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Biomedical subjects

J H Strømme

Publications and source records attributed to J H Strømme.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Effects of the prostaglandin E2 analogue enprostil on the carbon tetrachloride-induced necrosis of liver cells in mice.

Female mice, eight weeks old, were injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (10 mg subcutaneously). Groups of mice (n = 10-30) were then injected with enprostil (E) 2, 20 or 50 micrograms/kg body weight (bw) intraperitoneally 15 min and two h after, or E 100 micrograms/kg bw two h after the CCl4 injection. The mice were killed after 24, 48 or 72 h. Plasma activity concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) were determined in blood specimens from the iliac veins. The extent of liver cell necrosis in histological sections was recorded on a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and measured using the electronic Mini Mop method. In the group given the highest single dose of E (100 micrograms/kg) a significant lowering of the CCl4-induced liver cell necrosis was found after 24 h. No significant differences were found after 48 and 72 h. In the other groups injected with lower doses of E after CCl4, no significant differences were found compared to groups injected with CCl4 alone.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1992

Co-variation of alanine aminotransferase levels with relative weight in blood donors.

The association between alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and body mass, sex and age was examined in 6036 consecutively tested blood donors. ALAT, age and body mass were higher in male donors than in female donros. The non-normal ALAT distribution curve normalized after 1n transformation, which made statistical analysis of the data more feasible. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that ALAT was influenced by sex and relative weight, in that order, and very poorly by age. It is concluded that obesity is a major cause of raised ALAT in this predominantly healthy donor population.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Organophosphate poisoning].

Three cases of poisoning by organophosphate dimethoate are described and the importance of correct diagnosis and adequate treatment emphasized. Therapy consists of large doses of atropine, to counteract the muscarinic and other effects on the central nervous system, followed by a reactivator (e.g. toxogonin) to reverse muscle weakness (nicotinic effects).

Aged↗
PubMed1989

[Enzyme status in myocardial infarction].

Less than 50% of the patients sent to hospital with suspected acute myocardial infarction do in fact suffer from myocardial necrosis. Changes in serum-enzyme levels are important findings when diagnosing acute myocardial infarction. Blood sampling frequency and which enzymes to measure are crucial for obtaining maximum information. We have studied different enzyme-regimes for the purpose of diagnosing acute myocardial infarction quickly and reliably. It is also necessary to consider consumption of resources. In our study, myoglobin was the best early parameter. The efficiency was only 66%, however, and the specificity was low. We therefore conclude that reliable early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction based on serum-analyses is not yet possible. The best results were achieved using a strategy consisting of five blood samples (every eight hours during the first 24 hours and a final sample about 48 hours after hospitalisation). Changes in the activities of CK and LD in this period gave valuable information for the diagnosis, the size (measured as an increase in enzyme activity) of an eventual acute myocardial infarction, and the dynamic development of the disease. The sensitivity of the Nordic recommended regime, i.e. two samplings 10-20 hours after start of symptoms, was low (75%). The problem was estimating when the necrotic process had started.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗
PubMed1989

Ethanol elimination-rates determined by breath analysis as a marker of recent excessive ethanol consumption.

The rate of ethanol elimination was studied in two groups of men by means of an Alcotest 7010 breath analyser. The experimental group consisted of 15 skid-row alcoholics undergoing detoxification. Their median daily ethanol consumption was 211 (range 26-476) g pure ethanol during the last year. The control group was made up of 12 age-matched healthy social drinkers consuming 9 (range 4-23) g day-1 pure ethanol during the last year. The median ethanol elimination-rate in the elimination phase was 0.25 (range 0.13-0.31) g 1-1 h-1 during the detoxification period in the experimental group. This value was approximately 70% higher than in the control group (0.14(0.12-0.17) g 1-1 h-1). Some correlation was found between reported ethanol intake, and the calculated ethanol elimination-rate, as well as gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine amino transferase (ALAT), aspartate amino transferase (ASAT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and HDL-cholesterol. Of these measures, ethanol elimination-rate showed highest sensitivity and efficiency for detection of ethanol consumption above the limit of 50 g per day.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Beta-glucuronidase activity related to bacterial growth in common bile duct bile in gallstone patients.

