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M Gustafsson

Publications and source records attributed to M Gustafsson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

The 21-residue surfactant peptide (LysLeu4)4Lys(KL4) is a transmembrane alpha-helix with a mixed nonpolar/polar surface.

The 21-residue peptide KLLLLKLLLLKLLLLKLLLLK (KL4) has been synthesized and analyzed regarding its secondary structure and orientation in lipid environments. Fourier transform infrared and circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the peptide exhibits approximately 80% alpha-helical content both in dodecylphosphocholine micelles and in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC)/phosphatidylglycerol (PG) 7:3 (w/w) bilayers. The positively charged lysine residues are evenly distributed over the entire, otherwise nonpolar, circumference of the helix. This is in sharp contrast to the uneven distribution of polar and nonpolar residues in amphipathic helices. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the peptide inserted in DPPC/PG bilayers shows that the helical axis is oriented parallel to the lipid acyl chains. These data do not support a previous hypothesis that the KL4 peptide interacts with peripheral parts of a phospholipid monolayer and mimics the pulmonary surfactant protein SP-B, which is composed of several amphipathic alpha-helices. KL4 accelerates the spreading of phospholipid mixtures at an air/water interface but does so less efficiently than other transmembranous helical polypeptides studied.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗
PubMed1996

Killing of phagocytosed Staphylococcus aureus by human neutrophils requires intracellular free calcium.

The mobilization of intracellular calcium plays an important role in regulating neutrophil activation. With this in mind we investigated the effect of intra- and extracellular calcium on the ability of human neutrophils to kill complement-opsonized Staphylococcus aureus. We found that a rise in intracellular calcium is necessary for efficient killing of phagocytosed S. aureus. In the presence of extracellular calcium, killing of ingested bacteria in calcium-buffered neutrophils compared with normal cells was slightly reduced. Calcium buffering had no effect on phagocytic uptake by the neutrophils, but did decrease the generation of toxic oxygen metabolites, measured as chemiluminescence (CL). In nondepleted and calcium-depleted cells, removal of extracellular calcium did not affect ingestion but did cause a marked decrease in the ability to kill the bacteria. In parallel, the CL response was substantially reduced or completely blocked. These data show that calcium is not a prerequisite for phagocytosis of S. aureus by human neutrophils, but does play a vital role in the post-ingestion killing of the bacteria by regulating the generation of toxic oxygen metabolites.

Blood Bactericidal Activity↗
PubMed1996

Neuronal signal substances in asexual multiplication and development in flatworms.

1. The phenomenon of asexual multiplication is rare in the animal kingdom. It occurs, however, in all main flatworm taxa. Flatworms are characterized by an extensive versatility, ranging from the different types of asexual multiplication to the different orthogonal plans for the nervous system. The role of the nervous system in the asexual multiplication taking place in flatworms is pointed out and discussed. 2. Immunocytochemical studies of the changes in the flatworm neuroanatomy show that the nervous system, particularly the main never cords, has a central role during asexual development. 3. Antibodies to different neuronal substances yield different immunoreactivity patterns and develop according to different time schedules. Serotoninergic nervous elements seem to have a leading role. 4. Substances produced by the nervous system influence fissioning and subsequent regeneration in free-living flatworms in the following ways. (a) A function as a wound hormone has been suggested for the neuropeptide RF-amide. (b) Mitogenic effects have been shown for several biogenic amines and neuropeptides. (c) Inhibitory roles are suggested for somatostatin and melatonin in connection with cell proliferation respective fissioning. 5. Growth factors have been observed both in free-living and parasitic flatworms. 6. Cells reactive to antibodies against epidermal growth factor increase in number in parallel with increases in mitotic activity in the gull tapeworm and occur in regions with high mitotic activity. A correlation between these two phenomena is suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Pain intensity and health locus of control: a comparison of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

The major purpose of this study was to determine if 31 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) reported different pain intensity and Health Locus of Control (HLC) scores than 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Another purpose was to determine the relationship among experienced actual pain (present, usual, worse, least), recalled prior episodes of pain (worse toothache, headache, and stomach ache), HLC orientation, age and the duration of the actual pain. Visual Analogue Scales were used to measure pain intensity. The Health Locus of Control Scale was used to determine external/internal orientation. The results showed that the FS patients reported significantly more intense actual pain, recalled pain for worse toothache and headache, and were more externally oriented than the RA patients. Present pain intensity was significantly correlated to actual intensity ratings, but not to reported earlier experienced pain, except for worse stomach ache in the RA group. The findings' implications for treatment and education are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Low efficiency of cytologic screening for cancer in situ of the cervix in older women.

