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Biomedical subjects

L B Larsen

Publications and source records attributed to L B Larsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effect of protein composition on the cheese-making properties of milk from individual dairy cows.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of variations in milk protein composition on milk clotting properties and cheese yield. Milk was collected from 134 dairy cows of Swedish Red and White, Swedish Holstein, and Danish Holstein-Friesian breed at 3 sampling occasions. Concentrations of alphaS1-, beta-, and kappa-casein (CN), alpha-lactalbumin, and beta-lactoglobulin (LG) A and B were determined by reversed phase liquid chromatography. Cows of Swedish breeds were genotyped for genetic variants of beta- and kappa-CN. Model cheeses were produced from individual skimmed milk samples and the milk clotting properties were evaluated. More than 30% of the samples were poorly coagulating or noncoagulating, resulting in weak or no coagulum, respectively. Poorly and noncoagulating samples were associated with a low concentration of kappa-CN and a low proportion of kappa-CN in relation to total CN analyzed. Furthermore, the kappa-CN concentration was higher in milk from cows with the AB genotype than the AA genotype of kappa-CN. The concentrations of alphaS1-, beta-, and kappa-CN and of beta-LG B were found to be significant for the cheese yield, expressed as grams of cheese per one hundred grams of milk. The ratio of CN to total protein analyzed and the beta-LG B concentration positively affected cheese yield, expressed as grams of dry cheese solids per one hundred grams of milk protein, whereas beta-LG A had a negative effect. Cheese-making properties could be improved by selecting milk with high concentrations of alphaS1-, beta-, and kappa-CN, with high kappa-CN in relation to total CN and milk that contains beta-LG B.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Drugs in injured drivers in Denmark.

As part of the project Impaired Motorists, Methods of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing (IMMORTAL) under the European Commission's Transport RTD Programme of the 5th Framework Programme [I.M. Bernhoft, Drugs in accidents involved drivers in Denmark, D-R4.3 of the project Impaired Motorists, Methods Of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing (IMMORTAL), , 2005], a study regarding drugs in accident-involved drivers was carried out in Denmark. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to collect and analyse samples from injured drivers for the presence of drugs; (2) to give an indication whether drugs may have contributed to traffic accidents; and (3) to get information on the drug-positive drivers and their drug use. This paper focuses on objective 1. Injured drivers who were treated in hospital were asked to give a saliva sample, a blood sample or both. The samples were screened for the following substances: opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, incl. MDMA (ecstasy), cannabinoids and metabolites, cocaine and metabolites and benzodiazepines. Screenings were carried out by means of Cozart Microplate EIA kit. Positive screenings were confirmation analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). In total, 26 out of 330 patients were confirmed positive for one or more of the six drug groups. However, three patients were excluded from the survey for various reasons. Of the remaining 23 drug-positive patients 15 were found positive for one drug group, and in five of these cases alcohol was present in a concentration over the legal limit in Denmark (0.05%). The other eight patients were found positive for two drug groups, and in four of these cases, alcohol was also present in a concentration over the legal limit. Alcohol was found both in combinations with medicinal drugs, with illegal drugs and with both. Based on the saliva or blood concentrations, we estimate that there is a strong suspicion of impairment in 9 out of 23 cases, and in another six cases it was likely that the drivers were impaired.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2001

[Injuries sustained by bus passengers in the municipality of Odense 1996-1999].

BACKGROUND: Owing to several recent bus-related accidents in Denmark, we wished to investigate injuries sustained by passengers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From our ongoing registration of patients treated in the casualty department at Odense University Hospital, we identified all residents of Odense Municipality who had sustained injuries as bus passengers from 1996 to 1999. Market analysis and demographic information were used to calculate the incidence and risk. RESULTS: Over this four-year period, 327 consecutive injuries had been sustained by 246 bus passengers, 72 men and 174 women, mean ages 44 and 53 years. The incidence rate was 3.3 injured per 10,000 inhabitants per year, with no increasing tendency during the study period. The risk was 2.2 injured per 1,000,000 bus passengers per year, highest in women and increasing with age. Injuries most frequently occurred when the bus stopped (31%), as passengers were boarding or alighting (23%), or during collision with another vehicle (20%). Most commonly injured areas were the lower (30%) and upper (28%) extremities and the head or neck (27%). Contusions and sprains were the most common injuries (59%). The most common fractures were those of the humerus and hip region. CONCLUSION: Bus passenger injuries are not a growing problem. The incidence increases with age.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2001

[Spinal cord injury following knife stab wound].

