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Biomedical subjects

M Lindström

Publications and source records attributed to M Lindström.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Epidemiology of respiratory symptoms, lung function and important determinants. Report from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden Project.

SETTING: Cross-sectional epidemiological study based on a representative sample of the general population in northern Sweden. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, the role of respiratory symptoms as indicators of impairment of lung function, and to define risk factors for respiratory symptoms and lung function impairment. DESIGN: The 1340 subjects of 6610 who reported respiratory symptoms suggestive of asthma or chronic bronchitis in a postal questionnaire study were invited to a structured interview and lung function tests. A control group of 315 subjects was also invited. Risk factors were assessed from the postal questionnaire. RESULTS: 400 subjects in the symptomatic group had attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, while none in the control group had them, corresponding to 7% of the original study population. Chronic productive cough was present in 537 subjects, of whom 13 were from the control group, suggesting that 12% of the original study population had this symptom. Persistent wheeze was the symptom that predicted the greatest proportion of cases of impaired lung function. Attacks of breathlessness, wheezing, long-standing cough and sputum production were all related to age, smoking and a family history of asthma. Both chronic productive cough and impaired lung function correlated strongly with smoking and age, and their prevalences differed in different socio-economic groups. CONCLUSION: Impaired lung function can be predicted from respiratory symptoms. Data collected in postal questionnaires suffice for the identification of risk factors. Combinations of symptoms gave greater odds ratios than individual symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

An interview study to estimate prevalence of asthma and chronic bronchitis. The obstructive lung disease in northern Sweden study.

A questionnaire of respiratory symptoms and diseases completed by 6610 adults in 3 age cohorts (35-36 y; 50-51 y and 65-66 y) in northern Sweden was followed-up by interview and lung function testing of 1243 subjects with asthmatic or bronchitic symptoms and 263 subjects assessed from the postal questionnaire as being healthy. We report the results of this follow-up study. According to the criteria used, 292 subjects (5.1% of the original study sample) were diagnosed as having asthma. Out of the 1243 subjects 334 (5.9% of the original study population) were diagnosed as having chronic bronchitis. However, examination of the 263 subjects who were healthy according to the postal questionnaire showed that elderly smokers, in particular, under-reported bronchitic symptoms; taking this into account, the prevalence of chronic bronchitis is estimated to be of the order of 9%. Diagnostic difficulties were noted in 70 subjects (corresponding to 1.2% of the original study sample) in whom asthma or chronic bronchitis were strongly suspected. Further investigation of these subjects was considered necessary. In this cross-sectional study, FEV1 < 80% of predicted values was found in 36% of subjects diagnosed as having asthma and in 31% of those with chronic bronchitis. Among subjects with attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, diagnostic criteria often used for asthma in questionnaire studies, 70% were diagnosed as having asthma. Of those with chronic productive cough, 62% were diagnosed as having chronic bronchitis. We consider that trained nurses provide reliable data that may be used in epidemiological surveys of obstructive lung diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Methacholine reactivity and asthma. Report from the Northern Sweden Obstructive Lung Disease Project.

Methacholine tests were used in an epidemiologic study of the prevalence of asthma and chronic bronchitis in northern Sweden. Of 6610 subjects in three age groups from eight representative geographic areas in the northernmost province of Sweden, 5698 (86%) completed a postal questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, and 1506 underwent a structured interview and a lung function test. A total of 292 (5%) were diagnosed as having asthma. A subsample of 284 subjects (of 320 invited) classified at the interview as having asthma (n = 98) or as having respiratory symptoms that might be due to asthma but not fulfilling the interview criteria for the diagnosis of asthma (n = 186) underwent a methacholine test. Subjects who, before the interview study, already had a well-defined asthma diagnosis were not invited to the methacholine testing. Of those 98 subjects classified as having asthma, 61% reacted to methacholine doses < or = 4 mg/ml and 79% to doses < or = 8 mg/ml, while the corresponding figures in the symptomatic but nonasthma group were 20% and 34%, respectively. The results show that a carefully performed structured interview accurately diagnoses asthma in epidemiologic studies. The methacholine tests provide important diagnostic information primarily in subjects in whom the medical history is equivocal.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The origin of Staphylococcus saprophyticus from cattle and pigs.

