Subject(s)
Coronary Disease/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Blood Pressure , Child , Child, Preschool , Cholesterol/blood , Coronary Disease/diagnosis , Coronary Disease/mortality , Female , Humans , Lipoproteins/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Physical Exertion , Random Allocation , Risk , Smoking , Triglycerides/bloodSubject(s)
Coronary Disease/genetics , Hyperlipidemias/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Denmark , Female , Humans , Male , PedigreeSubject(s)
Coronary Disease/genetics , Hyperlipidemias/genetics , Hypertension/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Risk , SmokingABSTRACT
1407 children whose fathers had died from ischemic heart disease before age 45 were investigated. 15% had hypercholesterolemia and 8% hypertriglyceridemia at visit 1. At visit 2 and 3 this number of children with hyperlipemia fell to a minimum of 3% and 1.4%, resp. which is around 10 times higher than in a reference population. 1.8% of the children had familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) which is 10-15 times higher than in a reference population. These findings indicate that serum lipids should always be measured in children from such coronary heart risk families, and a decision made whether or not their permanent hyperlipemia should be treated.
Subject(s)
Coronary Disease/mortality , Hyperlipidemias/epidemiology , Hyperlipoproteinemias/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Coronary Disease/prevention & control , Denmark , Female , Humans , Hyperlipidemias/etiology , Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II/epidemiology , Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IV/epidemiology , Hyperlipoproteinemias/etiology , Lipids/blood , Male , Pedigree , RiskABSTRACT
Three groups of Copenhagen municipality male employees-77 sewer workers, 81 gardeners, and 79 clerks-matched for age and duration of employment, were studied for clinical and serological evidence of infection with viral hepatitis types A and B and pathogenic leptospires. "Antibody against hepatitis A virus" (anti-HAV) was found significantly more often among sewer workers (80.5%), than among gardeners (60.5%) or clerks (48.1%). The anti-HAV prevalence rates correlated with age rather than duration of employment. Of all the 11 cases of jaundice reported, only 3 cases (sewer workers) occurred while employed for the city. One case of the 11 resulted from leptospirosis. Anti-HAV was detected in the other 10 subjects and was assumed to be of etiological importance. Hepatitis B serological markers were similar in each group. It is concluded that exposure to metropolitan sewage provides a limited risk of enteric infections, such as hepatitis A, while the hepatitis B virus apparently is not successfully transmitted by this route.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis A/etiology , Hepatitis B/etiology , Occupational Diseases/etiology , Sewage , Adult , Aged , Denmark , Hepatitis A/immunology , Hepatitis B/immunology , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/analysis , Humans , Leptospirosis/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , RadioimmunoassayABSTRACT
Interactions between analgesics and anti-epileptic drugs may sometimes present a serious clinical problem. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of usually applied doses of dextropropoxyphene (DPX) on the steady state levels of carbamazepine (CBZ), phenytoin (DPH) and phenobarbital (PB). Sixteen patients in monotherapy completed the trial, while four patients dropped out. In patients on CBZ serum levels increased (mean appr. 66%) after 6 days on DPX. In three of the patients a further increase was seen after an additional week on DPX. One patient discontinued the DPX intake because of clinical signs of toxicity, but the remainder were clinically unaffected. CBZ-epoxide levels declined simultaneously. For DPH only a doubtful increase was observed after 1-2 weeks on DPX. For PB an average increase of 20% in serum level was noted after 1 week. The protein binding of CBZ and DPH was not affected. It is concluded that patients on CBZ should be treated only with DPX if monitored properly. Patients on DPH or PB should be followed carefully until further evidence has been produced.