BACKGROUND: Problems about penetrating injuries are well known, but spinal cord damage is rare. Stab wounds to the spinal cord may be a new type of injury in our society. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We describe two patients brought to our hospital with stab wounds to the cervicothoracic region and major neurologic injury. One was treated initially only with cleaning and primary closure of the skin. After two weeks the intraspinal damage was repaired in our neurosurgical unit. The second patient was immediately brought to neurosurgery. The intraspinal damage was explored and the dural tear was closed. RESULTS: The first patient got a superficial infection and spinal fluid leakage after initial treatment. This resolved when the dura was closed. There were no wound complications in the second patient. Both demonstrated Brown-Séquard's syndrome. Neurologic recovery was much better in the first than in the second patient. INTERPRETATION: Minor penetrating wounds in the neck region may represent damage to the spinal cord with major neurologic injury. Further investigation with MR is preferable and we recommend immediate surgical treatment with closure of the dural tear.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Cytokines and chemokines in respiratory secretion and severity of disease in infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

BACKGROUND: little is known about inflammatory mediators (IM); like cytokines, chemokines and receptors; in respiratory secretion as possible indicators of the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease. Nor have systematic studies been published on the ratios between IM as such indicators. OBJECTIVE: to define the role of IM ratios as possible indicators of the severity of RSV disease. STUDY DESIGN: about 46 infants aged 0-9 months with acute RSV infections were studied. Prematurity (PM) and/or underlying disease (UD) were present in 11 of them. The concentrations of seven different IM were measured by ELISA in samples of nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS), four cytokines; IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-alpha; the cytokine receptor TNF-R1 and the chemokines; IL-8 and RANTES. 21 IM ratios were calculated from these concentrations. The patients were assigned a clinical score (CS) ranging from 0 to 3 according to the severity of disease. RESULTS: when 25 patients with severe disease (CS 2-3) and 21 patients with mild disease (CS 0-1) were compared with respect to different IM ratios, three ratios were related to severity of disease: IL-1/RANTES, IL-8/RANTES and TNF-R1/RANTES. When 12 patients with mild disease were compared with 16 patients with severe disease, omitting patients more than 5 months of age and patients with PM and/or UD, the following IM ratios were related to severity of disease: TNF-R1/RANTES, IL-8/RANTES and RANTES/IL-10. CONCLUSION: of 21 IM ratios studied, TNF-R1/RANTES was related to severity of disease with greatest consistency.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed2001

Thermal inactivation kinetics of bovine cathepsin D.

Cathepsin D, the principal indigenous acid proteinase in bovine milk, is a lysosomal proteinase, which exists in milk in four forms, including the inactive zymogen procathepsin D. The thermal inactivation kinetics of bovine cathepsin D, isolated from spleen and milk, were studied under isothermal conditions, using a specific HPLC assay to determine residual activity. Inactivation of the blood enzyme preparation followed first order kinetics, with z-values in phosphate buffer (pH 6.7) and skimmed milk of 6.5 and 7.6 degrees C, respectively, the enzyme being far more stable in the latter environment. Inactivation kinetics of the enzyme purified from milk were more complex, and could be best approximated by a double exponential model. Again, stability was higher in milk than in buffer. The double exponential model may indicate differing heat stabilities of isoforms of the enzyme, or stabilization of the enzyme by some milk constituent. It is clear that the enzyme can survive, at least partially, processes such as heating at 55 degrees C for 30 min during manufacture of high-cook cheese varieties (45% survival), and HTST pasteurization (8% survival), and thus may contribute to proteolysis in a range of dairy products.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Antibody responses to Campylobacter infections determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: 2-year follow-up study of 210 patients.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adapted to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA classes of human serum antibody to Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Heat-stable antigen, a combination of C. jejuni serotype O:1,44 and O:53 in the ratio 1:1, was used as a coating antigen in the ELISA test. A total of 631 sera from 210 patients with verified Campylobacter enteritis were examined at various intervals after infection, and a control group of 164 sera were tested to determine the cut-off for negative results. With a 90th percentile of specificity, IgG, IgM, and IgA showed a sensitivity of 71, 60, and 80%, respectively. By combining all three antibody classes, the sensitivity was 92% within 35 days after infection, whereas within 90 days after infection, a combined sensitivity of 90% was found (IgG 68%, IgM 52%, and IgA 76%). At follow-up of the patients, IgG antibodies were elevated 4.5 months after infection but exhibited a large degree of variation in antibody decay profiles. IgA and IgM antibodies were elevated during the acute phase of infection (up to 2 months from onset of infection). The antibody response did not depend on Campylobacter species or C. jejuni serotype, with the important exception of response to C. jejuni O:19, the serotype most frequently associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. All of the patients infected with this serotype had higher levels of both IgM (P = 0.006) and IgA (P = 0.06) compared with other C. jejuni and C. coli serotypes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Prolonged neck pain following automobile accidents. Gender and age related risk calculated on basis of data from an emergency department].

