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Biomedical subjects

S Paulsen

Publications and source records attributed to S Paulsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Association of a microsatellite in FASL to type II diabetes and of the FAS-670G>A genotype to insulin resistance.

Type II diabetes is caused by a failure of the pancreatic beta-cells to compensate for insulin resistance leading to hyperglycaemia. There is evidence for an essential role of an increased beta-cell apoptosis in type II diabetes. High glucose concentrations induce IL-1beta production in human beta-cells, Fas expression and concomitant apoptosis owing to a constitutive expression of FasL. FASL and FAS map to loci linked to type II diabetes and estimates of insulin resistance, respectively. We have tested two functional promoter polymorphisms, FAS-670 G>A and FASL-844C>T as well as a microsatellite in the 3' UTR of FASL for association to type II diabetes in 549 type II diabetic patients and 525 normal-glucose-tolerant (NGT) control subjects. Furthermore, we have tested these polymorphisms for association to estimates of beta-cell function and insulin resistance in NGT subjects. We found significant association to type II diabetes for the allele distribution of the FASL microsatellite (P-value 0.02, Bonferroni corrected). The FAS-670G>A was associated with homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index and body mass index (P-values 0.02 and 0.02). We conclude that polymorphisms of FASL and FAS associate with type II diabetes and estimates of insulin resistance in Danish white subjects.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

[Cognitive impairment, depression, and work capacity of 50-59-year-old psychosomatic inpatients].

Due to aging of the population and a possible rise in retirement age, the cognitive capacity of older people is gaining great importance. As evidenced by the increase in early retirement due to psychosomatic disease, many employees are not capable of working at a higher age. Decreasing cognitive abilities have usually been studied in subjects over 65 years based on the heterogeneous construct of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study investigates the prevalence of cognitive impairments in the age group from 50 to 59 years and their reflections in subjective vocational achievement and social medical evaluation. Having been assigned to inpatient rehabilitation due to decreasing work performance, these patients could be considered a risk group for developing MCI. A battery of standardized cognitive tests was conducted with patients at a psychosomatic hospital (Termine Test, CVLT, Block Design, TAP, and Tower of Hanoi). The MCI was defined by performance below the average age norm in at least two of five functional areas. Depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. Cognitive impairment was observed in 24% of participants. These patients also described vocational difficulties. Cognitive impairments of older employees could possibly be compensated for by specific training programs in order to maintain or rebuild their work capacity.

Cognition Disorders↗

Miscibility gap in the microbial fitness landscape.

It is shown from molecular statistical considerations that a demixing instability exists in the moment space of a microbial protein expression profile. Although avoidance of demixing is generally requisite for biological function, a comparison with proteomic and genomic data suggests that many microbes lie close to the onset of this instability. Over evolutionary time scales, straying too close or into the immiscible domain may be associated with intracellular compartmentalization.

Bacterial Physiological Phenomena↗

Intravenous immunoglobulins containing antibodies against beta-amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Active or passive immunisation can mitigate plaque pathology in murine models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, it has been shown that antibodies against beta-amyloid (Abeta) are present in human immunoglobulin preparations (IVIgG), which specifically recognise and inhibit the neurotoxic effects of Abeta. This study reports the results from a pilot study using IVIgG in patients with AD. METHODS: Five patients with AD were enrolled and received monthly IVIgG over a 6 month period. Efficacy assessment included total Abeta/Abeta(1-42) measured in the CSF/serum as well as effects on cognition (ADAS-cog; CERAD) at baseline and at 6 months following IVIgG. RESULTS: Following IVIgG, total Abeta levels in the CSF decreased by 30.1% (17.3-43.5%) compared to baseline (p<0.05). Total Abeta increased in the serum by 233% (p<0.05). No significant change was found in Abeta(1-42) levels in the CSF/serum. Using ADAS-cog, an improvement of 3.7+/-2.9 points was detected. Scores in the MMSE were essentially unchanged (improved in four patients, stable in one patient) following IVIgG compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Although the sample size of this pilot study is too small to draw a clear conclusion, the results of this pilot study provide evidence for a more detailed investigation of IVIgG for the treatment of AD.

