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Biomedical subjects

K Moller

Publications and source records attributed to K Moller.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Quantitative assessment of dysphagia in patients with primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome.

Dysphagia is a common complaint from patients with salivary gland dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare dysphagia in two patient groups with salivary gland dysfunction (primary Sjörgen's syndrome and secondary Sjögren's syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus, and a matched control group. Subjects diagnosed with primary Sjögren's syndrome (n = 13) and secondary Sjögren's syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 15) were selected for the study. An age- and sex-matched group of control subjects (n = 14) was selected for comparison. Dysphagia assessments, including videofluoroscopy were performed. Dysphagia was quantified clinically and videofluoroscopically by measurement of 10 seconds of basal or dry swallows as compared with 10-second 10-ml water bolus swallows in all subjects. Subjective evaluations were recorded on a calibrated 10-cm visual analog scale. The results indicated a significant difference in the dry swallows as compared with the water bolus swallows for both salivary gland dysfunction groups and for both dry swallows and water bolus swallows as compared to controls. Videofluoroscopy yielded significantly prolonged pharyngeal transit times in both salivary gland dysfunction groups as compared with control. Subjective results indicated a greater degree of dysphagia symptoms in both the salivary gland dysfunction groups (p < 0.001). Conclusions from this study indicate clinically significant dysphagia in patients with salivary gland dysfunction associated with Sjögren's syndrome compared with a control population.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dysphagia in patients with three different etiologies of salivary gland dysfunction.

Dysphagia is a common complaint from patients with salivary gland dysfunction (SGD). The purpose of this study was to assess and compare dysphagia in three patient groups with SGD: primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS-1); secondary Sjögren's syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus (SS-2-SLE) and a group of patients who had post-irradiation therapy (PIT) (for head and neck cancer xerostomia) and a matched control group. Subjects diagnosed with SS-1 (n = 7); SS-2-SLE (n = 7) and PIT (n = 7) were selected for the study. An age-sex-matched group of control subjects (n = 7) was selected for comparison. Dysphagia assessments, including videofluoroscopy, were performed. Subjective evaluations were recorded on a calibrated 10-cm visual analog scale. The results indicated a significant difference in the DS as compared to the WBS for all SGD groups and for both DS and WBS in each SGD group as compared to controls. Videofluoroscopy also yielded significantly prolonged pharyngeal transit times (PTT) in all SGD groups as compared to controls. Subjective results indicated a greater degree of dysphagia symptoms in all of the SGD groups (p < 0.001). Conclusions from this study indicate clinically significant dysphagia in patients with SS-1, SS-2-SLE and PIT as compared to a control population.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Articulatory speech performance in patients with salivary gland dysfunction: a pilot study.

