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Biomedical subjects

G Blomquist

Publications and source records attributed to G Blomquist.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Mould exposure in museum personnel.

In the basement archives of a local arts and crafts museum where the books and bookkeeping registers were handled, a woman on the museum staff had had ten attacks of fever, chill, nausea and cough during one year. The symptoms appeared at the end of the working day and disappeared after one to three days at home. No symptoms could be detected during the summer holidays. The books stored in the basement archives had earlier been stored in a small house with a leaky roof, which had led to the growth of mould on the books. When the books were handled at the museum, they were still covered with mould. The exposure measurements showed 10(6) CFU/m3 and a total of 10(8) microorganisms/m3.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1986

A utility maximization model of driver traffic safety behavior.

A simple utility maximization model is presented to illustrate that risk compensation is a natural part of human behavior when individuals pursue multiple goals with limited resources. In this positive economic model driver safety effort is determined by a balance between reduced risk and increased disutility cost. Changes which affect the balance induce drivers to change their own safety efforts. Under plausible conditions a change in exogenous safety, which is beyond driver control, causes a compensatory change in driver effort in the opposite direction. A sample of special seat belt use studies illustratively indicates the usefulness of the model.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1986

Collection of airborne micro-organisms on Nuclepore filters, estimation and analysis--CAMNEA method.

The total number of airborne micro-organisms collected on Nuclepore filters was determined by acridine orange staining and epifluorescence microscopy. The viable fraction of the total numbers varied significantly when actinomycete and fungal spores from different environments were stored on the filter surface for 1 week, although the microflora composition was not altered. A high correlation between viable and total counts was noted in environments where the airborne flora was dominated by fungal spores, while a low correlation was found for airborne bacteria. Peak values of the total counts registered in some work environments varied between 10(7) and 10(11) micro-organisms/m3. Size analysis showed a dominating fraction of respirable micro-organisms (aerodynamical diameter less than 5 micron). The investigation shows that it is of the utmost importance to combine viable counts with total count enumeration in the study of exposure to micro-organisms in work-related situations.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1984

Improved techniques for sampling airborne fungal particles in highly contaminated environments.

Nuclepore filters (polycarbonate) were compared with a slit sampler for the collection of airborne fungi particles. To enable high spore-concentration sampling, the slit sampler method was modified by the use of collection gels consisting of agar or glycerol/gelatin. The exposed gels were homogenized (agar) or melted (glycerol/gelatin), diluted, and spread on cultivation media. No significant difference was found between the Nuclepore filter method and the slit sampler method when glycerol/gelatin gels were used in the interval 10(3)-10(8) colony-forming units (cfu) per cubic meter. The lower trapping efficiency with agar gel was probably caused by water evaporating from the medium. The efficiency of a personal cascade impactor (Sierra) was compared with that of the Nuclepore filter method. The collection media used in the personal cascade impactor was modified for the determination of colony-forming units by moistening the collection filters with glycerol. The exposed filters were extracted with sterile water, and the suspension was diluted and spread on cultivation media. In trapping efficiency, the personal cascade impactor was similar to the Nuclepore filter method. The cut point of the personal cascade impactor showed high conformity with that of an Andersen sampler.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1984

Sampling of high concentrations of airborne fungi.

The paper discusses a method developed for determining airborne fungi particles in environments highly contaminated with mold fungi. The collection of airborne fungi was performed with two slit samplers. These sampling devices were found to give the highest values out of the three different types tested simultaneously. After spores had been collected with the slit samplers, the collection medium, an agar gel, was removed from the petri dishes and homogenized in a sterile 0.9% sodium chloride solution. The homogenate was diluted stepwise and spread on agar plates prior to the cultivation and the determination of viable counts. When the homogenization procedure was tested on samples collected from three different work environments, no increase or decrease in the number of colony-forming units could be detected. Storage of the homogenate at 2 degrees C over 9 d did not increase the number of viable fungal colonies.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1983

Sampling and analysis of hexavalent chromium during exposure to chromic acid mist and welding fumes.

