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Biomedical subjects

I Hansen

Publications and source records attributed to I Hansen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Diagnosis and treatment of insect venom allergy. An important allergic issue for the ear, nose and throat specialist].

The increasing incidence and the potentially life-threatening reactions to venom stings indicate the necessity for otolaryngologists to have a basic knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of venom allergy. The diagnosis of insect venom allergy is based on the history, skin prick testing (ideally performed as a titration series), and in vitro analysis of specific IgE antibodies to venoms. An emergency medication kit should be prescribed for the patient in case of future venom stings, comprising an H1-blocking antihistamine, a steroid and an adrenaline pen for self-injection. Subcutaneous allergen-specific immunotherapy (sSIT) is the standard treatment to avoid allergic reactions following venom stings in the future. SIT is indicated following all immediate-type reactions to venom stings; contraindications relate to the general recommendations of allergen-specific immunotherapy. Aqueous as well as alum-adsorbed depot allergen preparations can be used for subcutaneous injections. The important dose-increase phase can be performed using conventional, cluster, rush or ultra-rush schedules. Specific immunotherapy is successful in nearly 90% to 100% of patients after 3-5 years of treatment.

Arthropod Venoms↗
PubMed2005

The effects of short-term immunotherapy using molecular standardized grass and rye allergens compared with symptomatic drug treatment on rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms, skin sensitivity, and specific nasal reactivity.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of short-term immunotherapy with molecular standardized allergens (STI) has been demonstrated by double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials. The aim of this study was to compare STI with symptomatic drug treatment. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with rhinoconjunctivitis to grass and/or rye pollen were treated either with STI (ALK(7), n = 24) plus anti-allergic drugs or anti-allergic drugs, alone (n = 24) in a prospective, randomized study. Symptoms and use of drugs were reported in patient diaries and titrated nasal provocation and skin prick tests were performed at baseline, before, and after season. RESULTS: Median overall symptom (P = 0.022, U test) and medication scores (P = 0.003) were significantly lower in the STI group, as was the result for a simultaneous analysis of conjunctival, nasal, and bronchial symptom scores and medication (P = 0.005). Sensitivity in the nasal provocation test decreased in the STI group but not in the drug-treated group. These differences became significant directly after STI (P = 0.027) as well as after the grass pollen season (P < 0.001). Skin sensitivity did not change in the STI group but increased in the drug-treated group after season, with a significant difference between the two groups for the erythema (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: STI reduces grass pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms and drug use, and specific nasal reactivity and skin sensitivity, more efficiently than a standard symptomatic treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Erosion of the teeth: prevalence and distribution in a group of Danish school children.

AIM: This was to describe the prevalence of eroded tooth surfaces among 15-17 years old school children in a Danish city and to assess the reliability of diagnosis of erosions performed by 9 clinical examiners. METHODS: During a calendar year (2000) a total of 558 children in 4 public schools in Aarhus were examined by 7 examiners and 2 coordinators using the following criteria: intact; erosion confined to enamel; erosion exposing less than half of the dentine, and erosion involving more dentine than half the surface. RESULTS: It was found that 14.0% (95% CL: 11.3%; 17.1%) of the children had more than 3 surfaces eroded. In the maxilla lingual surfaces were more affected than the facial surfaces. No lesions exposing more than half of the dentine were observed. Despite a careful calibration, including a thorough discussion of the criteria and the experience gained during the study, a substantial inter examiner difference in diagnosis was found. CONCLUSION: The most frequently eroded sites were the lingual surfaces of maxillary incisors; the identification of eroded areas is often difficult and subject to a low inter examiner reliability.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Cystic myoepithelioma. A rare differential diagnosis of a cystic lesion of the parotid gland].

By sonography, we found a sharply demarcated tumor with cystic areas in the parotid gland of a 41 year old male, indicating Warthin's tumor. Subtotal parotidectomy was performed. Microscopy showed an encapsulated tumor with myoepithelial cells and, in particular, central pseudocysts. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells expressed cytokeratin 5/6 and S-100 protein as well as smooth muscle-actin. These features led to the diagnosis of a cystic myoepithelioma. Histopathologically, several different lesions of the salivary glands should be considered in the differential diagnosis of myoepithelioma, especially of this hitherto unique case in the parotid gland. The differential diagnoses are reviewed and discussed. Treatment is by surgical resection. Because of the tendency of myoepitheliomas to recur and to malignant transformation, tumor-free margins are recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Specific immunotherapy in inhalative allergy to rat epithelium].