Difficulty with speech is a common complaint of patients with xerostomia resulting from salivary gland dysfunction. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess and compare speech tasks in three patient groups with salivary gland dysfunction arising from different etiologies (primary Sjogren's syndrome, secondary Sjogren's syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus, and irradiation therapy for head and neck cancer) and a matched control group. Diadochokinetic speech tasks were quantified clinically and videofluoroscopically. The results indicated that significantly fewer speech tasks were completed, with or without water, by the groups with salivary gland dysfunction than by the control group. Videofluoroscopy provided excellent quantitative analysis, yielding results similar to those of the clinical measurement. In a subjective self-assessment, subjects with salivary gland dysfunction reported more problems with speech than did control subjects.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide expression in sensory neurons.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a novel vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like peptide isolated from ovine hypothalami. The presence of PACAP-like immunoreactivity was recently demonstrated in nerve cell bodies of sensory ganglia in the rat. Since PACAP belongs to a large family of chemically related neuropeptides, we have, in the present study, tried to establish the synthesis of PACAP in neurons of sensory ganglia, using in situ hybridization with a 35S-labelled oligonucleotide probe complementary to PACAP mRNA. The expression of PACAP was compared to that of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) using a radiolabelled CGRP oligonucleotide probe. The PACAP probe labelled small to medium-sized neurons in the trigeminal ganglion and dorsal root ganglia at different levels, indicating the presence of PACAP mRNA. The CGRP probe labelled nerve cell bodies of varying size, outnumbering those labelled by the PACAP probe. In dorsal root ganglia, cells expressing PACAP constituted c. 10% and those expressing CGRP 46% of the total number of nerve cell bodies. Expression of PACAP was seen in a small subpopulation of cells expressing CGRP. We conclude that PACAP is synthesized in a subpopulation of neurons of sensory ganglia in the rat. Therefore, the recently described effects of PACAP--cutaneous vasodilation, potentiation of oedema formation and depression of nociceptive spinal reflexes--may be physiological and related to neurogenic inflammation and modulation of pain transmission.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide is a sensory neuropeptide: immunocytochemical and immunochemical evidence.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) is a vasoactive intestinal peptide-like hypothalamic peptide occurring as two variants, PACAP-27 and the C-terminally extended PACAP-38. Immunoreactive PACAP has also been demonstrated in the enteric nervous system and in the innervation of the respiratory tract. We have examined the possibility that PACAP occurs in the sensory nervous system of the rat. Immunocytochemistry revealed PACAP in numerous nerve fibres in the superficial layer of the dorsal horns of the spinal cord, in nerve cell bodies (most of them of small size) of the spinal ganglia and trigeminal ganglia and in nerve fibres running close to and within the surface epithelium in the skin of the nose, the tongue, the larynx-trachea, and the urinary bladder as well as around the ducts of the submandibular gland. In all locations, PACAP co-existed with calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P, the PACAP-immunoreactive fibres and cell bodies constituting a subpopulation of those storing substance P and/or calcitonin gene-related peptide. Additional PACAP-immunoreactive fibres not associated with epithelia seemed to lack calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P. Capsaicin treatment reduced the density of PACAP- and calcitonin gene-related peptide/substance P-immunoreactive fibres in the tissues examined. On the whole, the immunocytochemical results agreed with those obtained by radioimmunoassay for PACAP and CGRP. The data favour a role for PACAP in primary sensory neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide produces a marked and long-lasting depression of a C-fibre-evoked flexion reflex.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) is a novel vasoactive intestinal peptide-like peptide. It has a neuronal localization and occurs in two forms, PACAP-38 and the C-terminally truncated PACAP-27. In a recent report we described a dense accumulation of PACAP-27-immunoreactive nerve fibres in the superficial layer of the dorsal horn in the spinal cord and a few PACAP-27-immunoreactive nerve cell bodies in the spinal ganglia in the rat. Double-immunostaining showed that immunoreactive PACAP-27 occurred in a subpopulation of the calcitonin gene related peptide/substance P-containing cell bodies and fibres. In this study, PACAP-27 (0.47-0.63 pmol) given intrathecally produced a significant and long-lasting suppression of C-fibre-evoked flexion reflex produced by the electrical stimulation of the plantar nerve and recorded as a reflex discharge in the peroneal nerve. With a higher dose, 1.25 pmol, the magnitude of the response was not increased further but the effect became longer-lasting. PACAP-38 and vasoactive intestinal peptide were tested in doses up to 5 pmol and produced a significant and, in the case of PACAP-38, long-lasting suppression of the spinal flexion reflex. PACAP-27 seemed to be much more potent than PACAP-38 and vasoactive intestinal peptide. Intrathecal PACAP-27 was without effect on the monosynaptic stretch reflex (evoked by electrical stimulation of the gastrocnemius nerve and recorded as a reflex discharge in the sciatic nerve), suggesting that its effect on the flexion reflex is specific.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effects of extended speaking on resonance of patients with cleft palate.

Groups of listeners and rating scales were used to study the effects of extended speaking on resonance and voice quality in eight adults with cleft palate and mild to moderate hypernasality and a matched group of noncleft adults, with normal resonance and voice quality. Authors interpret their findings as indicating that resonance changes were greater and vocal quality changes less, for the cleft group, but that changes were not extensive nor always in the direction of increased hypernasality or decreased vocal quality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Effects of pubertal changes on the speech of persons with cleft palate.

The effects of puberty on the speech of persons with cleft palate and normal to moderate degrees of resonance distortion were investigated. Listeners were rated for resonance, articulation, and speech acceptability from recordings made prepuberty and postpuberty for 18 males who received no surgery during the time they went through puberty. Results suggest that changes were minimal and did not always result in speech improvement or deterioration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Prolonged service intervals in cattle.

A trial based on progesterone radioimmunoassay of milk samples is described. Samples from 2274 cows in 14 herds were collected on the day of insemination and 7, 23 and 30 days later, unless a return to service occurred before the designated sample date. Two additional samples were collected from cows which returned to service more than 35 days after the first service, one on the day of the return and another seven days later. All six samples from these cows were assayed for progesterone concentration. Late returns, defined as returns to oestrus 36 or more days after mating, occurred in 8.6% of the cows. Milk progesterone assay results indicate that of these apparently late-returning cows, 55.9% suffered a loss of the conceptus, 22.1% had not been detected in oestrus around 21 days after first insemination, 11.8% were in anoestrus at insemination, 5.6% conceived to the insemination and were pregnant when thought to have had a late return, 2.6% were in prooestrus or dioestrus at insemination and 2.1% went into anoestrus after an oestrus insemination. The average prevalence of late returns after the 35th day (8.6%) and the estimated incidence of losses of concepta (4.8%) are lower than those reported in comparable studies elsewhere. Although many of the late-return cows were mated again and conceived, this syndrome nevertheless contributes significantly to the wastage rate, at least in New Zealand dairy herds with their strictly seasonal calving pattern. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for their prevention are made where appropriate.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

Effects of oestradiol benzoate treatment on the reproductive performance and endocrine status of sows after lactations of 10 or 35 days.

