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The aim of this study was to examine the association between anosognosia and unilateral neglect (UN), with special focus on age, stroke severity, lesion location and pre-stroke dementia. The basis of this investigation was a population-based stroke incidence study. Anosognosia was assessed using a questionnaire, and UN using a three-item version of the Behaviour Inattention Test, the Baking Tray Task and a test of personal neglect. Stroke severity was assessed using the NIH stroke scale. Patients with anosognosia were older, and they more often had pre-stroke dementia than patients having UN only. No particular lesion localization was associated with anosognosia, while UN was strongly associated with previously defined lesion sites, often in the parietal lobe. There was a borderline significance regarding stroke severity in patients having anosognosia compared with those with UN only. Patients with anosognosia had higher mortality than patients without, but when controlled for age and stroke severity, this effect was not independent. While UN is closely associated with ‘classical’ lesion sites, anosognosia is a condition that more often occurs in a previously impaired brain. For anosognosia, lesion location appears to be less important. Anosognosia also tends to occur with larger strokes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amyloid β peptide (Aβ) is crucial for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Aggregation of monomeric Aβ into insoluble amyloid fibrils proceeds through several soluble Aβ intermediates, including protofibrils, which are believed to be central in the disease process. The main reason for this is their implication in familial Alzheimer's disease with the Arctic amyloid precursor protein mutation (E693G). This mutation gives rise to early onset Alzheimer's disease, and synthetic Aβ1–40Arctic displays an enhanced rate of protofibril formation in vitro[Nilsberth C, Westlind-Danielsson A, Eckman CB, Condron MM, Axelman K, Forsell C, Stenh C, Luthman J, Teplow DB, Younkin SG, Naslund J & Lannfelt L. (2001) Nat Neurosci 4, 887–893]. To increase our understanding of the mechanisms involved in Aβ aggregation, especially Aβ monomer oligomerization into protofibrils and protofibril fibrillization into fibrils, the kinetics of Aβ1–42wt and Aβ1–42Arctic aggregation were examined under different physiochemical conditions, such as concentration, temperature, ionic strength and pH. We used size exclusion chromatography for this purpose, where monomers are separated from protofibrils, and fibrils are separated from protofibrils in a centrifugation step. The Arctic mutation significantly accelerated both Aβ1–42wt protofibril formation and protofibril fibrillization. In addition, we demonstrated that two distinct chemical processes – monomer oligomerization and protofibril fibrillization – were affected differently by changes in the micro-environment and that the Arctic mutation alters the peptide response to such changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract – The aim was to account for the total time spent by professional care-givers (direct time) and by patients and companions engaged as support and help (indirect time) to treat and otherwise attend to children and adolescents with dental trauma to primary and permanent teeth. The study was based on a random sample of 192 children and adolescents with dental traumas reported to an insurance company and prospectively followed up by telephone interviews over a period of 2 years after the trauma episode. On average, direct time represented 16% of total time for all visits for dental trauma to permanent teeth and 11% for trauma to primary teeth. The most extensive type of indirect time was transport time, which took up 30% of the total time spent on injuries to permanent teeth and 36% for injuries to primary teeth. Multiple regression analysis of the impact of dental and demographic injury variables on the time variables showed that complicated trauma was associated with extended time, direct as well as indirect, for permanent and primary teeth injuries. Our estimate of the average relative increase in total time spent by patients and companions in cases of complicated injury to permanent teeth was 117% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52–211) for patients and 112% (95% CI, 42–217) for companions. For transport time a strong predictor was access to a dental clinic near the place of residence. Lack of access could extend the average transport time by 180% (95% CI, 80–335) for patients and 163% (95% CI, 67–317) for their companions in cases of injuries to primary teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible ozone injury on leave of three clover species as investigated in relation to species leaf age and exposure dynamics. It was shown that ozone episodes in south-west Sweden cause visible injury to subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L. ) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) Trifolium subterranean was most sensitive to ozone, whilst T. pratense was least sensitive. Application of the anti-ozonant, ethylendiurea (EDU), reduced the extent of visible ozone injury, but did not give complete protection with the concentration used. Similarly, filtration of the air reduced the tent of visible injury in T. subterraneum enclosed in open top chamber. EDU-treated plants of T. subterranean accumulated more biomass than the non-EDU treated plants after a period with rather high ozone concentration while the opposite occurred for T. pratense. Experiments with T. subterraneum in open-top chambers also showed that older leaves were more sensitive to ozone than younger leaves and that a shorter period with higher ozone concentration, although the two periods had the same number of ppb-hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasal polyposis is considered to he a non-lgE-mediated inflammatory condition of the nose and sinuses, often associated with chronic non-allergic thin ills, aspirin intolerance and non-allergic asthma. The aetiology of nasal polyposis is unknown. The main symptoms are nasal obstruction and disturbance of the sense of small. Occlusion