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Biomedical subjects

R Adolfsson

Publications and source records attributed to R Adolfsson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Superoxide dismutase isoenzymes in normal brains and in brains from patients with dementia of Alzheimer type.

CuZn superoxide dismutase and Mn superoxide dismutase were analysed in hypothalamus, nucleus caudatus, hippocampus and cortex gyrus cinguli from 14 patients with dementia of Alzheimer type and from 16 controls. Ample amounts of both enzymes were demonstrated in the brains and there was little difference between the various parts of the brain. There were only small differences in the enzymic activities between the two groups indicating that deficiencies of these enzymes are not a very likely cause of brain degeneration in dementias of Alzheimer type.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1985

Haptoglobin groups in dementia of Alzheimer type and multi-infarct dementia.

Haptoglobin (Hp) groups were determined in 65 patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) and 74 with multi-infarct dementia (MID). The increased Hp1 gene frequency among patients with DAT described by other investigators could not be confirmed in this study. The patients showed no significant difference from the controls with respect to phenotype and gene frequencies, and there were no significant differences between early and late onset cases of DAT.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Synapsin I (protein I) in different brain regions in senile dementia of Alzheimer type and in multi-infarct dementia.

Synapsin I (Protein I), a neuron-specific phosphoprotein enriched in presynaptic nerve terminals, has been used as a quantitative marker for the density of nerve terminals in five brain regions (caudate nucleus, cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, mesencephalon and putamen) from patients who had suffered from Alzheimer disease/senile dementia of Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT), from patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID), and from age-matched controls. Samples were obtained at autopsy. Lower levels of Synapsin I were observed in the hippocampus of patients with AD/SDAT but not with MID. There were no significant differences in Synapsin I levels between patients and controls in any of the other four brain regions examined.

Brain Chemistry↗
PubMed1984

Dementia of the Alzheimer type and multi-infarct dementia: a clinical description and diagnostic problems.

Patients who had Alzheimer's disease-senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT) or multi-infarct dementia (MID) were compared with a group of controls. Demented patients had approximately the same degree of dementia and the same duration of illness. The MID group had a significantly higher mean age than the AD/SDAT group. Sixty-three per cent of the AD/SDAT patients were free of other diseases, while 65 per cent of the MID patients had cardiovascular disease. Thirty per cent of the MID patients had a history of previous depression, while only 5 per cent of the AD/SDAT patients had had depression. At the time of the investigation, however, AD/SDAT patients showed significantly more signs of depression than the MID patients. Focal neurologic signs were found in 70 per cent of the MID patients and only 6 per cent of the AD/SDAT patients. The electrocardiogram was normal for every AD/SDAT patient, while 75 per cent of the MID patients had abnormal ECGs. Electroencephalography showed generalized slow frequencies in 79 per cent of the AD/SDAT patients and localized slow frequencies and abnormalities in 65 per cent of the MID patients. Computed tomography of the brain showed that MID patients had significantly greater dilation of the ventricular system, while cortical atrophy did not differ significantly among the three groups. Homovanillic acid in the cerebrospinal fluid was significantly lower in the AD/SDAT group as compared with controls.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Muscarinic receptor compensation in hippocampus of Alzheimer patients.

The activity of the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) (presynaptic marker) and number of muscarine-like receptor binding sites have been measured in the hippocampus from eight individuals with senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) and ten controls. A negative correlation (r = 0.80; p less than 0.05) was found between the ChAT activity and the number of muscarine-like receptors in the SDAT group but not in the controls. The findings might indicate an ongoing compensatory receptor mechanism as a response to changes in presynaptic cholinergic activity.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Biochemical changes in dementia disorders of Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT).

In postmortem investigations of patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT) (n = 14) the brain weight was significantly reduced when compared to controls (n = 16). In four AD/SDAT-brain parts investigated the concentrations of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine and noradrenaline were significantly reduced while 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol was significantly increased. In the caudate nucleus of the AD/SDAT-brains the concentrations of dopamine and homovanillic acid were significantly reduced. The activity of monoamine oxidase B was increased suggesting a proliferation of extra neuronal tissue in the AD/SDAT-brains. The activity of choline acetyl transferase was reduced in the four brain parts investigated, showing a general reduction in the acetylcholine system in the AD/SDAT-brains. The ganglioside concentration was significantly reduced suggesting a reduced density of nerve endings in the demented brains. The AD/SDAT-group was according to rating scales severely demented. Patients with an early onset of the dementia disease were more severely intellectually reduced and had more pronounced biochemical disturbances than those with a late onset of the dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Cytogenetic changes in patients with senile dementia.

Chromosome analyses were performed on lymphocytes from patients with Alzheimer type dementia, multi-infarct dementia, Down's syndrome and healthy controls. At least 100 cells were scored from each individual. A significant increase in aneuploidy was observed in the demented patients compared to controls but there was no difference between multi-infarct dementia and senile dementia of Alzheimer type. Nor was there any sex difference in the different groups. Also there was a significantly increased frequency of structurally altered chromosomes among the patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer type compared to other forms of dementia. In the control group such an anomaly was not observed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Changes in blood glucose and insulin secretion in patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer type.