Forty-two Landrace X Large White sows were used in 3 studies of oestradiol benzoate treatment 24 h (E1) or 48 h (E2) after piglet removal, following lactations of 10 (S) or 35 (L) days, or were untreated controls (C). For Exp. 1, oestradiol benzoate doses were 4, 16 and 64 micrograms/kg body weight; since highest mean LH peaks followed use of the 16 micrograms/kg dose, this treatment was used in later studies. Treatments for Exp. 2 were S-E1 and L-E1 (N = 3). Pregnancy rates were 1/3 and 2/3, respectively, while 10-day weaned sows tended to have longer weaning-remating intervals, shorter oestrous periods and lower post-injection oestradiol peaks. Post-treatment LH peaks were recorded from all L-E1 sows, but only one S-E1 animal. Treatments S-E2, L-E2, S-C and L-C (N = 6) were used in Exp. 3; pregnancy rates were 1/6, 6/6, 5/6 and 6/6, respectively, while peak oestradiol levels were 49.5 +/- 8.3, 74.8 +/- 15.1, 21.7 +/- 2.0 and 51.8 +/- 26.5 pg/ml, respectively. Weaning-remating intervals were extended in S-C sows (P less than 0.05), while oestradiol treatment prolonged behavioural oestrus. LH peak values were reduced after short lactations, but not affected by oestradiol treatment. Plasma prolactin concentrations at weaning were higher in sows in treatment S than in treatment L, while at the subsequent oestrus in oestradiol-treated sows they were elevated more and for longer periods than in controls. These results demonstrate that reduced gonadotrophin secretion and fertility after short lactations are not overcome by treatment with oestradiol benzoate.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

The induction of parturition in sows using prostaglandin F2alpha.

Intramuscular injections (10 mg) of prostaglandin F2alpha were administered to 19 pregnant sows in one herd on either the 112th or 113th day of gestation and a similar number of untreated sows served as controls. Induced sows for up to 6h after injection generally showed more walking, drinking defaceating and postural changes. Over the last 20 h prepartum they spent more time lying and urinated more frequently. Mean interval from injection to onset of parturition in treated sows was 24.5 h and 16 of them commenced farrowing during the working day, compared with 6 in the control group. Induction of parturition did not influence litter size at birth, piglet body-weights at birth or 14 days of age, the incidence of the mastitis, metrititis agalactae syndrome, re-breeding interval of the sow or size of the subsequent litter at birth. Farrowing time was significantly longer (6.48 h v 4.08 h) for treated sows and litter pre-weaning mortality was higher but not significantly so. Most piglet deaths in each group resulted from overlaying or starvation but mortality from anaemia and septicaemia occurred only in the treated group. It is considered that the technique could have practical application on well-managed intensive pig units.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1981

Pre-mating injection of an analogue of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and pregnancy rates to first insemination.

Two hundred and ninety two dairy cows received a subcutaneous injection of a 2.5 ml solution containing 10 microg GnRH-analogue (Receptal, Hoechst A.G.) 0-6 hours before insemination, while 284 cows acting as controls were injected with 2.5 ml of sterile pyrogen-free water at the same time. The two groups, the treated and the control, were formed by matching (pairing) each oestrous cow with another on the basis of interval from calving to first mating, condition score, and age on the day of first mating after calving. The cows were in 3 factory supply dairy herds, which were visited daily during the first 3 weeks of the mating season. All the cows presented for mating each day were inseminated by the same technician using 0.5 ml of ambient-temperature semen containing 2 million spermatozoa per insemination. The semen used on any particular day originated from one ejaculate of one bull (same batch number). The cows were manually examined for pregnancy 2 to 3 months after their first insemination. A similar response was seen in all three herds irrespective of the interval from calving to mating. First mating pregnancy rates were 9.3% higher in the Receptal-treated cows than in the control group (P = 0.025). It is suggested that Receptal may have a beneficial effect on the pregnancy rate of cows that have recently ovulated as well as on those having delayed ovulation.

Animals↗