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Biomedical subjects

J Pulkkinen

Publications and source records attributed to J Pulkkinen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Biomonitoring of 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanols by analysing urinary 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)acetic acids.

2-Methoxyacetic and 2-ethoxyacetic acids are well known toxic metabolites of 2-alkoxyethanols. The use of 2-alkoxyethanols is now restricted, and the regulations have forced manufacturers to find substitutive solvents, 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanols. 2-(2-Alkoxyethoxy)ethanols resemble 2-alkoxyethanols, and their most hazardous similarity is their ability to metabolize to the 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)acetic acids. In the present study, floor lacquerers' (n = 22) inhalation and total exposure to 2-(2-alkoxy)ethoxyethanols was measured. The measurements of inhalation exposure were done with charcoal tubes, and total exposure was biomonitored by urinalysis of 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)acetic acids. The 8h inhalation exposures of floor lacquerers to 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethanol (DEGME), 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanol (DEGEE) and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol (DEGBE) were in average 0.23 +/- 0.07 ppm (average+/-S.D., n = 3), 0.08 +/- 0.07 ppm (n = 16), and 0.05 +/- 0.03 ppm (n = 16), respectively. The excretions of 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)acetic acid (MEAA), 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)acetic acid (EEAA) and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)acetic acid (BEAA) were in average 4.9 +/- 4.3 mmol/mol creatinine, 9.3 +/- 8.0 mmol/mol creatinine and 9.2 +/- 7.4 mmol/mol creatinine, respectively. A linear relationship was found between the urinary 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)acetic acid concentrations and the preceding 8-h occupational exposure to 2-(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol.

Acetates↗
PubMed2005

Independent component analysis to proton spectroscopic imaging data of human brain tumours.

In proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H MRSI), the recorded spectra are often linear combinations of spectra from different cell and tissue types within the voxel. This produces problems for data analysis and interpretation. A sophisticated approach is proposed here to handle the complexity of tissue heterogeneity in MRSI data. The independent component analysis (ICA) method was applied without prior knowledge to decompose the proton spectral components that relate to the heterogeneous cell populations with different proliferation and metabolism that are present in gliomas. The ability to classify brain tumours based on IC decomposite spectra was studied by grouping the components with histopathology. To this end, 10 controls and 34 patients with primary brain tumours were studied. The results indicate that ICA may reveal useful information from metabolic profiling for clinical purposes using long echo time MRSI of gliomas.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

Botulinum toxin in the treatment of cricopharyngeal dysphagia.

Dysphagia is a common symptom in various neurological disorders affecting pharyngeal functions. Cricopharyngeal dysfunction is one of the major findings in these patients. The most effective treatment for restoring normal swallowing function in persistent cricopharyngeal dysfunction is cricopharyngeal myotomy, especially when mechanical obstruction or a well-localized neuromuscular dysfunction, such as a cricopharyngeal muscle spasm, is present. However, when there is a more diffuse neurological disorder present the results of surgery are more disappointing. In unclear cases, or in patients with temporary problems, no good method other than swallowing training, bougienage, and tube feeding are available. During the past decade, botulinum toxin has been found to be of therapeutic value in the treatment of a variety of neurological disorders associated with inappropriate muscular contractions such as torticollis and spasmodic dysphonia. Recently, injections of botulinum toxin in patients with cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction have been reported to result in marked relief of dysphagia. In this article we describe our experiences with botulinum toxin injections to treat four patients suffering from deglutition problems and cricopharyngeal dysphagia of different origins. Botulinum toxin was injected into the cricopharyngeus muscle that was identified by endoscopy under general anesthesia. In this study, no major side effects were observed. Three patients obtained a significant improvement of esophageal symptoms after the first injection. The treatment had limited effect in one patient who had reflux disease and only slight cricopharyngeus dysfunction.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Association between velopharyngeal function and dental-consonant misarticulations in children with cleft lip/palate.

