PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Larsen

Publications and source records attributed to P Larsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Floc-forming properties of polyphosphate accumulating organisms in activated sludge.

The physico-chemical characteristics of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) involved in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was investigated in order to find a novel method for phosphorus recovery. If the physico-chemical characteristics of PAO are different from those of other main floc components, it may be possible to enrich PAO in bulk water or in the floc material for improved recovery of phosphorus. A combination of shear tests, chemical manipulation, and quantification of PAO by fluorescence in situ hybridization was applied. The microcolony strength of both Rhodocyclus-related PAO and Actinobacteria-related PAO was generally high as no treatment could break up more than 20% of all PAO in microcolonies. In contrast, it was possible to remove 20-40% of the organic matter and other bacterial cells by applying a high pH value or adding EDTA. With that a selective enrichment of PAO in the remaining floc material was possible. The feasibility of applying this selective PAO enrichment in flocs remains to be evaluated in full-scale plants for P-recovery.

Actinobacteria↗
PubMed2005

Three-dimensional analysis of mandibular growth and tooth eruption.

Normal and abnormal jaw growth and tooth eruption are topics of great importance for several dental and medical disciplines. Thus far, clinical studies on these topics have used two-dimensional (2D) radiographic techniques. The purpose of the present study was to analyse normal mandibular growth and tooth eruption in three dimensions based on computer tomography (CT) scans, extending the principles of mandibular growth analysis proposed by Björk in 1969 from two to three dimensions. As longitudinal CT data from normal children are not available (for ethical reasons), CT data from children with Apert syndrome were employed, because it has been shown that the mandible in Apert syndrome is unaffected by the malformation, and these children often have several craniofacial CT scans performed during childhood for planning of cranial and midface surgery and for follow-up after surgery. A total of 49 datasets from ten children with Apert syndrome were available for study. The number of datasets from each individual ranged from three to seven. The first CT scan in each of the ten series was carried out before 1 year of age, and the ages for the 49 scans ranged from 1 week to 14.5 years. The mandible and the teeth were segmented and iso-surfaces generated. Landmarks were placed on the surface of the mandible, along the mandibular canals, the inner contour of the cortical plate at the lower border of the symphysis menti, and on the teeth. Superimposition of the mandibles in the longitudinal series was performed using the symphysis menti and the mandibular canals as suggested by Björk. The study supported the findings of stability of the symphysis menti and the mandibular canals as seen in profile view previously reported by Björk & Skieller in 1983. However, the mandibular canals were, actually, relocated laterally during growth. Furthermore, the position of tooth buds remained relatively stable inside the jaw until root formation started. Eruption paths of canines and premolars were vertical, whereas molars erupted in a lingual direction. The 3D method would seem to offer new insight into jaw growth and tooth eruption, but further studies are needed.

Acrocephalosyndactylia↗
PubMed2002

Calcium-stimulated short-circuit currents in the canine proximal colonic epithelium: effects of DK-PGD2, a metabolite of prostaglandin D2.

Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) has marked inhibitory effects on the canine proximal colonic epithelium set up in Ussing chambers. These effects involved a receptor that is pharmacologically distinct from the classical DP, presumably the recently identified CRTH2/DP2 variety. The mechanism underlying these effects was studied using 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGD2 (DK-PGD2), a stable metabolite of the parent prostanoid. The metabolite quickly reversed short circuit currents (I(sc)) stimulated by diverse agonists. Greater inhibitory effects were seen with stimulants such as carbachol and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) rather than with forskolin or protein kinase A activators. Since the same stimulants were differentially affected by removal and replacement of serosal Ca2+, we tested the possibility that the prostanoid inhibited basolateral Ca2+ entry. In the absence of serosal Ca2+, tissues primed with CPA demonstrated concentration-dependent increases in I(sc), to cumulative additions of Ca2+ or Sr2+, though the former was more potent. Cl- removal and pretreatment with bumetanide virtually abolished responses, suggesting that the increase in I(sc) reflected Ca2+ dependent Cl- secretion. Though responses were insensitive to the L-type channel antagonist, verapamil, a marked inhibition was seen in the presence of metal cations (Gd3+, Cd2+, and La3+). Pretreatment with DK-PGD2 inhibited responses to Ca2+ in CPA-primed tissues. Thus, basolateral Ca2+ entry via store-operated Ca2+ channels may be the locus for the inhibitory effects of PGD2 in this tissue. These results could indicate a potential transduction mechanism for the novel DP receptor variously called CRTH2 or DP2.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Isotope effects and medium effects on sulfuryl transfer reactions.

