Biomedical subjects

G Lindh

Publications and source records attributed to G Lindh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Alterations of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and TGFbeta receptor expressions with progression in Dunning rat prostatic adenocarcinoma sublines.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) inhibits epithelial cell proliferation in the normal prostate. Prostate tumours express high levels of TGF-beta1, and seem to acquire resistance to its anti-proliferative effects with tumour progression. In this study, TGFbeta variations with tumour progression were examined in the Dunning prostatic adenocarcinoma model. Expression of TGF-beta1 and TGFbeta receptor type I and type II (TGFbeta-RI and TGFbeta-RII) in rat dorsolateral prostate (DLP) and Dunning tumour sublines (PAP, AT-1, AT-2, AT-3 and MatLyLu) was examined in vitro and in vivo, using competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Northern and Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. All tumours expressed elevated levels of TGF-beta1 and TGFbeta-RI mRNA, when compared with the DLP (P < or = 0.05). All tumours except MatLyLu also expressed elevated levels of TGFbeta-RII mRNA (P < or = 0.05). Interestingly, TGFbeta-RII protein levels were very low in the highly metastatic AT-3 and MatLyLu tumours in vivo, when compared with levels in the PAP, AT-1, and AT-2 tumours. This difference was not detected for the AT-1, AT-2, and AT-3 cells in vitro. Immunostaining of TGF-beta1, TGFbeta-RI, and TGFbeta-RII was localised principally in normal and tumour epithelial cells, and occasionally in smooth muscle cells. In conclusion, high expression of TGF-beta1 and TGFbeta-RI and low expression of TGFbeta-RII may contribute to tumour progression and metastasis in the Dunning prostatic adenocarcinoma model.

Activin Receptors, Type I↗

PubMed1999

Chronic fatigue syndrome and nickel allergy.

50 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and 73 controls were patch tested with 8 metal allergens. We found an overrepresentation of allergies among the CFS patients, which was not significant. However, allergy to nickel occurred in 36% of patients in the CFS group and in 19% of subjects in the control group (p<0.05). The high frequency of nickel allergy was more noteworthy in females in the CFS group than among female controls (52% and 24%, respectively, p<0.05). Similarly, in the males the figures were 14% and 9%. We suggest that in vivo immunoactivation by ions of nickel, or metal cross-reacting with nickel, could be an etiological factor in CFS.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Absence of evidence of Borna disease virus infection in Swedish patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is characterized by debilitating fatigue, somatic symptoms and cognitive impairment. An infectious basis has been proposed; candidate agents include enteroviruses, herpesviruses, retroviruses and Borna disease virus (BDV), a novel neurotropic virus associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Swedish CFS patients were assayed for evidence of infection using ELISA and Western immunoblot for detection of antibodies to BDV proteins N, P and gp18; and using nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of BDV N- and P-gene transcripts. No specific immunoreactivity to BDV proteins was found in sera from 169 patients or 62 controls. No BDV N- or P-gene transcripts were found through RT-PCR analysis of PBMC from 18 patients with severe CFS. These results do not support a role for BDV in pathogenesis of CFS.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

GBV-C/HGV infection in hepatitis C virus-infected deferred Swedish blood donors.

Sera from 62 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected Swedish blood donors were tested by a nested polymerase chain reaction using primers targeting the 5'-noncoding region of the GB virus-C/hepatitis G (GBV-C/HGV) genome and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects antibodies to the envelope protein E2 of GBV-C/HGV (anti-E2). Fourteen (22%) and 21 (34%) of the 62 blood donors were found to be GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-E2 positive, respectively. None of the blood donors was positive for both GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-E2. Thus, 35 of 62 (56%) HCV-infected donors had been exposed to GBV-C/HGV infection. At sequencing of the 14 GBV-C/HGV isolates, 12 were identified as subtype 2a and 2 as subtype 2b. One of 7 (14%) donors with mild liver disease such as steatosis and nonspecific reactive hepatitis had been exposed to GBV-C/HGV vs. 34 of 55 (62%) with chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis (P = 0.04). All other differences in histology were small between HCV and dual HCV GBV-C/HGV-infected donors. In conclusion, more than half of HCV-infected Swedish blood donors in this study were positive for either GBV-C/HGV RNA or anti-E2. GBV-C/HGV viremia and seropositivity were mutually exclusive.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Chronic fatigue syndrome differs from fibromyalgia. No evidence for elevated substance P levels in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Levels of substance P were determined in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 15 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). All values were within normal range. This is in contrast to fibromyalgia (FM). The majority of patients with FM have increased substance P values in the CSF. The results support the notion that FM and CFS are different disorders in spite of overlapping symptomatology.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Low levels of serum acylcarnitine in chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic hepatitis type C, but not seen in other diseases.

