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Biomedical subjects

G F Jensen

Publications and source records attributed to G F Jensen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

[AIDS in Denmark. 1. Opportunistic infections and malignant diseases. Danish Study Group for HIV infection].

To examine the distribution of AIDS-defining illnesses among Danish AIDS patients, data on 687 AIDS patients diagnosed in the period from 1980 to 1990 (93% of all reported cases in the period) were collected. The most frequent AIDS-defining illness was Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia followed by candida oesophagitis and Kaposis sarcoma. The proportion of homo/bisexual men presenting with Kaposis sarcoma as the initial AIDS-defining illness declined over time. Patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis had higher CD4 cell counts than patients presenting with other illnesses. Cytomegalovirus chorioretinitis and atypical mycobacteriosis were seen more frequently after the time of the AIDS diagnosis, and a low CD4 cell count at time of the AIDS diagnosis was a significant predictor for the development of these opportunistic infections during follow-up. Danish AIDS patients present with a wide spectrum of HIV-related illnesses, reflecting their exposure to opportunistic microorganisms and the degree of immune deficiency. The pattern of HIV-related illnesses is changing over time, and therefore continuous surveillance is needed to optimize therapeutic and prophylactic regimens.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

[AIDS in Denmark. 2. Survival after the diagnosis of AIDS. Danish Study Group for HIV infection].

The survival pattern was studied for 687 Danish AIDS patients (93% of notified cases in the study period) who were diagnosed with AIDS during the period from 1980 to 1990. The median survival was 17 months. Factors significantly associated with a shortened survival were transfusion-acquired HIV infection, age > 40 years, year of diagnosis before 1987, and the presence of either disseminated infection with Mycobacterium avium-complex, Cytomegalovirus chorioretinitis or malignant lymphoma at time of the AIDS diagnosis. There was also a significant association between survival and CD4 cell count at time of AIDS diagnosis. Patients who had CD4 cell counts above 200 x 10(6)/l had twice as long a survival as patients who had CD4 cell counts less than 50 x 10(6)/l. The prognosis of Danish AIDS patients remains poor. The most important determinant of survival time appears to be the degree of immune deficiency at time of diagnosis.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

A sex comparison of rates of new AIDS-defining disease and death in 2554 AIDS cases. AIDS in Europe Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the development rate of new AIDS-defining diseases between 566 women and 1988 men with AIDS who were infected with HIV via the same routes (mainly by sharing drug injecting equipment and heterosexual sex). DESIGN: Information on patient follow-up after AIDS diagnosis was obtained by retrospectively reviewing case notes. METHODS: The 2554 men and women were followed from the time of AIDS diagnosis as part of the multicentre AIDS in Europe study, which examined AIDS cases diagnosed at 52 centres in 17 European countries between 1979 and 1989. Incidence of AIDS-defining diseases and demographic variables were recorded for all patients and CD4 lymphocyte count at the time of AIDS diagnosis for approximately half the patients. RESULTS: Only toxoplasmosis and herpes simplex virus ulceration showed statistically significant differences in occurrence rate between women and men [relative risks (RR), 1.51 and 3.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.51 1.09-2.08 and 3.44 1.92-6.23, respectively] which remained after adjusting for imbalances in other variables. For both diseases, the additional absolute rate in women was approximately three per 100 person-years at risk. Survival after AIDS diagnosis was also similar between the two sexes (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.86-1.08). CONCLUSION: There appears to be little difference between women and men in the clinical course of AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

Bone mass and turnover in fibromyalgia.

Physical inactivity accelerates bone loss. Since patients with fibromyalgia are relatively physically inactive, bone mass and markers of bone metabolism were determined in 12 premenopausal women with fibromyalgia and in healthy age matched female control subjects. No differences were found in lumbar bone mineral density, femoral neck bone mineral density, serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, ionized calcium and phosphate. The urinary excretion of both hydroxyproline and calcium relative to urinary creatinine excretion was significantly higher in patients with fibromyalgia, p = 0.01. This was linked to lower urinary creatinine excretion (p = 0.02) probably reflecting lower physical activity in the patients with fibromyalgia. We conclude that bone mass and turnover are generally not affected in premenopausal women with fibromyalgia.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1992

No secular increase in the prevalence of vertebral fractures due to postmenopausal osteoporosis.