We studied the association between velopharyngeal function and misarticulation of the dental consonants /r/, /s/ and /l/ in children with cleft lip/palate. We assessed 278 6-year-old Finnish-speaking non-syndromic children (115 girls, 163 boys) with isolated cleft palate (n= 81), cleft lip/alveolus (n= 82) or unilateral (n= 84) or bilateral (n= 31) cleft lip and palate. Auditory analysis of speech and velopharyngeal function, the presence of fistulae, previous velopharyngoplasty and speech therapy, as well as surgical technique and timing of primary palatal surgery were obtained from the hospital records. The misarticulations of the sounds /r/, /s/ and /l/ were evaluated in spontaneous speech by two experienced speech pathologists from the cleft team. Velopharyngeal function was categorised, on the basis of the effect on speech, into competent, marginal incompetent and obvious incompetent. Nasal grimace and distortions due to palatal fistulae were registered. The results indicated that velopharyngeal function was not significantly associated with misarticulation of any of the sounds /r/, /s/ and /l/ or their combinations in any cleft groups. The technique and timing of primary palatal surgery, the presence of fistulae and previous pharyngoplasty were not associated with misarticulations. On the basis of these results we conclude that dental-consonant misarticulations occur independently of velopharyngeal function, primary palatal surgical technique and timing of palatoplasty.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Expression of estrogen receptor (ER) in oral mucosa and salivary glands.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) in oral mucosa and salivary glands, buccal mucosal biopsies from ten postmenopausal women (taken before and during the hormone replacement therapy), as well as, single biopsies from 20 healthy 19-year-old women were analyzed for ER expression. Salivary gland biopsies were taken from the minor labial salivary glands (n=6), submandibular glands (n=5) and parotid gland (n=1) from women at different ages. METHODS: total RNA extracted from the tissue samples was reverse-transcripted (RT) to single-stranded cDNA, and the RT-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) product was subjected to nucleotide sequencing to confirm the match with ER cDNA. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) with a monoclonal ER antibody (ER-ICA, Abbott) and Western blot analysis with monoclonal antibody against ER-related antigen (ER-D5, Amersham) were performed on the biopsies taken from the postmenopausal women. RESULTS: ER mRNA was expressed in 18/20 (90%) and 20/20 (100%) of the mucosal biopsies in the postmenopausal and 19-year-old women, respectively. The expression of mRNA was detected in all the submandibular gland samples, in the single parotid gland, as well as, in 4/6 (67%) of the labial glands. ER expression could not be detected by IHC, indicating either a very low level of expressed protein or difficulties in recognizing the epitopes by IHC. However, Western blot demonstrated 8/8 (100%) of the mucosal biopsies of postmenopausal women positive for ER-related antigen. CONCLUSIONS: the presence of ER mRNA and immunoreactive ER protein suggests that estrogens have a biological role in oral mucosa and salivary glands.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1999

Associations between dental occlusion and misarticulations of Finnish dental consonants in cleft lip/palate children.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether malocclusions in terms of crossbites, large maxillary overjet, and deep bite are related to the articulatory problems with the Finnish dental consonants /r/, /s/ and /l/ in different cleft types and gender. The subjects were 260 (108 girls, 152 boys) 6-yr-old Finnish-speaking non-syndromic children with isolated cleft palate (CP, n = 79), cleft lip/alveolus (CL(A), n = 76), unilateral (UCLP, n = 78), and bilateral (BCLP, n = 27) cleft lip and palate. Occlusal anomalies were evaluated from dental plaster casts, and speech was analyzed by two speech pathologists with a high reliability. Altogether, 43% of patients misarticulated at least one of the studied sounds, and had crossbites significantly more often (73%) than subjects with correct /r/, /s/ and /l/ production (45%). Posterior crossbites were significantly associated with defective articulation, whereas anterior crossbite alone, large maxillary overjet, or deep bite were not. It was concluded that occlusal abnormalities in terms of posterior crossbites should be considered as a risk factor for correct dental consonant articulation in cleft-affected subjects.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMed1998

The association between dental arch dimensions and occurrence of Finnish dental consonant misarticulations in cleft lip/palate children.

The aim of this study was to examine whether maxillary and mandibular dental arch width, length, and palatal height dimensions are associated with the occurrence of misarticulations (phonetic or phonologic errors) in the dental consonants /r/, /s/, and /1/ in different cleft types and sexes. The subjects were 263 (109 girls, 154 boys) 6-year-old Finnish-speaking non-syndromic children with isolated cleft palate (CP, n=79), deft lip/alveolus (CL(A), n=77), unilateral (UCLP, n=80), and bilateral (BCLP, n=27) cleft lip and palate. Dental plaster casts were measured by two authors using the technique of Moorrees, and auditive speech was analyzed with high reliability by two speech pathologists. The results showed that the occurrence of misarticulations increased and dental arch dimensions decreased with the severity of the cleft. Narrower and shorter maxillary arches as well as shallower palates were related to problems with the studied dental consonants. Mandibular arch dimensions were not related to the misarticulations. However, statistical analysis did not reveal significant differences in dental arch dimensions between subjects with and without misarticulations when they were compared separately for different cleft types. The etiology of clefting per se--isolated deft palate versus cleft lip with or without deft palate--did not seem to explain the associations between dental arch dimensions and the studied misarticulations.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMed1998

Occurrence of dental consonant misarticulations in different cleft types.