Whiplash injuries following road traffic accidents seem to be an increasing problem in many countries. Many studies are based on biased material from specialized departments or data from insurance companies. The aim of this study was to calculate the risk of longer lasting neck pain for persons involved in road traffic accidents and treated in the emergency room. We found that 49% of the patients treated following road traffic accidents in motor vehicles reported problems with neck pain. Thirteen percent had neck pain with more than six months of duration. The highest risk of neck pain was recorded in women aged 20-59 years. Accidents with front to back collisions presented the highest risk. The conclusion was that whiplash associated disorders following road traffic accidents in motor vehicles apparently is a large problem. The treatment and rehabilitation must be centralized at the level of the general practitioners.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2000

Non-occupational ladder and scaffold fall injuries.

In the period 1988-1997 a series of 1462 patients aged 15 years or older with non-occupational fall injuries from ladders or scaffolds were studied. We registered 1402 ladder falls and 60 scaffold falls. The mean age was 50 years, and 1052 were males. The mean annual incidence rate was 1.18 per 1000 inhabitants/year for males and 0.41 per 1000 inhabitants/year for females. A rise in the annual incidence rates with increasing age were observed for both males and females, whereas no trend in the annual incidence rates for each of the ten years studied were observed. About 1/5 of the patients were hospitalized with a median number of 7 days. Two patients died following the injury. Half of the registered injuries were contusions or sprains, whereas about 1/3 were fractures or dislocations. The extremities were most commonly injured as 36% of the injuries were located to the lower extremities and 33% to the upper extremities. The forearm was most commonly fractured or dislocated, whereas the ankle joint was most commonly sprained or contused.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2000

Radial nerve palsy after simple fracture of the humerus.

Radial nerve palsy is a common complication of simple fracture of the humerus. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the degree of spontaneous recovery and the need for exploration and repair of the nerve. The study included 26 patients with radial nerve palsy after simple fracture of the humerus. The male:female ratio was 3:1 and the median age was 21 years (range 9-79). Three patients had early exploration of the radial nerve in connection with osteosynthesis, and no appreciable damage to the nerve was found. Two other patients were explored later because they failed to recover. This exploration showed damage to the nerve which required further operation. Twenty-one patients were treated conservatively and all recovered well. None needed later operation. Because of the low incidence of nerve lesions we recommend an expectant policy initially.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The fluctuating pattern of various genome types of respiratory syncytial virus in Copenhagen and some other locations in Denmark.

A semi-nested RT-PCR method based on a region of the F and G glycoprotein genes was established, allowing the simultaneous detection and differentiation of group A and group B isolates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The PCR products were subjected to digestion with restriction endonucleases to further differentiate the isolates. Using, in addition, previously reported studies the prevalence of various genome types in the Copenhagen region over a period of 6 years was established. Furthermore, the prevalence of genome types was determined in a distant region in Denmark during the winters of 1996/97 and 1997/98, and in yet another distant region during the winter of 1997/98. It was shown that the different regions in Denmark to a large extent share the same pool of genome types of RSV. Yet, while the fluctuating patterns of the two groups and various genome types were almost identical at different hospitals in the Copenhagen region, they varied between the different regions. This suggests that epidemics in local communities primarily rely on region-specific herd immunity parameters and emerge from strains endemically circulating in these local communities. Group B strains in Copenhagen showed an overall predominance, being predominant in three of the six epidemic seasons studied, and of almost equal predominance in one season.

Child↗
PubMed1998

[Malignant melanoma in the small intestine].

A case story of malignant melanoma is presented. The tumour was localised to the jejunum. The symptoms, diagnosis and treatment are described and the pathogenesis is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Severity of respiratory syncytial virus disease related to type and genotype of virus and to cytokine values in nasopharyngeal secretions.

BACKGROUND: Investigations concerning the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease as related to (1) RSV type and genotype determined respectively by PCR and restriction enzyme analysis and (2) interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) values in samples of nasopharyngeal secretion (NPS) have not been previously reported. METHODS: We prospectively studied 105 RSV infections in the lower respiratory tract of infants and young children admitted to a pediatric department in Copenhagen during three winter seasons, 1993, 1994 and 1995. RSV strains were typed and genotyped, respectively, by PCR and nucleic acid restriction analysis and correlated to the severity of the disease. The ratio IL-6:TNF-alpha, determined from IL-6- and TNF-alpha values in samples of NPS, was related to the severity of the disease. Concentrations of IL-6 and of TNF-alpha were determined in serum samples taken during 5 weeks after the onset of illness. RESULTS: Type B infections produced more severe disease than did type A infections, as assessed on the length of the hospital stay, use of respiratory support and the presence of an infiltrate on a chest radiograph. This difference was age-related. It was observed in infants 0 to 5 months old, but not in older age groups. Type B genotype B1122 produced more severe disease than type A genotype A2311 in infants 0 to 11 months old. Increased serum concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were detected in samples taken 1 to 2 days after the onset of illness. Whereas TNF-alpha serum concentrations remained high, IL-6 serum concentrations decreased during the following 3 to 4 weeks. The IL-6:TNF-alpha ratio in samples of NPS was related to the severity of the disease. A high ratio was related to a low severity. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of disease in patients admitted with acute RSV infections can be correlated to the RSV type as determined by PCR, to the RSV genotype as determined by nucleic acid restriction analysis and to the ratio IL-6:TNF-alpha in NPS.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1997

Primary structure of EPV20, a secretory glycoprotein containing a previously uncharacterized type of domain.

