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Biomedical subjects

E Karlsen

Publications and source records attributed to E Karlsen.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

A Monte Carlo simulation model for assessing the risk of introduction of Gyrodactylus salaris to the Tana river, Norway.

The Tana river in northern Norway, the most productive salmon river in Europe, is free of Gyrodactylus salaris. Currently there is one salmon farm in operation on the Tana fjord. Because of the strong association between stocking of rivers with salmon and infestations with G. salaris there is national and international concern that the existing farm might lead to the introduction of the parasite to the Tana river. In response to these concerns a quantitative analysis of the risk of introduction of G. salaris to the Tana river was undertaken. A scenario tree, the Monte Carlo simulation model and results of the simulations including sensitivity analyses are presented and discussed. Results show that the probability of introduction of G. salaris to the Tana river via transfer of smolt to the existing salmon farm is extremely low primarily due to the low probability that the transferred smolt become infested. The total risk was very sensitive to changes in the salinity of the water at the sea site.

Animals↗

Aminoglycoside ototoxicity in pediatric patients receiving long-term peritoneal dialysis.

We evaluated 14 children on long-term peritoneal dialysis for ototoxicity associated with aminoglycoside (AG) therapy. Baseline evaluation of all patients and 7 controls included pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and click-evoked auditory brain stem response (ABR). Nine patients had repeat PTA and ABR evaluations and vestibular testing 1 year after study entry. Five patients had an additional assessment following intraperitoneal AG therapy. The baseline auditory function of the patients was significantly poorer than controls at 6.0 and 8.0 kHz by PTA (P < 0.05), whereas the results of ABR testing were not different. Of the 14 patients, 4 (28%) had hearing loss, 3 of whom had a history of intravenous AG therapy. In contrast, none of the patients who received intraperitoneal AG therapy only, or without a history of AG therapy, had hearing loss (P < 0.005). There was no evidence of progressive loss of hearing acuity with time or associated with intraperitoneal AG therapy. One patient had findings of vestibular dysfunction. We conclude that children receiving peritoneal dialysis are at risk of AG ototoxicity. While intraperitoneal administration of AG may be associated with less ototoxicity than intravenous administration, further study is necessary to verify this finding and close monitoring of AG levels remains mandatory irrespective of the route of administration. PTA rather than click-evoked ABR appears to be the best indicator of abnormal hearing acuity in this population.

Adolescent↗

Treatment of tinnitus with electrical stimulation: an evaluation of the Audimax Theraband.

Several treatment forms exist for tinnitus. These multiple treatments speak to the elusive etiology of tinnitus. Many authors have reported tinnitus reduction or elimination with electrical stimulation. This study evaluates a new device (Audimax Theraband) which delivers inaudible, transdermal, mastoid electrical stimulation. Thirty patients suffering from chronic tinnitus were evaluated in a single-blind crossover fashion. Since the electrical stimulation is inaudible, each patient served as his or her own control. Patients received actual or placebo stimulation over a period of 2 weeks. They rated their tinnitus levels and the effectiveness of the device before and after using the Theraband. Only 2 subjects out of 30 (7%) obtained true positive results. Side effects were minimal and reversible.

Adult↗