radiological signs at the time of diagnosis were shown to have prognostic value for the course of the disease. The risk factors for severe symptoms and need for treatment were more than 10 mm of vertebral slipping, low lumbar index, increased lumbar lordosis, lysis in the fourth lumbar vertebra and early onset of symptoms.

Adult↗

A method of purification of partially methylated alditol acetates in the methylation analysis of glycoproteins and glycopeptides.

A method for methylation analysis of intact glycoproteins is described. Starting with intact glycoprotein, the oligosaccharides are methylated, hydrolyzed, reduced, and acetylated. The partially methylated alditol acetates are then separated from noncarbohydrate contaminants on a silica gel G column. Partially methylated hexitol acetates are eluted from the column with petroleum ether:ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v) and partially methylated N-acetylhexosaminitol acetates are subsequently eluted with methanol. Analysis by gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry of the partially methylated alditol acetates shows no interfering contaminants. This method circumvents the need to make pronase glycopeptides and avoids the pitfalls of other methylation procedures.

Animals↗

Prediction of time to delivery from start of contractions in induced labor: a life table analysis approach.

Labor was induced in a total of 200 patients. Outcome of treatment was compared with respect to time to delivery from start of contractions. Prognostic variables compared here were, e.g. dilatation, parity and Bishop score. All comparisons were performed with a life table technique, both bivariate and multivariate. Parity showed a strong relation to prognosis and so did cervical dilatation. The degree of cervical dilatation as in spontaneous labor is the factor in the Bishop index that correlated best to the outcome of treatment. With the two predictors parity and dilatation, a scoring system was constructed.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Prediction of start of contractions in labor induced with oral prostaglandin E2 or oxytocin: a life table analysis approach.

Labor was induced for medical reasons at or near term in altogether 200 patients. All women had amniotomy and were then randomly assigned to either oral prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) or intravenous infusion of oxytocin (Oxy). In this study PGE2 and Oxy treatment were compared with respect to time to contractions. Other not randomized but prognostic variables compared here were, e.g. dilatation, parity and Bishop score. All comparisons were performed with the life table technique. Labor was established earlier in the Oxy group than in the PGE2 group of patients. In both treatment groups parity and dilatation were more strongly related to start of contractions than to Bishop score.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Blood group specific oligosaccharides from faeces of a blood group A breast-fed infant.

Four different oligosaccharides were isolated from faeces collected from a blood group A, secretor, breast-fed infant. Three of these, GalNAc alpha 1-3[Fuc alpha 1-2]Gal beta 1-4Glc (A-tetrasaccharide), GalNAc alpha 1-3[Fuc alpha 1-2]Gal beta 1-4[Fuc alpha 1-3]Glc (A-pentasaccharide) and 1-3[Fuc alpha 1-4]GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc (A-heptasaccharide) have previously found in urine, whereas GalNAc alpha 1-3[Fuc alpha 1-2]Gal beta 1-3GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc (A-hexasaccharide) is a new compound. Structures were deduced by mass spectrometry of permethylated and N-trifluoroacetylated oligosaccharide alditols. The latter gave more structural information than the corresponding N-acetyl derivatives. The four oligosaccharides were tested for blood group A activity and all were found to inhibit the binding of anti-A antibody to blood group A substance.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

Probable in vivo induction of differentiation by retinoic acid of promyelocytes in acute promyelocytic leukaemia.

A 30-year-old woman was diagnosed as having an acute promyelocytic leukaemia in September 1981. Chemotherapeutic courses of daunomycin, ara-C, thioguanine and prednisolone were administered, resulting in a complete remission. A relapse occurred in January 1982, and chemotherapy did not lead to a second complete remission; neutropenia persisted with a marked left shift of the marrow granulopoiesis. Courses of chemotherapy were given throughout the study. In September 1982, marrow promyelocytes markedly increased, making up 51% of the nucleated cells. One month later the situation was unchanged, and 13-cis-retinoic acid (1 mg/kg) was administered by mouth. Gradually the marrow proportion of promyelocytes decreased to normal levels. The peripheral blood and marrow were still normal after 20 weeks of treatment with retinoic acid. Thus, retinoic acid seemed to have been inducing differentiation in an abnormally increased, maturation-deficient population of promyelocytes in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukaemia.

Adult↗

Serum levels of unbound 17 beta-oestradiol during oral and percutaneous postmenopausal replacement therapy.

The metabolic effects of oestrogen therapy are influenced by the route of administration. Compared with oral treatment, percutaneous administration may have theoretical advantages with respect to liver metabolism, but there are also potential disadvantages related to the specific kinetics of this route. The increase of SHBG binding capacity is much less pronounced, which might result in excess amounts of unbound, biologically-active steroid during therapy. The serum concentrations of unbound 17 beta-oestradiol were calculated in two groups of postmenopausal women during replacement therapy with equivalent amounts of oral and percutaneous oestrogen. A highly significant and quite similar increase of the free fraction as well as in total 17 beta-oestradiol was found in both groups of women, in spite of the fact that SHBG binding capacity was unchanged during percutaneous therapy. Albumin binding and the total serum concentration of 17 beta-oestradiol were found to be more important for the regulation of unbound steroid concentration than variations in SHBG binding capacity. In conclusion, there was no evidence that percutaneous administration per se would carry an increased risk of over-treatment.