Subject(s)
Carbamazepine/blood , Dextropropoxyphene/pharmacology , Phenobarbital/blood , Phenytoin/blood , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Carbamazepine/therapeutic use , Chromatography, Gas , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Clinical Trials as Topic , Dextropropoxyphene/therapeutic use , Drug Interactions , Epilepsy/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phenobarbital/therapeutic use , Phenytoin/therapeutic use , Protein Binding/drug effectsABSTRACT
Serum lipids and lipoprotein-lipids were measured in 350 Danish schoolchildren, ages 7 to 18 years. The children had been randomly selected and serve as an urban reference population. Only in boys did serum triglyceride and VLDL-cholesterol increase significantly with age, whereas the other lipoprotein-lipids remained almost constant during adolescence. LDL-cholesterol was found to be higher and HDL-cholesterol lower than in American children, suggesting that Danish children may be more prone to develop coronary heart disease in adult life.
Subject(s)
Lipids/blood , Lipoproteins/blood , Adolescent , Child , Cholesterol/blood , Coronary Disease/etiology , Denmark , Female , Humans , Lipoproteins, HDL/blood , Lipoproteins, LDL/blood , Lipoproteins, VLDL/blood , Male , RiskABSTRACT
The knowledge and the experience necessary for a clinical biochemist are expounded by a review of the many considerations and steps necessary to select the proper method for an analytical task in a given hospital laboratory. Evaluation of the type of medical need; selection of the best component to illustrate the pathophysiological disorder; choice between existing methods and their modifications; importance of specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, reproducibility, speed, economy; problems of staff, reagents, equipment. Some conclusions are drawn regarding content and form of education and training.
Subject(s)
Biochemistry/education , Chemistry, Clinical/education , Clinical Laboratory Techniques , Education, Medical, Graduate , HumansABSTRACT
Out of 10 440 children, 266 with low (less than 2.5 centile) values for very low-low density lipoproteins in cord serum were chosen to be followed up to find out how many came from families with familial hypobetalipoproteinaemia (FHBL). In 176 families (66% of 266 families), FHBL was diagnosed in 9 children and their families.
Subject(s)
Hypobetalipoproteinemias/genetics , Hypolipoproteinemias/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Cholesterol/blood , Denmark , Female , Fetal Blood/analysis , Humans , Hypobetalipoproteinemias/diagnosis , Hypolipoproteinemias/epidemiology , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Lipids/blood , Lipoproteins, LDL/blood , Lipoproteins, VLDL/blood , Male , Mass Screening , PedigreeABSTRACT
As part of a screening study for the detection of hyperlipoproteinemia in 10,000 newborns, cord serum lipids and lipoproteins were measured in detail in 1025 infants. Elevated cord serum VLDL-LDL-cholesterol could easily be identified by a rapid turbidimetric estimation of cord serum VLDL-LDL. Cord serum VLDL-LDL-cholesterol was found to be significantly higher than normal in premature, asphyxiated and beta-methasone-phenobarbital-ritodrine treated infants. Other obstetric complications, however, were not associated with hyperlipoproteinemia. Furthermore all 2050 parents had their serum cholesterol determined. 3 parents had familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). One child also had FH, though her cord serum total cholesterol and VLDL-LDL-cholesterol were normal. The 2 other children of the 3 FH parents, had normal lipids and lipoproteins both at birth and follow-up.
Subject(s)
Hyperlipoproteinemias/epidemiology , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/epidemiology , Cholesterol/blood , Female , Fetal Blood/analysis , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Hyperlipoproteinemias/genetics , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/genetics , Lipoproteins, LDL/blood , Lipoproteins, VLDL/blood , Male , Pedigree , Triglycerides/bloodABSTRACT
Among 10 440 newborns, 522 with upper 5 percentile values for very low-low density lipoprotein cholesterol in cord serum were selected for follow-up studies. Follow-up was possible in 446 of these 522 families (85%) and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) was diagnosed in 11. In 273 of the 522 children, serum lipids were determined between the ages of 1 and 2 years and were now found to be normal, except in the 11 children with FH. Furthermore the serum lipids were compared in subgroups of these 273 children divided according to obstetric complications (i.e. low birth-weight, perinatal asphyxia and antepartum betamethasone treatment), which may cause a rise in serum lipids at birth. No differences were found between these subgroups at the age of 1--2 years.
