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Biomedical subjects

J Salmi

Publications and source records attributed to J Salmi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Inhaled beclomethasone decreases serum osteocalcin in postmenopausal asthmatic women.

There are very few data as yet to quantify the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on bone metabolism, although the use of these drugs as a first-line treatment in bronchial asthma has widened. We determined the effect of three dose levels (200, 1000, 2000 micrograms/day, three weeks each) of inhaled beclomethasone on specific characteristics of bone metabolism in nine postmenopausal women with new asthma without any previous corticosteroid therapy. Significant decrease was noted in the mean serum morning osteocalcin concentration between the baseline and after nine weeks of beclomethasone (from 4.4 to 3.1 micrograms/l, p = 0.005). Significant increase in serum total and ionised calcium was found, although the parameters measuring bone resorption itself did not change. The results show that especially high-dose inhaled beclomethasone decreases serum osteocalcin in post-menopausal asthmatic women. Further studies are needed to assess the effects of inhaled beclomethasone, both on the ability of the osteoblasts to form bone matrix and on the density of bone during a longer treatment period on inhaled corticosteroids.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1992

Postoperative hyperglycaemia--are the patients diabetic?

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and causes of postoperative hyperglycaemia. Blood sugar was measured after operation in 262 patients who had undergone minor emergency operations, when the patients were receiving 5% glucose infusion at the rate of 170 ml/h. In 32 patients (12%) blood glucose was over 8.0 mmol/l. Serum insulin concentration in these patients was significantly higher than in reference patients, who had blood glucose below 5.5 mmol/l. The number of insulin receptors in red cells and the affinity of insulin to receptors were similar in both groups. Serum cortisol was higher, but free fatty acid concentration lower, in the hyperglycaemic group than in the reference group. The tests done postoperatively were repeated two weeks later without surgical stress. The values recorded, indicating the patients' normal metabolism, did not differ between the two groups, except that serum cortisol was somewhat higher in the reference patients. The oral glucose tolerance test was normal in all patients except one. The results suggest that patients prone to postoperative hyperglycaemia are not diabetic, but that their production of glucose is increased during surgical stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Performance of two agglutination techniques in the detection of thyroid antibodies and assessment of their clinical significance.

Two clinically most widely used agglutination tests, Thymune and Serodia distributed by Wellcome and Fjirebio/Ames, respectively, to determine thyroid autoantibodies were compared. The Serodia tests seemed to be considerably more sensitive than the corresponding Thymune tests; first, Serodia tests resulted in several new positive samples and second, 16% and 30% of positive thyroglobulin and thyroid microsomal antibodies by Serodia resulted in at least 16 times higher titres, respectively. Over 300 healthy blood donor sera were used to determine the occurrence of thyroid autoantibodies in normal population. Titre limits of 400 and 6400 in anti-thyroglobulin and anti-microsomal antibodies were adapted for clinical use, respectively, even though the results suggested that the lower titre limits could be applied for males and subjects younger than 40 years. These defined titre limits were applied to examine randomly selected clinical patient material gathered during 1 year. The main patient groups identified included patients with chronic thyroiditis, thyroid malignancy, diabetes. Graves' disease and rheumatoid diseases as well as patients with vaguely defined clinical conditions. Without the aid of antithyroglobulin antibodies only one patient with chronic thyroiditis would have been missed if thyroid microsomal antibodies were used alone. Thus, in general clinical practise thyroid microsomal antibodies can be used as a sole diagnostic test for autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The influence of electromagnetic interference and ionizing radiation on cardiac pacemakers.

Adverse effects of the ionizing and non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on five pacemaker models have been tested. The study consisted of three parts: 1. measurement of magnetic fields in a radiotherapy room (microtron MM14), 2. the application of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on pacemakers in a test laboratory (1...1000 microT, 10...10000 Hz), and 3. the application of ionizing radiation of different types of radiotherapy devices on the pacemakers. The magnetic field strength in the microtron treatment room was found to be under 7.5 microT, which is one order of magnitude lower than the tolerance level obtained for the pacemakers in the test laboratory. All the tested pacemakers tolerated the ionizing radiation dose levels (less than 60 Gy) which are used in the radiotherapy.

Electromagnetic Fields↗
PubMed1989

Endocrine abnormalities in patients with adrenal tumours incidentally discovered on computed tomography.

To determine endocrine activity of adrenal tumours incidentally discovered on C.T., we examined 20 consecutive patients. They underwent thorough hormonal assessment and scintigraphic scanning with radioactive cholesterol under dexamethasone suppression (19 patients). Biochemical findings compatible with cortisol hypersecretion were detected in 5 patients. One patient had reduced reserves of cortisol secretion and one had hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism. The scintigraphy showed no uptake in 10, unilateral uptake in 4, and bilateral uptake in 5 patients. In 3 patients the finding was unilateral on CT. but bilateral on scintigraphy. Signs of autonomous cortisol production were more common among patients who had uptake on scintigraphy. At the operation of 8 patients only benign lesions were found. During the follow-up (9 to 49 months) of the 12 unoperated patients, the tumour disappeared in one and remained unchanged in the others. No changes occurred in the biochemical findings except in one patient whose cortisol response to 1 mg of dexamethasone became abnormal. Since slight hypercortisolism or a bilateral disease often exists behind an incidentally discovered adrenal tumour, we emphasize the importance of careful assessment of cortisol metabolism and a scintigraphic scanning under dexamethasone suppression in the examination of these patients.

