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L D Madsen

Publications and source records attributed to L D Madsen.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Accuracy of telemedical home blood pressure measurement in the diagnosis of hypertension.

This study was conducted to compare the accuracy of clinic blood pressure (CBP) and telemedical home blood pressure (HBP) measurement in the diagnosis of hypertension in primary care. The study subjects were 411 patients with average CBP > or =140 mmHg systolic or > or =90 mmHg diastolic, who performed telemedical HBP measurement (5 days, four times daily) and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring in random order. Main outcome measure was the agreement of CBP and HBP with daytime ABP. CBP was much higher than daytime ABP and average HBP (P<0.001) with no difference between the latter two. The correlation between CBP and ABP was weak (systolic: r=0.499, diastolic: r=0.543), whereas strong correlations existed between HBP and ABP (systolic: r=0.847, diastolic: r=0.812). A progressive improvement in the strength of the linear regression between average HBP of single days and ABP was obtained from day 1 to day 4, with no further benefit obtained on the fifth day. The HBP readings taken at noon and in the afternoon showed significantly stronger correlations with ABP than the blood pressures measured in the morning and in the evening. In conclusion, the accuracy of telemedical HBP measurement was substantially better than that of CBP in the diagnosis of hypertension in primary care. HBP most accurately reflected ABP on the fourth day of monitoring, and the readings at noon and in the afternoon seemed to be most accurate.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Myeloid-related protein (MRP)-8 from cervico-vaginal secretions activates HIV replication.

OBJECTIVES: To identify a substance found in female genital tract secretions that enhances HIV expression in infected cells. DESIGN: Cervico-vaginal lavages (CVL), collected in sterile normal saline, were fractionated and tested for HIV-inducing activity using HIV-infected monocytes. METHODS: To purify the component(s) of CVL that enhance HIV production, Mono-Q ion exchange chromatography followed by Superose-12 molecular sieve analysis, and SDS--PAGE were performed. The purified protein was identified by amino acid sequence analysis. RESULTS: SDS--PAGE of bioactive fractions showed a 14 kDa polypeptide band. Amino acid sequence analysis of selected peptides from the 14 kDa band showed 100% homology with the myeloid-related protein (MRP)-8, an inflammatory protein found in mucosal secretions. Western blot analysis revealed that bioactive CVL contained more immunoreactive MRP-8 than samples without bioactivity. The HIV-inducing activity of MRP-8 was further confirmed by showing that human recombinant MRP-8 increased HIV expression by up to 40-fold. CONCLUSIONS: MRP-8 in cervico-vaginal secretions stimulates HIV production. Strategies aimed at blocking MRP-8 activity in the genital tract could reduce risk of sexual as well as maternal--infant transmission of HIV.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Surface damage formation during ion-beam thinning of samples for transmission electron microscopy.

All techniques employed in the preparation of samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) introduce or include artifacts that can degrade the images of the materials being studied. One significant cause of this image degradation is surface amorphization. The damaged top and bottom surface layers of TEM samples can obscure subtle detail, particularly at high magnification. Of the techniques typically used for TEM sample preparation of semiconducting materials, cleaving produces samples with the least surface amorphization, followed by low-angle ion milling, conventional ion milling, and focused ion beam (FIB) preparation. In this work, we present direct measurements of surface damage on silicon produced during TEM sample preparation utilizing these techniques. The thinnest damaged layer formed on a silicon surface was measured as 1.5 nm thick, while an optimized FIB sample preparation process results in the formation of a 22 nm thick damaged layer. Lattice images are obtainable from all samples.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Influence of material properties on TEM specimen preparation of thin films.

Several factors must be taken into account when deciding which specimen preparation technique(s) to use. These factors include the amount of material available, ease of preparing this material due to its properties and familiarity, location and size of the region of interest, amount of information sought, facilities accessible, and time available by the researcher to devote to the preparation of the specimen. The more popular specimen preparations for thin films, namely, electropolishing, cleaving, crushing, mechanical thinning followed by ion milling, and ultramicrotomy are discussed and the more unusual techniques such as extraction/replication, photochemical etching, lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE), chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE), and precision polishing-based techniques are described. Their advantages and disadvantages in the context of the above factors are discussed. Suggestions for increasing one's success rate in preparing specimens are given. The role of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis is considered since it rarely stands in isolation from other physical analytical techniques, nor is it often used as a quick diagnostic tool. Conservation of material by the minimization of the amount of material used (or destroyed) by TEM specimen preparation, and conservation of one's time by performing TEM analysis only on "worthy" samples should be given maximum consideration.

Microscopy, Electron↗
PubMed1997

Palliative care in Denmark.

The palliative effort in Denmark has increased during recent years. Many initiatives to improve conditions for patients who need supportive and palliative care have been introduced. All hospitals offer symptom control and "open admission". The Social Security Authority has passed an act giving relatives the opportunity to nurse a patient who wishes to die at home without losing their income. Three hospices have been established, all on a non-statutory basis. This article describes the different initiatives and future plans.

Denmark↗