Administration, Oral↗

Proliferation and differentiation of normal and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) marrow cells in suspension cultures.

Immature myeloid cells highly enriched for colony-forming cells, myeloblasts and promyelocytes were isolated in Percoll gradients (lighter than 1.065 g/ml) from patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) or normal healthy volunteers. The proliferation and differentiation of these cells were followed in suspension cultures in McCoy's medium (15% FCS) with or without the addition of 15% human placenta conditioned medium (HP-CM) over a culture period of 12-16 d. Ion-exchange chromatography and gel chromatography indicated that the proliferation-stimulating activity in HP-CM was colony-stimulating activity (CSA). In unstimulated cultures (without HP-CM), normal cells produced very few neutrophils; macrophage production dominated. CML cells, on the other hand, gave rise to neutrophils even in the absence of stimulatory factor(s). The effect of HP-CM was dependent on the initial concentration: at a 'low' (1 X 10(5)/ml) concentration, the addition of HP-CM resulted in a great increase in neutrophils, but at a 'high' (5-8 X 10(5)/ml) initial cell concentration, HP-CM gave only minimal increase in neutrophil numbers in both normal and CML cultures. These observations suggest endogenous differences between normal and CML precursors in their requirements for or responses to growth stimulatory or inhibitory factors.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

Carbohydrate composition of dental plaque from primates with irradiation caries.

Carbohydrate analyses were performed on dental plaque collected from the teeth of irradiated monkeys, non-irradiated monkeys and a group of Streptococcus mutans free animals, all of which were fed the same standard cariogenic diet. Glucose was the predominant sugar constituent in plaque and was detected in highest concentration in the irradiated animals. Small amounts of pentoses and other hexoses were also present. Plaque from irradiated animals contained, by comparison with the other groups, higher levels of Strep. mutans and lower levels of Streptococcus sanguis and Actinomyces.

Actinomyces↗

The effect of indomethacin on the local cerebral blood flow increase induced by somato-sensory stimulation.

The local cerebral blood flow in cerebral cortical and subcortical regions of the rat brain was studied with the 14C-iodoantipyrine autoradiographic technique at rest and during strong non-noxious stimulation of the nose. Patterns of local blood flow changes evoked by stimulation with and without pretreatment of indomethacin, a potent cyclooxygenase inhibitor were determined. Stimulation produced a marked heterogeneous enhancement of CBF. Indomethacin did not prevent this effect although the absolute flow levels were considerably lower in indomethacin-treated animals. Indomethacin was especially effective in reducing the cerebral cortical blood flow response to stimulation whereas the subcortical response was much less affected.

Animals↗

Expression of the gene encoding protein A in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci.

Two shuttle vectors containing the gene for protein A (spa) from Staphylococcus aureus have been constructed to study expression of the gene in various strains of S. aureus and in the coagulase-negative species Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus capitis, and Staphylococcus xylosus. One plasmid, pSPA15, contains the complete structural gene for protein A, which binds to the cell wall in various Staphylococcus species. The other plasmid, pSPA16, codes for a truncated protein A lacking the C-terminal part called region X. The latter is exclusively extracellular in all Staphylococcus species tested, which confirms the importance of region X for cell wall binding. The expression of the plasmid-coded protein A in various strains of S. aureus is strongly correlated to the expression of the chromosomal spa gene. The coagulase-negative species expressing plasmid-encoded protein A produce 12 to 30% of the amount coded by the chromosomal spa gene in S. aureus strains Cowan I and A676.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hormone levels in amniotic fluid and maternal serum in women who undergo spontaneous abortion after second trimester amniocentesis.

Second trimester spontaneous abortion occurring on the average 1.5 weeks after amniocentesis in 15 symptom-free women has been studied. Thus, hormone (total estriol, hCG, prolactin, and hPL) levels in amniotic fluid and maternal serum were compared to those in 60 women who also underwent second trimester amniocentesis but went to term without complications. The abortion group had significantly (p less than 0.01) elevated levels of total estriol in maternal serum and in amniotic fluid, significantly (p less than 0.01) increased prolactin concentration in amniotic fluid, and decreased (p less than 0.05) hCG levels in maternal serum. It is suggested that these differences may relate to fetal adrenal stress response in the subsequent abortion group indicating an abnormality which may or may not be aggravated by amniocentesis.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Use of dental services by Finnish immigrants in Sweden assessed by questionnaire.

The purpose of this work was to assess the dental visiting behaviour of Finnish immigrants in Sweden, and factors which determined this. The initial material consisted of a probability sample of 1332 Finnish citizens aged 20 to 59 years, resident in a Stockholm suburb. The response rate was 80%. About 23% of the respondents had never been to a dentist in Sweden. They were mostly newly immigrated and had a poor knowledge of Swedish. About 36% of the subjects visited a dentist in Sweden regularly (at least every second year), a lower rate than reported from studies on Swedish populations. Twenty-three per cent of the subjects had on some occasion been to a dentist in Finland while resident in Sweden. Difficulty in getting an appointment, indifference, fear, language difficulties and poor knowledge of the dental care system in Sweden were mentioned as reasons for not attending a dentist. Thus prevailing attitudes as well as the many other problems in connection with immigration seemed to result in dental health being given low priority by Finnish immigrants in Sweden.

Adult↗