Risk of acute pancreatitis in users of azathioprine: a population-based case-control study.

Objective: Azathioprine has been linked to subsequent acute pancreatitis in several case reports and small case series. We examined the risk for acute pancreatitis in users of azathioprine in North Jutland County, Denmark, with about 490,000 inhabitants.

Methods: We identified patients with incident cases of acute pancreatitis from the Hospital Discharge Registry of the county from 1991-2000, and selected 10 controls per case, matched by age and sex, from the Central Personal Registry using incidence density sampling technique.

NMR studies of the fifth transmembrane segment of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase reveals a hinge close to the Ca2+-ligating residues.

Two recent X-ray structures have tremendously increased the understanding of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) and related proteins. Both structures show the fifth transmembrane span (M5) as a single continuous alpha-helix. The inherent structural and dynamic features of this span (Lys758-Glu785) were studied in isolation in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles using liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Epithelioid angiosarcoma of the bone: a series of 10 cases.

The clinical and pathologic features of 10 epithelioid angiosarcomas of bone were analyzed. There were eight males and two females who ranged in age from 26 to 83 years (mean 62 years). Four tumors were solitary and six were multifocal.

Upper airway irritation of terpene/ozone oxidation products (TOPS). Dependence on reaction time, relative humidity and initial ozone concentration.

Recently, we reported the formation of unidentified strong upper airway irritants in reaction mixtures of terpenes and ozone. The identified products included aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids. Here we report the effects of variation of reaction time, relative humidity and initial ozone concentration on irritant formation in a flow reaction system using R-(+)-limonene and isoprene.

Reactive nodular fibrous pseudotumor of the gastrointestinal tract and mesentery: a clinicopathologic study of five cases.

Although the majority of mesenchymal lesions of the gastrointestinal tract are neoplastic in nature, nonneoplastic reactive processes may involve the gastrointestinal tract and mesentery, causing diagnostic confusion with more aggressive neoplasms, such as fibromatosis or gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In this study, we report a series of fibroinflammatory lesions of the gastrointestinal tract that we think represent a relatively cohesive group of tumors and describe the clinical and pathologic features of this entity, which we have termed "reactive nodular fibrous pseudotumor." The tumors affected five patients (four male and one female patient) who ranged in age from 48 to 71 years (mean 56 years).

Ductulo-insular pancreatic endocrine neoplasms: clinicopathologic analysis of a unique subtype of pancreatic endocrine neoplasms.

Pancreatic neoplasms with mixed ductal and endocrine components are a heterogeneous group of tumors. The least recognized of these are pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) displaying benign-appearing tumor-associated ductules. To characterize these ductulo-insular pancreatic endocrine tumors (DI-PETs), we reviewed a series of 92 resected PETs.

Formation of aroma compounds and lipoxygenase (EC 1.13.11.12) activity in unblanched leek (Allium ampeloprasum Var. Bulga) slices during long-term frozen storage.

The content of aroma compounds (dynamic headspace) and catalytic activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) (EC. 1.13.

Antiangiogenesis treatment combined with chemotherapy produces chondrosarcoma necrosis.

A combination therapy protocol using a marine chemotherapeutic and an antiangiogenic molecule was tested in a mouse tumor xenograft model for the ability to curtail the growth of a human chondrosarcoma (CHSA). Ecteinascidin-743 (ET-743), a marine-derived chemotherapeutic, was effective at slowing the growth of a primary CHSA. Plasminogen-related protein B, which antagonizes various endothelial cell activities, also elicited a significant inhibition of neoplastic growth, albeit with reduced effectiveness.

Predictive value and completeness of the registration of congenital abnormalities in three Danish population-based registries.

Aims: The predictive value and completeness of data on congenital abnormalities (CAs) collected in three administrative health registries in the County of North Jutland, Denmark were compared.

Methods: The study included all singleton liveborn infants in the county during the period 1991-94 (n = 24,147). All infants recorded as having a CA in either the Medical Birth Registry (MBR), the Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR), or the National Registry of Congenital Abnormalities (NRCA) were identified, and the recordings in each registry were compared.

The association between high blood pressure, physical fitness, and body mass index in adolescents.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the association of fitness and fatness with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. This was a cross-sectional study of 13,557 boys and girls 15-20 years of age. Fitness was estimated from a shuttle run test, fatness from body mass index (BMI), and BP was measured sitting after 5 min of rest.

Adjuvant effect of di-n-butyl-, di-n-octyl-, di-iso-nonyl- and di-iso-decyl phthalate in a subcutaneous injection model using BALB/c mice.

During the last decades, the prevalence of the allergic airway diseases, asthma and rhinitis, has increased world-wide. Introduction of environmental chemicals with adjuvant effect may play a role in this increase. In the present study, the adjuvant effects of di-n-butyl-, di-n-octyl-, di-iso-nonyl- and di-iso-decyl phthalate are studied in a screening model.

Split tolerance to a composite tissue allograft in a swine model.

Background: The antigenicity of skin is a major obstacle to expanding human composite tissue transplantation. For example, multiple rejection episodes of the skin have been noted in clinical hand transplant patients. We have previously demonstrated tolerance to vascularized musculoskeletal allografts in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched miniature swine treated with 12 days of cyclosporine.

Secular trends in incidence and 30-day case fatality of acute pancreatitis in North Jutland County, Denmark: a register-based study from 1981-2000.

