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Biomedical subjects

H Permin

Publications and source records attributed to H Permin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Rheumatic disease, heavy-metal pigments, and the Great Masters.

The painters Rubens, Renoir, and Dufy suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and Klee from scleroderma. Analysis of the areas of various colours in randomly selected paintings by these four artists and by eight "controls" (contemporary painters without rheumatic disease) suggests that Rubens, Renoir, Dufy, and Klee used significantly more bright and clear colours based on toxic heavy metals and fewer earth colours containing harmless iron and carbon compounds. These four painters may have been heavily exposed to mercury sulphide, cadmium sulphide, arsenic sulphide, lead, antimony, tin, cobalt, manganese, and chromium, the metals of the bright and clear colours, and exposure to these metals may be of importance in the development of inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Artists today are not so exposed, but heavy metal contamination in food and drinking water exists and experience from the occupational exposure of old masters is still relevant.

Art↗
PubMed1988

Myelopathy in AIDS. A clinical and electrophysiological study of 23 Danish patients.

In a cross-sectional population study of Danish patients with AIDS 16 of 23 had clinical signs of neurological disease with muscle weakness or ataxia of the lower limbs as the dominant manifestation. Tibial and median nerve conduction was mildly slowed in a few patients and 15 had widening of cerebral ventricles at CT. However, all had prolonged latency of cortical evoked response following tibial nerve stimulation mainly due to slowing through the spinal cord. The prolongation of the latency of the evoked cortical responses was most pronounced in patients with lower limb ataxia and/or paresis. It is concluded that affection of the long tracts of the spinal cord are closely associated with the human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

BK virus infection in patients with AIDS.

Antibodies to the human papovavirus BK (BKV) were determined in a group of 25 homo- and bisexual males with AIDS, 24 men with AIDS-related complex (ARC) and 18 healthy male homosexual controls from Copenhagen. The AIDS patients had a significantly lower prevalence and level of anti-BKV antibodies tested by IgG-ELISA, hemagglutination inhibition and neutralization tests than the ARC patients. About half of the anti-BKV antibody positive AIDS patients demonstrated primary infections or reactivations but without specific IgM production. The titers were low compared to primary infections in children. At least 2 of the patients lost their serological markers in the late phase of the disease. It is therefore possible that the low prevalence of BKV infection in AIDS patients is caused by loss of serological markers even if the level of total IgG is normal or increased.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1988

Circulating IgM rheumatoid factors in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

The importance of circulating rheumatoid factors (RF) in primary Sjögren's syndrome (primary SS) was evaluated retrospectively by examining medical case records of 80 consecutive patients. Increased levels of IgM RF, determined by the Waaler test, the latex fixation test and/or the ELISA test, were found in 47 patients (59%). Follow-up examination of the 41 patients in whom more than one (mean 4.9 (2-12)) RF determination over at least a two-year period (mean 5.6 (2-13) was present, showed that 12/41 patients (29%) were permanently RF-negative, 7/41 (17%) exhibited both positive and negative RF values and 22/41 (54%) were permanently RF positive. Variations in IgM RF levels were unrelated to disease duration. Except for involvement of joints, extraglandular manifestations were more common in patients with increased levels of RF. This finding, however, was only significant within the group of more rarely occurring extraglandular manifestations (serositis, interstitial nephritis, cutaneous vasculitis, lymphoproliferative disorders and intermittent fever) (p less than 0.01). IgM RF levels were likewise positively correlated (p less than 0.001) to positivity of IgG antinuclear antibodies as well as to the plasma concentrations of immunoglobulins.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Histamine release from basophil leukocytes induced by microbial antigen preparations in patients with AIDS.

Type I allergy against some common microorganisms was investigated in 14 patients with AIDS and 11 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody-positive homosexual men, and in a control group consisting of 13 heterosexual men without HIV antibodies. Basophil histamine release technique was used as a sensitive method to detect type I allergy against Candida albicans (CA), Herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-I) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Of the 14 AIDS patients 11 (78%) showed significant histamine release when stimulated with CA, and HSV-I caused release in 10 (71%), whereas no response was obtained by CMV. In the group of HIV antibody-positive men only one released histamine when stimulated with CA and HSV-I and this patient also had lymphadenopathia. In contrast to these results, no release of histamine was obtained in the control group consisting of 13 heterosexual men. The histamine release caused by CA and HSV-I is mediated by an immunological reaction, since the release was abolished and regained by removal from and refixation to the cell surface of the cell-bound immunoglobulins. These results suggest an involvement of type I allergy as a pathogenetic co-factor in some infections in AIDS, and allergic type I reactions to CA and HSV-I might be an indicator for the presence of manifest AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Screening for complement deficiencies in unselected patients with meningitis.

