Biomedical subjects

T Seefeldt

Publications and source records attributed to T Seefeldt.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in adults with chronic cough compared with healthy blood donors.

In a small uncontrolled study, persistent cough has recently been found to be associated with serological evidence of acute Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. In order to assess whether C. pneumoniae plays a role in chronic cough, the prevalence of C. pneumoniae infection in 201 adult patients with chronic cough was compared with the prevalence in 106 healthy blood donors without respiratory tract symptoms in the preceding 3 months. A microimmunofluorescence antibody test was used to determine C. pneumoniae antibodies in the immunoglobulin (Ig)M, IgG and IgA fractions. Further, nasopharyngeal aspirates from the 201 patients were examined for C. pneumoniae deoxyribonucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). As judged by serology, nine patients (4%) and one control (1%) had acute C. pneumoniae infection, and 92 patients (46%) and 42 controls (40%) had previous or chronic C. pneumoniae infection. Of the nine patients with acute infection, three were C. pneumoniae PCR positive, and they all had an IgM antibody titre response. The remaining six patients had either an IgG antibody titre of > or =512 (five patients) or an IgA antibody titre of > or =512 (one patient). None of these six patients had detectable IgM antibodies. The mean cough period for the five IgG positive patients (10.8 weeks) was significantly longer than the mean cough period for the remaining patient population (6.4 weeks; p=0.004). It is concluded that Chlamydia pneumoniae infection was not statistically significantly more prevalent in patients with chronic cough than in healthy blood donors, and that Chlamydia pneumoniae appears to have a minor role in patients with chronic cough. Direct detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae by polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal aspirates is highly correlated with detectable immunoglobulin M antibodies, but in the late stages of prolonged cough serological testing of immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A may be more beneficial for obtaining a microbiological diagnosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Bordetella pertussis and chronic cough in adults.

To evaluate Bordetella pertussis as a cause of persistent cough in adults, we examined 201 patients who had a cough for 2-12 weeks and no pulmonary disease. We obtained the following at presentation: medical history, chest radiograph, respiratory function measurement, nasopharyngeal aspirate for polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nasopharyngeal swab specimen for culture, and a blood sample (acute serum). Four weeks later a second blood sample (convalescent serum) was obtained. Control sera were obtained from 164 age-matched healthy blood donors with no history of cough during the previous 12 weeks. Four patients were B. pertussis culture-positive; 11 (including the culture-positive patients) were B. pertussis PCR-positive; and 33, including 10 of the 11 PCR-positive patients, had serological evidence of recent B. pertussis infection. Pertussis-positive and -negative patients could not be discriminated by a history of cough. We conclude that B. pertussis infection is a common cause of persistent cough in adults. This is of concern, because these patients may be B. pertussis reservoirs from which transmission may occur to infants, in whom the disease can be devastating.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Maternal, paternal, and marital functioning in families of preadolescents with spina bifida.

Based on a family systems/social-ecological perspective, mothers and fathers of 8- and 9-year-old children with spina bifida (n = 55; 28 male, 27 female) were examined in comparison to a matched group of parents with 8- and 9-year-old able-bodied children (n = 55; 29 male, 26 female) across several areas of functioning (individual, parental, and marital). Findings suggested that mothers and fathers in the spina bifida sample tended to report more psychosocial stress than their counterparts in the able-bodied sample. Specifically, mothers and fathers in the spina bifida group reported less parental satisfaction than parents in the able-bodied group. Mothers in the spina bifida group reported less perceived parental competence, more social isolation, and less adaptability to change; fathers in the spina bifida group reported more psychological symptoms. No differences between the spina bifida and able-bodied groups were found with respect to marital satisfaction. Coping predictors of adjustment tended to vary as a function of parent gender rather than group status.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1993

Extra-intestinal amebiasis: clinical presentation in a non-endemic setting.

