Biomedical subjects

K Hallberg

Publications and source records attributed to K Hallberg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Spin order in one-dimensional Kondo and Hund lattices.

We study numerically the one-dimensional Kondo and Hund lattices consisting of localized spins interacting antiferromagnetically or ferromagnetically with the itinerant electrons, respectively. Using the density-matrix renormalization group we find, for both models and in the small coupling regime, the existence of new magnetic phases where the local spins order forming ferromagnetic islands coupled antiferromagnetically. Furthermore, by increasing the interaction parameter |J| we find that this order evolves toward the ferromagnetic regime through a spiral-like phase with longer characteristic wavelengths. These results shed new light on the zero temperature magnetic phase diagram for these models.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Detection of topological transitions by transport through molecules and nanodevices.

We analyze the phase transitions of an interacting electronic system weakly coupled to free-electron leads by considering its zero-bias conductance. This is expressed in terms of two effective impurity models for the cases with and without spin degeneracy. Using the half-filled ionic Hubbard ring, we demonstrate that the weight of the first conductance peak as a function of external flux or of the difference in gate voltages between even and odd sites allows one to identify the topological charge transition between a correlated insulator and a band insulator.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Spin-charge separation in Aharonov-Bohm rings of interacting electrons.

We investigate the properties of strongly correlated electronic models on a flux-threaded ring connected to semi-infinite free-electron leads. The interference pattern of such an Aharonov-Bohm ring shows sharp dips at certain flux values, determined by the filling, which are a consequence of spin-charge separation in a nanoscopic system.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Duodenogastric bile reflux is common in cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have a high incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, but few cases of mucosal injury are reported. Duodenogastric reflux has not been studied in CF but has been suggested to have a pathogenic role in producing alkaline injury to the esophageal mucosa. The aim of this study was to analyze the presence of duodenogastric reflux in patients with CF. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with CF and 7 healthy volunteers participated in the study. Gastroduodenal manometry and intragastric perfusion were performed in all subjects. Gastric perfusate was analyzed for bilirubin and bile acids. Only patients and controls exhibiting normal migrating motor complexes were evaluated. RESULTS: Eight patients with CF had normal motility recordings and had significantly higher gastric bilirubin levels compared with healthy subjects (P = 0.003). The bilirubin concentration was associated with bile acid regurgitation in five patients with CF. All bile acids were conjugated with a high glycine/taurine ratio and low levels of secondary bile acids. Small amounts of keto bile acids were found in two patients. CONCLUSION: The patients with CF had an increased incidence of duodenogastric reflux compared with healthy subjects. The bile acid composition was typical for CF with low levels of secondary bile acids. Although high bile acid concentration was found in the duodenogastric reflux in most patients with CF, the less toxic profile of the bile acids might possibly contribute to the low frequency of Barrett's esophagus in CF.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Spin-orbit coupling and electron spin resonance theory for carbon nanotubes.

A theoretical description of electron spin resonance (ESR) in 1D interacting metals is given, with primary emphasis on carbon nanotubes. The spin-orbit coupling is derived, and the resulting ESR spectrum is analyzed using a low-energy field theory. Drastic differences in the ESR spectra of single-wall and multiwall nanotubes are found. For single-wall tubes, the predicted double peak spectrum is linked to spin-charge separation. For multiwall tubes, a single narrow asymmetric peak is expected.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Spectroscopic and magnetic mirages of impurities in nanoscopic systems.