Alzheimer Disease↗

Analysis of the effects of deep mechanical massage in the porcine model.

Deep mechanical massage has been advocated as an alternative or adjunctive therapy for the contouring of subcutaneous fat and as a treatment for cellulite. We evaluated the effects of deep mechanical massage using two pig models. Yucatan pigs were divided into three groups (n = 4). One side of each body received 4, 10, or 20 treatments and the other side served as a control. Full-thickness tissue sections, including the underlying muscle, were harvested from identical treated and untreated regions. Examination of these regionally matched samples revealed an accumulation of dense, longitudinal collagen bands in the middle dermal and deep subdermal regions, which progressively increased with the number of treatments. Distortion and disruption of adipocytes was noted. In Yorkshire pigs, force-transducing balloon catheters were surgically placed between the deep subcutaneous tissue and muscle fascia. Catheters were inserted into two regions with different skin and subcutaneous tissue characteristics, the midflank and the hip. Standardized maneuvers were performed at suction settings 3, 5, 7, and 9 to record baseline tissue forces. Each maneuver carried a unique force signature. The measurement of tissue forces was repeated on the opposite side after 10 standardized treatment sessions. Analysis showed a significant reduction of measured forces at the midflank after the treatments. The actual force measured with each particular maneuver varied between different operators but not with different suction settings, suggesting that the technique of administering the treatments is the primary factor in creating the force within the tissue. This leads to the conclusion that deep mechanical massage is highly dependent on the individual operator of the device.

Adipose Tissue↗

Congenital heart malformations in Jutland, Denmark: a three year necropsy study in children aged 0-14 years. Epidemiology and classification according to sequential segmental analysis.

The use of sequential segmental analysis for describing congenital heart malformations was the method of assessment used in a prospective necropsy study covering Jutland, a well defined geographical and demographic area of Denmark. The study group was 1,154 children of whom 261 (22.6%) had a congenital heart malformation. The most common malformations were ductus arteriosus and ventricular septal defect and there were 77 cases in which connections between chambers or between chambers and great arteries were anomalous (68 liveborn; 37 male and 31 female: nine stillborn; two male and seven female). No difference in sex distribution or seasonal variation was found between those with congenital heart disease and those without. Extracardiac malformations and chromosomal abnormalities were more often seen in children with congenital heart malformation than those without (30.3% vs 16.6%). The sequential segmental analysis is a logical and precise way of describing congenital heart malformations and it should be routinely used to classify cases of congenital heart malformation.

Adolescent↗

Measurement of nitrous oxide reductase activity in aquatic sediments.

Denitrification in aquatic sediments was measured by an N(2)O reductase assay. Sediments consumed small added quantities of N(2)O over short periods (a few hours). In experiments with sediment slurries, N(2)O reductase activity was inhibited by O(2), C(2)H(2), heat treatment, and by high levels of nitrate (1 mM) or sulfide (10 mM). However, ambient levels of nitrate (<100 muM) did not influence activity, and moderate levels (about 150 muM) induced only a short lag before reductase activity began. Moderate levels of sulfide (<1 mM) had no effect on N(2)O reductase activity. Nitrous oxide reductase displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics in sediments from freshwater (K(m) = 2.17 muM), estuarine (K(m) = 14.5 muM), and alkaline-saline (K(m) = 501 muM) environments. An in situ assay was devised in which a solution of N(2)O was injected into sealed glass cores containing intact sediment. Two estimates of net rates of denitrification in San Francisco Bay under approximated in situ conditions were 0.009 and 0.041 mmol of N(2)O per m per h. Addition of chlorate to inhibit denitrification in these intact-core experiments (to estimate gross rates of N(2)O consumption) resulted in approximately a 14% upward revision of estimates of net rates. These results were comparable to an in situ estimate of 0.022 mmol of N(2)O per m per h made with the acetylene block assay.

Journal Article↗

Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study of twelve adenomatoid tumors.