Cytologic screening for cervical cancer has proven to be beneficial in many countries, although the value of this intervention in women older than 50 years remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency of detecting cancer in situ by means of a cytologic smear at different ages, with special emphasis on the benefit of screening in women above the age of 50. We analyzed 466,275 smears taken in an open cohort of 118,890 women in Sweden between 1969 and 1988. The number of cancers in situ detected per 1,000 smears, the detection ratio, was used as an outcome measure in univariate analyses and in multivariate regression models. Cancer in situ was detected in 1,076 women in the study cohort. The detection ratio peaked at ages 30 to 34 and decreased heavily during the next 15 years of age. The efficiency of taking smears at ages above 50 was only 20 per cent (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.14-0.26) of that at ages 30 to 34. These results were not changed when adjusting for time period and time interval since the previous smear. In spite of a high incidence of invasive cervical cancer in older women, the benefit of cytologic screening to detect cancer in situ above the age of 50 is uncertain.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Efficiency of organised and opportunistic cytological screening for cancer in situ of the cervix.

Cervical cancer incidence and mortality can be reduced by removal of precursor lesions detected at cytological screening. Organised screening, i.e. regular invitation of defined target groups, is generally considered more effective than opportunistic screening. The latter method however, is predominant in most settings. There is no scientific basis for advocating one type of screening or the other. Our aim was to compare the two types and to analyse their efficiency. We analysed 466,275 smears taken in an open cohort of 118,890 women during 1969-88. A computerised database permitted standardised classification of all smears and complete ascertainment of cancer in situ through record linkage. The number of in situ cancers detected per 1000 smears, the detection ratio, was used as an outcome measure both in univariate analyses and in multivariate logistic regression models. Cancer in situ was detected in 1076 women in the study cohort, with a detection ratio of 3.0 at organised and 2.1 at opportunistic screening, yielding an unadjusted odds ratio of 0.69 (95% CI 0.61-0.79). After adjustment for age and time period, the probability of detecting cancer in situ was around 25% higher with opportunistic than with organised screening (OR = 1.26; 95% CI 1.09-1.46). This difference in favour of opportunistic screening was most pronounced in the first 10 year period and disappeared during the last decade. The difference in efficiency between organised and opportunistic screening in the detection of cancer in situ was slight, if any. The dogma that organised screening is significantly more efficient than the opportunistic type needs reconsideration.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Neutrophil control of formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine induced mobilization of secretory vesicles and NADPH-oxidase activation: effect of an association of the ligand-receptor complex to the cytoskeleton.

The stimulus formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) interacts with neutrophils and generates signal(s) in the cells that induces mobilization of the secretory vesicles as well as activation of the superoxide anion/hydrogen peroxide generating NADPH-oxidase. Binding, at 15 degrees C, of FMLP to its neutrophil surface receptor is followed by an association of the ligand-receptor complex to the cell cytoskeleton, and this association occurs concomitant with a desensitization of the cells with respect to activation of the NADPH-oxidase. Other stimuli can still activate the oxidase (in fact even induce a primed response), indicating that the observed phenomenon is stimulus specific and could not be accounted for by an effect on the oxidase itself, but rather that the association of the ligand-receptor complex to the cytoskeleton eliminates the capacity of the complex to generate the signal(s) that activates the NADPH-oxidase. The cytoskeleton associated ligand-receptor complex generates, however, the signal(s) responsible for mobilization of the secretory vesicles, to the plasma membrane, and this mobilization occurs without any increase in the intracellular concentration of free Ca2+.

Calcium↗
PubMed1993

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of monoamines in the cestode Diphyllobothrium dendriticum.

The presence of biogene monoamines in adult and larval Diphyllobothrium dendriticum (Cestoda) was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED). The biogene amines serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), and adrenaline (A) as well as many of their precursors and metabolites, comprising a total of 15 different substances, were analyzed. 5-HT, DOPA, DA, NA, and A were detected in the worm, with 5-HT, DOPA, and DA being the dominating amines. The DA metabolites DOPAC and 3-MT or the 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan could not be detected, but two unidentified substances, believed to be catecholic, were present in the worm. A high concentration of DOPA was measured in the proglottids and especially in the eggs. This is the first report of A in a flatworm.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Roles of Ca2+ and F-actin in intracellular aggregation of Chlamydia trachomatis in eucaryotic cells.

