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F Abbink

Publications and source records attributed to F Abbink.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Rubella epidemic in the Netherlands, 2004/'05: awareness of congenital rubella syndrome required].

Rubella is a public health problem due to the teratogenic effects associated with primary rubella infection during pregnancy (congenital rubella syndrome). Following universal rubella vaccination of infants in the Netherlands, the incidence of rubella has declined dramatically. However, since September 2004, an outbreak has occurred among unvaccinated individuals, most of whom declined vaccination based on religious beliefs. In the period 1 September 2004-22 March 2005, 166 cases of rubella were reported, including 12 pregnant women. Monitoring for signs that the epidemic has spread to other populations in the Netherlands is important because this might indicate the need for additional interventions. Awareness among health-care workers of the possible occurrence of congenital rubella syndrome should be raised. The clinical manifestations of congenital rubella syndrome are diverse, can be transient or permanent, and may not present until adolescence or adulthood. All cases of laboratory-confirmed rubella infection and congenital rubella syndrome should be reported to municipal health authorities. There is a possibility that this outbreak will spread abroad. The WHO aims to reduce the incidence of congenital rubella syndrome to < 1/100,000 live births. Health-care workers in the Netherlands should be extra alert to detect and notify rubella in a timely manner.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed2001

Immunity to poliomyelitis in The Netherlands.

Despite a vaccination coverage rate of 97%, several poliomyelitis outbreaks occurred in the Netherlands during the last three decades, all among sociogeographically clustered, unvaccinated persons. Therefore, to eradicate polio, insight into poliomyelitis immunity is particularly useful. In 1995-1996, the authors conducted a population-based study and determined neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 in 9,274 sera from the general population and from religious groups rejecting vaccination. In the general population, the antibody prevalence (>/=1:8) was 96.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 95.9, 97.2), 93.4% (95% CI: 92.3, 94.5), and 89.7% (95% CI: 88.3, 91.0) for poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Antibodies persisted for long periods in persons with natural immunity as well as in persons whose immunity was induced by inactivated polio vaccine. In Orthodox Reformed persons, the antibody prevalence of poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 was 65.0% (95% CI: 57.2, 72.9), 59.0% (95% CI: 40.1, 77.9), and 68.7% (95% CI: 65.2, 72.2), respectively. The recent outbreaks clearly affected the seroprevalence profiles of Orthodox Reformed groups but not the general population. At present, there is an insufficient social and political basis for mandatory vaccination; therefore, global eradication of poliovirus seems to be the only way to protect these Orthodox Reformed persons against future poliomyelitis outbreaks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[Investigation of gait of patients with idiopathic scoliosis and the influence of the Milwaukee brace on gait (author's transl)].

We investigated 42 juvenile patients with idiopathic scoliosist, 37 of them were provided with a Milwaukee brace and treated physically. The electromyographic activity of the musculi erectores trunci and the musculi glutaei medii were recorded during walking and standing on one leg. Simultaneously the motions of the trunc and the pelvis in the frontal plane were registered and calculated. Results without the brace: During walking the activity of the erectors trunci predominates on the convex side of the curvature of the spine. This applies as to the functional curve. The M. glutaeus medius shows an increased activity on the contralateral side of the overhang of the trunc. The priodical shifts of the trunc to the right and to the left during walking decrease with increasing activity of the M. glutaeus medius. In this way, we show the stabilizing influence of this muscle upon the statics of the spine. This should be especially considered with regard to the physical treatment of the patients. Results with the brace put on: There is only little influence of the brace upon the electrical activity of the musculi erectores trunci: we could not detect any activating ore inactivating effect of the brace. The amplitude of the periodical shifts of the trunc and the perlvis during walking is reduced by the brace. At the same time we found a greater activity of the musculi glutaei medii than with the brace taken off. We suppose that the reduced shifts of the trunc and the pelvis involved by the brace force a greater activity of the glutaeus medius.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

[Electromyographic study of movements in infants with cerebral palsy (author's transl)].

In 43 infants between 3 and 16 months old electromyographic studies were performed by recording movement patterns. Surface electrodes were fixed to the legs, recording the activities of adductors, small gluteal muscles, M. rectus and hamstrings. The impulses were fed into the computer. Synergistic and antagonistic muscles were compared by correlation analysis. Certain movement patterns were provoked by turning the infants from supine to the sides, pulling up to sitting, tilting sideways, vertical hanging and standing. Synergistic and antagonistic muscle groups were compared by correlation anaysis. Significant differences in motor behavior were shown to exist between spastic and healthy infants: The spastic infants showed widely spread synchronous innervations. Besides, comparison of mean activity values exposed a significant preponderance of mean activity values exposed a significant preponderance of adductor activity to gluteal activity in spastic infants. - In qualitative analysis by a rating system diagnostic differentiation of individual cases was possible. This proved of special value in infants with postural asymmetries or abnormal musculatur tone.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Gait analysis in cerebral palsy patients--correlations between disorders of muscle coordination and gait abnormalities].

Electromyographic and gait investigations of 35 patients and 32 healthy persons were evaluated in order to get hints upon the origin of anomalous movements of the pelvis and the spine with following results: a. The amount of the spine motions of CP-patients is significantly greater than that of health persons. The motions of the pelvis of the patients also seems to be greater, but there is no significance. b. The average electromyographical activity of the hip abductors of CP-patients is not remarkably diminished, that of the hip adductors is not increased. We also found no signs of an atrophy of the hip adductors or a hypertrophy of the hip adductors. c. There is no correlation between the disturbances of coordination of the entire lower leg measured by electromyography and the amount of the pathologic motions. d. We found a distinct correlation between the disturbances especially of the hip ab- and adductors and the amount of the pathologic motions. This amount is the smaller, the worse is the coordination of these two groups of muscles. The topics a-c do not allow to find the origin of the Duchenne- and Trendelenburg limpings of CP-patients, topic d also gives explanation of this fact. In opposition we may suppose here that the bad timing of the coordination resp. the corresponding permanent electrical activity of the hip ab- and adductors has a stabilizing influence upon the pelvis and the spine. As the most probable origin of the increased Duchenne limping we not suppose the increased motions of the stance phase. Our following investigations will deal with this hypothesis.

Adolescent↗