A retrospective study of 839 hospital records with various dementia diagnoses showed that 63 cases had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus as well. None of these were found in the group of patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT). Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were performed in patients with SDAT, multiinfarct dementia (MID), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), hospitalized control patients (Chosp) and healthy elderly persons (Celd). Fasting blood sugar was significantly lower and the areas under the OGTT curves were significantly smaller in the SDAT group than in the CVD and the Chosp group. SDAT patients had higher insulin levels than Celd during the OGTT and on a statistically significant level 90 min after ingestion of sugar. Our findings suggest that SDAT and diabetes mellitus may not co-exist and that patients with SDAT have decreased blood sugar concentrations and elevated serum insulin levels. It is discussed whether this is an effect of the transmitter deficiencies in SDAT or may serve to explain these deficiencies.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Treatment of constipation with high-bran bread in long-term care of severely demented elderly patients.

Constipation in institutionalized elderly is a common and difficult problem. Thirty-three institutionalized demented patients with severe constipation were given a high-bran bread instead of their accustomed laxatives. Changes in defecation habits, food and liquid intake, and metabolic status were registered. During the high-bran bread treatment period, the number of bowel evacuations and the estimated volume of feces increased. The total laxative consumption (doses given per day) decreased by 93 per cent. Nutritional data and metabolic status were unchanged during the high-bran bread period except for a reduction of the postprandial blood glucose response after the glucose tolerance test.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

The Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type and multiinfarct dementia.

Eighteen patients with the clinical diagnosis dementia of Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT) and 20 patients with the clinical diagnosis multiinfarct dementia (MID) were interviewed using a subscale to the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS), consisting of items measuring psychopathological symptoms and signs commonly seen in patients with dementia. The aim of the investigation was to evaluate whether a difference in psychopathology between AD/SDAT and MID could be observed during a semistructured psychiatric interview using the CPRS. In both groups the duration of illness was similar and the dementia mild to moderate. All patients were subjected to somatic, psychiatric, laboratory, neurophysiologic and neuroradiologic examinations in order to obtain the correct clinical diagnoses. The results show that patients with AD/SDAT have a more variable psychopathology than patients with MID. Patients with MID were rated lower on all items used, especially those concerning verbal and personal contact. This might explain the generally accepted opinion that patients with MID have better contact with their surroundings and better preservation of their personality, even though they have the same degree of dementia as patients with AD/SDAT.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

The activity of monoamine oxidases A and B in gamma-irradiated rabbit brains.

The activities of monoamine oxidases A and B towards 5-hydroxytryptamine and beta-phenethylamine, respectively, were compared in the left and right caudatus, hippocampus, parietal cortex, cerebellum and frontal cortex 6 months after gamma-irradiation (single dose of 23 Gy) of either the right hemisphere or of the whole rabbit brain (in which case, a dose of l6 Gy). No difference in monoamine oxidase A or B activities were found in any of the brain regions.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Distribution of 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in human brain in relation to age, drug influence, agonal status and circadian variation.

The post-mortem brain concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in 16 parts of the brain from patients with no history of neurologic, psychiatric or metabolic illness. The causes of death were either ischemic heart disease, infections disease, cancer or accidents. Forty-two men with a mean age of 57 years (range 18-95 years) and 19 women with a mean age of 62 years (range 23-79 years) were included. The influence of several factors were studied: brain weight, time between death and autopsy, storage time before chemical analysis, age, sex, agonal status, cerebral arteriosclerosis, cancer, opiate treatment and time of death during the day. Most correlations between the 5-HT concentrations in different brain parts were positive, the strongest correlations in the basal ganglia and the limbic system. No consistent pattern of age-related 5-HT changes were found. The females had significantly higher 5-HIAA concentrations in the cortex of the gyrus hippocampus. Final hypoxia seemed to decrease 5-HT concentrations. Opiate treatment reduced 5-HT and increased 5-HIAA concentrations. A marked circadian variation of 5-HT was found, most pronounced in the hypothalamus, the limbic system and some neocortical areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Prevalence of dementia disorders in institutionalized Swedish old people. The work load imposed by caring for these patients.

The prevalence of dementia disorders were determined among 3,523 institutionalized patients aged 65 years or more in the county of Västerbotten. Approximately one-third of the clientele were considered demented. The prevalence was calculated to be 3.7% of the population in the county. The frequency of dementia disorders among the patients in the somatic long-stay wards, the nursing homes, and the mental hospital was rather similar (55-65%). A surprisingly high percentage of demented (17.1%) was found in the homes for the aged. The work load was highest in the somatic long-stay wards and in the nursing homes. Patients in the mental hospital, however, differed markedly from those in other institutions with higher scores for aggressive and disturbing behaviour, which accounted for the large number of patients in the mental hospital with maximal work load. The findings are discussed with regard to future institutional care of demented patients and point out the need for better education in psychiatric care for the staff.

Activities of Daily Living↗