37/38 patients with reciprocal titers > or = 512 against Entamoeba histolytica in Denmark over a 5-year period were evaluated retrospectively in order to establish the clinical profile of extra-intestinal amebiasis in a non-endemic area. 24 of these had extra-intestinal amebiasis, all presenting 1 or more amebic liver abscesses on ultrasonography. Fever was the most common finding, present in 91% of the cases. The most striking observation was the lack of both abdominal pain and tenderness in 22% of the patients with liver abscess. Pulmonary symptoms and abnormal chest X-rays were each recorded in 45% of the cases. Liver abscesses with or without pulmonary involvement were the only extra-intestinal manifestations recorded. The condition was initially misconceived in more than half the cases, but most of the patients responded well once treatment with metronidazole was started.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Impact of the 1987 revised AIDS case definition in Denmark: a follow-up study 2 years after its adoption.

We present a follow-up study on Danish AIDS patients notified according to the latest revision of the AIDS case definition during the first 2 years after its adoption. A total of 271 adult AIDS cases were notified in the period of study (Jan. 1, 1988-Dec. 31, 1989). 60 patients (22%) met only the revised AIDS case definition and of these 17 patients (28%) developed diseases meeting the old AIDS case definition. Thus, AIDS reporting increased by 28% due to the change in case definition, the impact being 19% after adjusting for patients developing old case diseases. No time trend in the impact was found. We estimated the cumulative percent of cases meeting the new case definition who subsequently will develop diseases meeting the old definition as 15% after 6 months and 51% after 18 months. The revision produced a disproportionate increase in reporting of female cases (p less than 0.05), transfusion cases (p less than 0.01) and to a lesser extent of heterosexual cases, while the impact on reporting of homo/bisexual men showed a decrease (p less than 0.01). Cases notified with new case definition diseases were older than cases notified with old diseases. Among patients meeting only the new case definition, 25 died and 18 (30%) had not developed old case diseases before death. We found no difference in survival rates between patients within the 2 groups of case definition. Among patients meeting the new definition we found no differences in HIV antigenemia or CD4 cell count between those developing diseases meeting old case definition and those who did not.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1991

Decreased hepatic glucagon responses in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus.

The effect of glucagon infusion on hepatic glucose production during euglycaemia was evaluated in seven Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients and in ten control subjects. In the diabetic subjects normoglycaemia was maintained during the night preceding the study by a variable intravenous insulin and glucose infusion. During the study endogenous insulin secretion was suppressed by somatostatin (450 micrograms/h) and replaced by insulin infusion (0.15 mU.kg-1.min-1). 3H-glucose was infused for isotopic determination of glucose turnover. Plasma glucose was clamped at 5 mmol/l for 2 h 30 min and glucagon (1.5 ng.kg-1.min-1) was then infused for the following 3 h. Hepatic glucose production and glucose utilisation were measured during the first, second and third hour of the glucagon infusion. Basal hepatic glucose production (just prior to glucagon infusion) was similar in diabetic (1.2 +/- 0.3 mg.kg-1.min-1) and control (1.6 +/- 0.1 mg.kg-1.min-1) subjects. In diabetic patients hepatic glucose production rose slowly to 2.1 +/- 0.5 mg.kg-1.min-1 during the first hours of glucagon infusion and stabilized at this level (2.4 +/- 0.5 mg.kg-1.min-1) in the third hour. In control subjects hepatic glucose production increased sharply to higher levels than in the diabetic subjects (3.4 +/- 0.3 mg.kg-1.min-1) during the first and second hour of glucagon infusion (p less than 0.05) and then gradually fell (2.9 +/- 0.4 mg.kg-1.min-1) during the third hour. In conclusion, when stimulated with glucagon at a physiologic plasma concentration diabetic patients had 1) an overall reduced hepatic glucose production response and 2) an abnormal sluggish response pattern.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

PubMed1990

Plasma clearance of 51Cr-EDTA as an estimator of glomerular filtration rate in conscious rats.