Twelve adenomatoid tumors were examined immunohistochemically with antibody probes to keratin and factor VIII-related antigen (FVIII-RA). None of the tumors labeled with FVIII-RA antibodies, whereas all but one labeled for keratin. Electron microscopy was done on tissue from paraffin-embedded blocks from all but one of the adenomatoid tumors. Both the immunohistochemical and electron microscopic results favor a mesothelial origin of adenomatoid tumors.

Adult↗

Adenomyoepithelial adenosis and low-grade malignant adenomyoepithelioma of the breast.

Adenomyoepithelial adenosis of the breast is a form of adenosis not previously described. It is similar in several ways to microglandular adenosis, but one significant difference is the presence of myoepithelial cells. The present case originated as adenomyoepithelial adenosis in a 46-year-old woman. In the course of 18 years it proliferated and changed into a low-grade malignant adenomyoepithelioma. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of myoepithelial cells in the adenosis, and immuno-histochemical study demonstrated cells containing actin (representing myoepithelial cells) in the adenosis as well as in the adenomyoepithelioma.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Relationship between heart weight and the cross sectional area of the coronary ostia.

Sex variation in the area of the coronary ostia was studied in hearts with a normal weight (heart weight less than 400 g) and hypertrophic hearts (heart weight greater than or equal to 400 g). Also studied was a possible sex difference in the correlation between heart weight and the area of the coronary ostia. The study was performed on 379 post mortem hearts. In the group of hearts with a normal weight the area of the left coronary ostium in both sexes was greater than the right but the difference was statistically insignificant. There was no sex difference in the area of the left coronary ostium, whereas the area of the right coronary ostium was statistically significantly less in women. In the group of hyperthopic hearts the left coronary ostium increased in area with increasing heart weight. The difference in the area of the left coronary ostium between hearts with normal weight and hypertrophic hearts was stastically significant in men, but not in women. The right coronary ostium showed minimal increase in size with increasing heart weight and the difference in both sexes between the two groups was statistically insignificant. In the group of hypertrophic hearts the heart weight was best correlated to the area of the left coronary ostium in both sexes, but the values did not reach statistically significance. On the basis of this study the area of the right coronary ostium appears to be a bottleneck with regard to an adequate blood supply to a hypertrophic myocardium.

Adult↗

Relationship between length of the left main coronary artery and heart weight.

The length of the left main coronary artery (LMA) was determined in post-mortem, non-fixed hearts of normal weight (heart weight less than 400 g, group I) and hypertrophic hearts (heart weight greater than or equal to 400 g, group II). Hearts from 76 men and 88 women in group I and 136 men and 61 women in group II were studied. The mean length of LMA in group I was 9.1 mm in men and 8.4 mm in women. Corresponding values in group II were 10.3 mm and 8.8 mm. There was no significant sex difference in the length of LMA in group I, but the sex difference in group II was significant (p less than 0.01). The difference in length of LMA between groups I and II reveals that the difference in men was significant ( less than 0.02), but insignificant in women. In the case of both sexes no significant correlation between heart weight and the length of LMA was found either in group I or group II. There was a significant correlation between the area of the left coronary ostium and the length of LMA in men in group I (p less than 0.05), but not in women. Corresponding comparisons of both sexes in group II were statistically insignificant.

Adult↗

Rytand-Lipsitch syndrome.

An 84-year-old woman had Rytand-Lipsitch syndrome, ie, total atrioventricular block resulting from destruction of the central areas of the conducting system due to extension of calcification from the fibrous ring of the mitral valve. In a postmortem coronary arteriographic study of 500 hearts, degenerative calcification of the fibrous ring of the mitral valve was demonstrated in 4.4% (95% confidence limits--2.8% to 6.6%), rheumatic valvular changes not being included. There were significantly more women than men with calcification of the mitral valve apparatus (P less than .00005). Division of the material into two groups larger than or equal to 70 years and less than 70 years showed a statistically significant sex difference in the former group (P les than .005), whereas the sex difference was of borderline significance in the latter group (.1 greater than P greater than .05).

Aged↗