BACKGROUND: The only causal treatment that can be offered to allergic patients apart from allergen avoidance is specific immunotherapy. Its efficacy depends on the specific allergen the patient is allergic to, the quality of the extract, the total amount of allergen administered to the patient and the administration schedule. METHODS AND PATIENT: Our patient suffered from inhalative allergy to rat epithelium with severe rhinoconjunctivitis and bronchial asthma. She regularly worked with laboratory rats as a biologist. A job-shift was impossible for the patient, and so was allergen avoidance. We therefore decided to treat the patient with specific immunotherapy. Treatment was performed as in-patient procedure with Rush-Immunotherapy in dosage increase phase. Maintenance injections were administered as out-patient. RESULTS: As early as some months after induction of the therapy, the patient felt subjective symptom relief, blood samples taken revealed decrease of total IgE and specific IgE towards rat epithelium. Therapy was continued for 18 months, specific IgE against rat epithelium could not be detected any more. The patient does not claim any allergy symptoms when working in the rat laboratory any more. CONCLUSIONS: Even in unusual allergies, specific immunotherapy can be indicated. In our patient, specific immunotherapy to rat epithelium lead to complete symptom relief and enabled the patient to practise her profession without restraints.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Cluster-immunotherapy in seasonal allergic rhinitis: safety aspects of induction therapy with depot allergoids (Purethal)].

BACKGROUND: Specific immunotherapy (SIT) represents the only specific treatment that can be offered to allergic patients apart from allergen avoidance. SIT has been widely used in pollen allergic rhinitis. Clinical efficacy has been demonstrated in several controlled clinical trials and depends on the specific allergen the individual patient is sensitive to, the quality and total amount of allergen applied, and the SIT schedule. In classic SIT, gradually increasing dosages of the allergen extract are injected subcutaneously. Several dosage schedules for subcutaneous SIT can be applied. In Cluster-SIT, 2 - 3 injections per day of treatment are given once a week during induction treatment. PATIENTS: In this study, we investigated 64 patients (33 female, 31 male) from 18 to 54 years (26.9 +/- 5.1 years) in terms of side-effects of Cluster-SIT during induction treatment. RESULTS: The total amount of enlarged local reactions (> grade 1) was n = 77 or 15.2 % of all injections. Of these, 68 (88 %) were classified as immediate reactions, 8 (11 %) were late phase reactions and 1 (1 %) was immediate as well as late phase reaction. Of all enlarged local reactions, 48 (62 %) were grade 1 reactions, 13 (17 %) were grade 2 reactions, 13 (17 %) were grade 3 reactions and 1 (1 %) was a grade 4 reaction. The total amount of systemic reactions was n = 22 or 4.3 % of all injections. Of these, 19 (86 %) were classified as immediate reactions, 3 (14 %) were delayed reactions. Of all systemic reactions, 18 (82 %) were grade 1 reactions and 4 (18 %) grade 2 reactions. Grade 3 or grade 4 reactions did not occur. There were no differences in gender or age regarding the occurrence of side effects (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Frequency and severity of adverse side effects in Cluster-SIT correspond to those in other dosage schedules. On behalf of security aspects, Cluster-SIT could become an interesting alternative dosage schedule for dose increase during SIT. Furthermore, in Cluster-SIT with allergoids, induction treatment can be carried out in two treatment days of approximately 2.5 hours each.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Slow channel syndrome due to an autosomal translocation at 2q31-9p27].

A 27-year-old man complained of cervicoscapular and forearm weakness and amyotrophy. Electromyographic evaluation showed neuromuscular transmission dysfunction and a repetitive compound muscle action potential to a single stimulus. Prostigmine did not improve neuromuscular transmission. The genetic analysis of the patient's lymphocytes demonstrated a chromosomic 2q31-9p27 translocation. The combination of the clinical and electrophysiological data as well as the lack of auto-immunity signs against neuromuscular junction constituents led to the diagnosis to congenital postsynaptic myasthenic syndrome also called slow channel syndrome. This congenital myasthenic syndrome is for the first time associated with an autosomal translocation 2q31-9p27.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2002

[Acromegaly and pregnancy].

Acromegaly usually results from GH hypersecretion by a somatotroph adenoma. The fertility of acromegalic patients is often impaired. Several factors may impact the course of pregnancy in acromegaly. Disturbed pituitary function might lead to infertility or spontaneous abortion. GH is a powerful insulin antagonist, and pregnant acromegalic patients are prone to added glucose intolerance and diabetes. Pregnancy itself might also impact the course of the pituitary tumor. During pregnancy, the normal pituitary increases in size due to estrogens-mediated hyperplasia. Therefore, tumors are at risk for hemorrhage due to enhanced vascularity, and might compress the optic chiasm. In this article we summarize the data on the literature on the reciprocal influences between acromegaly and pregnancy, we discuss therapeutic options and advance diagnostic and surveillance schedules of acromegaly during pregnancy.

Acromegaly↗
PubMed2002

[Inflammatory diseases of the pituitary during pregnancy].

Well-known pituitary inflammatory diseases (sarcoidosis, Wegener granulomatosis, Langerhans and non-Langerhans histiocytosis, inflammatory pseudotumors) may occur during pregnancy or apart from it. Moreover, some inflammatory diseases, such as lymphocytic hypophysitis occur most of the time during pregnancy. In this chapter, we shall consider these different pathologies as well as the specific treatment of lymphocytic hypophysitis.

Female↗
PubMed2001

Variation in behavioural responses of ewes towards predator-related stimuli.