A method is described whereby the plasma clearance of 51Cr-EDTA is used to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in conscious rats. EDTA clearance rates were calculated based on one and two exponential disappearance curves and compared in groups of animals studied under conditions of normal, high and low GFR. Like previously described related methodologies, this technique obviates the need for urine collections and marker infusions for GFR estimates. An important added advantage is that it provides the opportunity to study animals free of the effects of anesthetic, supine position and surgical stress.

Animals↗

PubMed1981

Quantitative relationship between glomerular foot process width and proteinuria in glomerulonephritis.

The relationship between foot process fusion (retraction) and proteinuria in glomerular diseases has been known for many years, but only a few quantitative studies have been performed. The quantitative morphometrical method used here makes it possible to estimate the distribution of true foot process width from the observed apparent width on electron micrographs. The true foot process width was analyzed in a consecutive material of patients with glomerulonephritis and related to the diurnal urinary protein excretion. Only a weak correlation was found between these two parameters. Albeit an abnormal foot process width was invariably associated with proteinuria, a rather large fraction of patients with gross proteinuria had normal foot process width compared to control subjects. Thus, if foot process fusion causes proteinuria, this can not be the only mechanism leading to this permeability alteration. On the other hand, our results show that foot process fusion is not a necessary consequence of proteinuria. In addition, a methodologic study was performed, analyzing the relationship between the quantitative and a semiquantitative method for estimating foot process fusion. It is concluded that the latter method is fast and sufficiently precise for most evaluations of foot process width in human kidney biopsies.

Biopsy↗

PubMed1980

Glomerular epithelial foot processes in normal man and rats. Distribution of true width and its intra- and inter-individual variation.

The width of individual glomerular epithelial foot processes appears very different on electron micrographs. A method for obtainining distributions of the true width of foot processes from that of their apparent width on electron micrographs has been developed based on geometric probability theory pertaining to a specific geometric model. Analyses of foot process width in humans and rats show a remarkable interindividual invariance implying rigid control and therefore great biological significance of foot process width or a derivative thereof. The very low inter-individual variation of the true width, shown in the present paper, makes it possible to demonstrate slight changes in rather small groups of patients or experimental animals.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors on glucose metabolism in type 1 diabetes.

To evaluate the impact of ACE-inhibitors on insulin-mediated glucose uptake, glucose-induced glucose uptake, and hepatic glucose production, a sequential glucose clamp was performed in eight normotensive Type 1 diabetic patients after 3 weeks of enalapril therapy 20 mg day-1 and during control conditions. The experiments were carried out in random order. Mean arterial blood pressure was significantly reduced during ACE-inhibition (95 +/- 3 (+/- SE) vs 84 +/- 3 mmHg; p less than 0.02), while blood glucose control as assessed by HbA1c was unaltered (7.9 +/- 0.5 vs 7.6 +/- 0.5%). The night prior to the study normoglycaemia was maintained by a Biostator. A two-step hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp (insulin infusion rate 0.3 and 0.8 mU kg-1 min-1) was followed by a hyperinsulinaemic and hyperglycaemic clamp (insulin infusion rate 0.8 mU kg-1 min-1, plasma glucose 11 mmol l-1). Insulin concentrations were comparable with and without enalapril treatment. During the hyperinsulinaemic clamps isotopically determined glucose disposal was unchanged (low dose 2.5 +/- 0.3, high dose 4.3 +/- 0.7 vs 2.6 +/- 0.3 and 4.3 +/- 0.7 mg kg-1 min-1, enalapril vs control). Glucose-induced glucose disposal (9.2 +/- 1.2 vs 9.1 +/- 1.2 mg kg-1 min-1) was also similar, as were non-protein respiratory exchange ratios (indirect calorimetry). Glucose production was not changed by enalapril. In conclusion, treatment with enalapril has no significant effect on glucose metabolism in Type 1 diabetes.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