Beta-glucuronidase activity in the bile may be of importance in the etiology of pigment gallstones. This enzyme is of hepatic or bacterial origin. We have described a method to measure the activity of bacterial beta-glucuronidase in human bile, using 4-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid as substrate. The method was used to measure the beta-glucuronidase activity in the bile from 51 patients with gallstone disease. This activity was related to the presence of beta-glucuronidase-producing bacteria in the bile. Escherichia coli, Bacteroides species, and Clostridium perfringens were the only species found to produce beta-glucuronidase. Patients with beta-glucuronidase-producing bacteria had on an average significantly higher enzyme activity in the bile than patients without such bacteria (p less than 0.01). The limitations of using artificial substrates in this type of studies are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Diagnostic efficiency of biological markers in blood serum on prostate cancer: a comparison of four different markers and 12 different methods.

Serum-acid phosphatase as measured by nine different methods, serum prostate-specific antigen, cancer antigen CA-50, and creatine kinase BB isoenzyme have been evaluated and compared with respect to efficiency in differentiating between prostate cancer and benign hyperplasia. The patient material consisted of 92 prostate cancer patients (59 untreated, and 33 previously treated), 106 patients with benign hyperplasia and 66 patients with non-prostatic urological diseases. The cancer group was classified according to the TNM-system, and also graded according to histopathological findings. The following main conclusions were drawn. Acid phosphatase activity, when measured with continuous monitoring procedure (substrate: alpha-naphthyl phosphate), showed on the average slightly, but statistically not significant higher diagnostic efficiency than when measured with conventional two-point discontinuous monitoring method (substrate: p-nitrophenyl phosphate). There was no or only marginal differences in diagnostic efficiency between activity measurements of the total acid phosphatase and the tartrate-labile fraction, and also between activity measurements and immunological measurements (PAP-RIA and PAP-IEA). Prostate-specific antigen was found to have statistically significant higher diagnostic efficiency than acid phosphatase, the former being positive in 17 of 25 patients with prostate cancer without distant metastases, and in six of 11 patients classified as T0-2 M0. Cancer antigen CA-50 and creatine kinase BB isoenzyme appeared to be of little diagnostic value. From a cost-effective point of view, total or tartrate-labile prostatic acid phosphatase activity, as measured by continuous monitoring technique with alpha-naphthyl phosphate as substrate, is suggested suitable as a first-choice parameter both for diagnostic and monitoring purposes with respect to prostate disease. Prostate-specific antigen may give additional information, and should be considered analysed on special request.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1985

SCE Nordic alpha-amylase method selection and calibration study. A report by the Committee of Enzymes of the Scandinavian Society for Clinical Chemistry (SCE).

Seventy-six Nordic routine laboratories participated in a joint SCE-NORDKEM study comprising evaluation, selection, and temporary calibration of amylase methods. Human control materials with known fractions of salivary and pancreatic amylase were determined by seven routine amylase assays based on substrates with glucosyl (G) chain lengths G4, G5, G5-6, G7, G9, amylopectin and blue starch polymer (Phadebas). The data were plotted before and after calibration of each method using a human pancreatic calibrator with an assigned value of 390 U/l (37 degrees C, Phadebas). the study led to three conclusions: The analytical overestimation of salivary to pancreatic amylase ratio (S:P) increased with decreasing number of glucosyl units in the substrates. Relative to the S:P value of blue starch polymer (set at 1.00), for example, tetraose mean S:P value was 1.55. The hydrolysis rates relative to that with blue starch polymer decreased with the number of glucosyl units in the substrates. The precalibration values of all methods spread over an approximately six-fold range. Post-calibration values of all methods, except tetraose, showed an acceptable inter-laboratory comparability. The CV values for low, medium, and high controls were about 5.5, and 6% respectively. As a temporary solution to the current problem of diverse amylase assays, the SCE suggests calibration of the methods considered acceptable in this study. The long-term effects will be evaluated in a follow-up study within a year.

Calibration↗
PubMed1985

Heparin interference in the measurement of gamma-glutamyltransferase activity with the Scandinavian and the IFCC recommended method.