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a common cause of urinary tract infections. We have earlier shown that the bacterium is a contaminant of food of animal origin. In order to trace the natural reservoir of the bacterium, samples were taken from farming environment and from slaughtered carcasses. S. saprophyticus was found in 7.1% of rectal swabs from cattle carcasses and in 7.3% of rectal swabs from slaughtered pigs. The seasonal variation of these isolates paralleled the seasonality of urinary tract infections due to the same bacterium. S. saprophyticus was also isolated in 1.1% of rectal swabs from living cows, in 1.6% from pasture grass and from 12.4% of various indoor fodder. The fodder presented a seasonal distribution with a peak incidence of S. saprophyticus some months earlier than in rectal swabs. The bacterium was especially frequent in samples of fodder taken from the managers. S. saprophyticus is most likely a bacterium with a zoonotic origin.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Antispasmodic activity of beta-damascenone and E-phytol isolated from Ipomoea pes-caprae.

The crude extract (IPA) of the plant Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br. has previously been shown to antagonize smooth muscle contractions induced by several agonists via a non-specific mechanism. Bioassay-guided fractionation of IPA resulted in isolation of the antispasmodically acting isoprenoids beta-damascenone and E-phytol. Their antispasmodic potencies were found to be in the same range as that of papaverine, a general spasmolytic agent. This effect was suggested to play a role in the previously observed anti-inflammatory activity of IPA by interfering with the contraction of endothelial cells. Severe vascular contraction has been shown to be involved in the dermatitis caused by toxic jellyfishes. It is possible that beta-damascenone and E-phytol, by interfering with the contraction of vascular smooth muscle cells, are partly responsible for the previously reported effectiveness of IPA in the treatment of such dermatitis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Asthma and allergic diseases in Sweden].

Until recently the prevalence of asthma in Sweden was assessed to be 2-3 per cent. An increase in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis was noted among new conscripts undergoing health work-ups prior to military service with the most marked increase in northern Sweden, were 5 per cent of conscripts were reported to have asthma. In southern Sweden the prevalence remained about 2 per cent. More recent questionnaire studies in mid- and southern Sweden have reported similar rates of respiratory symptoms and use of anti-asthmatic drugs as in northern Sweden, suggesting that there may be no difference in asthma prevalence between the north and the south of the country. The exact prevalence of allergic diseases among Swedish adults is still not clear, but 40 per cent of adults in northern Sweden report that they often have wheezing in the chest, attacks of breathlessness, longstanding cough or sputum production. In questionnaire studies among children about 40 per cent of respondents have reported that they had asthma, allergic rhinitis or other type of hypersensitivity. The absence of generally accepted diagnostic criteria for asthma and allergic disorders in epidemiological studies makes comparison of prevalence difficult. It is thus not possible to be sure that the prevalence of asthma and allergic disorders in Sweden has recently increased. Risk factors for the development of asthma and allergic disorders are under study in Sweden. Several studies report an association in children between urban living and allergic disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

A method for enzyme- and immunohistochemical staining of large frozen specimens.

A method for large specimen cryosectioning is described. Specimens of pig heart ventricles were lightly fixed by microwave irradiation, embedded in 10% gelatin, frozen in hexan chilled with dry ice, and sectioned using an LKB 2250 PMW cryomicrotome. The sections were collected on transparent film and transferred onto glass slides. Standard histological, enzyme- and immuno-histochemical staining techniques were used. The present method allowed cryosectioning with sections of good quality which could be used for enzyme- and immuno-staining. For studies of experimental myocardial infarction, staining for phosphorylase and Periodic Acid Schiff outlined the ischemic area and antibodies against plasma fibronectin and fibrinogen delineated the infarcted myocardium.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Compounds inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis isolated from Ipomoea pes-caprae.

The crude extract (IPA) of the plant Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br. showed an inhibitory effect on prostaglandin synthesis in vitro. Bioassay-guided separation of the extract led to the isolation of four active compounds: 2-hydroxy-4,4,7-trimethyl-1(4H)-naphthalenone (1), (-)-mellein (2), eugenol (3), and 4-vinyl-guaiacol (4). Among the isolated compounds, 3 and 4 were the most active with IC50 values of 9.2 and 18 microM, respectively. For 1 and 2 the IC50 values were 230 and 340 microM, respectively. The influence of 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the formation of prostaglandins may partly explain a previously observed anti-inflammatory effect of the extract IPA.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Use of anabolic-androgenic steroids among body builders--frequency and attitudes.

