Biomedical subjects
K Bjøro
Publications and source records attributed to K Bjøro.
[Norwegian Nurses' Association's project: training in quality assurance].
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[Quality in nursing. Project "Quality assurance in nursing services". Status report].
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[Quality in nursing. Regulation of the profession--an important form of quality assurance].
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[Make quality assurance the order of the day?].
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Vasoactive effects of intra- and extravascular serotonin, PGE2 and PGF2 alpha in human umbilical arteries.
The effect of serotonin, PGE2 and PGF2 alpha on the vascular tension in human umbilical arteries has been investigated during in vitro perfusions. All autacoids induced dose-dependent biphasic pressure responses when added to the perfusate. When added to the extraumbilical fluid, serotonin induced monophasic vasoconstrictory responses, whereas PGE2 and PGF2 alpha did not elicit significant changes except for minor pressure oscillations in some experiments. The results obtained suggest a contributory role of the endothelial layer in the action of these autacoids on the smooth muscle tension.
The influence of extra-umbilical serotonin, PGE2 and PGF2 alpha on prostanoid production in human umbilical arteries.
The influence of extra-umbilical applications of serotonin and prostaglandins PGE2 and PGF2 alpha on the endogenous production of prostacyclin and thromboxane in human umbilical arteries was registered during in vitro perfusion by use of specific radio-immunoassays. PGE2 and PGF2 alpha caused significant dose-dependent increases in the production of prostacyclin, but no specific alterations in that of thromboxane. Serotonin did not lead to any changes in the prostanoid formation. The results provide indirect support for the assumption that prostanoids synthesized in the vessel wall, predominantly in the endothelial cells, serve as mediators in the action of autacoids on vascular smooth muscle tension.
[Liver transplantation in fulminant hepatic failure].
The prognosis for patients suffering from fulminant hepatic failure is still poor. The possibility of performing liver transplantation has improved the outcome for the patient. The article presents three cases illustrating some of the difficulties in selecting patients for transplantation, and discusses clinical and laboratory monitoring of patients with fulminant hepatic failure and criteria for selecting patients for liver transplantation.
[Chronic non-A non-B hepatitis treated with interferon].
Non-A non-B hepatitis remains a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. Recently published data indicate that interferon may represent a considerable step forward in the therapy of this disease. We have treated a patient with non-A non-B hepatitis with recombinant interferon alpha 2-B. Both biochemical and morphological liver parameters were normalized after nine months of treatment. Further studies are being performed to establish the efficacy and effective doses of interferon in the treatment of non-A non-B hepatitis.
Prostanoid production in umbilical arteries from preterm and term deliveries perfused in vitro.
The endogenous prostanoid production in human umbilical arteries from gestational stages between 192 and 290 days was investigated using an in vitro perfusion technique. The outflow concentrations of prostacyclin and thromboxane (measured as their stable metabolites 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and TXB2), PGE2 and PGF2 alpha were determined by RIA-methods. The production of all four prostanoids was found to increase with the duration of pregnancy. The formation of prostacyclin was always dominating, followed by PGE2, PGF2 alpha and thromboxane.
The Nordic Protein Project.
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[Norwegian Nurses' Association project: quality assurance and development of standards in nursing services].
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[Objective and automated semen analysis. CellSoft-CASA].
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Lupus anticoagulant: a unique case with lupus anticoagulant and habitual abortion together with antifactor II antibody and bleeding tendency.
Lupus anticoagulants (LA) are associated with various forms of thrombotic events. Of particular interest to obstetrics is the association with placental infarcts and habitual abortion. In the case described a near full-term viable infant was delivered subsequent to four early miscarriages. However, the mother had then developed an antifactor II antibody leading to grave hypoprothrombinemia with bleeding tendency, indicating efficient autoanticoagulation. This natural experiment indicates that these patients should receive anticoagulation during pregnancy, possibly in combination with steroids to depress the LA level.
Mutagenicity testing of amniotic fluid from diabetic women, with special reference to their smoking habits.
Amniotic fluid from 16 diabetic and 78 healthy women at term was tested for capacity to cause mutations in Salmonella typhimurium bacterial tester strain TA98 (Ames test). Diabetes as well as heavy smoking increased the mutagenic activity of amniotic fluid. The difference between groups of diabetics and controls was significant in both nonsmokers and women who had smoked more than 5 cigarettes the last 48 h before delivery. It seems plausible that metabolic disturbances, perhaps enhanced by a lowered oxygenation, in some instances could produce mutagenic compounds. Mutagenic activity in amniotic fluid may be one of the factors underlying the increased incidence of congenital malformations in the offspring of diabetic women. Early mutations could cause such developmental errors in the embryos, and possibly also in future generations by damage to germ cells. Heavy smoking alone also caused an increase in mutagenic activity in term amniotic fluid. Our findings reflected an enhancing effect of smoking in diabetes. A pregnant diabetic woman who smoked would thus further endanger her already jeopardized pregnancy.
Breech delivery. An obstetrical analysis.
Fivehundred and eighty consecutive breech births during the period 1972-79 were analvsed for factors associated with neonatal mortality. The overall neonatal mortality in breech deliveries in this series of cases was 4.1%. Multivariate analyses (logistic regression) selected only 4 of 56 variables tested as significant (p less than 0.05) risk factors for neonatal death. The overall most important risk factor was low birth weight (p less than 0.0001). In addition, diabetes in the mother, malformations, and Apgar score 5 min less than 7 increased the risk of neonatal death. Cesarean section was carried out in 8.1% during the period 1972-75, but increased to 32.6% from 1976-79 without any reduction in neonatal mortality. Neonatal mortality figures were not significantly improved for infant delivered by cesarean section compared with those born vaginally.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors: modifications by sub-inhibitory concentrations of carbenicillin or gentamicin.
A virulent strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was assayed for adhesion to HEp-2 cells, production of toxin A, and production of elastase, in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of carbenicillin and gentamicin. Both antibiotics, assayed in a concentration of 1:12 of their minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), inhibited the production of toxin A. Gentamicin at this concentration totally abolished the production of elastase, whereas carbenicillin had little or no effect on this factor. Both antibiotics inhibited the bacterial adhesion, but in different ways. While gentamicin had a strong activity of slow onset, carbenicillin had a transitory activity of rapid onset, with return towards normal values after 90 min incubation.
Effects of vasoactive autacoids on different segments of human umbilicoplacental vessels.
Effects of serotonin, prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2 alpha, U 46619 (a thromboxane A2 mimetic) and angiotensin I and II on the perfusion pressure were studied on vessel segments from human umbilical arteries, placental arteries and the umbilical vein during in vitro perfusions. All drugs were found to induce vasoconstriction. Serotonin displayed strong vasoconstrictor potencies in all vessel segments, whereas the responsiveness to the other autacoids differed greatly in the various segments. In the umbilical artery prostanoids were most potent in the juxtafetal segment, whereas angiotensin I and II displayed greatest effects in the juxtaplacental segment. The results lend additional support to the concept that angiotensins and prostanoids are of importance in the regulation of fetal extracorporeal blood flow.