We examined whether the prevalence of vertebral fractures in otherwise healthy, 70-year-old Danish women had increased during an interval of 10 years. The population-based epidemiological study included two age-matched groups of postmenopausal women. Group 1 consisted of 70-year-old women (n = 386) living in a defined area of suburban Copenhagen recruited in 1979 for an epidemiological study. Of the 285 women who were entered, 173 were judged healthy, without secondary causes of osteoporosis. Group 2 was recruited by sending questionnaires to all women aged 68-72 years living in the same area in 1989. Of the 512 women who attended a medical screening, 387 were found to be without secondary causes of osteoporosis and had a spinal radiograph. Radiographs of the thoracolumbar spine were assessed for vertebral fracture by five radiological methods. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the prevalence of vertebral fractures and the 95% confidence intervals overlapped completely in all methods. The prevalence rates varied by method from about 35% to more than 80% but the distribution of fracture types was similar in the two groups. We conclude that the prevalence of vertebral fractures due to postmenopausal osteoporosis has not increased since 1979 in otherwise healthy women residing in suburban Copenhagen, and that comparison of prevalences between studies requires that they use the same method of radiological assessment.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Cardiovascular risk factors during estrogen-norethindrone and cholecalciferol treatment.

The effect of cholecalciferol and estrogen-norethindrone treatment on total cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, blood pressure, and body mass index was investigated in 74 postmenopausal women in a double-blind, randomized trial. Blood pressure and body mass index did not change throughout the study. We demonstrated a decrease (11%) in serum cholesterol level after 1 year of treatment with estrogen-norethindrone. When this treatment was combined with cholecalciferol, a similar decrease (13%) was observed. The hypocholesterolemic effect was correlated to body mass index in a way that indicated the most pronounced decrease in lean women. The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol fraction increased by 45% after 1 year of estrogen-norethindrone treatment, while an increase of 25% after 1 year was seen when cholecalciferol was added to the treatment. The latter increase was not different from a similar increase in the placebo group. The possible dyslipidemic effect of cholecalciferol, along with the risk of hypercalcemia, emphasizes the caution necessary in cholecalciferol treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Effect of thyroxine therapy on bone metabolism in substituted hypothyroid patients with normal or suppressed levels of TSH.

The statement that pituitary hyperthyroidism reflects peripheral hyperthyroidism is still controversial. To evaluate a possible relationship between the calcium and the thyroid metabolism, 29 women with thyroxine (T4) substituted hypothyroidism were examined. They were separated into two groups, one with normal (0.15 to 6 mU/l) and one with suppressed TSH (less than 0.15 mU/l). All the women were judged euthyroid both by their T4 and T3 and by their clinics. The daily dose of T4 (median 0.15 mg in both groups) had been unchanged and TSH level had been stable during the previous six months. Bone mineral content (BMC) of the lumbar spine, bone mineral density (BMD) of left and right collum femoris, serum alkaline phosphatase activity (AP), serum concentration of osteocalcin (Ost) and urinary excretion of hydroxyproline/creatine (Hpr/crea) were similar in the two groups. Furthermore, sex- hormone-binding-globulin (SHBG) was equal in the two groups, but significantly higher than in normals (p less than 0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between serum Ost and Hpr/crea (p less than 0.05) indicating a balanced state where bone formation equals bone resorption. AP failed to correlate to Ost and Hpr/crea because the AP raises from both bone and liver of bone and liver metabolism whereas the two others predominantly reflect bone metabolism. SHBG, being a marker of liver metabolism, was elevated in both groups, probably because of the oral administration of T4. Our data suggest that euthyroid, T4 substituted patients have a normal calcium metabolism whether TSH levels are suppressed or not.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

HLA-DP antigens in patients with alopecia areata.

The distribution of HLA-DP antigens were studied in 41 patients with alopecia areata (AA) and 188 ethnically matched controls. An increase of DR4 and possibly DR5 in 24 of these patients has previously been reported. HLA-DP typing for DPw1 through w6 and the local specificity, CDP HEI, was performed using the primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) technique. The frequencies of DPw4 were 92.9% in AA patients and 71.3% in controls (relative risk, RR = 5.1, p = 0.0019 and p less than 0.03 when corrected). DPw1 was decreased to 4.9% in patients compared to 14.9% in controls, but the difference was not statistically significant. The frequency of DR4 was 48.8% compared to 31.9% in controls (RR = 2.0) whereas the frequency of DR5 did not differ from that in controls. DPw4 was not associated (in linkage disequilibrium) with DR4 or DR5 in patients or controls. Thus, in AA the association with DP and DR are independent of each other. However, individuals with both the DPw4 and DR4 alleles are at increased risk for AA, indicating that synergism between DP and DR gene products may play a role in the genetic susceptibility to AA.