Background: The incidence rate of acute pancreatitis has been reported as having increased during recent decades in Western countries. Reported mortality lies around 10% and has improved during the past 20 years. The incidence rate and 30-day case fatality rate of acute pancreatitis in North Jutland County, Denmark were examined for the period 1981 to 2000.

Development of sensitisation or tolerance following repeated OVA inhalation in BALB/cJ mice. Dose-dependency and modulation by the Al(OH)3 adjuvant.

Anthropogenically induced exposures may, due to their adjuvant effect, promote development of sensitisation to commonly occurring aeroallergens. No generally accepted model exists for determination of adjuvant effect of airborne substances. Therefore, BALB/cJ mice were exposed for 10 consecutive days with ovalbumin (OVA) solution, 25 mg/l-10 g/l (0.

Investigation of the adjuvant and immuno-suppressive effects of benzyl butyl phthalate, phthalic acid and benzyl alcohol in a murine injection model.

In a recent study, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, were shown to possess adjuvant effect [Toxicology 169 (2001) 37; Toxicology Letters 125 (2001) 11]. The present study investigates the adjuvant effect of another important commercial phthalate plasticizer, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) as well as its degradation products, phthalic acid and benzyl alcohol (BA) in a murine model. The model antigen, ovalbumin (OA), was injected either alone (OA control group), together with one of the test substances (test group) or together with aluminium hydroxide, which served as the positive adjuvant control.

Psychological characteristics of elderly insomniacs.

Sixty insomniacs, aged 60 years or over, fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for primary insomnia, completed a set of questionnaires measuring psychological distress. These included the Sleep Impairment Index (SIM), the Symptom Check List 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and the Elders Life Stress Inventory (ELSI). The insomniacs were compared on these measures with two contrast groups, one of elderly good sleepers and one an elderly community sample.

Behavioral treatment of insomnia in older adults: an open clinical trial comparing two interventions.

Fifty-five insomniacs, 60 years or above, participated in a behavioral treatment program, comparing two interventions (sleep hygiene+stimulus control vs sleep hygiene+relaxation tape). Half of the subjects were randomized to a waiting-list condition prior to treatment. No significant changes were observed during the waiting-list period.

Pre-hospital parenteral antibiotic treatment of meningococcal disease and case fatality: a Danish population-based cohort study.

Objectives: Studies about the efficiency of pre-hospital antibiotic treatment of meningococcal disease are conflicting. We examined the case fatality rate in patients with meningococcal disease treated with pre-hospital antibiotics.

Methods: A cohort study of 534 patients hospitalized with meningococcal disease from two Danish counties.

Case-control study of genetic and environmental influences on premature death of adult adoptees.

Genetic and environmental influence on risk of premature death in adulthood was investigated by estimating the associations in total and cause-specific mortality of adult Danish adoptees and their biological and adoptive parents. Among all 14,427 nonfamilial adoptions formally granted in Denmark during the period 1923 through 1947, we identified 976 case families in which the adoptee died before a fixed date. As control families, we selected 976 families where the adoptees were alive on that date, and matched to the case adoptees with regard to gender and year and month of birth.

Metastatic patterns of extremity myxoid liposarcoma and their outcome.

Background And Objectives: Extremity myxoid liposarcomas have a unique extrapulmonary metastatic potential. We studied the metastatic pattern of extremity liposarcomas to determine what types of posttreatment imaging may be of value in the follow-up these patients.

Methods: Twenty-two patients from a total of 128 patients with primary extremity liposarcoma were treated at a tertiary care institution for subsequent metastases from January 1981 to January 2000.

Recipient bone marrow engraftment in donor tissue after long-term tolerance to a composite tissue allograft.

Background: An important component of a composite tissue limb allograft (CTA) is the vascularized bone marrow and bone marrow stroma, which when transplanted could create immediate marrow space and engraftment. We have previously demonstrated that tolerance to musculoskeletal allografts can be achieved with a 12-day course of cyclosporine without the presence of long-term peripheral donor cell chimerism. The objective of this study was to determine the fate of the donor bone marrow after transplantation of a limb allograft in a miniature swine model.

Upper airway and pulmonary effects of oxidation products of (+)-alpha-pinene, d-limonene, and isoprene in BALB/c mice.

The oxidation products (OPs) of ozone and the unsaturated hydrocarbons d-limonene, (+)-alpha-pinene, and isoprene have previously been shown to cause upper airway irritation in mice during 30-min acute exposures. This study evaluated the effects of OPs and the hydrocarbons themselves on the upper airways, the conducting airways, and the lungs over a longer exposure period. The time course of development of effects and the reversibility of effects were investigated; in addition, we assessed possible exacerbation of sensory responses of the airways to the unreacted hydrocarbons.

IgE-mediated asthma and rhinitis I: a role of allergen exposure?

Exposures to airborne protein antigens, aeroallergens, may cause sensitization with production of Th2-dependent antibodies, including IgE. The IgE antibodies and associated cellular responses are responsible for the allergic airway diseases, allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, which are increasing in societies with Western life style. Aeroallergens may have different potential to sensitize exposed subjects.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: an ultrastructural study.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent an enigmatic group of lesions of uncertain phenotype and biologic potential. Although earlier studies suggested smooth muscle cells, schwann cells, or neuronal differentiation, more recent evidence indicates that these tumors show phenotypic features that are similar to the interstitial cells of Cajal. Recently, investigators have begun to evaluate these lesions in a site-specific manner and have found that, in addition to morphologic differences between them, their biologic behavior also appears to be linked to their anatomic location.