Thirty-two groups of six sheep, classified into three breed categories according to their weight class (L: light, one breed (n=7); M: medium light, two breeds (n=10); H: heavy, three breeds (n=15)) were tested for antipredatory behaviour towards seven stimulus regimes. Tests were performed on 2-5-years-old ewes with lambs inside standardised and fenced home pastures. Stimulus regimes were: man in rain poncho, trolley, ball on trolley (blind stimuli), stuffed wolverine on trolley, stuffed lynx on trolley, stuffed bear on trolley, and man in rain poncho with a dog on leash (carnivore stimuli). The L breed showed the longest recovery time, the longest flight distance and the tightest flocking behaviour. Significant regressions indicate that there were negative linear relationships between sheep weight and recovery time and between sheep weight and flight distance. Carnivore stimuli caused longer recovery times (P<0.001) and longer flight distances (P<0.001) than the blind stimuli. Our results confirm the hypothesis that lighter sheep breeds display stronger antipredatory reactions than heavier breeds.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Use of a national database for strategic management of municipal oral health services for Danish children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of a national register for strategic management of dental health services for 0-17-year-old Danish children and to identify determinants for their use of the system as a strategic tool in management of the services. METHODS: During the period December 1997 to January 1998, the leaders of 268 private and public dental services were mailed a self-administered postal questionnaire on their use of the dental health reporting system of the Danish National Board of Health, the so-called SCOR-system. Ninety-six percent responded. The questionnaire contained questions about the use of SCOR (dependent variable) and the following independent variables: 1) the dental service in the municipality; and 2) the leader of the dental service, including his/her assessment of and knowledge related to the SCOR-system. Information concerning other independent variables such as: 1) the population and the socio-economic, cultural and political environment of the municipality; and 2) dental morbidity was collected as antecedent data from various official sources. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of municipalities with public clinics and 68% of municipalities without public clinics used SCOR-tables for planning purposes and preventive intervention. Forty percent reported data for all age groups to the SCOR-system and 36% used non-obligatory special codes in order to monitor more specific questions. Use of SCOR data was positively associated with the dental health services being organized in public clinics, with a high number of public clinics in the municipality, and with a positive assessment among the dental leaders of the reporting system as a planning tool. Special codes for precavitated lesions and/or fissure sealants were used more frequently in municipalities where DMFS in 15-year-olds had decreased from 1995 to 1996. Otherwise no associations between dental health and use of the system could be demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: SCOR is widely used as a strategic planning instrument concerning the Danish dental services for children and adolescents. The predictors associated with its use are partly structural characteristics of the municipality and its dental service and factors partly related to a leader's knowledge about and assessment of the system. These factors might be amenable to change through training of the users of the system.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed2001

Extensive inflammatory pseudotumor of the pituitary.

A 40-yr-old female presented with an extensive lesion of the sellar area and the sphenoid sinus, spreading to the optic nerves and associated with pachymeningitis. Histological findings were consistent with an inflammatory pseudotumor, and steroid treatment allowed the disappearance of all the lesions. Inflammatory pseudotumors of the pituitary are very rare. This case appears unique with regard to the extension of the lesions and the dramatic response to medical treatment. The differential diagnosis of inflammatory lesions of the pituitary is difficult. It relies mainly on histological analysis and includes sarcoidosis, Wegener's granulomatosis, histiocytosis (Langerhans, Rosai-Dorfman, and Erdheim-Chester diseases) and lymphocytic hypophysitis.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed2000

[Antibiotic pre-hospital treatment and the course of meningococcal disease].

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of pre-hospital antibiotic treatment given by general practitioners to patients with meningococcal disease. It was carried out as a 16-year population-based historical follow-up study based on referral letters and hospital records in the County of North Jutland, Denmark, and included 320 patients with meningococcal disease, of whom 302 were examined by a general practitioner before admission to hospital. The main outcome measure was death. We found that 44 patients (14.6%) were given antibiotic treatment by the referring general practitioner. Nine of these (20.5%) died, compared with 16 (6.2%) patients who did not receive pre-hospital antibiotic treatment. The presence of skin bleeding, petechiae and impaired consciousness were strongly associated with case fatality. Even after adjustment for these variables the odds ratio for death in patients treated with antibiotics was high (3.2; 95% CI 0.9-10.6). In the 15 patients with skin bleeding (ecchymoses, suggillations) the case fatality rate was 100% in patients treated with antibiotics, and 50% in patients who did not receive antibiotics before hospitalization. It is concluded that pre-hospital treatment is mainly given to the most severe cases with expected high case fatality, and this confounding by indication was probably not fully adjusted for with the available data. The results contradict previous findings and provide reason to doubt the benefit of pre-hospital antibiotic treatment in patients with meningococcal disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Asthma caused by methylene-diphenyl-diisocyanate cast in a nurse].

A case of a 35 year-old female nurse without atopic disposition is presented. For one year (1990-1991), she worked in an emergency room, applying synthetic casts containing MDI 0-3 times daily. She developed rhinitis, itchy eyes and nightly wheezing, during employment in the emergency room, with subsequent serious asthma attacks in 1992 and 1996. Just before the last attack, the patient's husband had used insulation foam containing MDI. A specific bronchial provocation test was performed with MDI-based synthetic cast material. The patient developed an asthma attack after seven hours, with a 48% drop in FEV1, suggesting that MDI is the causative agent.

Adult↗