Biomedical subjects

Jan Henrik Rosland

Publications and source records attributed to Jan Henrik Rosland.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[The dying patient].

All doctors in clinical practice have to face dying patients. In order to give help to the patient and his nearest family, the doctor needs knowledge about the dying process and how to relieve suffering. Based on relevant literature and own clinical experience, we discuss the challenges of identifying the terminal phase, ethical issues concerning medical treatment, and how to offer adequate symptom relief. We describe how to relieve pain and other symptoms, and how to organise the care of the dying. Drugs that may be useful in relieving suffering are described with dosing proposals. Family members have to be helped as well with information and reassurance. A Norwegian Standard for Palliation focusing on the organisation of palliative and terminal care has recently been published.

Analgesics, Opioid↗

PubMed2006

[Palliative medicine-- research and education in a new specialist field].

Palliative medicine has developed into a recognised specialty in medicine, calling for a high level of skills as well as evidence-based clinical guidelines. The undergraduate teaching in medical schools in Norway is fragmented in this area, and national minimum standards are needed. At the graduate level, teaching in palliative medicine should be included in all relevant specialties. Doctors who are fully involved in palliative medicine should have a specialised education. Recently, a Nordic Curriculum in Palliative Medicine was developed and a two-year course initiated; 30 doctors have graduated. There is a need for research in palliative care, both on the basic biological level as well as on the clinical level. National and international collaboration is needed in order to reach these goals. Nationally, there are some research groups that perform excellently. However, there is a need to strengthen research in this area. Chairs in palliative medicine will facilitate such a development and are urgently needed in all medical schools.

Biomedical Research↗

PubMed2004

Morphological and hemodynamic magnetic resonance assessment of early neonatal brain injury in a piglet model.

PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of functional and morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the extent of brain injury in a hypoxia-ischemia (HI) piglet model and further to validate that the desired ischemic injury was successfully induced. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI was performed at 1.5 T in anesthetized piglets (N = 10, age = 12-36 hours). Relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF), time-to-peak (TTP) contrast, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were estimated at different time points pre-, during, and post-HI. The effect following bilateral clamping of the carotid arteries was assessed by contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) and phase contrast MR angiography (PCA) (N = 4). RESULTS: A linear correlation was observed between relative cerebral perfusion reduction and cerebral ADC during HI (r(2) = 0.85, P < 0.05). There was no correlation between rCBF reduction during 30 minutes of HI and cerebral ADC after 30 or 150 minutes of reperfusion/reoxygenation (RR). CONCLUSION: The combination of morphological and functional (perfusion and diffusion) MRI enabled consistent assessment of both the presence and absence of complete occlusion as well as the functional significance of the occlusion.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

The formalin test: an evaluation of the method.

The formalin test for nociception, which is predominantly used with rats and mice, involves moderate, continuous pain generated by injured tissue. In this way it differs from most traditional tests of nociception which rely upon brief stimuli of threshold intensity. In this article we describe the main features of the formalin test, including the characteristics of the stimulus and how changes in nociceptive behaviour may be measured and interpreted. The response to formalin shows an early and a late phase. The early phase seems to be caused predominantly by C-fibre activation due to the peripheral stimulus, while the late phase appears to be dependent on the combination of an inflammatory reaction in the peripheral tissue and functional changes in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. These functional changes seem to be initiated by the C-fibre barrage during the early phase. In mice, the behavioural response in the late phase depends on the ambient temperature. We argue that the peripheral tissue temperature as well as other factors influencing the peripheral inflammation may affect the response, possibly confounding the results obtained with the test. Furthermore, we discuss the methods of recording the response and the value of observing more than one aspect of behaviour. Scoring of several behavioural variables provides a means of assessing motor or sensorimotor function as possible causes for changes in behaviour. In conclusion, the formalin test is a valuable addition to the battery of methods available to study nociception.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

The formalin test in mice: the influence of ambient temperature.

The ambient temperature had a confounding influence on the licking response in the formalin test. No effect was demonstrated in the early phase. In the late phase, the licking activity was much lower at 20 degrees C than at 25 degrees C. Both the intensity and the duration of the response were increased by increasing the ambient temperature from 20 degrees C to 28 degrees C. 5,6-Dihydroxytryptamine lesions of descending serotonergic pathways induced an increase in the nociceptive response at an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C, while the response was no different from control values at 25 degrees C. Differences in paw skin temperature may explain these temperature dependent effects. It was concluded that control of the ambient temperature is necessary to obtain reliable results in the formalin test, late phase.

5,6-Dihydroxytryptamine↗

PubMed1990

The formalin test in mice: effect of formalin concentration.

The effect of different formalin concentrations on the nociceptive response in the formalin test was examined in mice. Subcutaneous formalin injection induces 2 distinct periods of high licking activity: an early phase lasting the first 5 min, and a late phase lasting 20-30 min after the injection. Formalin concentrations of 0.02-0.2% induced only the early phase, while concentrations of 1% or more induced both the early phase and the late phase. The ability of the test to show the antinociceptive effect of morphine and acetylsalicylic acid was similar for high and low formalin concentrations. For both these analgesics, a lower dose was needed to induce antinociception in the late phase than in the early phase using the same formalin concentration. Indomethacin had no effect in the early phase. In the late phase indomethacin induced antinociception when 1% formalin was used, while no significant effect was observed using 5% formalin. Clear histological changes in the paw were demonstrated after formalin concentrations that induced both phases. Lower formalin concentrations induced only very small changes. Using a low formalin concentration (0.2%), repeated testing using the same paw could be performed at intervals of 1 week without any significant change in the response. It was concluded that the formalin concentration should be kept as low as possible to minimize the suffering of the animal. Formalin concentrations of 0.05-0.2% are recommended for studying the early phase. Formalin concentrations of 1% or higher have to be used when studying the nociceptive response in the late phase.

Analgesics↗

PubMed1988

Modification of the antinociceptive effect of morphine by acute and chronic administration of clomipramine in mice.

The antinociception effect of clomipramine and the combination of clomipramine and morphine was evaluated using the constant temperature hot plate test, the increasing temperature hot plate test and the formalin test in mice. Both a single dose of clomipramine (10 mg/kg) given intraperitoneally (i.p.) and chronic clomipramine treatment (10 mg/kg/day, i.p., for 7 days) induced antinociception. When morphine (5 mg/kg), given subcutaneously (s.c.), and clomipramine were combined, an increased antinociceptive effect compared to morphine alone was observed in all tests. In the increased temperature hot plate test and in the formalin test increased antinociception was also observed when morphine was combined with chronic clomipramine treatment. In the constant temperature hot plate test no additional effect compared to morphine alone was observed when morphine and chronic clomipramine treatment were combined. These results indicate that clomipramine has an antinociceptive effect in itself, and that it may enhance the antinociceptive effects of morphine. The differences between the tests indicate that different nociceptive mechanisms are involved, and that the combination of clomipramine and morphine may be beneficial for some types of nociceptive stimuli, but not for others.

Animals↗