Biomedical subjects

E Honkonen

Publications and source records attributed to E Honkonen.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Stenosis of the right coronary artery and retrograde cardioplegia predispose patients to atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.

It is assumed that stenosis of the right coronary artery (RCA) predisposes CABG patients, by way of incomplete atrial myocardial protection, to postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). Sixty patients with high-grade RCA lesion were randomized into four groups according to the technique of delivery of cold blood cardioplegia: antegrade, retrograde, retrograde without catheter cuff, and combined antegrade and retrograde. As controls, 34 patients without RCA lesion were randomized to receive antegrade or retrograde cardioplegia. Postoperative atrial fibrillation episodes were recorded. Patients with RCA lesion were more prone to develop AF; odds ratio (OR)=3.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.22-11.5). Retrograde delivery in these patients was more often associated with AF, OR=4.97 (95% CI = 1.02-24.1). Other risk factors for AF were an increasing number of preoperative infarcts (p < 0.05) and more advanced coronary artery disease (p < 0.05). Prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (p < 0.001) and occurrence of postoperative ventricular tachycardia (p < 0.05) were associated with AF. RCA stenosis and retrograde cardioplegia delivery in RCA-affected patients were risk factors for postoperative atrial fibrillation. Retrograde cardioplegia may offer poorer protection at the atrial level.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Transabdominal chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis: 5 years' experience at a university centre.

The fetal loss rates and fetal congenital birth defects in 821 transabdominal (TA) chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and 771 amniocentesis (AC) cases were evaluated from a 5-year period (1987-1991) at the University Central Hospital of Turku. The parents were given the option of choosing between the two sampling procedures. CVS was performed, in most cases, at 11 weeks of gestation; and AC, at 15 weeks. The rate of total post-procedure loss was 6.7 per cent in the CVS group and 4.4 per cent in the AC group (p = 0.08). The rate of spontaneous abortions was 1.9 per cent in the CVS group and 1.0 per cent in the AC group (p = 0.10). The number of birth defects was low in both study groups. No limb reduction cases were observed. Mosaicism was noted in 14 CVS cases and in five AC cases. We conclude that TA-CVS is a safe and practical alternative to AC in prenatal fetal karyotyping.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1987

Antibacterial capacity in amniotic fluid in normal and complicated pregnancies.

The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli K 12 in 153 samples of amniotic fluid (AF) in 15 to 40 weeks of pregnancy were investigated by a new micromethod. Fifty-six mothers had an uncomplicated pregnancy while various complications (maternal diabetes, cholestasis of pregnancy, pregnancy induced hypertension, blood group isoimmunization and fetal growth retardation) were present in 97 cases. A significant (p less than 0.001) improvement of antibacterial activity was observed with advancing pregnancy. The highest antibacterial activity in AF was observed in cases with intrauterine growth retardation. In other respects the effect of various diseases was negligible.

Amniotic Fluid↗

PubMed1986

Trace elements and antibacterial activity in amniotic fluid.

Antibacterial activity and trace element concentrations in amniotic fluid (AF) were determined in a population of 39 pregnant women in the second half of gestation. Antibacterial activity in each AF was measured by a spectrophotometric micromethod after 18 h incubation at 37 degrees C using Escherichia coli K 12 as a reference bacterium. Concentrations of zinc, iron, copper, calcium, potassium and bromine were measured by particle-induced X-ray emission method and the zinc concentration was also measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Phosphate concentration was determined by direct albumin adding method. In AFs with good antibacterial activity significantly lower concentrations of potassium and bromine were found when compared to AFs with lower antibacterial activity. Concentrations of zinc, iron, copper, calcium or phosphate did not correlate with antibacterial activity in AF.

Amniotic Fluid↗

PubMed1985

Micromethod for determination of antibacterial capacity in amniotic fluid.

A new method for assessing antibacterial activity in amniotic fluid (AF) is presented. Sample sizes of 100 microliter were incubated at 37 degrees C in an equal amount of growth medium with inoculated bacteria. The quantification of bacterial growth was established by measuring the change in optical density with an automated spectrophotometer. In this study, Escherichia coli, type K 12, was used for inoculation and the bacterial growth was assessed after 6, 18, 30, 42, and 54 hours' incubation. The variation coefficients in intra-assay and interassay measurements were 3.8 and 5.2%, respectively. Shaking of the incubated sample significantly changed the results by increasing the number of viable cells in the most probable number method and decreasing the optical density difference in the spectrophotometric method. Nevertheless, the correlation between the results in both methods was good (r = 0.94, p less than 0.05, and r = 0.98, p less than 0.01, respectively). By filtering the AF sample before incubation, a great deal of antibacterial activity was removed. The reproducibility, simplicity, and rapidity of this spectrophotometric method of assessing antibacterial activity in AF may make it a useful clinical tool.