Kinetic isotope effects and medium effects have been measured for sulfuryl-transfer reactions of the sulfate ester p-nitrophenyl sulfate (pNPS). The results are compared to those from previous studies of phosphoryl transfer, a reaction with mechanistic similarities. The N-15 and the bridge O-18 isotope effects for the reaction of the pNPS anion are very similar to those of the p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) dianion. This indicates that in the transition states for both reactions the leaving group bears nearly a full negative charge resulting from a large degree of bond cleavage to the leaving group. The nonbridge O-18 isotope effects support the notion that the sulfuryl group resembles SO(3) in the transition state. The reaction of the neutral pNPS species in acid solution is mechanistically similar to the reaction of the pNPP monoanion. In both cases proton transfer from a nonbridge oxygen atom to the leaving group is largely complete in the transition state. Despite their mechanistic similarities, the phosphoryl- and sulfuryl-transfer reactions differ markedly in their response to medium effects. Increasing proportions of the aprotic solvent DMSO to aqueous solutions of pNPP cause dramatic rate accelerations of up to 6 orders of magnitude, but only a 50-fold rate increase is observed for pNPS. Similarly, phosphoryl transfer from the pNPP dianion to tert-amyl alcohol is 9000-fold faster than the aqueous reaction, while the sulfuryl transfer from the pNPS anion is some 40-fold slower. The enthalpic and entropic contributions to these differing medium effects have been measured and compared.

Anions↗
PubMed2000

Quantification of osseous facial dysmorphology in untreated unilateral coronal synostosis.

Unilateral coronal synostosis results in dysmorphology of the midface in addition to well-characterized cranial and orbital deformities. Because most American infants with this problem have undergone cranio-orbital surgery within their first year of life for the past 25 years, a paucity of data exist regarding the natural history of untreated unilateral coronal synostosis. In an attempt to remedy this void, an international search was conducted to identify computed tomography data sets of living individuals with untreated unilateral coronal synostosis; data were obtained from two European centers and one center in the United States. Results limited to the study of the midface are presented here. Digital data from high-resolution head computed tomography scans of 11 living, white individuals with untreated unilateral coronal synostosis were obtained from three craniofacial centers (in Denmark, The Netherlands, and the United States). Image volumes were constructed from each scan using ANALYZE biomedical imaging software. Fourteen pairs of three-dimensional distances were calculated on the ipsilateral (the side of the synostosis) and the contralateral (the side opposite to the synostosis) hemifaces using 11 osseous landmarks. The resulting measurements were expressed as a ratio of the ipsilateral: contralateral sides. Descriptive statistics were derived for the untreated unilateral coronal synostosis population and compared with analogous measurements performed on dried skulls. Age at computed tomography ranged from 1.1 to 21.1 years (mean, 6.6 years; median, 4.1 years). Twelve of the 14 measured distances differed by greater than 5 percent on the ipsilateral side, and all but one of these measurements were decreased on the ipsilateral side when compared with contralateral values. The results of this study support the following conclusions: (1) There are discrete and measurable differences in the facial morphology between patients with untreated unilateral coronal synostosis and normal skulls. (2) Intercenter and international collaboration can provide a sufficient number of individuals with rare craniofacial anomalies to quantitatively determine group characteristics. (3) Quantitative documentation of rare anomaly natural history is necessary for quantitative outcome assessment of treated patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Ventilatory frequency variability in spontaneously breathing anaesthetized subjects.

