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Biomedical subjects

P Helin

Publications and source records attributed to P Helin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Azathioprine as single drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis induces complete suppression of natural killer cell activity.

Natural killer (NK) activity against K 562 target cells was studied in 60 patients with definite or classic rheumatoid arthritis (RA), grouped by medication into 1) Controls not in remission-inducing therapy, 2) Patients treated with penicillamine, and 3) Patients treated with azathioprine. NK activity was found to be completely suppressed in the azathioprine group as compared with the controls (3.2 +/- 4.2% versus 35.9 +/- 14.8% specific lysis; p less than 0.01) except for one patient who received incomplete azathioprine treatment. The NK activity was not suppressed in the penicillamine group.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1984

Methylprednisolone pulse therapy induced fall in natural killer cell activity in rheumatoid arthritis.

Natural killer (NK) cell activity was studied in 8 patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by investigating the killing of K 562 cells by peripheral blood lymphocytes before, during, and after intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy (MPPT). MPPT produced a considerable fall in NK activity and after 3 months NK activity was less than half that before MPPT.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Intermittent cyclophosphamide in refractory rheumatoid arthritis.

Three patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis were treated with oral cyclophosphamide; in two cases this was supplemented with pulse treatment with methylprednisolone. Long term remission was induced in all three patients and was sustained until follow up at least nine months after the methylprednisolone was stopped. Leucopenia occurred but resolved when cyclophosphamide was reduced from daily to intermittent dosing. Intermittent treatment with cyclophosphamide, possibly in conjunction with pulses of methylprednisolone, may induce remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis refractory to other forms of treatment.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1982

Acid glycosaminoglycans in myxoedema.

Acid glycosaminoglycans were measured in the tissues of a virtually untreated 83-year-old woman with myxoedema. Intercellular oedema was demonstrated histologically in the tongue, myocardium, striated muscles, and in the skin. Tissue oedema was absent in two female control patients. All tissues from the patient with myxoedema, apart from the stomach, showed high concentrations of hyaluronic acid, but there was no consistent elevation of chondroitin-4,6-sulphate, heparan sulphate or dermatan sulphate. The accumulation of hyaluronic acid might contribute to the oedema formation in myxoedema.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Urinary albumin and beta 2-microglobulin excretion rates in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The daily urinary albumin and beta 2-microglobulin excretion rates were measured with sensitive radioimmunoassays in 14 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The duration of SLE ranged from 0.5 to 18 years, mean 10 years. The mean age was 37 years. All patients except 5 received prednisone, 5-20 mg/day. None of the patients had proteinuria as judged by the "Albustix" test, and all had normal serum creatinine. The daily urinary albumin and beta 2-microglobulin excretion rates were nearly the same as those previously found by us in 27 adult control subjects with a mean age of 44 years. Our study shows that SLE patients without clinical proteinuria have a completely normal renal glomerular and tubular protein handling, irrespective of the duration of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Proteoglycans, DNA, and RNA in rat granulation tissue, skin, and aorta. Biochemical and histological studies.

Proteoglycans in skin and aorta and nucleic acids in skin were studied in rats with subcutaneous sponge implants and in unoperated rats and compared with the sponge induced granulation tissue during a 42 day period. In rat aorta there was a predominance of the sulphated glycosaminoglycans, in particular heparan sulphate, while in skin there was a predominance of hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulphate. The subcutaneous sponge implantation caused a decrease in the dry weights of skin and aorta but did not influence the concentrations of the measured variables. In aorta the concentrations of chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate decreased with age while in skin there was a slight fall in the concentrations of hyaluronic acid and heparan sulphate with age. The rate of biosynthesis of proteoglycans as estimated from the 35S-sulphate uptake was higher in skin than in aorta. A sequential development was noticed in granulation tissue with an initial high content of hyaluronic acid followed by increasing amounts of chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate in older granulation tissue. The RNA/DNA ratio reached a maximum in 14 day old granulation tissue, but was unchanged in skin throughout the 42 day period. It is concluded that the distribution of proteoglycans and nucleic acids differs from tissue to tissue. This may be of relevance for tissue differences in susceptibility to diseases and to the effects - and side-effects - of drugs. The morphological and biochemical development of sponge induced granulation tissue from rats was similar to other types of granulation tissue during the first 4 weeks.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1979

Seasonal variations in the biophysical properties of rabbit aorta and its susceptibility to arteriosclerosis.

The physiological variations in the mechanical properties of rabbit aortae in relation to the periods of hair shedding were studied. The load-strain curves of the eight proximal thoracic segment in 15 shedding and 15 non-shedding male albino rabbits were analysed. The slope of the curves (tangent of the angle between the linear region of the load-strain curve and the strain axis) was decreased in the shedding animals compared to that of the non-shedding animals and the toe of the load-strain curves was significantly lower towards the x-axis in the shedding animals. The observations indicate a lower stiffness, that is increased elasticity, of the aortae of rabbits during hair shedding. The increased elasticity during hair shedding may explain the previously reported resistance to experimental arteriosclerosis caused by the hemodynamic strain elicited by exposure to systemic hypoxia. A decrease in the aortic content of collagen and of sulfated glycosaminoglycans, and an increase in the content of hyaluronic acid, may be of importance in the alterations of the mechanical properties of rabbit aorta during hair shedding.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Increased collagen prolyl hydroxylase activity in the aortic wall of rabbits exposed to chronic hypoxia.

The activity of collagen prolyl hydroxylase in aortic wall was studied in rabbits exposed to chronic 10% ambient oxygen tension for 30 days. Prolyl hydroxylase in rabbit aorta was shown to be similar to the enzyme from other sources in that it required molecular oxygen, alpha-ketoglutarate, ferrous iron and ascorbate for its activity. The activity of prolyl hydroxylase was increased to 180% of controls in the intima-media samples from rabbits exposed to hypoxia. No atherosclerotic lesions could be seen in arteries of animals kept in chronic hypoxia. If the arteries of rabbits were injured with a single mechanical dilatation, the activity of prolyl hydroxylase increased more than 2-fold, as reported previously. The exposure of these animals to chronic hypoxia further elevated the prolyl hydroxylase activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Levamisole in a double-blind study: no effect on warts.

Levamisole is reported to restore delayed hypersensitivity, when this is depressed. On the assumption that multiple warts, resistant to local treatment, are indicative of some immune deficiency, we chose levamisole for the treatment of warts. The dose, 150 mg daily in 3 days every second week, was given to 49 patients who had common warts and to 50 patients who had condyloma (venereal warts). After 6 weeks of double-blind study, most of the patients underwent open levamisole treatment. However, the levamisole group failed to show enhanced wart regression compared with the control group. No inter-group difference could be detected as regards change in delayed hypersensitivity after levamisole treatment, when measured by the mantoux response.

Adolescent↗