Amniotic Fluid↗

PubMed1983

Chlamydia trachomatis in term pregnancy. isolation and serological study with a case report.

The prevalence of cervical Chlamydia trachomatis infection in healthy, symptomless full-term pregnant women (n = 92) was found to be low (1.1%). Chlamydial cervical IgA antibodies, as measured by solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA), were found in 5.3%, but amniotic fluid chlamydial RIA IgA antibodies were almost absent. Serum IgG antibodies were measured with indirect immunofluorescence (IF). Of the mothers 9.8% had a titer greater than or equal to 1:64, correlating closely with the figure of 10.9% for infants' cord-blood IF serology. Finally, a case report is presented. A child born to a Chlamydia trachomatis positive mother developed isolation positive chlamydial pneumonia.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Cervical and serum IgA and serum IgG antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis and herpes simplex virus in threatened abortion: a prospective study.

The aetiological role of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) was investigated in 189 patients with threatened abortion. Assessment of infection was based on isolation, and on determination of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgA antibodies as well as cervical IgA antibody levels with new sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques. One third of the women were delivered of a healthy infant and two thirds aborted, but the two groups were otherwise clinically similar. By isolation, only 2.7% of the patients were CT-positive, but increased cervical IgA antibody level to CT was detected in 41.3%. The mean level of these local antibodies was similar in both study groups, but the mean levels of serum IgA and IgG antibodies were somewhat higher in the patients who aborted although the difference was not significant. None of the cervical specimens was positive for HSV by isolation but the cervical IgA antibody level to HSV was raised in 47.1% of the patients. Both cervical and serum IgA antibody levels to HSV were significantly raised among the patients who aborted, but there were no differences between the patients with spontaneous abortion and those with a blighted ovum. There was no clear association between CT and abortion, but an association between HSV and abortion is possible. The incidence of raised levels of both CT and HSV IgA antibodies in the cervix was surprisingly high in both groups and the significance of this finding remains to be investigated.

Abortion, Threatened↗

PubMed1982

Serum levels of free fatty acids in the first trimester of pregnancy: effect of acetylsalicylic acid.

The serum levels of free fatty acids were determined before and after an oral dose of 1000 mg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) during the 7-11th weeks of pregnancy in 11 women admitted to hospital for legal abortion and in 8 women admitted for operative (hysterectomy) treatment because of fibroids. Thirteen healthy women of reproductive age served as controls. The levels of linoleic, alpha-linolenic, myristic, oleic, palmitic and palmitoleic acids were significantly lower in pregnant women than in the hysterectomy group. The level of arachidonic acid was higher in the pregnant and hysterectomy groups than in controls. Serum free fatty acids had a negative correlation with the duration of pregnancy. ASA treatment tended to increase the levels of many fatty acids in serum. Serum arachidonic acid levels after ASA treatment correlated significantly with the salicylate concentrations in myometrium and the levels of most other fatty acids with the salicylate concentration in endometrium.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Seral, uterine and fetal salicylate concentrations after oral administration.

Salicylate concentrations in serum, endometrium, myometrium and fetus were determined 3 h after an oral dose of 1 000 mg of acetylsalicylic acid. The material consisted of 19 females (11 for legal abortion and 8 for operative treatment of fibroids). Tissue salicylate concentrations were at a level at which prostaglandin synthetase is inhibited.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1981

Chlamydia trachomatis and herpes simplex virus IgA antibodies in cervical secretions of patients with cervical atypia.

The association of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) with malignant or premalignant changes in the cervix uteri was studied by determining immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in the cervical secretions of 28 women with inflammatory, 28 with dysplastic, 7 with malignant changes of the uterine cervix, and 26 healthy controls. In cervical secretions IgA antibodies to CT were found in 24 of 35 (69%) patients with malignant or premalignant changes, in 11 of 28 (39%) with cervicitis and in 3 of 26 (12%) controls. IgA antibodies to HSV were found in 10 of 35 (28%) patients with malignant atypic or dysplasia but in none of the women with cervicitis or the controls. The highest frequency of antibodies was found in the patients with cervical carcinoma. Serum IgA antibodies to CT and HSV were found equally on the patients and the controls. Our results suggest that in patients with cervical atypic, local IgA CT antibody production occurs. Whether this association is aetiological or coincidental can not be concluded from this study.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Estrogen in the treatment of abnormal cervical mucus infertility.

The effects of intravaginal estrogen treatment on the cervical mucus and PCT were investigated in ten primarily infertile patients. The abnormal cervical mucus was the only demonstrable factor of their infertility. The duration of the infertility had ranged from 5-10 years. In four cases the percentual and progressive motilities of the spermatozoa improved and the number of spermatozoa rose in the PCT. Three of the patients conceived during the test cycle. In addition the effects of intramuscular estradiol-benzoate on the cervical mucus and PCT were investigated in clomiphene-treated patients. No differences were found between the test and the control cycle.

Administration, Topical↗