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Biomedical subjects

Elisabeth Persson

Publications and source records attributed to Elisabeth Persson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Evaluation of changes in occupational performance among patients in a pain management program.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate changes in occupational performance among chronic pain patients after a pain management program and to explore relationships between these changes and demographic and clinical factors, psychosocial functioning and psychological well-being. SUBJECTS: 188 consecutive patients were included. METHODS: Changes were registered by using Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Multidimensional Pain Inventory and Psychological General Well-Being Index. RESULTS: There were statistically significant positive changes in occupational performance. Patients with sickness compensation had significantly higher changes in occupational performance than those without sickness compensation. The patients with a profile group as interpersonally distressed had statistically significant higher change scores on occupational performance than the adaptive coper group. Furthermore, increases in changes on general activity level, general health, and vitality and decreases in pain severity were associated with positive changes on perceived occupational performance and performance satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Changes in occupational performance, psychological well-being and psychosocial functioning seem all to be of relevance in the evaluation of pain management programs. Psychosocial profiles and sickness compensation has relevance for directions on changes in occupational performance, whereas other demographic and clinical factors do not.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Regulated delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor into rat striatum, using a tetracycline-dependent lentiviral vector.

In this study, a tetracycline-regulated lentiviral vector system, based on the tetracycline-dependent transactivator rtTA2(S)-M2, was developed for controlled expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the rat brain. Expression of the marker gene green fluorescent protein (GFP) and GDNF was tightly regulated in a dose-dependent manner in neural cell lines in vitro. Injection of high-titer lentiviral vectors into the rat striatum resulted in a 7-fold induction of GDNF tissue levels (1060 pg/mg tissue), when doxycycline (a tetracycline analog) was added to the drinking water. However, low levels of GDNF (150 pg/mg tissue) were also detected in animals that did not receive doxycycline, indicating a significant background leakage from the vector system in vivo. The level of basal expression was markedly reduced when a 10-fold lower dose of the tetracycline-regulated GDNF vector was injected into the striatum (3-11 pg/mg tissue), and doxycycline-induced GDNF tissue levels obtained in these animals were about 190 pg/mg tissue. Doxycycline-induced expression of GDNF resulted in a significant downregulation of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein in the intact striatum. Removal of doxycycline from the drinking water rapidly (within 3 days) turned off transgenic GDNF mRNA expression and GDNF protein levels in the tissue were completely reduced by 2 weeks, demonstrating the dynamics of the system in vivo. Accordingly, TH protein expression returned to normal by 2-8 weeks after removal of doxycycline, indicating that GDNF-induced downregulation of TH is a reversible event.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Thyroid gland function in ovariectomized ewes exposed to phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens are by definition plant-derived substances that are able to activate the mammalian oestrogen receptors. We examined the possible effects of phytoestrogens on the secretion of thyroid hormones as well as on the immunoreactivity to oestrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) in the thyroid glands of ovariectomized ewes. Eight ovariectomized ewes were fed 3.5 kg of 100% red clover silage for 14 days. Blood samples were collected before and on day 14 of exposure to phytoestrogens. After 5 months, four of the ewes were re-exposed to red clover silage as described above and the other four served as controls. Blood samples were collected as above. All ewes were slaughtered at the end of the experiment and the thyroid glands were weighed and examined for macroscopical changes. Tissue samples were taken for immunohistochemistry and image analysis. Ewes exposed to red clover silage had significantly higher plasma concentrations of total T(3) and free T(3) than ewes fed hay. The cross-section area of thyroid follicles tended to be larger in ewes fed red clover silage than in the control animals. ER alpha immunoreactivity was stronger in thyroid glands from ewes exposed to phytoestrogens than in ewes fed hay. In conclusion, daily ingestion of 81-95 mg phytoestrogens per kg body weight for 14 days stimulated secretion of thyroid hormones and tended to increase follicle size and ER alpha immunoreactivity of thyroid glands of ovariectomized ewes.

Animals↗