PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

O Strand

Publications and source records attributed to O Strand.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Population structure in a critically endangered arctic fox population: does genetics matter?

The arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) in Scandinavia is classified as critically endangered after having gone through a severe decline in population size in the beginning of the 20th century, from which it has failed to recover despite more than 65 years of protection. Arctic foxes have a high dispersal rate and often disperse over long distances, suggesting that there was probably little population differentiation within Scandinavia prior to the bottleneck. It is, however, possible that the recent decline in population size has led to a decrease in dispersal and an increase in population fragmentation. To examine this, we used 10 microsatellite loci to analyse genetic variation in 150 arctic foxes from Scandinavia and Russia. The results showed that the arctic fox in Scandinavia presently is subdivided into four populations, and that the Kola Peninsula and northwest Russia together form a large fifth population. Current dispersal between the populations seemed to be very low, but genetic variation within them was relatively high. This and the relative F(ST) values among the populations are consistent with a model of recent fragmentation within Scandinavia. Since the amount of genetic variation is high within the populations, but the populations are small and isolated, demographic stochasticity seems to pose a higher threat to the populations' persistence than inbreeding depression and low genetic variation.

Alleles↗
PubMed1997

Discrepancy between latex and ELISA D-dimer values in sepsis may be caused by human neutrophil elastase.

We have recently shown that D-dimers are degraded by human neutrophil elastase (HNE) in vitro, causing rapid decrease in the D-dimer levels measured by a Latex test, but not with an ELISA test employing the same monoclonal antibody against D-dimer. To see if such discrepant D-dimer concentrations occurred in patients with high HNE concentration, we examined 80 plasma samples from 8 patients with sepsis with a Latex and an ELISA test and calculated the ratio between the D-dimer values obtained with the two tests. Twenty healthy pregnant and twenty pre-eclamptic patients, who are known to have raised D-dimer but low HNE concentrations, were chosen as controls. HNE levels were estimated by determining the HNE-alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor complex (HNE-A1PI) concentration. HNE-A1PI concentration was increased in sepsis patients compared with pre-eclamptic patients (p < 0.0005) and healthy pregnant women (p < 0.0005). In sepsis patients, the D-dimer results were skewed towards lower ratios between Latex and ELISA values compared to pre-eclamptic patients (p = 0.008) and healthy pregnant women (p = 0.0001). In plasma samples from patients with the largest discrepancy between Latex and ELISA D-dimer values, Western blotting with immunostaining indicated degradation of D-dimers to D-like fragments similar to those observed following degradation of cross-linked fibrin by HNE in vitro. We conclude that in sepsis patients there is a marked discrepancy between Latex and ELISA D-dimer values that may be caused by HNE. In such patients Latex D-dimer assays may cause severe underestimation of fibrinolysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Relation of exposure to airway irritants in infancy to prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness in schoolchildren.

To find out whether exposure to sulphur dioxide during infancy is related to the prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR), we studied schoolchildren (aged 7-13 years) from two areas of Norway--a valley containing a sulphur-dioxide-emitting aluminium smelter and a similar but non-industrialised valley. Bronchial responsiveness was assessed in 529 of the 620 participants. The median exposures to sulphur dioxide and fluoride were 37.1 micrograms/m3 and 4.4 micrograms/m3 at ages 0-12 months and 37.9 micrograms/m3 and 4.4 micrograms/m3 at 13-36 months. The risk of BHR increased with exposure to sulphur dioxide and fluoride at these ages; the odds ratio for a 10 micrograms/m3 increase in sulphur dioxide exposure at 0-12 months was 1.62 (95% CI 1.11-2.35) and that for a 1 microgram/m3 increase in fluoride exposure was 1.35 (1.07-1.70) at 0-12 months and 1.38 (1.05-1.82) at 13-36 months. Exposure to these low concentrations of airway irritants during early childhood is associated with an increased prevalence of BHR in schoolchildren.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Glyceryl trinitrate patches during continuous intravenous infusions].

A randomized, double blind comparison of the incidence of removal of patches because of venous occlusion was performed in patients on continuous intravenous fluid therapy using 2.5 mg trinitroglycerine or placebo patches attached to the thorax. The sample comprised 90 patients, of whom nine were excluded for administrative reasons. Of the remaining 81,41 received active and 40 received placebo patches. Within one week 11 venflones occluded; ten in patients on placebo, and one in a patient with an active trinitroglycerine patch. Finally 14 (11 placebo and three trinitroglycerine) patches occluded. This tendency in favour of trinitroglycerine patches was statistically significant (p = 0.018). No difference in frequency of thrombophlebitis was observed: (14 versus 18 not leading to occlusion). Seven patients on trinitroglycerine and one on placebo developed moderate headache which did not necessitate withdrawal of treatment. It is concluded that 2.5 mg trinitroglycerine patches seem to improve survival of venflones used for continuous, intravenous fluid therapy, even when applied to the thorax.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1990

Ciprofloxacin treatment of murine typhus.

A 31-year-old woman developed fever, severe headache, myalgia and rash 3 weeks after a visit to Cyprus where she experienced insect bites in her bed. Treatment with ciprofloxacin resulted in a remarkable and rapid effect. Endemic typhus was proved by serology.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Long-term effects of neonatal estrogen treatment on mitogen responsiveness of mouse spleen lymphocytes.

Neonatal female NMRI mice were given injections of olive oil (controls) or daily doses of corticosterone (10 micrograms), 17 beta-estradiol (10 micrograms), or diethylstilbestrol (DES) (0.01, 0.1, 1, or 5 micrograms) for the first 5 days after birth. The 5-micrograms dose of DES resulted in a persistently reduced in vitro mitogen response to concanavalin A or bacterial lipopolysaccharide of spleen lymphocytes from 6-, 10-, and 18-week-old or 17-month-old females. DES injections from day 6 through day 10 did not influence the later mitogen response. Treatment of ovariectomized 10-week-old females with 5 micrograms DES for 5 days resulted in a tendency to a reduced mitogen response (not statistically significant) 24 hours after the last DES injection. Four weeks later, the mitogen response was the same in experimental and control females. Different possible mechanisms for the persistent effect on the mitogen response are discussed. Neonatal DES treatment not only resulted in persistent changes in the cervicovaginal epithelium and in the hypothalamic-pituitary gland control system but also in the spleen lymphocyte mitogen response. The altered mitogen response should be a stimulus for a detailed analysis of the immune system in women exposed to DES during fetal life, some of whom develop later in life clear cell adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix and vagina.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Latent infection of epidermal Langerhans cells in HIV-positive individuals.

Epidermal cell suspensions obtained from 3 symptom-free HIV-positive individuals were cultured and marked with monoclonal antibodies for the HIV proteins p15, p24 and gp120 in the alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase staining technique. For 2 individuals, cells were positive after 3 days in culture, and for the third, after 4 days. Supernatant from one of the cultures infected allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We conclude that epidermal Langerhans cells from symptom-free HIV-positive individuals are latent-infected and are able to produce and release HIV.

Adult↗