Alopecia Areata↗
PubMed1986

Seasonal variations in indices of bone formation precede appropriate bone mineral changes in normal men.

In 10 normal males aged 23-50 years measurements of serum alkaline phosphatase (s-AP) and the 24-h whole body retention of 99mTc-diphosphonate (WBR), as indices of bone formation, and the fasting urinary hydroxyproline:creatinine ratio (OHPr:Cr), as an index of bone resorption, were performed monthly from January 1983 to May 1984. Bone mineral content of the distal forearm (BMC) was measured in the middle of each quarter. From January to May BMC exhibited a reproducible, significant average increase of 2.5%, returning to baseline level between May and August. During the first quarter of both 1983 and 1984 a significant increase in s-AP and WBR was seen. Subsequently, during the second quarter of 1983, these variables fell below the mean of the year. Confirming their interrelationship, the deviations of s-AP and WBR were positively correlated throughout the study period (r = 0.51, P less than 0.05). Since the urinary OHPr:Cr ratio remained constant, the reported seasonal changes in bone mass of normal, adult males appear to result from primary changes in bone formation.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Osteoporosis of the slender smoker revisited by epidemiologic approach.

A representative sample of 285 70-year-old Danish women were examined by case history, 125I photon absorptiometry of both forearms (BMC), and lateral X-rays of the spine. Fat mass was calculated from height (H), weight (W) and estimated lean body mass (LBM) as W-LBM/H kg m-1. Seventy-five participants with previous or present disease or treatment known to influence the calcium metabolism were excluded. The remaining 210 women included the final study groups of seventy-seven long-term smokers and 103 non-smokers. Within both groups BMC correlated positively to fat mass, r = 0.447 and 0.560, respectively (P less than 0.001). The slopes of the regression lines and their positions were similar (P greater than 0.05). Hence, for a certain degree of overweight smoking per se does not influence BMC to a significant degree. Although the smokers were less obese (P less than 0.005) and tended to have lower BMC (P less than 0.10) their frequency of non-violent post-menopausal fractures, 40.3%, was the same as for non-smokers, 44.7%. The respective frequencies of definite osteoporotic fractures (i.e., spinal crush and fractures of the hip, proximal humerus and distal forearm) were comparable as well. In conclusion, the influence of smoking on the female skeleton seems mainly to be caused by the associated slenderness.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1986

Gender, lifestyles, and victimization: beyond routine activity.

Using data from a national survey of high school seniors and a study of high school students in Tucson, Arizona, this paper tests hypotheses about gender, routine activities, and delinquent activities as correlates of teenage victimization. The results are consistent with the hypotheses and suggest the following generalizations: (1) activities which involve the mutual pursuit of fun are more victimogenic than activities which passively put people at risk; (2) delinquent activity is positively related to victimization; (3) delinquent activity is more strongly related to victimization than nondelinquent activities; and (4) gender differences in victimization are reduced considerably by controls for delinquent activity. While offense activity cannot be demonstrated to precede victimization using cross-sectional data, the results do demonstrate the potential importance of delinquent activity in explanations of victimization among youths.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Bone mass as referent for urinary hydroxyproline excretion: age and sex-related changes in 125 normals and in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Fasting urinary hydroxyproline: creatinine ratio (OHPr:Cr) and bone mineral content of the forearm (BMC) were measured in 125 normals, 67 females and 58 males, aged 20-79 years, and in 15 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. In normals, both variables were significantly correlated to age and sex. The interrelation of OHPr:Cr and BMC was studied in subgroups of normals who were supposedly in metabolic balance, that is, females aged 20-39 years (n = 24) and males aged 20-49 years (n = 29). In both sexes OHPr:Cr and BMC were positively correlated: r = 0.60 and 0.58, respectively (P less than 0.001). On this basis, BMC correction of all OHPr:Cr values was undertaken now revealing a stable increased level of bone resorption per unit of bone mass in postmenopausal females. In males OHPr:Cr per unit of BMC remained unaltered throughout life. In primary hyperparathyroidism, in which increased bone resorption is inherent, the discriminatory power of OHPr:Cr was significantly improved when calculated per unit of BMC (P less than 0.001). These observations suggest that estimation of bone resorption by use of OHPr:Cr requires adjustment for differences in bone mass.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Urinary 99m-Tc-diphosphonate excretion as a simple method to quantify bone metabolism.