A 20-kDa glycoprotein, EPV20, was isolated from bovine milk and characterized. The primary structure was determined by cDNA and protein sequencing combined with mass spectrometry. EPV20 is a 130-residue polypeptide synthesized with a 19-residue signal peptide. The function of EPV20 is unknown, but it displays 79% sequence similarity to a putative protein deduced from a human testis cDNA sequence designated HE1 (human epididymis clone 1) (Kirchhoff, C., 1992. EMBL/GeneBank/DDBJ Databases, accession number X67698). Northern blot analysis showed the bovine EPV20 to be expressed in kidney, spleen, liver and mammary gland, but remarkably not in bovine testis. The six Cys residues of EPV20 were found to be disulfide-linked in a 1-6, 2-3 and 4 5 pattern. This disulfide arrangement has been observed in other proteins, e.g. in human prostatic acid phosphatase, but the spacing between the cystines differs. Therefore, EPV20 represents a new structure among the large group of proteins containing domains with three disulfide bonds.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Plasminogen activation system in human milk.

BACKGROUND: Plasmin is the major endogenous protease present in milk. The level of plasmin activity is controlled by the availability of the precursor plasminogen and by the levels of plasminogen activators and inhibitors. Recently, a differential distribution of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) has been demonstrated in bovine milk. To assess whether this distribution pattern is a general feature, the occurrence of components of the plasminogen activation system in different fractions of human milk was investigated. METHODS: Milk samples were separated into the following fractions; milk fat, skim milk, and milk cells by centrifugation. The different fractions were detected for the presence of plasminogen and plasminogen activators by immunoblotting and zymography. The distribution of t-PA and u-PA was investigated by ligand binding analysis. t-PA-catalyzed plasminogen activation was examined by a coupled chromogenic assay. RESULTS: A differential distribution of plasminogen, t-PA, and u-PA was found. Casein micelles were found to exhibit t-PA and plasminogen binding activity, whereas the u-PA receptor was identified as the u-PA binding component in the cell fraction. Furthermore, human casein enhanced t-PA-catalyzed plasminogen activation, comparable to the enhancing effect obtained with fibrinogen fragments. CONCLUSION: The finding of a differential distribution of u-PA and t-PA in milk suggests that the two activators may have different physiological functions, which involve protection against invading microorganisms and maintenance of patency and fluidity in the ducts of mammary gland, respectively.

Caseins↗
PubMed1996

Bovine milk procathepsin D and cathepsin D: coagulation and milk protein degradation.

Cathepsin D is an indigenous aspartic proteinase in bovine milk. By competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay the amount of immunoreactive cathepsin D and procathepsin D in bovine skim milk was estimated to be 0.4 microgram/ml. Immunoreactive cathepsin D purified from whey consisted of a small fraction of mature cathepsin D, but the major form was the proenzyme procathepsin D. A preparation of bovine milk procathepsin D was, like mature cathepsin D, able to degrade purified alpha s1-, alpha s2-, beta- and kappa-casein and alpha-lactalbumin, while beta-lactoglobulin was resistant to cleavage. The cleavage sites in these proteins were determined and compared with those of chymosin. Cathepsin D was capable of generating the alpha s1-I, beta-I, beta-II and beta-III fragments originally described from the action of chymosin on the respective caseins, and these fragments were subjected to further proteolysis. Cathepsin D was also able to liberate the caseinomacropeptide from purified kappa-casein, and to coagulate bovine skim milk. This demonstrated that milk contains an indigenous coagulation enzyme present mainly in the whey fraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Frequency of self-reported alcohol influence in injured bicycle riders].

The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of self reported alcohol influence in injured bicyclists. The study was based upon a combination of data from a questionnaire and recordings from the emergency room. Eighteen percent of cyclists 15 years of age or older treated at the emergency room reported themselves influenced by alcohol at the time of accident. The highest injury rate in patients riding under influence was found in the age group 20-29 years, and the proportion of injured cyclists riding under influence was four times higher in males than in females. The lesions sustained by alcohol influenced bicyclists were not more severe than those of the not influenced injured bicyclists.

Accidents, Traffic↗