We present exact results for magnetic impurities in nanoscopic systems with focusing properties. We analyze the spectroscopic and magnetic properties of Kondo, intermediate valence, and magnetic impurities on a sphere with a metallic surface. Exact calculations show the occurrence of spectroscopic and magnetic mirages at the antipodes of the impurity location. Comparison with calculations performed using effective models validates previous calculations of spectroscopic mirages. Our results predict the existence of a strong magnetic mirage in the experimentally realizable elliptic corral.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Gastric secretion in cystic fibrosis in relation to the migrating motor complex.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have been claimed to have defect intestinal motility and gastric acid secretion. The aim of this work was to study the interdigestive motility and the motility-related secretions in the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with CF compared to healthy controls. METHODS: Concomitant gastroduodenal manometry combined with intragastric perfusion was performed in 12 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with CF. RESULTS: Eight CF patients showed a normal migrating motor complex. Motility-related gastric secretion of acid and bicarbonate was evaluated in six patients and did not differ from healthy subjects. Gastric net fluid secretion was significantly decreased in the CF patients and bilirubin reflux was significantly increased. The CF patients with pancreatic insufficiency lacked motility-related variations in plasma levels of motilin and pancreatic peptide. CONCLUSIONS: No defect in fasting motility or gastric secretion of acid or bicarbonate could be seen in well-nourished adult CF patients. The main finding was a significantly lower net fluid secretion and higher bilirubin reflux compared to healthy subjects. Indications of a genetic relationship could be seen.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Gastric IgA in cystic fibrosis in relation to the migrating motor complex.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal symptoms in cystic fibrosis are frequent, but little is known about the underlying pathophysiology. Mucosal secretion of IgA is important for the immunologic function in the human gastrointestinal tract but has not been studied in cystic fibrosis. The aim of this study was to quantify the release of IgA by the gastric mucosa in relation to interdigestive motor activity in patients with cystic fibrosis with different genotypes. METHODS: The study included 7 healthy adult volunteers and 10 adult patients with cystic fibrosis, all Helicobacter pylori-negative. All patients had pathological sweat tests and clinical symptoms and signs of cystic fibrosis. All but one were colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Three patients were pancreatic sufficient. The investigation was performed using intragastric perfusion and gastroduodenal manometry. RESULTS: During the investigation, 8 of 10 patients with cystic fibrosis showed the characteristic pattern of interdigestive motility. The patients had significantly lower levels of gastric IgA compared to healthy subjects during phases II and III of migrating motor complex, median (range) 120 (67-442) and 36 (6-299) microg/5 min. 382 (40-1176) and 56 (4-398) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04), respectively. Only one patient with genotype R668C/unknown showed IgA levels within the normal range. There was no correlation to gastric presence of duodenogastric reflux markers. CONCLUSION: The interdigestive motility pattern was normal in most patients with cystic fibrosis. The low levels of IgA released from the gastric mucosa in the patients might indicate a defective gastric transmucosal IgA transport in cystic fibrosis.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

New type of charge and magnetic order in the ferromagnetic kondo lattice

We study numerically the one dimensional ferromagnetic Kondo lattice, a model widely used to describe nickel and manganese perovskites. By including a nearest-neighbor Coulomb interaction ( V) and a superexchange interaction between the localized moments ( K), we obtain the phase diagram in parameter space for several dopings at T = 0. Because of the competition between double and superexchange, we find a region where the formation of magnetic polarons induces a charge-ordered state which survives also for V = 0. This mechanism should be taken into account in theories of charge ordering involving spin degrees of freedom.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Electrogenic ion transport in duodenum, an aid in cystic fibrosis diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Abnormality in chloride transport across epithelial tissues is a basic defect in cystic fibrosis (CF). Our aim was to compare the induced chloride secretion in duodenum in CF patients with different mutations. METHODS: Duodenal biopsies from 9 patients were investigated in a modified Ussing chamber and the secretory response to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and acetylcholine (ACh) were measured. RESULTS: PGE2 and ACh induced no changes in chloride secretion in the AF508 homozygotes. In heterozygotes the induced change in chloride secretion corresponded to the severity of the known mutations. CONCLUSION: The secretory response in duodenum in CF is influenced by the patients genotype and mainly related to sweat chloride secretion.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1998

Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 express different binding specificities to N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine, whereas Actinomyces odontolyticus expresses a different binding specificity in colonizing the human mouth.

A total of 102 strains of Actinomyces were isolated from teeth, buccal mucosa and tongue in eight individuals. The isolates were characterized by multivariate statistical analyses of phenotypic characteristics, serotyping and binding to beta-linked galactosamine (N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine) and acidic proline-rich protein structures. Based on these characteristics, isolates were classified into three major groups: (i) Isolates of Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 2 were the dominant species on teeth and buccal mucosa and bound commonly to N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine (63 of 63 isolates) and acidic proline-rich proteins (63 of 63 isolates), regardless of tissue origin. They all exhibited a N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine binding specificity signified by N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine-inhibitable coaggregation with the streptococcal strains LVG1, GVE1, 24892 and MPB1; (ii) Isolates of A. naeslundii genospecies 1 were prevalent on teeth in certain individuals and bound commonly to N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine (20 of 20 isolates), but less commonly to acidic proline-rich proteins (5 of 20 isolates). They all possessed another N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine specificity, i.e. N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine-inhibitable coaggregation with the same streptococcal strains except for strain MPB1; (iii) Isolates of Actinomyces odontolyticus, the dominant species on the tongue (17 of 19 isolates), bound commonly to unknown structures on streptococci (17 of 19 isolates) but rarely to N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine (2 of 19 isolates) or acidic proline-rich proteins (3 of 19 isolates). In conclusion, A. naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 exhibit different patterns of N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine and acidic proline-rich protein specificities to colonize dental and buccal mucosa surfaces, whereas A. odontolyticus utilizes another specificity to colonize the tongue.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

PubMed1998

Ribotype diversity of Actinomyces with similar intraoral tropism but different types of N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine binding specificity.