During spontaneous breathing general anaesthesia, inspiration is generally started by a signal related to preceding cardiovascular activity. This phenomenon, 'cardioventilatory coupling', contributes to the variation in ventilatory frequency. However, the detailed, breath-to-breath timing relationship between heart beat and inspiratory onset is complex, with at least four distinct patterns (designated patterns I-IV). These coupling patterns are defined according to the particular breath-to-breath change in: (a) entrainment ratio and (b) coupling interval, the interval between inspiratory onset and the preceding initiating heart beat. We have examined the relationship between coupling and timing of breathing in adult subjects breathing spontaneously during general anaesthesia. The heart rate-ventilatory frequency interaction was explored by identifying the distribution of different coupling patterns in a plot of heart rate vs ventilatory frequency (the HR/f plot) and analysing the variation in breathing frequency during each coupling pattern by differentiating between changes in entrainment ratio from changes in coupling interval. We observed that: (i) coupling patterns are distributed within specific regions of the HR/f plot; (ii) specific patterns of variation in breathing are associated with each coupling pattern; (iii) this variation is a consequence of the balance between changes in entrainment ratio and coupling interval; (iv) coupling was invariably present at low breathing frequencies; and (v) the inverse non-linear relationship between ventilatory frequency and variation is largely a consequence of changing coupling pattern with ventilatory frequency. Coupling explains much of the breath-to-breath variability of ventilatory frequency during anaesthesia, and may be relevant to the phenomena of hypoventilation, central apnoea and ventilatory arrhythmia. A hypothesis concerning the generation of coupling patterns is presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Early stages in the development of goblet cells in the paranasal sinuses: a multimethodological study in the rabbit.

To evaluate the pattern of goblet cell differentiation in sinus mucosa in response to external stimuli, New Zealand White rabbits were subjected to either experimental sinusitis or topical capsalcin application. Sinus mucosa was examined by light microscopy after serial sectioning, whole-mount preparation or immunohistochemistry. The mucosa was also examined by electron microscopy after perfusion fixation or high-pressure freezing. While goblet cells were normally very scarce in the healthy rabbit maxillary sinus mucosa, such cells were frequent after experimental sinusitis or topical capsaicin application. The process of goblet cell differentiation seems to follow a sequential path where serous secretory cells start to produce an increasing amount of mucous granules which appear electron lucent after conventional fixation. Parallel to this shift in secretion production, the cell assumes a bulging appearance after conventional fixation. It is concluded that newly formed goblet cells are recruited from intermediate secretory cell stages rather than from ciliated cells.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1998

Gross anatomy of the pancreatic lobes and ducts in six breeds of domestic ducks and six species of wild ducks in China.

A previously unreported pancreatic duct was found by Liu (1989) in Pekin ducks. This duct has now been consistently found in six breeds of domestic ducks and six species of wild ducks in China. For purposes of Nomina Anatomica Avium it is hereby called the 'first pancreatic duct' (Ductus pancreaticus primus) since it enters the duodenum at or near the flexure where the descending duodenum becomes the ascending duodenum. All other pancreatic ducts enter the duodenum later, closer to where it joins the jejunum. This first pancreatic duct drains the caudal extremity of the dorsal lobe of the pancreas and can be easily exteriorized for experimental purposes. Within the parenchyma of the dorsal lobe of the pancreas this duct communicates with the dorsal pancreatic duct. In the present study of the gross anatomy of the pancreatic lobes of domestic and wild Chinese ducks we describe and illustrate variations in position and number of all biliary and pancreatic ducts.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Coronal CT of the paranasal sinuses before and after functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