of the nasal passage by a few large polyps could be treated by simple polypectomy to help the patient breathe through the nose. Polypectomy per se does not worsen asthma. Other surgical procedures can be performed, depending on the degree of the disease. The aim of surgery is to restore the physiological properties of the nose by making the nose as free from polyps as possible, and to allow drainage of infected sinuses. Complementary medical treatment of polyposis is always necessary, as surgery cannot treat the inflammatory component of the mucosal disease. In this respect. topical corticosteroids have long been the drugs of choice to reduce the size of polyps. to prevent recurrence after surgery, and arc often the main treatment for the disease in many patients. Fluticasone propionate has now been shown to be at least as effective as beclomethasone dipropionate as a medical tool in the management of polyposis. Short-term treatment with systemic corticosteroids is an alternative method of inducing remission and controlling nasal polyposis. However, in most patients with nasal polyps, treatment consists of both medical and surgical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gross cost of illness due to dementia was estimated to be SEK30.7 billion in 1991 while the net cost was estimated to be SEK20 billion. The sensitivity analysis showed a variation between SEK20 billion and SEK36 billion in 1991. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on the relationship between the tissue density of mast cells, the tissue histamine levels and the levels of markers of mast cell activation after an allergen challenge of the nasal mucosa of allergic patients. The effect of 4 weeks' treatment with a topical glucocorticoid, fluticasone propionate, was studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 25 hay fever patients. Nasal biopsies were obtained before and after the treatment period for the evaluation of mast cell density and tissue histamine levels. Nasal challenges were performed at 2-week intervals for 8 weeks using a standardized nasal lavage model. TAME-esterase was analysed in the returned lavage fluid from all the challenges (weeks 0.8), while the levels of histamine and tryptase were analysed in lavage fluids from challenges performed before and after the treatment period (weeks 0 and 4). The symptoms of nasal allergy were assessed after each challenge. Treatment with fluticasone proprionate did not influence mast cell density, the tissue histamine concentration, the lavage histamine levels or the TAME-esterase activity, while a reduction in nasal symptoms and tryptase in nasal lavage fluid was revealed. Our present study again emphasizes the fact that the mast cell is an important trigger cell in the immediate nasal allergic response. The study also demonstrates the usefulness of the measurements of tryptase as an indicator of both mast cell activation and the efficacy of topical steroid treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the thickness measurements of lacey carbon films. Use of ultrathin sectioning; Occurrence of thickness variation in the polymer layer; Importance of the thickness in choosing the optimal type of cryo-transmission electron microscopy.

Comments on the link of hypersensitivity diseases with Dermatophyte infections. Immunoassay for Trichophyton allergen; Reasons why recognizing and understanding the role of dermatophyte infections in hypersensitivity disease is important; Recommendation that Trichophyton skin tests should be part of the routine evaluation of allergic patients.

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate nasal mucosal swelling with acoustic rhinometry in subjects with asthma and in healthy controls. Methods We examined 184 individuals with asthma and compared with 156 randomly selected controls outside the pollen season, where 144 subjects in the asthma group and 80 controls had a previous history of non-infectious rhinitis (NIR). Nasal mucosal swelling was assessed with acoustic rhinometry before and after nasal decongestion with oxymetazoline and was analysed for the cross-sectional area (4 cm from the nostril) and the volume between 3.3 and 4 cm from the nostril. Symptom scores for nasal blockage, secretion, itching and sneezing were assessed on a 0–10 visual analogue scale as well as peak nasal inspiratory flow and spirometry. Results Before decongestion there was a decrease in the cross-sectional area at 4 cm (1.32 cm2 vs. 1.59 cm2 , mean left + right P = 0.04) and in the volume (1.70 vs. 1.91 cm3 P = 0.03) in the asthma group compared with healthy controls. After decongestion there were no significant differences in cross-sectional area at 4 cm (1.66 vs. 1.73 cm2 P = 0.32) or volume (2.12 vs. 2.24 cm3 P = 0.32). Combined nasal symptom scores were higher in the asthma group (1.8 vs. 0.8, P = 0.0001) and peak nasal inspiratory flow was lower (119 vs. 124 L/min, P = 0.38) than the healthy controls. FEV1 (% predicted) was also lower in asthma group (84 vs. 93%P < 0.0001). Conclusion We have been able to demonstrate an increased nasal mucosal swelling in a population sample of persons with asthma compared to healthy controls. These data support previous reports of a generalized airway inflammation in patients with asthma and suggest that acoustic rhinometry can be used to monitor the nasal mucosal swelling in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define pregnancy rhinitis as nasal congestion in the last 6 or more weeks of pregnancy without other signs of respiratory tract infection and with no known allergic cause, disappearing completely within 2 weeks after delivery. In order to describe physiological variations of nasal obstruction during pregnancy, subjective scores and nasal as well as oral peak expiratory flow values were recorded daily in 23 pregnancies until 1 month after delivery. Scores were higher during early and late pregnancy than in the month after delivery. Objectively registered blockage increased during pregnancy in eight women only. Unexpectedly nine women showed declining blockage. Five of 23 women had pregnancy rhinitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many types of occupational exposure are associated with the risk