To study the occurrence and type of misarticulations in dental consonants /r/, /s/ and /l/ 280 (115 girls, 165 boys) 6-year-old cleft children were examined by 1 of the 2 experienced speech pathologists of the cleft team. The patients included 82 children with isolated cleft palate (CP), 82 with cleft lip with (34) or without (48) cleft alveolus [CL(A)], 85 with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and 31 with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP). CP children were first divided into subgroups; there were 17 children with soft palate cleft, 49 with partial and 16 with complete hard palate cleft. All patients were native Finnish speakers, and had normal hearing, no known syndrome or associated anomalies possibly affecting speech or psychomotor retardation. The results showed that the occurrence and severity as well as the number of errors of all studied sounds separately or grouped increased with the severity of the cleft being constantly greatest in the BCLP group and lowest in the CL(A) group. Altogether 44% of the patients misarticulated at least one studied sound; 41% distorted and 5% substituted, and 2% both distorted and substituted. The /r/ sound was misarticulated by 36%, the /s/ sound by 23%, and the /l/ sound by 18% of the patients. Boys tend to have more problems in producing the studied sounds correctly.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMed1997

p53 mutations in human head and neck cancer cell lines.

The p53 tumour suppressor gene is commonly mutated in human cancers. We performed a molecular analysis of the frequency and spectrum of p53 gene mutations in 40 cell lines (23 from oral cavity tumours and 17 from larynx tumours) derived from 33 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Using PCR, SSCP, and sequence analysis, we detected the mutated p53 gene in 26 patients (79%); in 23 patients (70%) the wild-type allele of the p53 gene was deleted. Four patients had 2 p53 gene mutations each, and thus the total number of p53 mutations observed was 30. Seven patients had 2 cell lines each, established from the primary and recurrent/metastatic tumour, and the status of the p53 gene (mutant or normal) was identical in both cell lines. Forty percent of the mutations were transitions, 33% transversions, and 27% deletions, insertions and other more complicated changes. In oral cavity tumours the predominant mutation type was G:C-->A:T transition at a CpG site (50% of mutations), and in larynx tumours the predominant type was G:C-->T:A transversion (50% of mutations). These suggest endogenous and exogenous factors in tumour etiology. The G:C-->T:A transversions in larynx tumours are probably associated with mutagenic components in the cigarette smoke, but the causative factor in G:C-->A:T transitions (apparent oxidative damage) remains to be identified.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1997

The bcl-2 gene status of human head and neck cancer cell lines.

The bcl-2 oncogene was originally found in the translocation in a pre-B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia cell line. Since then a high expression of Bcl-2 has been found in many types of cancer. The bcl-2 gene encodes an intracellular membrane-associated protein. Overexpression of bcl-2 inhibits apoptosis induced by many drugs and radiation. In this study the bcl-2 gene status of 9 human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines was studied. Mutations of the bcl-2 gene were studied at mRNA and DNA levels. The presence and abundance of the Bcl-2 protein in cells were also investigated. In earlier studies the p53 tumour suppressor gene was screened for point mutations, and the radiosensitivity of these cell lines was measured. We were able to amplify bcl-2 cDNA from 5 of the 9 cell lines, which shows that bcl-2 was expressed in these cells. No point mutations were found in the bcl-2 gene in any of these cell lines. Loss of heterozygosity was observed in 2 cell lines at the bcl-2 locus, and these cell lines had no detectable levels of bcl-2 mRNA or Bcl-2 protein. The Bcl-2 protein was abundant in the cell lines with the wild-type p53 gene, and these cell lines were radioresistant. The Bcl-2 protein was also found in many other cell lines in mitotic cells. It seems that cells expressing bcl-2 are radioresistant, and even functional p53 cannot induce apoptosis in these cells.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1986

Constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus by progesterone.

Progesterone substitution in the rat during pregnancy days 17-21 or administration 6 h before spontaneous delivery constricted the fetal ductus arteriosus. The rapid whole-body freezing technique was used. Indomethacin-induced constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus was not affected by progesterone treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Identification of messenger RNA for human type II collagen.

