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Biomedical subjects

L Forssman

Publications and source records attributed to L Forssman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Estimation of a preference matrix for women's choice of male sexual partner according to rate of partner change, using partner notification data.

Data from a study of partner notification for venereal chlamydial infection are used to estimate the contact preference matrix, according to sexual contact activity levels of the male partners, of young heterosexual women. A method for correcting data for the bias introduced by studying infected women only is presented. Results indicate that an overall proportional mixing model is not an adequate description of the mixing pattern.

Bias

Sexually transmitted diseases--knowledge and attitudes among young people. Developments in Sweden between 1986 and 1988.

Pupils aged 18 to 19 years at colleges and technical schools in a small town and a rural area filled in questionnaires concerning sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in May 1986 and May 1988. The questions covered knowledge and sources of information about STD. The influence of knowledge on attitudes and actual behavior was studied. Knowledge about STD was fairly good and increased between the two study periods. Schoolteachers and the media were important sources of information. Girls knew more than boys, and more often discussed STD with adults and friends. Small differences emerged between the urban and rural areas and between pupils attending theoretical and practical courses. Attitudes seemed to change with time but it is not clear whether this has resulted in changes in actual behavior.

Adolescent

Postabortal endometritis in chlamydia-negative women--association with preoperative clinical signs of infection.

The relations between clinical signs of infection and postoperative endometritis were studied among 429 women with negative preoperative chlamydial and gonococcal cultures. Clue cells and a vaginal smear not dominated by rods and positive amine tests were more common among the 12 patients (2.8%) with endometritis. In the stepwise logistic regression procedure the presence of greater than 20% clue cells remained statistically significant and was associated with the highest relative risk, 5.6, with 95% confidence limits 1.82-17.2. This also implies clinical significance--women with clue cells constitute a group at risk of postabortal endometritis.

Abortion, Induced

Factors in the infertile couple influencing the success of artificial insemination with donor semen.

Factors influencing the success of artificial insemination with donor semen (AID) were investigated in a series of 928 infertile couples. A simple approach with one insemination/cycle, timed only by cycle length and basal body temperature, was used. The overall life-table cumulative conception rate was 82% and the average fecundability was 10%. The following factors were associated with a higher success rate: women less than 36 years, azoospermic compared with oligozoospermic husband and women with no history of abdominal surgery. The success rate decreased with increasing duration of infertility and in women with an abnormal hysterosalpingography or laparoscopy, and was unrelated to menarcheal age, the distance between the couples place of residence and the clinic, or if the woman had been pregnant before starting AID treatment.

Female

Quality of semen after repeated ejaculation treatment in spinal cord injury men.

The study was designed to document the effects of regular drainage after penile vibrator stimulation on the quality of semen in SCI men. Twenty three tetraplegics and 9 paraplegics, 18 to 40 years of age and with neurological levels ranging from C4 to L1, were examined between 1 and 23 years after injury (median 2 years). None had ejaculated after the injury. Penile vibrator stimulation was tried in patients with cervical or thoracic lesions who showed reflex hip flexion on scratching the soles of the feet, 29 out of 32, and rectal electrostimulation in the remaining 3 low lesions with no reflex function in lumbar and sacral segments. The stimulation yielded semen in 29 (91%) of the men; 22 had antegrade and 7 retrograde ejaculation. Sixteen of the 22 patients with antegrade ejaculation entered a home programme of vibrator stimulation prescribed once weekly. Four to 6 months of stimulation resulted in a rise of semen volume and of fructose and acid phosphatase levels in the seminal plasma, suggesting improved function of the seminal vesicles and the prostate. The percentage of motile sperms was low both before and after the treatment period. Despite this, the total count of motile sperms per ejaculate was already high in the patient's first ejaculates compared to the laboratory normal standard, and further clearly increased after the stimulation period. A standardised functional test measuring sperm penetration capacity showed strong evidence of long term stimulation effect. It is suggested that the test is used in the assessment of fertility potential in SCI men.

Adolescent

Intermittent prophylactic treatment of recurrent vaginal candidiasis by postmenstrual application of a 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet.

The therapeutic efficacy of intermittent, monthly, postmenstrual prophylaxis with a single 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet (n = 33) was compared with placebo tablets (n = 29) in 62 woman (age 28.1, SD 7.2 years) with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. The number of episodes of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis experienced during the year prior to inclusion was 6.3, SD 1.9. The cumulative recurrence frequency after 6 months intermittent prophylaxis with clotrimazole (30.3%) was lower (p less than 0.001) than that recorded for the women who received placebo (79.3%). After an additional 6 months observation period without treatment there was no significant difference in the cumulative recurrence frequency between the groups (clotrimazole 84.9%; placebo 86.2%). The vagina was recolonised with Candida albicans in 70% of the women after 6 months prophylactic treatment with clotrimazole and in 86% of the women who had received placebo. Thus, this study has demonstrated that postmenstrual prophylactic treatment with a single 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet, applied monthly, prevents recurrence of symptoms, although it does not eliminate yeasts from the vagina.

Administration, Intravaginal

Effects of intravenous terbutaline on maternal circulation and fetal heart activity.