Recently, we found a serum acylcarnitine (ACR) deficiency in Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). To clarify whether this ACR abnormality is a characteristic of CFS or not, we also studied the levels of serum carnitine in Swedish subjects. Both serum ACR and free carnitine (FCR) levels in normal healthy subjects were quite different between Japanese (n=131) and Swedish people (n=46) (p<0.001). However, it is confirmed that Swedish patients with CFS (n=57) also had serum ACR deficiency (p<0.001). When we studied the levels of serum ACR and FCR in Japanese patients with various kinds of diseases (CFS, hematological malignancies, chronic pancreatitis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic hepatitis type C, psychiatric diseases), a significant decrease in the levels of serum ACR was only found in patients with CFS and chronic hepatitis type C (p<0.001). Therefore, we concluded that ACR deficiency in serum might be a characteristic abnormality in only certain types of diseases.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1996

Utility of an anonymous questionnaire for the identification of a primary transmission route and possible secondary transmission in adults with acute hepatitis B virus infection.

By letting adults with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection answer an anonymous questionnaire covering risks associated with the acquisition and further transmission of HBV infection, we found that a likely relevant transmission route could be identified in most patients. Despite being informed of the diagnosis, 50% of the patients exposed others via sexual contact during their contagious period.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

A 10-year follow-up study of tick-borne encephalitis in the Stockholm area and a review of the literature: need for a vaccination strategy.

143 people treated for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) were included in a retrospective follow-up study. Sequelae and epidemiological characteristics in 114 individuals were analysed. The case fatality rate and the prevalence of residual paresis were low, 1.4 and 2.7%, respectively. However, 40 (35.7%) individuals were found to have a postencephalitic syndrome after a median follow-up time of 47 months, and a majority (77.5%) of these were classified as moderate to severe. Various mental disorders, balance and co-ordination disorders and headache were the most frequently reported symptoms. Increasing age was correlated to a longer duration of hospital stay, longer convalescence and increased risk of permanent sequelae. Results from a neuropsychiatric questionnaire showed marked differences between the subjects with sequelae compared to controls. 57% had noticed a tick bite before admission, and 48% were aware of at least one person in their environment who previously had contracted TBE. 79% were permanent residents or visited endemic areas often and regularly. In conclusion, we have found that TBE in the Stockholm area has a low case fatality rate, but gives rise to a considerable number of different neurological and mental sequelae, which justifies vaccination of a defined risk population in endemic areas.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

No findings of enteroviruses in Swedish patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Enteroviruses have been proposed to cause an immune complex disease in the chronic fatigue syndrome. Altogether 34 patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome, according to criteria of the Centers for Disease Control, USA, were studied evenly over the seasons for the possible presence of a chronic enterovirus infection. In 11 patients, 1-5 faecal samples were collected at about 6 month intervals for virus isolation before and after acid treatment, followed by ultracetrifugation at pH 3 to dissolve possible enterovirus-antibody complexes. Another 14 fecal samples were subjected to routine virus isolation alone. Seven pairs of serum-cerebrospinal fluid samples were analysed for cross-reactive IgG antibody activity to enteroviruses. In 29 patients a muscle biopsy was collected for enterovirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We were unable to identify enteroviruses in any of these samples by any of these techniques. Our study does not confirm evidence for persistent enterovirus infection in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Acids↗

PubMed1996

Vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus infection.

Vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was studied in 58 infants of 55 mothers (3 sets of twins). HCV RNA analyses by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were performed on consecutive blood samples from birth to 18 months of age (0, 3, 9 and 18 months). Data on factors possibly influencing mother-to-infant transmission of HCV, such as concomitant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus infection during pregnancy, maternal HCV RNA status at delivery, mode of delivery, prematurity and breastfeeding habits were collected. In addition, 6 older siblings (age 4-10 years) of the infants were tested once for anti-HCV. Of the 55 mothers 52 (95%) had a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU). Two mothers were HIV positive. 40/54 (75%) tested mothers were HCV RNA positive. 16 (27%) infants were delivered by Caesarean section, and 50 (86%) infants were breastfed. All infants were HCV RNA negative on all occasions and anti-HCV negative at the age of 18 months. Maternally acquired anti-HCV antibodies disappeared and were not detected by 9 months in 78%. One of the 6 older siblings was anti-HCV and HCV RNA positive. We conclude that the risk of vertical HCV transmission is low in infants of HCV-positive/HIV-negative mothers, and that breastfeeding seems to be safe in this group.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Smoking, plasma antioxidants and essential fatty acids before and after nutratherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of smoking on plasma antioxidants with and without antioxidant vitamin nutratherapy. DESIGN: Chronic smokers (n = 10, 16 +/- 4 cigarettes a day) and nonsmokers (n = 17) of both sexes were recruited from patients with arthritis-like symptoms. After baseline studies of plasma antioxidant vitamins Q (ubiquinone) and E (alpha-tocopherol) and essential fatty acids (EFA, vitamin F), three months' nutratherapy with vitamins Q (90 mg) and E (350 mg) was administered and plasma reanalyzed. RESULTS: No sex differences were seen in smoking habits or plasma nutrients. Smokers had normal Q (0.71 +/- 0.07 mg/L) but depressed E (9.4 +/- 0.6 mg/L, P < 0.01). EFA were the same in both groups. Nutratherapy increased Q by about 90% in both groups and E by 47% in smokers and 101% in nonsmokers (P < 0.01). In nonsmokers, nutratherapy protected omega-3 fatty acids (vitamin F1)-plasma docosahexaenoic acid increased by 39%. The vitamin F index (omega-6:omega-3, ratio) remained unchanged in the smokers but decreased in the nonsmokers and became related to the individual plasma vitamin Q but not to vitamin E. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference between smokers and nonsmokers before nutratherapy. Nonsmokers may have suffered from passive smoking. After nutratherapy the quantitatively most important antioxidant, ie, vitamin E, increased more in nonsmokers than in smokers. This resulted in less vitamin F1 peroxidation. Nutratherapy cannot overcome disadvantages associated with smoking. Nonsmokers might achieve an antioxidant protection with nutratherapy, which could mean a possible reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Efficacy of human leucocyte alpha-interferon treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

A total of 42 Swedish patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were treated with a natural human leucocyte alpha-interferon (HuIFN-alpha-Le), Alfanative (BioNative AB, Umeå, Sweden) in an open uncontrolled study. Two patients were withdrawn from treatment within 2 weeks due to non-compliance and were omitted from further analysis, and 40 patients (17 females), mean age 39 years (range 24-71) completed the study. All patients were HCV RNA-positive in serum prior to treatment, with raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels > 1.5 times the upper normal limit known for more than 6 months. Interferon was given at a dose of 3 MU t.i.w. for an intended 24 weeks and follow-up was a further 24 weeks after treatment. Biochemical non-responders were withdrawn from treatment within 12-16 weeks but continued follow-up. Overall 21/40 (52.5%) patients had a complete biochemical response with normal ALT levels at the end of treatment. Sustained response during follow-up was seen in 8 (20%) whereas 13 (32.5%) had a non-sustained response. At the end of treatment 23 (58%) patients had undetectable serum HCV RNA and 9 (23%) at follow-up. Patients with sustained, non-sustained and non-response had a mean pretreatment HCV RNA level of 3.2 x 10(5), 2.5 x 10(6) and 3.2 x 10(6) genomes/ml, respectively, differences that did not reach statistical significance. Of the patients 3, 9, 10 and 14 had genotype 1b, 3a, 1a, and 2b, respectively, and 4 had mixed genotypes. Of the 23 patients with genotype 2b or 3a, 7 had a sustained response vs. none of the 13 patients with genotype 1a or 1b (p = 0.03). No patients with cirrhosis had a sustained response whereas 4/18 with chronic persistent and 4/18 with chronic active hepatitis had such a response. It is concluded that some 50% of patients treated with HuIFN-alpha-Le responded with normalisation of ALT levels but that only 20% had a durable response 24 weeks post-treatment, and that patients with genotypes 3a or 2b seem to respond better than patients with other genotypes.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Efficacy of human leucocyte alpha-interferon treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA by PCR related to HCV antibodies in serum and liver histology in Swedish blood donors.

Serum samples from 103 blood donors or patients with slightly increased serum levels of liver enzymes were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) using second generation tests and for HCV RNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR was in a nested configuration, using primer pairs from the 5'-nontranslated region. The anti-HCV antibody was found by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 93 patients. The anti-HCV confirmatory second generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) was positive in 44, indeterminate in 34 and negative in 25 subjects. Histopathological examination of the liver was carried out in 51 subjects. HCV RNA was detected in serum of 39/41 (95%) RIBA positive patients, and in 7/34 (21%) RIBA indeterminate subjects, but in none of the RIBA negative subjects. All but one of the PCR positive patients with a RIBA indeterminate pattern exhibited the C22 band. HCV RNA was found in the serum of all but one patients with chronic active or persistent hepatitis, but also in one RIBA positive subject with normal liver tissue. These results imply that most patients with antibodies to two or more HCV antigens by RIBA will have a chronic replicative HCV infection associated with viraemia. HCV viraemia can also be present in some patients, who have antibodies to only one HCV antigen particularly the C22 epitope.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Second-generation hepatitis C Elisa antibody tests confirmed by the four-antigen recombinant immunoblot assay correlate well with hepatitis C viremia and chronic liver disease in Swedish blood donors.