Twenty-four-hour whole-body retention (WBR) of 99m-Tc-methylene-diphosphonate (an index of bone turnover) was determined by whole-body counting (WBRs) and complementarily by urine counting (WBRu) in nineteen subjects with normal to highly increased bone turnover. WBRs and WBRu correlated well (r = 0.94, P less than 0.001), and gave almost the same results. Both WBRs correlated equally well with serum alkaline phosphatase and urine hydroxyproline/creatinine (r = 0.82-0.93). Coefficient of variation in WBRu was 7.0%, determined by duplicate measurements in sixteen normals. The injected dose of diphosphonate did not influence WBRu. However, since almost 50% of the diphosphonate excreted in urine appeared during the first few hours after the i.v. injection, the method of WBRu requires careful urine collection. Thus, the simple WBRu determination provides the same information on bone metabolism as does the more cumbersome and expensive WBRs technique.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Validity in diagnosing osteoporosis. Observer variation in interpreting spinal radiographs.

Observer variation in interpreting radiograph of the spine in 70-year-old Danish women has been examined. The women joined a general health investigation as part of an epidemiologic screening for osteoporosis. Two experienced radiologists examined independently 280 sets of lateral radiographs of the spine to disclose fractures. The radiographs were examined four times, each examined at two different occasions by each radiologist. Overall intra-observer agreement was 88% and 87% when asked for presence or absence of fractures, irrespective of fracture localization. When accidental occurrence of agreement was taken into account (kappa analysis) intra-observer variation was reduced to 64% and 62%. The overall inter-observer agreement was 75%, but reduced to 47% when accidental occurrence of agreement was noted. Kappa analysis in testing observer variation indicates that a considerable part of agreement can be ascribed to chance alone. This seriously questions the hitherto used definition of osteoporosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Relationship between bone mineral content and frequency of postmenopausal fractures.

To elucidate the relationship between bone mineral content (BMC) and the frequency of postmenopausal fractures, we performed an epidemiologic investigation in a representative sample of 70-year-old women. Anamnestic data concerning postmenopausal fractures due to minor trauma were recorded and lateral X-rays of the spine were taken for evaluation of spinal fractures. BMC was measured by 125I photon absorptiometry. The 285 women studied were allocated into quintiles according to their BMC value. In 77 women, there were 131 definite osteoporotic fractures (i.e., spinal crush, and fracture of the hip, proximal humerus, and distal forearm), and in 48 women, there were 162 other non-violent fractures (i.e., spinal wedge and other long bone fractures). The frequencies of osteoporotic fractures varied inversely with the mean BMC values for each quintile (r = 0.959, p less than 0.01). The difference in frequency of osteoporotic fractures between the first and fifth quintiles was highly significant (p less than 0.001). In contrast, other non-violent fractures appeared to be unrelated to BMC. It is concluded that low BMC levels predispose to osteoporotic fractures.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Thiazide for the postponement of postmenopausal bone loss.

The effect of thiazide on bone mineral loss in normal postmenopausal women was examined during a 3 yr placebo-controlled clinical trial. Sixty-three healthy women in their early menopause were randomized to treatment with bendroflumethiazide 5 mg/day or placebo for 2 yr, while both groups received placebo for the third year of the trial. Calcium supplement 0.5 g/day was given throughout the 36 mo to all participants. Bone mineral content (BMC) determined by 125I-photon absorptiometry of the forearms decreased 2% per year in the placebo group (p less than 0.001). In the thiazide group no fall in BMC was seen during the first 6 mo. whereafter BMC declined with the same rats as in the placebo group. At the end of the 3 yr trial BMC averaged 94.1% in the placebo group and 95.2% in the thiazide group (p greater than 0.05). Despite a daily supplement of 0.5 g calcium, thiazide induced a persistent fall in the urinary calcium excretion of 25% (p less than 0.001), whereas the calcium supplement in the placebo group caused a significant increase in mean urine calcium of 10%-20% (p less than .001). At stop of thiazide medication a rebound effect caused a marked rise in urine calcium. One month after withdrawal of the calcium supplement the urinary calcium excretion had returned to the initial level in both groups. It is concluded that despite a sustained urine calcium lowering action the effect of thiazide upon postmenopausal bone loss is shortlived.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