The effects of terbutaline on maternal circulation and fetal heart activity were studied in 15 healthy pregnant women admitted for external cephalic version. The two-step infusion of terbutaline (5-10 micrograms/min) resulted in increases in maternal heart rate (p less than 0.001), cardiac output (p less than 0.001), systolic arterial pressure (p less than 0.001) and pulse pressure (p less than 0.001), while diastolic arterial pressure (p less than 0.001) and total peripheral vascular resistance (p less than 0.001) were reduced. Mean arterial pressure was unchanged after the infusion. Fetal heart activity assessed by cardiotocography showed a gradual increase in baseline fetal heart rate (p less than 0.01) and an increased percentage acceleration time (p less than 0.05). Fetal movements also increased during the infusion (p less than 0.05). The terbutaline infusion had a positive inotropic effect and produced decreased systemic vascular resistance in the pregnant woman, and placental transfer of the drug resulted in increased fetal heart activity. The potential influence of the drug-induced changes in maternal hemodynamics on utero-placental perfusion require further investigation.

Adult

Metronidazole-resistant Trichomonas vaginalis.

A 36-year-old woman with symptomatic metronidazole-resistant trichomonal vaginitis for 10 years had a total of 22 courses of treatment with either metronidazole or tinidazole according to different schedules. The minimum trichomonicidal concentration of metronidazole for the strain of Trichomonas vaginalis isolated from the patient was 160 microgram/ml compared with 1.25-10 microgram/ml for other freshly isolated strains. The former strain also showed a definitely decreased sensitivity to ornidazole and tinidazole (80 microgram/ml). The mechanisms behind the appearance of resistance in this clinical isolate are at present unknown and require further study from the theoretical as well as the therapeutic viewpoint.

Adult

[Pain relief during delivery by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (author's transl)].

The analgesic effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TNS) during delivery has been evaluated. The usual technique of TNS was modified to suit the specific needs of pain control during the whole course of delivery. Two pairs of electrodes were taped to the patient's back, one pair level with the spinal processes Th 10-L1 and the other with S2-S4, corresponding to the influx of pain during the first and second stages respectively. Stimulation was delivered as biphasic pulses at 60-80 Hz. A low-intensity stimulation was given continuously, and a high-intensity stimulation was initiated by the patient herself whenever pain increased. As a rule, stimulation via the thoracic electrodes was given throughout delivery and sacral stimulation added from the later part of the first stage. No complications with respect to mother or child have occured. Three hundred and forty-seven women have been treated, 47% of them considered the analgesia with TNS to be good or very good, 42% experienced a certain effect whil 11% considered that TNS made no difference. In view of the relatively good results and the absence of complications, the authors recommend the method as a primary pain relieving measure to which conventional methods can be added if necessary.

Afferent Pathways

Blood flow in myomatous uteri as measured by intra-arterial 133Xenon.

Uterine blood flow has been studied using intra-arterial 133Xenon. Compartment analysis was used for calculation of blood flow from the wash-out curves. In 7 myomatous uteri the mean blood flow was 11.6 +/- 1.70 ml-min-1-100 g-1. In 8 control cases the mean blood flow was 20.1 +/- 2.27 ml-min-1-100 g-1. The difference is statistically significant on the 1% level. From the present study it cannot be decided how the uterine blood flow is distributed between myomata and surrounding myometrium.

Adult

Distribution of blood flow in myomatous uteri as measured by locally injected 133Xenon.

Regional blood flow in the myometrium and myomata has been measured during laparotomy in 11 patients using locally injected 133Xenon. Blood flow was calculated from the wash-out curves using both initial slope technique and compartment analysis. Assuming equal partition coefficients in myometrium and myomata the following values in ml-min-1-100 g-1 are seen: initial slope technique-myometrium 15.6 +/- 2.29, myomata 5.1 +/- 0.95, compartment analysis-myometrium 20.01 +/- 3.21, myomata 5.5 +/- 1.16. The blood flow was always lower in myomata than in myometrium of the same uterus. The main reason for the reduction of blood flow per unit weight of uterus in patients with myomata previously reported thus seems to be low blood flow in the myomata. A slight reduction of blood flow in the surrounding myometrium, however, also seems probable.

Female

Isolation of Chlamydia in acute salpingitis.

In 22 patients with acute salpingitis, verified by laparoscopy, samples for attempted isolation of bacteria, Mycoplasma and Chlamydia were drawn from aspirates and cervical smears. CF-antibodies to Chlamydia were measured to acute and convalescent phase sera. Anaerobic bacteria were isolated from tubal secretions in two patients and Mycoplasmas in one patient. In two patients Chlamydia were recovered from the Fallopian tube. The serological investigation indicated Chlamydia infection in 6 patients.

Acute Disease

Methods of calculating uterine blood flow from the wash-out curves of intra-arterial and local injections of 133Xenon.

The wash-out curve from the human non-pregnant uterus of intra-arterially and locally injected 133Xenon can be broken down into two, sometimes three components. It has not been shown that these components are physiologically meaningful. However, if it is assumed that the uterus is composed of two or three compartments perfused in parallel, it is possible to calculate total blood flow per unit weight using relative weights of the compartments and compartment blood flows. Relative weights may be determined from the amount of isotope present in each compartment at the start of the washout. The possibly false assumption of a certain number of compartments has in this study been avoided by evaluating curves after intra-arterial injections according to the stochastic method of Zierler analysis, disregarding any elimination of isotope left after 20 minutes. After local injections initial slope analysis has been used. The equation for values according to Zierler as a function of compartment values is y=0.9772x-0.5921, for modified Zierler analysis values y=1.2582x-2.3993 and for initial slope values y=0.8679x-1.3412. The conclusion is that compartment analysis may be a good alternative for calculation of mean blood flow, even if it has not been shown that individual compartment values are physiologically meaningful.

Female