Total RNA was purified from human fetal calvaria and articular cartilage. Messenger RNAs for type I and II collagens were identified by hybridization using cDNA clones for chicken pro alpha 1(I)-, pro alpha 2(I)- and pro alpha 1(II)collagen mRNAs and by analysis of cell-free translation products of these RNAs by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The size of human pro alpha 1(II)collagen mRNA is approx. 5100 bases. Translatability of cartilage specific type II collagen mRNA was found to be concentration dependent: with increasing total RNA concentrations the relative translation of type II collagen mRNA was reduced with respect to type I mRNAs.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in Finnish dental consonant articulation in cleft lip/palate children between 6 and 8 years of age.

The aim of this study was to clarify changes in the occurrence of misarticulations of dental consonants /r/, /s/ and /l/ between 6 and 8 years of age in cleft-affected Finnish children and to compare the effects of gender and to estimate if spacing due to changing of maxillary incisors could explain changes in articulation of these sounds. The subjects were 133 (47 girls, 86 boys) Finnish-speaking non-syndromic children with isolated cleft palate (n = 34), cleft lip/alveolus (n = 49), unilateral (n = 33), and bilateral (n = 17) cleft lip and palate. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between genders according to changes in articulation abilities by the age of 8 years. Eighty-one percent of the subjects with misarticulations at the age of 6 years still misarticulated at 8 years of age, and 16% of the subjects without misarticulations at the age of 6 years misarticulated at the age of 8 years; /s/ and /l/ misarticulations were eliminated more often than /r/ errors. New misarticulations were diagnosed at the age of 8 years in the same way in the groups with (14%) and without (16%) misarticulations at the age of 6 years. Dental arch spacing due to changing of maxillary incisors does not seem to explain new misarticulations of /r/, /s/ and /l/ sounds estimated at the age of 8 years.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Velopharyngeal function from the age of three to eight years in cleft palate patients.

The purpose of this investigation was to study changes of velopharyngeal function between the ages of 3 and 8 years. The subjects were 65 (30 girls and 35 boys) Finnish-speaking non-syndromic children with isolated cleft palate (CP, n = 35) and with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP, n = 30) operated primarily at the age of 1.0-2.0 years. Before the age of 8 years, 16 children required velopharyngoplasty (VPP, ad modum Hoenig). The children were followed up for speech at the age of 3, 6 and 8 years. The perceptual speech characteristics nasal air emission, hypernasality, weakness of pressure consonants and compensatory articulations were registered. Indications for a velopharyngeal flap (by VPP) were identified on the basis of perceptual speech characteristics and confirmed by instrumental examinations. The results indicated that the method and timing of primary palatoplasty and sex did not correlate with the quality of velopharyngeal function. It was good both in children treated conservatively or with VPP at the age of 8 years. The children with a flap required speech therapy significantly more often than other children. No child with VPP and only 12% of the children without VPP had simultaneous nasal air emissions and hypernasality. Compensatory articulation was completely eliminated and weakness of pressure consonants was diagnosed only in 1 child without VPP. The CP children required significantly more often a velopharyngeal flap than the UCLP children. In conclusion, the CP and UCLP children develop a similar velopharyngeal function but in a different way.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Associations between lateral cephalometric dimensions and misarticulations of Finnish dental consonants in cleft lip/palate children.

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between lateral cephalometric variables and the misarticulation of /r/, /s/ and /l/ sound in cleft lip/palate children. The subjects were 134 Finnish-speaking 6-year-old boys with isolated cleft palate (CP, n = 33), unilateral (n = 44), bilateral (BCLP, n = 19) cleft lip and cleft lip/alveolus (n = 38); /r/, /s/ and /l/ distortions were obtained from original hospital records which were based on perceptual speech follow-ups performed by experienced speech pathologists. Cephalometric measurement points were determined from standardized lateral roentgen cephalograms and traced twice by a computer-connected digitizer. The data were entered into a microcomputer and analysed by NCSS 6.0 for Windows using appropriate tests. The results revealed new significant associations between cephalometric measurements and misarticulations, especially that of the /r/ sound in CP and BCLP groups. Children with /r/ distortion had upward rotation of the mandible, maxillary protrusion and a higher position of the hyoid bone in the CP group. In the BLCP group, on the contrary, the mandible had downward rotation, mandibular retrusion and narrower nasopharyngeal port. The /s/ and /l/ sounds were less clearly associated with craniofacial morphology. The anteroposterior relationship of the maxilla and the mandible did not have any association with dentoalveolar misarticulations, instead, the systematic vertical, particularly posterior relationship of the jaws seems to be associated with /r/ sound production in CP and BCLP boys.

Articulation Disorders↗