The effect of intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) on the intracellular aggregation of Chlamydia trachomatis serovars L2 and E in McCoy and HeLa cells is investigated. Loading the cells with the Ca2+ chelator MAPT/AM (1,2-bis-5-methyl-amino-phenoxylethane-N,N-n'-tetra-acetoxymethyl acetate), thereby decreasing the [Ca2+]i from 67 to 19 nM, decreased the number of cells with a local aggregation of chlamydiae in a dose-dependent manner. Neither the attachment nor the uptake of elementary bodies (EBs) was, however, affected after depletion of Ca2+ from the cells. There was no significant difference in the level of measured [Ca2+]i between infected and uninfected cells. Reducing the [Ca2+]i also significantly inhibited chlamydial inclusion formation. Differences in the organization of the actin filament network were observed in response to [Ca2+]i depletion. In Ca(2+)-depleted cells, where few EB aggregates were formed, few local accumulations of F-actin were observed in the cytosol. These results suggest that the aggregation of EBs in eucaryotic cells requires a normal homeostasis of intracellular Ca2+. By affecting F-actin reorganization and putatively certain Ca(2+)-binding proteins, [Ca2+]i plays a vital role in the infectious process of chlamydiae.

Actins↗
PubMed1991

A distributed image-processing system for measurements of intracellular calcium in living cells.

During the last decade, image-processing techniques have been introduced as a valuable tool in biologically oriented research. In combination with novel fluorescent probes, these techniques permit assessment of subcellular distributions of several intracellularly important cations, such as free calcium ions and protons. Typically, systems used for image processing are located centrally around the experimental setup. This configuration has drawbacks, mainly because the laborious extraction and processing of data that generally follow an experimental session limits the access to the system for other investigators. We describe here the principles of a distributed image processing system, based on IBM-compatible personal computers (PCs), that without extra hardware can cope with all the necessary image processing involved in imaging of intracellular cations. The potential of the PC as an image processor, however, reaches beyond this specific application and many image processing tasks can be carried out successfully on a standard PC. Thus, the centrally located dedicated image processor is used only for image acquisition in the experimental situation. This in turn optimizes the utilization of expensive resources and increases efficiency. The mouse-operated software is described in detail, so that interested investigators can extract useful parts for integration into their own applications and experimental environment.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The direction of membrane lipid flow in locomoting polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

The objective of this study was to determine the direction of membrane lipid flow in locomoting cells. The plasma membrane of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes was stained with a fluorescent lipid analog dihexadecanoyl indocarbocyanine. A line was photobleached on the cell surface perpendicular to the direction of cell motion. Low-light-level fluorescence microscopy and digital image-processing techniques were used to analyze a series of images taken at short intervals after photobleaching. The bleached line remained visible for about 5 seconds before being erased by diffusional recovery. Examination of fluorescence intensity profiles allowed a comparison to be made between the velocities of line and cell movement. Results indicate that the bleached line moves forward with the same velocity as the cell during locomotion, refuting the retrograde lipid flow model of locomotion. Instead, the plasma membrane lipid appears to move forward according to either the unit movement of membrane or the tank track model of locomotion.

Carbocyanines↗
PubMed1990

Small intestinal differentiation in human colon carcinoma HT29 cells has distinct effects on the lateral diffusion of lipids (ganglioside GM1) and proteins (HLA class 1, HLA class 2, and neoplastic epithelial antigens) in the apical cell membrane.

We have studied the effect of maturation to small intestinal-like epithelial cells of the human colonic carcinoma cell line HT29 on the lateral mobility of different representative membrane components (lipid, proteins), as assessed with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Maturation was induced in vitro in the HT29 cells by replacing glucose (Glu) with galactose (Gal) in the growth medium (DMEM) during a 21-day period. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an increased number of microvilli in the apical cell membrane, and enzyme analyses (alkaline phosphatase, aminopeptidase) in combination with aqueous countercurrent distribution, indicated that maturation was induced with DMEM-Gal. In comparison to control cells grown in DMEM-Glu medium, the more small intestinal-like cells grown in DMEM-Gal displayed no alteration of the lateral mobility of either cholera toxin (B subunit)-labelled ganglioside GM1 (diffusion coefficient, D [x 10(8)] = 0.8-0.9 cm2s-1; mobile fraction, R = 50-60%) or antibody-stained Class 2 histocompatibility (HLA-DR) antigen (D [x 10(9)] = 2 cm2s-1; R = 60-70%). However, antibody-labelled beta 2-microglobulin of HLA Class 1 antigen displayed increased mobility in HT29-Gal cells; D was x 1.4 and R x 1.8 larger in the HT29-Gal cells. By contrast, the mobility of a neoplastic antigen was reduced; D and R were x0.60 and x0.69 of the values seen in HT29-Glu cells. It is thus concluded that DMEM-Gal-induced differentiation in confluent HT29 cells is accompanied by specific rather than general effects on the lateral mobility of different membrane components.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed1990

A comparative study of feelings, attitudes and behaviors of patients with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