Sixty-three isolates of Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 and Actinomyces odontolyticus from three subjects clustered into 22 ribotypes. Unique ribotypes were found in the subjects and within individual tissue sites (bucca, tooth and tongue). A odontolyticus ribotypes shared tongue-specific binding properties, while those of genospecies 1 and 2 from buccal and tooth surfaces shared different types of N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine binding specificity.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

PubMed1998

Actinomyces naeslundii displays variant fimP and fimA fimbrial subunit genes corresponding to different types of acidic proline-rich protein and beta-linked galactosamine binding specificity.

Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 bind to acidic proline-rich proteins (APRPs) and statherin via type 1 fimbriae and to beta-linked galactosamine (GalNAcbeta) structures via type 2 fimbriae. In addition, A. naeslundii displays two types of binding specificity for both APRPs-statherin and GalNAcbeta, while Actinomyces odontolyticus binds to unknown structures. To study the molecular basis for these binding specificities, DNA fragments spanning the entire or central portions of fimP (type 1) and fimA (type 2) fimbrial subunit genes were amplified by PCR from strains of genospecies 1 and 2 and hybridized with DNA from two independent collections of oral Actinomyces isolates. Isolates of genospecies 1 and 2 and A. odontolyticus, but no other Actinomyces species, were positive for hybridization with fimP and fimA full-length probes irrespective of binding to APRPs and statherin, GalNAcbeta, or unknown structures. Isolates of genospecies 1 and 2, with deviating patterns of GalNAcbeta1-3Galalpha-O-ethyl-inhibitable coaggregation with Streptococcus oralis Ss34 and MPB1, were distinguished by a fimA central probe from genospecies 1 and 2, respectively. Furthermore, isolates of genospecies 1 and 2 displaying preferential binding to APRPs over statherin were positive with a fimP central probe, while a genospecies 2 strain with the opposite binding preference was not. The sequences of fimP and fimA central gene segments were highly conserved among isolates with the same, but diversified between those with a variant, binding specificity. In conclusion, A. naeslundii exhibits variant fimP and fimA genes corresponding to diverse APRP and GalNAcbeta specificities, respectively, while A. odontolyticus has a genetically related but distinct adhesin binding specificity.

Actinomyces↗

PubMed1997

Intestinal permeability in cystic fibrosis in relation to genotype.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the increase intestinal permeability (IP) seen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is correlated with the basic defect, as revealed by the patient's genotype, and/or whether the intestinal disturbance reflects secondary abnormalities such as essential fatty acid deficiency. METHODS: Nineteen CF patients were compared with nine age- and sex-matched healthy controls. IP was evaluated by studying urinary excretion for 5 hours after a test meal containing lactulose, L-rhamnose and xylose in water. Urine was analyzed for carbohydrates, and blood samples were taken for determination of the fatty acid pattern of serum phospholipids. The CF patients were grouped according to genotype: homozygous for delta F508, heterozygous for alpha F508, or unidentified. RESULTS: Patients who were homozygous (n = 9) or heterzygous (n = 6) for delta F508 had significantly higher lactulose/L-rhamnose excretion ratios (mean(range) values of 0.08(0.05-0.13) and 0.09(0.03-0.13), respectively) than patients (n = 4) with unidentified genotypes [0.03(0.02-0.05); p = 0.005] or healthy controls [0.02(0.003-0.06); p = 0.002]. CF patients with EFAD (n = 6) did not differ from those with a normal pattern of serum phospholipid fatty acids, the lactulose/L-rhamnose excretion ratio being 0.08(0.02-0.13) and 0.07(0.03-0.12), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that the IP in CF was related to patient genotype; those homozygozous or heterozygous for delta F508 having a significantly increased IP compared with patients with unidentified genotypes, who had IP values within the normal range.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996