17-Ketosteroids↗
PubMed1989

High frequency of coeliac disease in adult patients with type-I diabetes.

Anti-reticulin antibodies were measured by an indirect immunofluorescence method in 195 consecutive patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and positive titres were found in 8 patients. A jejunal biopsy was performed in these patients, all of whom had small-intestinal atrophy. Thus the frequency of coeliac disease in adult diabetes patients was 4.1%. The patients had no signs of malabsorption or of significant abdominal complaints. We conclude that coeliac disease is commoner in type-I diabetes than in the normal population, and measurement of anti-reticulin antibodies seems to be a suitable screening method.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Comparison between lovastatin and gemfibrozil in the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia: the Finnish Multicenter Study.

A randomized, double-blind 12-week comparison of lovastatin and gemfibrozil in the treatment of patients with primary hypercholesterolemia with normal or moderately elevated triglycerides was performed in 334 patients from 19 centers in Finland. Patients with "high" total serum cholesterol (240 to 300 mg/dl) constituted Stratum 1 and patients with "very high" total serum cholesterol (greater than 300 mg/dl) constituted Stratum 2. In Stratum 1, patients were randomly assigned to either lovastatin 20 mg nightly or gemfibrozil 600 mg twice daily, and in Stratum 2 to either lovastatin 40 mg nightly or gemfibrozil 600 mg twice daily. In both strata, the lovastatin dose was doubled after 6 weeks if serum cholesterol remained greater than 200 mg/dl. Ninety-two and 93% of the patients doubled their dose in Strata 1 and 2, respectively, resulting in average doses of 38.5 mg/day (Stratum 1) and 77.4 mg/day (Stratum 1) and 77.4 mg/day (Stratum 2) by week 12. The dose of gemifibrozil was kept constant. Lovastatin reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 31 and 42% in Stratum 1 and 2, respectively. The corresponding reductions achieved by gemfibrozil were 13 and 18%. In both strata, as well as in patients with Type IIa and IIb hyperlipoproteinemia, lovastatin was approximately 2 to 4 times as effective as gemfibrozil in lowering LDL cholesterol. Although both drugs increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations, gemfibrozil was 1.5 to 3 times more effective. LDL/HDL cholesterol ratios decreased significantly more during lovastatin therapy. Both drugs reduced serum triglyceride levels, but gemfibrozil was much more effective.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Adrenal pheochromocytoma-ganglioneuroma producing catecholamines and various neuropeptides.

A 65-year-old woman presenting with back pain, difficulties in walking and watery diarrhea. A right adrenal tumor and high excretion of catecholamines were found. Laboratory examinations showed raised levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, pancreatic polypeptide, gastrin and calcitonin. Histology showed a combined pheochromocytoma-ganglioneuroma. The neoplastic cell population was immunohistochemically shown to contain tyrosine hydroxylase, neuropeptide Y, met-enkephalin, substance P, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide. Postoperatively, the patient recovered fully and the hormone levels returned to normal.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1987

Visible corneal nerve fibers and neuromas of the conjunctiva--a syndrome of type-3 multiple endocrine adenomatosis in two generations.

A case report of multiple mucosal neuroma syndrome (multiple endocrine adenomatosis type 3) is presented in a mother and her two children. In all of them the eye involvement consisted of highly visible corneal nerves, neuromas of the conjunctiva, and thickened eye lids. The mother had mucosal neuromas of the tongue, and in the 4-year-old girl these were seen to appear during the follow-up period. The mother and children had medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Marfanoid physiognomy was also one characteristic clinical feature.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Pituitary function after pituitary apoplexy.

Pituitary function was studied in nine patients who had recovered from pituitary apoplexy. All the patients recovered spontaneously; none required immediate surgery. Four of the patients had acromegaly, two had pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome, and a "functionless" pituitary adenoma was found in three. Low serum growth hormone concentrations were observed in three patients with acromegaly whereas the concentration remained increased in the fourth one. Of the two patients with Cushing's syndrome, a selective ACTH-deficiency developed in one and Nelson's syndrome appeared with excessive secretion of ACTH in the other. Transient or persistent hypofunction of the anterior pituitary occurred in al patients. Three patients underwent hypophysectomy after respective intervals of three, eight and 12 months after pituitary apoplex. The operation revealed a hemorrhage in one functionless adenoma and a large cyst in another one. In the third patient who had acromegaly, no signs of the pituitary apoplexy were observed at operation.

Acromegaly↗