Seventy-three Swedish blood donors (52 men, 21 women; median age 36 years) repeatedly reactive for hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV C-100-3) were tested with a second-generation (2nd-gen) anti-HCV Elisa and a 4-band recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA 2). These results were correlated to serum alanine aminotransferase (S-ALAT), liver morphology and viremia as detected by 'nested' polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on primers from a 5'-noncoding sequence of the HCV genome. Thirty-five of 46 (76%) donors with positive 2nd-gen Elisa tests confirmed by RIBA 2 were PCR positive whereof 27 had histological findings compatible with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) and 7 had chronic active hepatitis (CAH). Ten of 56 (18%) 2nd-gen Elisa-positive donors were RIBA 2 negative (or indeterminate) and none of these had chronic hepatitis nor were PCR positive. Seventeen of 73 (23%) donors were 1st-gen Elisa positive but 2nd-gen Elisa negative. All of these were PCR negative and only 1 (6%) had chronic hepatitis (CPH). An elevated S-ALAT level (reference < 0.7 mu kat/l) was found in 26 2nd-gen Elisa and RIBA 2-positive donors of which 18 had CPH and 7 had CAH and all 25 were PCR positive. A normal S-ALAT level was found in 9 of 34 (26%) donors with chronic hepatitis (all had CPH) and positive PCR. We have found that blood donors with positive 2nd-gen anti-HCV Elisa tests confirmed by RIBA-2 and especially with a concomitant elevated S-ALAT are highly likely to be viremic as demonstrated by PCR and to have chronic hepatitis.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

HBcAg induced T-cell independent anti-HBc production in chronic HBsAg carriers.

The capacity of the nucleocapsid protein of HBV to function as a T-cell independent antigen in man was studied. When T-cell depleted B-cell cultures were challenged with E coli-derived HBcAg, anti-HBc production was registered in culture supernatants from the majority of chronic HBsAg carriers in a quiescent stage of disease. In contrast, similarly prepared and stimulated cultures from donors with natural acquired immunity to hepatitis B or HB-susceptible controls were non-responsive. Addition of autologous T-cells effectively restored anti-HBc responsiveness in T-cell depleted B-cell cultures from HB-immune donors, demonstrating the T-cell dependency for anti-HBc induction in natural HBV-infection.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed1991

[More and more information about tick-borne encephalitis].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Encephalitis Viruses↗

PubMed1991

IgG subclasses in circulating immune complexes with hepatitis B e antigen in chronic hepatitis B.

IgG subclasses of antibodies to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe) complexed to HBeAg were determined in 126 HBsAg-positive sera. In the assay HBeAg complexes were bound to microtitre plates by monoclonal anti-HBe and indicated by biotinylated monoclonals to each of the four human IgG subclasses. To evaluate the specificity of the complexed IgG, serum dilutions were also tested for HBeAg and for subclasses of anti-HBe IgG. Two groups of sera were investigated: (i) 64 sera from 64 HBsAg carriers; and (ii) 62 sera from 13 HBeAg-positive patients, of whom five seroconverted to anti-HBe. At least four sera were available from each of these patients. Complexed anti-HBe IgG was detected in 22 of 30 HBeAg-positive, and in three of HBeAg-negative carrier sera. There was no significant association between presence of complexed anti-HBe and levels of HBeAg in these sera. Complexes with multiple subclass composition were found in 13 of the 25 sera with complexed anti-HBe. The most common IgG subclasses found complexed to HBeAg were IgG1 (75%) and IgG4 (67%). A significant association (P less than 0.05) was found between the presence of free and complexed anti-HBe IgG1 in the carrier sera, indicating that the IgG1 antibodies, complexed to HBeAg, were specific for HBeAg. In the five patients who seroconverted to anti-HBe, anti-HBe IgG1 was detected in the HBeAg-positive phase before seroconversion. In the eight patients with persistent HBeAg antigenemia, free anti-HBe IgG1 was detected in only two sera from two different patients. In one patient, complexed anti-HBe IgG1/IgG4 was detected in all serum samples drawn during a period of 111 months. In conclusion, complexed anti-HBe might be detected several years before apparent seroconversion to anti-HBe in conventional anti-HBe assays. In contrast 'free' anti-HBe IgG1, when detected in HBeAg-positive sera with our anti-HBe subclass assay, seemed to signal ensuing apparent seroconversion to anti-HBe.

Adult↗