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Biomedical subjects

B Melgaard

Publications and source records attributed to B Melgaard.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Central vestibular involvement in peroneal muscle atrophy: a preliminary report.

A family is presented in which 6 out of 8 members were found to have peroneal muscle atrophy. Neurophysiological and histopathological evidence for the hypertrophic form of this disease was obtained in 3 patients. Three patients with peroneal muscle atrophy and 1 unaffected family member had abnormal differential caloric tests. This is the first report of an apparently hereditary dysfunction of the central vestibular system associated with a hereditary neuropathy.

Caloric Tests↗
PubMed1979

Controlled trial of EMG feedback in muscle contraction headache.

Twenty-eight patients suffering from severe, longstanding muscle contraction headache were randomly assigned to two groups, one receiving electromyographic (EMG) feedback therapy and the other, "most suitable alternative therapy." Headache intensity and severity as well as drug intake were reduced in the feedback group (p less than or equal to 0.01) as opposed to no improvement in the control group. The positive treatment effect in the feedback group persisted through a three-month follow-up period. EMG feedback therapy is effective in the treatment of muscle contraction headache even in its chronic, severe form, which is resistant to traditional treatment methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Chronic painters' syndrome. Chronic toxic encephalopathy in house painters.

Seventy house painters were examined after being referred because organic solvent intoxication of dementia was suspected. In 50 cases no competitive etiological factors to the cerebral symptoms other than exposure to organic solvents could be disclosed. In these, neuropsychological examination showed signs of intellectual impairment in 39 patients and neuroradiological examination by PEG or CT demonstrated the presence of cerebral atrophy in 31 patients; 38 patients studied with CT were compaired to an age-matched control group regarding maximum sulcus width, and a highly significant difference was found. It is argued that long-term exposure to turpentine substitute-often through a period with acute intoxication symptoms--gradually may lead to the development of a chronic brain syndrome, which we have called the "chronic painters' syndrome".

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Motor neuron disease. Prognosis and epidemiology.

In order to evaluate the prognosis and possible prognostic factors associated with a bening course, 118 cases of motor neuron disease diagnosed 1948-1975 were followed up. Survival curves, based on the actuarial method showed a survival rate of 18.7 per cent (95 per cent confidence limits: 11.4-26.0) and 7.6 per cent (95 per cent confidence limits: 2.7-12.5) after 5 and 10 years respectively. Comparing the survival curves of males/females, cases with bulbar/spinal- and upper/lower extremity onset, cases with/without upper motor neuron signs, only bulbar onset was associated with a significantly poorer prognosis. However, cases with bulbar onset had a significantly higher mean age of onset. Based on cases from Funen county with a 1970-population of 432,699 we found an average annual incidence rate, mortality rate and period prevalence rate of 0.85, 0.86 and 2.5 per 100,000 respectively. Comparing the incidence per 5-year period through 1948-1972, no significant deviations indicating a changing environmental factor were found.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Heavy metal levels and delta-amino-levulinic acid dehydrase levels in peripheral polyneuropathy.

On the basis of assay of heavy metals in whole blood (lead, cadimum, chromium, copper, nickel and manganese) and delta-amino-levulinic-acid dehydrase (ALA-D) and ALA in urine in a normal Danish population, the levels of these clinco-chemical factors were assayed in 23 patients with peripheral neuropathy of unknown etiology. All patients studied showed electro-physiological sign of denervation and/or reduced motor or sensoric nerve conduction velocity. Cadmium and manganese were never found to be increased. In all but four patients, an increase of one or more heavy metals was found. Ten patients showed raised levels of two or more metals, the dominant metal being lead (10 cases), nine patients showed increased in chromium. A significant corrleation was found between increasing lead levels and decreasing ALA-D activity. Although normal concentrations of manganese were found, correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between increased manganese and decreased ALA-D. The raised values of heavy metals could not be traced to occupational or other exposure to heavy metals and the increased values were not related to tobacco consumption. The findings are discussed in relation to known data on neuropathy and the results seem to indicate a multifactorial patholgenesis of the disease. Among factors contributing to the precipitation of the syndrome may be raised levels of heavy metals.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Electromyographic changes in automechanics with increased heavy metal levels.

Twenty automechanics possessing increased whole blood values of one or more of the following heavy metals; chromium, copper, lead, manganese and nickel, were studied for peripheral nerve affection by means of electromyography (both sensoric and motoric nerve potentials were recorded). The heavy metal contents were related to the findings of denervation, distal motor latency, distal sensory latency, motoric and sensoric conduction velocities. Apart from two workers, in whom only lead was assayed, the remaining group of 18 were assayed for all heavy metals under study. Six workers showed increased distal motor and/or sensory latency and seven decreased nerve conduction velocity (four motoric and three sensoric affections). Of the workers with nerve affection, three showed increased levels of lead (nickel and chromium also raised). Four workers showed increased lead, nickel and chromium and one of lead, chromium and manganese. All in all, 10 out of 20 workers (50 percent) with elevated lead levels showed definite signs of peripheral neuropathy and seven out of 14 with raised nickel values showed these signs but they could all be accounted for by the increased lead levels. All except seven workers with raised lead levels in the whole group showed values above the critical limit of 80.0 mug/100 ml in whole blood. The data argue for the highly toxic effect of lead and other heavy metals on the peripheral nervous system and stress the diverse toxic exposure which automechanics undergo during their work. The possibility of there being a synergistic action between heavy metals and components of mineral oil and petroleum is discussed.

Action Potentials↗