Heparin in heparinized plasma, and when added to serum, is shown to interfere markedly in the assay of gamma-glutamyltransferase when using the method recommended by both the Scandinavian Society for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Physiology, and the Expert Panel on Enzymes of IFCC. The effect is also revealed as an apparent sample blank reaction (donor substrate omitted). It decreases as the time of first reading is increased, and it can be reduced or nearly abolished by addition of extra NaCl (increasing the ionic strength). Evidence is presented suggesting that this photometric interference is caused by turbidity due to complex formation between heparin and various plasma proteins. Fibrinogen appears to be one of the main proteins involved. It is concluded that in general care should be taken when using heparinized plasma in enzyme assays, and that heparin should only be used when specific testing has ruled out photometric interference.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMed1985

Macroamylase immunoglobulins show high affinity for animal and human amylases.

We have examined the affinity shown by the immunoglobulin fraction from each of five sera containing macroamylase for amylases from different sources: human saliva or human, porcine, or ovine pancreas. High affinity constants, 0.4 X 10(10) to 7.2 X 10(10) L/mol, were found in competitive binding experiments with human or porcine pancreatic amylase. All but one serum yielded linear Scatchard plots, indicating that in most sera the amylase-binding immunoglobulins are homogeneous, possibly monoclonal. The immunoglobulin fractions from different sera differed in their specificity: two of them bound all four types of amylases, whereas two bound only one type. Three of the five immunoglobulin fractions showed considerably higher affinity towards one or both of the animal amylases than towards the human ones, and may be primarily directed against some animal amylase.

Amylases↗
PubMed1985

Plasma-HDL-cholesterol and estimated ethanol consumption in 104 patients with alcohol dependence syndrome.

Plasma-HDL-cholesterol levels were determined in 104 patients (92 males and 12 females) with a mean age of 43 years (range 20-70 years). All were admitted to a clinic for alcoholics and had a mean drinking history of 13 years with a mean consumption of 48.2 l of pure ethanol per year. There was no correlation between HDL-cholesterol level and the total ethanol consumption in the year before admission or in the month before admission. However, weak negative correlations between HDL-cholesterol and smoking habits (r= -0.26, P less than 0.001) and body weight (r= -0.34, P less than 0.001) were found. In 40 patients the mean HDL-cholesterol level decreased from 1.94 +/- 0.75 mmol/l (SD) at admission to 1.29 +/- 0.36 mmol/l after 16 days of abstinence. Altogether, 33 (31.6%) of 104 patients had a HDL-cholesterol level above our reference value of 2 mmol/l while alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) were increased in 49, 52.9 and 70.3%, of the cases respectively. Although screening programmes have shown an association between plasma-HDL-cholesterol and the number of drinks consumed per day, no such association could be found in a sample of alcoholics. Decrease of HDL-cholesterol during abstinence, however, seems to be a marker in alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effects of Ca, Mg, and EDTA on creatine kinase activity in cerebrospinal fluid.

For one to obtain a precise estimate of creatine kinase (CK) activity in cerebrospinal fluid, the sample fraction is increased by about 10-fold over that used for serum. This increases the concentration of interfering substances, Ca being especially important. Therefore, the relationship between Ca, Mg, and EDTA was examined. Enzyme activity was maximal with 15 mmol of Mg per liter in the presence of 3 mmol of EDTA per liter, otherwise according to the (Scandinavian) recommended conditions for determination of CK activity in serum. These modifications increased the activity of CK by 35% for CK-MM and by 60% for CK-BB. Counteraction of Ca-induced inhibition was the main reason to this increase. We describe a practical and sensitive method for determining CK in cerebrospinal fluid.

Buffers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of anti-HCV in Norwegian blood donors with anti-HBc or increased ALT levels.

Testing for hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBc) was performed in 12,104 consecutive blood donors, 139 (1.15%) of whom were found to be positive. The first 6036 donors were also screened for ALT; 91 (1.51%) had repeatedly elevated values. ALT screening was of no help in detecting anti-HBc-positive donors. Those with anti-HBc or repeatedly raised ALT levels were further tested for hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV), and 3 (2.16%) and 1 (1.10%) anti-HCV-positive donors were detected, respectively. This prevalence of anti-HCV (0.5%) is not significantly different from that found in 1000 unselected donors at our blood bank. Testing for ALT and anti-HBc as surrogate markers for hepatitis C is therefore not recommended in Norwegian blood donors and should be replaced by anti-HCV screening.

Alanine Transaminase↗