Sampling and analysis of hexavalent chromium during exposure to chromic acid mist and welding fumes. Scand j work environ & health 9 (1983) 489-495. In view of the serious health effects of hexavalent chromium, the problems involved in its sampling and analysis in workroom air have been the subject of much concern. In this paper, the stability problems arising from the reduction of hexavalent to trivalent chromium during sampling, sample storage, and analysis are discussed. Replacement of sulfuric acid by a sodium acetate buffer (pH 4) as a leaching solution prior to analysis with the diphenylcarbazide (DPC) method is suggested and is demonstrated to be necessary in order to avoid reduction. Field samples were taken from two different industrial processes-manual metal arc welding on stainless steel without shield gas and chromium plating. A comparison was made of the DPC method, acidic dissolution with atomic absorption spectrophotometric (AAS) analysis, and the carbonate method. For chromic acid mist, the DPC method and AAS analysis were shown to give the same results. In the analysis of welding fumes, the modified DPC method gave the same results as the laborious and less sensitive carbonate method.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1983

[Expression of the traits characterizing the cell surface in hybrids of malignant and nonmalignant cells].

Hybrids between non-malignant mouse 3T3 cells and highly malignant rat JF1 cells were selected in semisolid agar medium without asparagine: 3T3 cells do not grow in agar; JF1 cells required asparagine for their growth. Some surface properties: agglutination by Con A, saturation density, electrophoretic mobility and behaviour in the two-phase aqueous polymer system dextran-polyethylenglycol, -have been studied in the parental cells and in two their hybrids (H9-1 and H9-2). JF1 cells differ from 3T3 cells in their behaviour in two phase polymer system by lower electrophoretic mobility, by higher agglutinability with Con A and higher saturation density. H9-1 and H9-2 hybrids behave in two phase polymer system similar to 3T3 cells, they have low saturation density, intermediate electrophoretic mobility and intermediate agglutinability by Con A. These results indicate that in hybrids between non-malignant 3T3 cells and malignant JF1 cells selected under conditions (semisolid agar) favorite for the growth of oncogenic cells, surface properties of malignant parents are not dominated. Both hybrids are phenotypically similar with drastic genetical difference. By means of C-banding it has been shown that H9-2 hybrid contain approximately one 3T3 and one JF1 genome; H9-1 hybrid contains two JF1 genomes and about 15% of 3T3 genome.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Use of hypertension and electroencephalographic monitoring during carotid endarterectomy.

Intraoperative hypertension and continuous electroencephalographic (eeg) monitoring were used during 42 carotid endarterectomies performed on 37 patients from 1970 to 1978. Computer spectral analysis of a majority of the electroencephalograms was also performed. Under supplemented nitrous oxide general anesthesia, elevation of the mean arterial blood pressure to 20% above the individual's preoperative mean blood pressure resulted in reversal to normal of an ischemic EEG pattern in 19% of the patients. The authors discuss the benefit of this technique. they present guidelines for patient selection and analyse the data to help the surgeon decide whether to use shunt during carotid endarterectomy.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Classification of fungi by means of pyrolysis-gas chromatography-pattern recognition.

Repetitive samples of three strains of the mould Penicillium were subjected to pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC). From the chromatograms, 26 peak heights were used in a subsequent SIMCA pattern recognition analysis. This data analysis gives a marked improvement in the classification of the samples (100% correct, 85% unique) in comparison with the traditional analysis based on the average chromatogram of each class (92% correct, 45% unique). The data analytical method is described in detail using the Py-GC data as an illustration.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1976

Cross partition and determination of net charge of the isoenzymes of enolase.

Enolase from bakers' yeast was separated into three isoenzymes by countercurrent distribution. The isoenzymes were partitioned in aqueous polymer two-phase systems containing positively charged trimethylamino poly(ethylene glycol) or negatively charged poly(ethylene glycol) sulphonate. The plots of the partition coefficient of each isoenzyme versus pH in the two biphasic systems intersect at pH equal to the isoelectric point. From slopes of the plots, the net charge of the isoenzymes at pH 6.57 was determined to be +2, -3, and -8 respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

A study of DNA from chloroplasts separated by counter-current distribution.

Three types of chloroplasts (Peak I, Peak II, and Peak III chloroplasts) isolated by counter-current distribution in aqueous polymer two-phase systems have been studied with respect to DNA content. (The characterization was performed by studying the buoyant density, the melting profile and the amount of DNA of each type). The DNA was found to differ between the three types of chloroplasts.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