The purpose of this explorative study was to administer a battery of questionnaires related to a broad number of psychosocial factors in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FS). By doing this, psychological factors associated with the consequences of chronic pain in patients with FS could be identified and studied in more depth. Thirty-one patients with FS were compared to 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with regard to feelings about self, pain/ache preoccupation, support from significant others, psychosomatic symptoms, activities of daily living, job satisfaction, and future expectations. The results of the study showed that patients with FS had significantly more negative feelings toward themselves, were more preoccupied with thinking about their pain/ache, received more practical help from significant others, experienced more limitations with regard to activities of daily living, and experienced more negative feelings about employment than patients with RA. Patients with FS were also more pessimistic about future employment than RA patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

"Neuroendocrine cells" in flatworms--progenitors to metazoan neurons?

The integrative mechanisms in phylum Platyhelminthes are of considerable phylogenetic interest since ancestral flatworms are believed to be progenitors to all "higher" metazoans. The phylum consists of free-living and parasitic worms. In this group of early bilateral animals, the nervous system is condensed and consists of a bilobed brain and longitudinal nerve cords. Endocrine glands and a circulatory system are still lacking. The present review deals mainly with microturbellarians and parasitic worms. Three main types of neurons, all containing vesicles, occur in the worms: neurons containing dense-core vesicles, peptidergic neurons and sensory neurons. All types of neurons react positively to antisera towards invertebrate and vertebrate neuropeptides. Neurons containing dense-core vesicles are the most frequent type. The dense-core vesicles occur both in the cell soma and in their long processes. Neurons of this type form synaptocrine and paracrine release sites. We ask: Is the neuron containing dcv an archaic type of neuron in which the characteristics of the stem cells for neurons have been preserved?

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Conversion of 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 26-tetrol into 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid by rabbit liver mitochondria.

Rabbit liver mitochondria in the presence of NAD+ were found to catalyze the conversion of 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 26-tetrol into 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid. The peroxisomal fraction did not catalyze the reaction. Sonication of the mitochondria or dialysis overnight against a hypotonic buffer increased the rate of oxidation twofold. Most of the enzyme activity was recovered in the supernatant fraction after centrifugation at 100,000xg of sonicated mitochondria. 4-Heptylpyrazole, an inhibitor of cytosolic ethanol dehydrogenase, inhibited the mitochondrial formation of 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid by 70%. Disulfiram, an inhibitor of cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, did not inhibit the reaction. The role of the mitochondrial dehydrogenase system in bile acid biosynthesis is discussed.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1988

Lateral diffusion of the secretory component (SC) in the basolateral membrane of the human colon carcinoma cell line HT29 assessed with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching.

The lateral diffusion of the secretory component (SC), acting as a receptor for dimeric IgA in the basolateral side of intestinal epithelial cells, was studied in the human colonic carcinoma cell line HT29. The HT29 cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium in which galactose had been substituted for glucose to promote development of small intestine-like cells, with a distinct separation of the basolateral side from the apical surface. The SC was stained with rhodamine-labeled polyclonal anti-human SC rabbit antibodies (Ig) or Fab fragments, and the lateral mobility was assessed with the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique. The average lateral diffusion was consistent with a diffusion constant of 7.7 +/- 2.0 (mean value +/- SD; n = 29) and 7.1 +/- 2.3 (n = 30) x 10(-10) cm2s-1 for Ig-and Fab-labeled receptors, respectively, which is slower than lipid diffusion but is similar to that found for other membrane receptors. The corresponding values for the fraction of mobile receptors were 66 +/- 13% and 71 +/- 12%, respectively. Cells were labeled from the top of the culture plate, and cells adjacent to a mechanically made rift or a natural opening in the cell monolayer were labeled more strongly, confirming the microscope-based impression that the basolateral surface primarily harboured the SC receptor.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1986

Retrograde axonal transport of asialoglycoproteins in mouse trigeminal neurons in vivo and in rat dorsal root ganglia neurons in vitro.

Different terminal sugars of the glycoprotein orosomucoid were exposed by sequential glycosidase digestions. The orosomucoid and its different derivatives were conjugated to horseradish peroxidase by a two-step glutaraldehyde coupling procedure, injected into the snout of 12-day-old mice or exposed to dorsal root ganglia neurons from embryonic rats, cultivated in a two chamber system. A marked increase in transport of the conjugates in the trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia neurons was observed histochemically after removal of sialic acid, exposing galactose as the terminal sugar. Quantitative hydrolysis of galactose residues resulted in reduced uptake. The data suggest the presence of a galactose-recognition molecule in the axon-terminal membrane, involved in retrograde axonal transport.

Animals↗