of non-infectious rhinitis. We investigate the risk factors for this association., Methods: A random population of 2,044 subjects (aged 21-51) answered a questionnaire that was comprised of detailed questions on occupational exposure, nasal complaints, and smoking. NIR was defined as the sensation of nasal blockage and/or attacks of sneezing without having a cold. The incidence rates for NIR among exposed and unexposed were calculated. In the different exposed groups, only NIR with onset after the start of exposure was regarded as exposed. If a subject reported NIR before the relevant exposure started, he/she was excluded from that analysis. Relative risks (RR) were calculated as incidence rate ratios. Odds ratios controlling for smoking, age, and atopy were also calculated., Results: The incidence rate for NIR was 13.5/1,000 person-years. Males exposed to fire fumes (RR 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-4.1), women exposed to paper dust (RR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.9), and male cleaners (RR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9-5.1) displayed an increased risk of developing NIR. Smoking was associated with an increased risk of NIR for both sexes., Conclusions: Exposure to several occupational irritants is associated with a higher risk of developing NIR., (Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Aim: To examine the extent to which drink driving and criminal behaviour would predict receipt of disability pension and high sickness absence rates in young and middle-aged men., Design and Setting: A total of 8122 mandatory conscripts, born in 1950 or 1951, from the County of Stockholm were followed in a 22-year longitudinal study. Information was collected at the time of conscription for military service in 1969 and 1970. Data were linked to records on driving while intoxicated (DWI) and other criminal offences between 1970 and 1991 and to information from the Social Insurance Board., Findings: A total of 211 (2.6%) conscripts were granted a disability pension during the follow-up period between 1970 and 1991, and another 373 (4.6%) conscripts had high sickness absence (at least 180 sick days between 1989 and 1991). A total of 642 men had one or more DWI offences from the time of conscription until 1992. The median number of sick-days/sick-listed between 1989 and 1991 was 35.0 for men who were problem drinkers at conscription, 60.3 for drink drivers, 31.0 for men with less serious and 53.0 for men with serious crimes, compared to 21.0 days for the group as whole. In bivariate regression analysis, drink driving implied a relative risk (RR) of a disability pension/high sickness absence of 3.4 (95% CI: 2.8-4.1), and criminality a RR of 3.6 (95% CI: 3.1-4.1). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, controlling for psychosocial factors from conscription and for criminality, drink driving remained a strong predictor (RR 2.1, 95% CI: 1.7-2.7)., Conclusions: Problem drinking, drink driving and criminality are important risk factors for receipt of disability pension and high levels of sickness absence in young men. The findings suggest that preventive efforts undertaken at the time of conscription and during later military service may pay dividends in term of preventing problems later in life.

Studies on psychosocial conditions in drunken drivers have generally been cross-sectional and based on rather small selected samples. The objective of this study was to analyse, in a longitudinal perspective, the relationship, in young males, between social and psychological factors and indicators of alcohol abuse on one hand and the risk of subsequent drunken driving and public drunkenness on the other hand, in order to identify similarities and differences in risk factor patterns. Questionnaire information from 8122 military conscripts in 1969/70 was linked to data on drunken driving and public drunkenness for 495 males with offences registered up to 1977. Logistic regression analysis showed that the relative risk (RR) for high alcohol consumption, smoking, use of narcotics and sniffing of solvents had a statistically significant association to subsequent drunken driving and public drunkenness in univariate analyses. In multivariate logistic analyses, RR remained increased for those with fathers belonging to social class II and especially so for those coming from social class III. Smoking (RR 3.3, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.6-6.8) was significantly increased in drunken drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.15% or more at apprehension, as was truancy or contact with police or juvenile authorities in drunken drivers with a BAC of 0.05-0.15%, and illicit drug use, intoxication drinking, contact with police or juvenile authorities and hangover with public drunkenness. Thus, we found that early social and behavioural factors, substance abuse and risky use of alcohol were predictors for both drunken driving and public drunkenness, with no marked differences in risk factor patterns.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin has been crystallized from a mutant where residues from Met 121 to Lys128 have been deleted from the protein. The crystals form pale-blue well formed prisms in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with cell dimensions a = 60.79 (5), b = 123.47 (5), c = 187.77 (5) A. The crystals diffract to 3.0 A and there are eight molecules in the asymmetric unit.

In order to determine the effect of PAF-acether on the vascular bed in the human nose, 11 healthy volunteers were studied. Rhinomanometry was performed to determine the effect on the capacitance vessels, and the 133Xe wash-out method enabled determination of the mucosal blood flow, regulated mainly by the resistance vessels. These measurements were made before and after topical administration of PAF-acether in three different doses; 0.26 micrograms, 2.6 micrograms and 26 micrograms per nostril. The results indicate that PAF-acether induces a dose-dependent vasoconstriction of the capacitance vessels and a reduction in mucosal blood flow. That PAF-acether should be a principal mediator in the allergic reaction in the human nose is not supported by these findings.