A total of 138 male body builders who regularly attended a gym participated anonymously in a study of the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids in relation to side-effects, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI; kg m-2), training frequency, social background, occupation, knowledge and attitudes to steroid use. Fifty-three of the 138 body builders had used anabolic-androgenic steroids for a median duration of 2 years. Steroid use was linked to a higher BMI and more frequent training. Seventy-five per cent (n = 18) of those attending body building for competition, and 24% (n = 11) of those attending to improve their sense of well-being, used anabolic-androgenic steroids. Of all body builders, 94% considered anabolic-androgenic steroids to be dangerous. Of the users, 81% experienced side-effects, but 74% still intended to continue steroid medication.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

School refusal: a 15-20-year follow-up study of 35 Swedish urban children.

Results from a 15-20-year follow-up study of 35 7-12-year-old children with school refusal and 35 age- and sex-matched comparison children are reported. The school refusal cases had applied for out-patient adult psychiatric care more often than comparison children. Also they had fewer children of their own. In respect of overall social adjustment and severe psychiatric disorders requiring in-patient treatment, there were no important differences.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1987

Near infra-red sensitivity of the eye of the crustacean Mysis relicta?

When individuals of the crustacean Mysis relicta are fully dark-adapted and preparations for electroretinogramme recordings are performed in infra-red light of wavelength greater than 730 nm, responses to 300 ms flashes of light can be recorded. Though this is the first time that responses to such long wavelengths have ever been reported for any invertebrate photoreceptor, the authors suggest that near infra-red sensitivity in arthropods could be more widespread, and that because of very long adaptation and sensitivity regeneration times preparations should not be carried out in red light, hitherto deemed invisible to most arthropods, but with the aid of an infra-red image converter and a filter at wavelengths greater than 800 nm.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Deconjugation of bile salts: does it occur outside the contents of the intestinal tract in the rat?

Several different methods have been applied to measure the extent of bile salt deconjugation (deamidation), if any, outside the gastro-intestinal tract of the rat. A breath test has been applied to the rat using peroral or intravenous administration of cholyl-glycine-1-14C. Results for normal rats have been compared with rats with a continuous recirculation of bile to a tail vein. Bile salts labelled with 2,4-3H in the sterol moiety and conjugated with glycine-1-14C have been infused in rats and recirculated via a bile duct tail-vein shunt. The 3H:14C ratio in the bile has been used as an indication of deconjugation. In these experiments the radioactivity pattern of the bile salts has been determined after thin-layer chromatography. Different labelled bile salts have also been infused intraperitoneally and the composition of bile secreted through bile fistulae studied. In none of these experiments, in which the gastro-intestinal content was bypassed and a return of bile salts to the liver in the physiological range ensured, was any deconjugation of glycine-conjugated bile salts observed. When the liver, however, was stressed by anaesthesia and the intraportal infusion of deoxycholyl-2,4-3H-glycine in unphysiological levels, deconjugation occurred as indicated by the appearance in bile of labelled taurine conjugates. In these rats the dose of deoxycholylglycine was clearly toxic as evidenced by partial or complete cholestasis and eventually death of the animal.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Effects of cholic acid, 7 beta-hydroxy- and 12 beta-hydroxy-isocholic acid on bile flow, lipid secretion and bile acid synthesis in the rat.

The effects of three epimeric trihydroxy-cholanoic acids, cholic acid (C), 7 beta-hydroxy-(7 beta) and 12 beta-hydroxy-(12 beta) isocholic acids on bile flow, lipid secretion, bile synthesis and bile micellar properties were studied in the rat with a bile fistula. The bile salts were infused intraduodenally starting 72 hours after cannulation when endogeneous bile salt synthesis had plateaued after the bile salt pool was drained. The bile salts were infused at two levels approximately 2 and 4 mumol min-1 kg-1. All three bile salts were absorbed and secreted almost quantitatively into the bile. Cholic acid was secreted in the conjugated form, 7 beta conjugated to approximately 60% and 12 beta completely in the unconjugated form. The bile salts did not undergo any significant biotransformations during the one passage from the intestine through the liver. Bile flow increased from the preinfusion level for all three bile salts infused in the order 7 beta greater than 12 beta greater than C. The bile flow increased linearly with bile salt secretion more for 7 beta than for C and 12 beta. Infusion of C increased the secretion into bile of phospholipid (PL) and cholesterol (CH) over the preinfusion values. Infusion of 7 beta as well as 12 beta resulted in a parallel decrease in the secretion of PL as well as CH compared to the preinfusion values. The infusion of C and 7 beta at the two levels used decreased the secretion of newly synthesized bile salt below the control level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