Biomedical subjects

H T Hansen

Publications and source records attributed to H T Hansen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Using time-series analyses to detect the health effects of medical care reforms: a Norwegian example.

Reforms of health care financing are controversial because, among other reasons, they might adversely affect public health. Social scientists are expert on many of the mechanisms that could connect these reforms to health. Yet there have been remarkably few attempts by social scientists to contribute to the debate over the health effects of medical care reforms. We suspect that the reasons for this gap include the lack of agreement on a method for such research. We suggest one method and demonstrate its application by testing the hypothesis that the incidence of very low birthweight increased when the financing of health care was changed in four Norwegian communities.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The ecological effect of unemployment on the incidence of very low birthweight in Norway and Sweden.

Little attention has been paid to the ecological effects of unemployment, despite strong theory suggesting that being socially or economically connected to unemployed persons can induce illness. Theory suggests, for example, that the labor market experience of adult males should affect maternal and infant health. We advance this line of inquiry by testing the hypothesis that quarterly increases in unemployment among Norwegian and Swedish males were associated with increased incidence of very low weight births from 1973 through 1995. Results support the hypothesis. We estimate that approximately 188 very low weight births could have been averted in Norway, and about 329 in Sweden, if quarterly increases in male unemployment had been constrained to the median over the 23-year period. Our findings imply that the social cost of unemployment may be underestimated by focusing on unemployment as an individual risk factor.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Isolation of Mycoplasma genitalium strains from the male urethra.

Mycoplasma genitalium is a human mycoplasma species which, on the basis of detection by PCR, has been incriminated as a cause of nongonococcal urethritis. Previously, only two strains from the urogenital tract and five strains from extragenital sites have been isolated. We have developed a method for the isolation of this fastidious microbe. M. genitalium from PCR-positive urethral specimens was initially propagated in Vero cell cultures grown in serum-free medium supplemented with Ultroser HY serum substitute. Growth was monitored by PCR. The M. genitalium strains grown in cell cultures could subsequently be subcultured in modified Friis's FF broth medium. Several passages in broth medium were required before growth on agar medium was attained. A total of 11 urethral specimens positive for M. genitalium by PCR from male patients with urethritis were investigated. Six strains were adapted to growth in broth medium, and four of these strains were cloned. Three specimens were overgrown by other mycoplasmas during propagation in the cell cultures. In only two PCR-positive specimens was propagation of M. genitalium unsuccessful. The use of cell culture combined with PCR monitoring of mycoplasmal growth may prove to be more widely applicable for the isolation of other fastidious mollicutes.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Surgical treatment of the difficult humeral neck fracture: acromial shortening anterolateral approach.

A surgical approach to the shoulder joint for the difficult humeral neck fracture is described with illustration of a case. Resection of a middle portion of the acromial process in addition to the detachment of the anterior origin of the deltoid using an anterolateral approach is presented. This provides an unrestricted exposure to the shoulder joint and eliminates the possible complications arising from acromionectomy.

Acromion↗

PubMed1980

The "silent hip" of idiopathic ischemic necrosis of the femoral head in adults.

Of thirty-three patients with the asymptomatic (so-called silent) stage of idiopathic ischemic necrosis of the femoral head, eleven had serial roentgenograms available to review the progression of the disease during this stage. Pathological specimens obtained during bone-grafting of eleven femoral heads were available for histological study in another eleven patients. It was found that the duration of the asymptomatic period averaged 5.5 years (range, three to eight years). No evidence of spontaneous regression of the avascular change was found. Typical histological findings were: (1) early clogging of the marrow spaces by amorphous material in the necrotic zone, and (2) limited evidence of so-called crreping substitution (seams of new bone laid on old, dead bone trabeculae) during the early stages of idiopathic ischemic necrosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1978

Developmental lumbar spinal stenosis. Pathology and surgical treatment.

The purpose of this presentation is to outline the extent of surgical resection necessary for complete decompression of the neural elements in spinal stenosis and to introduce a system for the evaluation of disability in patients with spinal stenosis. Sixteen patients with the confirmed diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis were evaluated by the system. Ten cases were treated surgically. Indications for operative treatment were 1) intolerable pain in average daily living, 2) progressively worsening or significant degree of motor weakness, and 3) sphincter dysfunction. Satisfactory results from operative treatment were expected only after adequate and thorough decompression. The extent of surgical decompression was determined by clinical evaluation, myelographic examination, and by the type of disease process exhibited. The most common cause of unsatisfactory results was inadequate decompression of spinal contents. The extent of adequate decompression is described according to three different variations of pathologic anatomy of spinal stenosis: a) concentric contraction of the spinal canal, b) sagittal flattening of the spinal canal, and c) stenosis caused by anomalous articular process(es). No excellent results were obtained even after thorough and adequate decompression of spinal contents.

Humans↗

PubMed1977

Supramalleolar fracture of the ankle (Malgaigne's fracture).

A retrospective study of 26 cases of supramalleolar fracture is presented. Types II and III were most common. All but the one had accompanying fibular fracture. The incidence of open fracture was 41.7% (10/24). The most common mechanism of injury was a high energy impacting force in the direction of axial compression. The supramalleolar fracture was subgrouped into four types. Twenty patients were treated by closed reduction and cast immobilization for an average of five months, six by open reduction and internal fixation, and two by skeletal traction in the early course of treatment. Of the 21 patients who were followed for an average of 33 months, only seven were found to have satisfactory results and were free from complications. Fourteen patients were found to have complications.

Adult↗

PubMed1971