Two hundred and nine patients consecutively admitted to hospital with a tentative diagnosis of meningitis were screened for complement deficiency by measuring classical and alternative pathway serum haemolytic complement activity and the plasma concentration of C3d. Abnormal test results were followed up by quantitative immunochemical measurements of individual complement components. No patients with homozygous complement deficiency were found in our material. One patient with pneumococcal meningitis with probable heterozygous C2-deficiency was identified. Patients with purulent meningitis of various etiologies or meningococcal disease had significantly increased plasma C3d concentration at admission compared to patients with serous meningitis or without meningitis. Furthermore, increased plasma level of C3d at admission in patients with purulent meningitis or meningococcal disease was associated with an increased lethality. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that complement deficiency is commonly associated with sporadically occurring meningococcal disease or purulent meningitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Endotoxins release histamine by complement activation and potentiate bacteria-induced histamine release.

The histamine-releasing capability of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was examined in human leukocyte suspensions. LPS alone did not release histamine, but it was found to enhance the histamine release caused by bacteria in basophils from persons sensitized to these bacteria. In the presence of serum, LPS was able to release histamine through complement activation. It is speculated that endotoxins reinforce release of histamine caused by bacteria in persons sensitized to these microorganisms, and a direct mediator release via complement activation might play a role in septic conditions.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1986

Influence of bacterial endotoxins on basophil histamine release. Potentiation of antigen- and bacteria-induced histamine release.

The histamine-releasing capability of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was examined in human leukocyte suspensions. LPS alone did not release histamine, but was found to enhance the histamine release caused by anti-IgE. Also the IgE-mediated histamine release caused by specific antigens (allergens or bacteria) in sensitized individuals was enhanced by LPS. The potentiating effect of LPS was observed in grass pollen and dog dander allergic patients as well as in patients sensitized to E. coli or Staph. aureus bacteria. No potentiation was obtained by exposure to unspecific allergens or bacteria to which the persons were not sensitized. Bacteria can release histamine by immunological or nonimmunological mechanisms, and only the immunological histamine release was found to be potentiated by LPS. It is speculated that endotoxins reinforce release of histamine caused by allergens in allergic patients or by bacteria in persons sensitized to these microorganisms.

Allergens↗
PubMed1986

Opsonic activity of serum in the acute phase of meningitis.

The present study was designed to determine the opsonic activity of serum obtained from meningitis patients in the acute stage of their illness. This study was part of a Danish multicentre prospective study on various aspects of meningitis for a 12-month period. The opsonic activity of serum was determined by a phagocytosis and a chemiluminescence assay using human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The mean chemiluminescence and phagocytosis indices determined in the sera of 58 patients suffering from various forms of bacterial or non-bacterial meningitis did not differ significantly from that of control sera. Although sera of 4 patients with pneumococcal, 3 with meningococcal, and 1 with streptococcal meningitis exhibited lower opsonic activity than the control sera in the chemiluminescence assay, their values in the phagocytosis assay were similar to control value. It is concluded that serum opsonic activity in meningitis patients is normal and similar to that of healthy individuals.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

Immunohistological skin investigations in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Twenty-one male patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), 6 male patients with AIDS-related complex (ARC) and 23 controls' had a punch biopsy taken from clinically unaffected skin of the buttock. Vertical skin sections were examined by immunofluorescence for in vivo deposits of immunoglobulins (Ig) and other plasma proteins, as well as for morphology and distribution of Langerhans cells (LC). Deposits of IgM in the dermo-epidermal junction zone (DEJ) were found in one patient with ARC. Apart from this single finding, no in vivo deposits of IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, IgE, complement C1q and C3, fibrinogen or albumin were demonstrated in epidermis, DEJ or dermal vessel walls, either in patients or in controls. Epidermal LC were more superficially situated in patients as compared to controls. No differences in number and localisation of dermal LC were seen. We concluded that it was not possible to confirm a recent report of in vivo Ig deposits in the epidermis of patients with AIDS. The abnormalities observed in epidermal LC should be interpreted together with the recent finding of reduced numbers of epidermal LC; they thus support the hypothesis that LC are involved in the pathological processes in AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Serum amyloid protein A (SAA): an indicator of inflammation in AIDS and AIDS-related complex (ARC).

The acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in a group of 30 homo- and bisexual males with AIDS, 31 males with AIDS-related complex (ARC) and 23 healthy male homosexual controls (HC) in Copenhagen. The mean values of SAA and CRP were significantly higher in the AIDS group compared to the two other groups. SAA was elevated also in the ARC group, whereas the mean CRP value was normal. No increase in SAA and CRP was found in the HC group. The AIDS patients with Pneumocystis carinii infections had the highest SAA values, those with Kaposi's sarcoma the lowest. The elevations in SAA and CRP preceded episodes of acute opportunistic infections often by several days before the infectious agents were identified. We conclude that patients with AIDS are able to establish an acute phase response as reflected by elevated SAA and CRP, and that measurement of these proteins may be of diagnostic and prognostic value.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1986

Circulating immune complexes, insulin antibodies, and deposits of immunoglobulins in the skin in diabetes.

Sixty-five insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients at the Steno-Memorial Hospital entered the present study. Of these, 43.1 percent had one or more late diabetic complication, 19.3 percent had circulating immune complexes (CIC)--there was a tendency for CIC to be related to late diabetic complications (P = 0.1) - and 16.9 percent had elevated total S-IgG. Elevated S-IgG values were related neither to CIC, to complications, nor to IgG deposits in the skin. Three patients had elevated total S-IgM, IgD and, IgE, respectively. No patients had elevated total S-IgA. Insulin antibodies were present in 41.9 percent. They were related to neither CIC nor clinical complications. No patients had rheumatoid factors (RF) or granulocyte-specific antinuclear antibodies (ANA). 12.3 percent had a low titre of organ non-specific ANA. No relationship could be established between ANA and complications or CIC. As regards skin deposits IgG was present at the dermo-epidermal junction zone (DEJ) and/or in the dermal vessels in 75.4 percent of the patients; IgA was present in 35.4 percent; and IgM in 32.3 percent. IgD and IgE were absent in all patients. Fibrinogen deposits were found in 80 percent and complement C3 in 32.3 percent. No correlation was found between skin deposits and CIC, on one hand, or clinical complications, on the other. From the present work, we conclude that humorally mediated immunological processes are active in IDDM. However, the exact role of this activity still remains to be defined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

High prevalence of anti-mitochondrial antibodies among patients with some well-defined connective tissue diseases.

A sensitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for determination of low levels of anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) has been developed. With this method, sera from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and patients with different connective tissue diseases were investigated. Ninety percent of PBC sera were found to harbour high levels of AMA and a high proportion of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but also other patients with connective tissue diseases were found to have low affinity or low concentrations of AMA in their sera. AMA positive sera were further investigated with sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting technique. PBC showed reactivity to 70, 50 and 45 kD mitochondrial polypeptides. SLE sera showed reactivity to 70 and 45 kD polypeptides and furthermore to a 65 kD polypeptide. Many of the AMA positive sera from patients with connective tissue diseases reacted to a 65 kD polypeptide.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1985

Autoantibodies against neutrophils and monocytes: tool for diagnosis and marker of disease activity in Wegener's granulomatosis.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies against extranuclear components of polymorphonuclear granulocytes were detected in 25 of 27 serum samples from patients with active Wegener's granulomatosis and in only 4 of 32 samples from patients without signs of disease activity. In a prospective study of 19 patients these antibodies proved to be better markers of disease activity than several other laboratory measurements used previously. The autoantibodies were disease specific and the titres were related to the results of an in-vitro granulocyte phagocytosis test, in which 7S IgG antibodies were internalised after specific binding to the cell, resulting in gradual formation of ring-like cytoplasmic structures. This autoantibody may have a pathogenetic role in Wegener's granulomatosis. The detection of this antibody is valuable for diagnosis and estimation of disease activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Clinical and immunological aspects of a case of monoclonal hyper-IgE. Isolation of IgE-protein, estimation of basophil cell bound IgE and histamine release.

A case of monoclonal IgE type lambda with IgE levels about 1 mg/ml has been followed for 6 years. Except for a slight asthma no signs of malignancies, parasitic infestations or other known diseases compatible with hyper-IgE have been found. By the combination of fractional ammonium sulphate precipitation, gel filtration, chromatofocusing, and subtraction affinity chromatography the IgE protein was isolated in an immunochemically pure and homogeneous form. Immunofluorescence of bone marrow cells showed about 1% IgE plasma cells. The amount of basophil bound IgE was 42 ng/10(6) cells, and histamine release from basophils challenged with anti-IgE was not different from that in atopic control persons, indicating a within-allergic-patients normal amount of IgE receptors. The protein-A reactivity was 0.4% equivalent to well-known IgE myeloma proteins. No antigen specificity of the IgE protein was found. Only a few cases of asymptomatic hyper-IgE are known, and it cannot be ruled out that this represents a premyeloma condition, since a similar case terminated in a malignant lymphoma.

Aged↗