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Biomedical subjects

K A Eriksson

Publications and source records attributed to K A Eriksson.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Terpene exposure and respiratory effects among workers in Swedish joinery shops.

OBJECTIVES: Exposure to monoterpenes (alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and delta 3-carene) in joinery shops was studied in Sweden during the processing of Scot's pine, and the acute respiratory effects among the employees were evaluated. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 38 workers was carried out in 4 joinery shops. The investigation included personal air sampling of monoterpenes, biological monitoring of metabolites of alpha-pinene in the workers' urine, interviews following a standardized questionnaire, and dynamic spirometry. RESULTS: The personal exposure to monoterpenes in the joinery shops was 10-214 mg/m3. The correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.69) between exposure to alpha-pinene and verbenols (metabolites from alpha-pinene) in urine was relatively good. No acute effects on forced vital capacity or forced expiratory volume during 1 s were detected. The workers had significantly reduced preshift lung function values when compared with the values of a local reference group, even when smokers and ex-smokers were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Personal exposure to the monoterpenes alpha-pinene, and delta 3-carene in joinery shops may exceed the present Swedish occupational exposure limit of 150 mg/m3 during the winter season when workroom air is commonly recirculated. The determination of metabolites of alpha-pinene (verbenols) in urine can be used as an index of exposure to fumes released during wood-treating processes. The results from the lung function tests indicate chronic rather than acute reactions in the airways. The fact that there were no major changes in lung function over a workshift indicates chronic reaction in the airways.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Terpene exposure and respiratory effects among sawmill workers.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to evaluate exposure to terpenes in sawmills and to study the acute effects on lung function and the respiratory tract of exposed laborers. METHODS: The relationships between personal exposure to sawing fumes, assessed by air sampling, and terpene metabolites in urine were studied. The association between exposure to terpenes and acute effects on lung function was studied for 48 workers. The reactivity to methacholine within the study population was investigated. Variation in acute subjective respiratory symptoms during a workshift was evaluated by interviewing the employees before and after work, following a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Personal exposure to terpenes in the sawmills was 11-158 mg. m-3. The correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.84) between exposure to alpha-pinene and the concentration of verbenols (metabolites from alpha-pinene) in urine was good. No acute effects on forced vital capacity or forced expiratory volume during 1 s were detected. A decrease in carbon monoxide lung diffusing capacity after a workshift was detected. Workers with > or = 5 years of sawmill employment showed a higher reactivity to methacholine than those with < 5 years. Eye irritation increased during a workday. CONCLUSIONS: Personal exposure to monoterpenes during a workshift sometimes exceeds the present Swedish limit value. The results show that verbenols in urine can be used as a biological exposure index of sawing fumes. Exposure in sawmills can cause an acute decrease in diffusing capacity. Workers with < or = 5 years of employment showed increased bronchial reactivity.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Plasma concentrations of platelet-specific proteins in young female acute myocardial infarction survivors and their age-matched female controls.

The steady state plasma concentrations of the two platelet-specific proteins beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) were determined in two groups of females: 36 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) survivors, and 38 age-matched control subjects. For the AMI patients the mean BTG and PF4 values were 57 +/- 4 and 14.1 +/- 1.7 ng/ml, respectively. These two means significantly exceeded the corresponding means for the controls, 40 +/- 2 and 10.3 +/- 0.6 ng/ml, respectively. Similar results have recently been reported by other workers who investigated patients with coronary artery disease; however, in no previous study were the values for BTG and PF4 related to those obtained for control subjects matched with respect to sex and age. The present results therefore further support the concept that increased platelet activation and secretion is taking place in steady state patients who previously have sustained an AMI.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Platelet activation in response to phlebotomy. An experimental study of healthy blood donors.

Plasma concentration of beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) were measured in three consecutive blood samples from 29 healthy male blood donors. The first sample was collected after 15 min of rest, the second immediately after a phlebotomy of 450 ml blood and the third after a further 15 min of rest. The mean baseline plasma BTG and PF4 values were 68 x 5 and 13.8 +/- 0.7 ng/ml, respectively. The second sample's mean plasma values of these two platelet-specific proteins were significantly higher (88 +/- ( and 24.1 +/- 4.1 ng/ml, respectively). The plasma concentrations of BTG and PF4 in the last sample, however, had returned to baseline levels. It is concluded that significant but short-lasting platelet activation and secretion take place in healthy subjects in response to an acute but comparatively mild blood loss even though the platelets do not participate in the process of hemostasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Plasma concentrations of platelet factor 4 in acute myocardial infarction.

The aim was to investigate whether in the acute stage of myocardial infarction (MI) platelet activation, as measured by plasma platelet factor 4 (PF-4), excluding that in ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is taking place. Over a period of 4 d the plasma levels of PF-4 were determined on 44 consecutive patients admitted to a coronary care unit with suspected MI. 21 of them had a definite acute MI (group 1), and 13 had evidence of IHD but no MI (group 2). In the remaining 10 subjects there was no evidence of either MI or IHD. On the first day the mean plasma PF-4 concentrations in group 1 and 2 patients were 11,8 +/- 1.1 and 15.0 +/- 2.3 ng/ml, respectively; the difference between means was not statistically significant. A peak mean PF-4 for group 1 patients (17.5 +/- 4.6 ng/ml) was recorded on the second day of study. The corresponding value for group 2 patients was lower, but not significantly so. In the latter subjects no peak PF-4 was recorded. During the last 2 d of study the plasma PF-4 concentrations tended to decrease, but the means for the 2 groups did not differ statistically. Thus, at no point in time was there a significant difference between the PF-4 values for MI and IHD patients present.

Adult↗