Coronal CT of the paranasal sinuses and the ostiomeatal complex (OMC) was performed before and 12 months after bilateral functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in 30 patients with sinusitis and 12 patients with nasal polyposis. The extent of sinus mucosal thickening was graded, and the patency of the OMC was evaluated. After FESS, the percentage of open OMCs had increased from 42% to 83% in the sinusitis group, and from 8% to 45% in the polyposis group. There was only a small improvement in mucosal score in sinuses with opened OMC, so that the overall extent of sinus opacification before and after FESS was almost the same. Despite this, 91% of the patients reported clinical relief of symptoms. Preoperative coronal CT of the paranasal sinuses serves as an anatomical map for the surgeon, but there is no benefit of routine postoperative CT.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Effects of late-onset depression and recovery on autobiographical memory.

Autobiographical memory of old people (71-90 years) suffering from a major depression for the first time was compared to groups of demented (Alzheimer type) and normal old people, using a method of free narratives. The chronological distribution of memories across the life span was similar in the groups (a peak in adolescence and young adulthood, a decrease in midlife, and increase in the most recent years), but the depressed participants had a clearly enhanced recency effect. Whereas the rates of positive, neutral, and negative memories were identical in the three groups concerning remote events, the emotional valence of recent memories in the depressed group differed from that of the normal and demented subjects. The depressed group recalled proportionally more negative memories dating from the last 5 years (encompassing the depressive period). The depressed participants were reinterviewed 6 months later, when the majority had recovered from depression. At that point, the accumulation of negative recent memories had disappeared and become neutral. The results are discussed in relation to state and trait models of depressive processing.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

A cohort study of point prevalence of eardrum pathology in children and teenagers from age 5 to age 16.

The aim of this prospective study was to estimate the prevalence of different types of eardrum pathology in a cohort of children and teenagers up to the age of 16. Among this initial group of 373 subjects, repetitive screening trials including otomicroscopy and tympanometry were performed from age 5 to 16 years. All clinical pathology of Shrapnell's membrane and the pars tensa was recorded systematically. At age 5 years, pathology of the eardrum was found in 19% of ears examined. At succeeding follow-ups until the age of 16 years, the prevalence of eardrum pathology increased to 33%. The tympanometric profile improved significantly from 49% of children with negative middle ear pressure at age 5 years to 4% at age 16 years. The patency of the eustachian tube was estimated in the group with eardrum pathology and compared to the group with no eardrum pathology. Our findings show that, despite improvement of middle ear ventilation through childhood, the prevalence of pathological changes of the eardrum seems to increase. The reason for this increase is discussed.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1994

Own aging: future time perspectives and scenarios perceived by females employed in old age care.

This study focuses on anticipations of own aging, and the process of adaptation to aging across the life span. Future time perspectives and aging scenarios were investigated in 276 Danish females employed in old age care (aged 22 to 63 years), by use of questionnaires. Age-related differences were found regarding how far ahead subjects indicated to plan their future, increasing from about two years in subjects in their twenties and stabilizing at about ten years in older subjects. Datings of events that first initiated thinking of one's own aging increased with the age of the subjects, and some age-related patterns in the content of recalled events were found. A developmental mechanism involving reinterpretation of essential elements of aging is suggested as an explanation for these findings. A preponderance of positive scenarios suggests that optimistic anticipations of own aging may coexist with exposure to negative aspects of aging due to working experiences with disabled old people.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. Occurrence and therapeutic possibilities].

The incidence of lumbosacral spondylolisthesis is 5%, and 25% of the patients will develop symptoms. The debut of the symptoms typically occurs during the teenage years, and is not always related to the degree of spondylolisthesis. The principles of conservative treatment include symptomatic relief and reduction of the lumbar lordosis using a brace. Conservative treatment often results in temporary improvement, but symptoms often come back. In case of ineffective conservative treatment, progressive neurologic symptoms and disability surgery is indicated. New techniques make it possible to reduce the spondylolisthesis and the lumbosacral kyphosis using metal implants and spondylodesis involving the transverse processes, facet joints and pedicles.

Adolescent↗