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Biomedical subjects

T Nissen

Publications and source records attributed to T Nissen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Successfully solo.

Each day, between office visits and rounds at Methodist Hospital, oncologist Gail Bender sees anywhere from 17 to 30 patients. She does this five days a week, working from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and she spends about three hours Saturday and Sunday seeing patients in the hospital and finishing paperwork. She's always keeping a close eye on expenses, and, like most physicians, she's spending considerable time dealing with payers. Unlike most of her colleagues, she's in business for herself.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

[Supraventricular tachycardia treated with percutaneous catheter ablation of the arteriovenous conduction system].

Twelve patients with supraventricular tachycardia refractory to medical management were treated with catheter ablation (fulguration) of the atrioventricular (AV) conduction system followed by pacemaker implantation. All 12 patients had initially 3 degrees AV block. In ten patients it was permanent. One patient had a permanent 1 degree AV block and left bundle branch block. In one patient with initial 3 degrees AV block AV conduction resumed. No major complications were seen. At follow-up, the mean observation period was 15 months (range 3-57 months). All ten patients with permanent 3 degrees AV block were free of arrhythmic symptoms and without any medication. The patient with permanent 1 degree AV block was free of symptoms and arrhythmia, but died 16 months after the ablation. The patient with relapse of the AV conduction continued to have arrhythmic symptoms, but ECG did not confirm arrhythmia. It is concluded that catheter induced 3 degrees AV block is a safe and efficient treatment of patients with supraventricular tachycardia refractory to medical treatment.

Adolescent

[Dementia evaluated by means of a mini-mental status examination. Clinical neurologic patient material].

The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was administered to a neurological patient material with various disorders. The test was found useful for detecting cognitive impairment. The test did not differentiate reliably between different causes of cognitive impairment. To detect dementia a cut-off score of 25 or less yielded 100% sensitivity and 97% specificity. The validity of the DSM-III-diagnostic criteria for dementia, primary degenerative dementia and multi-infarct dementia was high. The modified ischemic score (MIS) seemed to be of limited value in differentiating primary degenerative dementia from multi-infarct dementia.

Aged

Parasuicidal snow-wandering in Arctic northern Norway.

Psychiatric morbidity in the Arctic has not been extensively studied. Seasonal variations in climate, light and darkness are unique for these areas and impose special kinds of strains on the population. Three case-histories focusing on snow-wandering as a parasuicidal act are presented. One of them bears some resemblance to the Arctic hysteria described among Eskimoes. Reasons for choosing snow-wandering as an alternative to other kinds of suicide are discussed and a hypothesis is suggested. The psychological and physiological factors as explanations for post snow-wandering amnesia are discussed.

Adult

Sleep apnoea and organic solvent exposure.

Fifteen patients referred for the evaluation of possible organic solvent encephalopathy were studied by clinical polysomnography. Seven had more than 30 apnoeas per night and an apnoea index of higher than 5, thus fulfilling the commonly used criteria of the sleep apnoea syndrome. Another group of eight workers exposed to trichlorethane, examined without prior knowledge of their individual symptoms, showed a significantly elevated number of sleep apnoeas compared with nine controls. The results indicate that organic solvent exposure can cause sleep apnoea.

Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous

[Clinical aspects and course of Sturge-Weber syndrome in childhood].

We report on symptoms, clinical course and prognostic factors of eight children (6 girls and 2 boys) with Sturge-Weber syndrome. The period of observation was 1 to 17 years (mean 8.8 years). All patients had the classical symptoms with facial port-wine stain nevus and intracranial calcifications. In two cases a bilateral distribution of the nevus was found. All patients but one had epileptic seizures which were followed by Todd's palsies in five. Four children additionally suffered from hydrophthalmia. Another patient had an angiomatosis of the retina and cataract. Neurological findings were normal in three patients, minimal signs were found in three, one patient had a spastic hemiplegia and another one hypotone tetraplegia. The mental development was normal in three patients, however severe dyscalculia occurred in one of them. Five patients were mentally retarded, three of them severely. The prognosis was the worse the earlier the cerebral seizures appeared.

Adolescent

A device for treatment of destrusor hyperreflexia by bio-feedback.

Treatment of detrusor hyperreflexia is still a difficult field. Recently bio-feedback has been described as a successful treatment of voiding dysfunction. In this paper we describe a device, which makes it possible for the patients to register any pressure changes in the bladder.

Adult

Peristalsis of the pyeloureter in pigs measured by videodensitometry.

The peristaltic activity of the upper urinary tract was investigated by means of a simple videodensitometric system. Through a transparenchymally placed catheter contrast medium was infused into the renal pelvis with perfusion rates increasing from 1 to 15 ml/min. Sequences of 3-5 min were recorded by means of a Siemens image amplifier on videotape for later analysis. Photodiodes were placed on the screen over the calyces, renal pelvis and ureter at a distance of 5 cm. An amplifying system and a UV recorder were used for registration. Peristaltic frequency, transmission velocity and average bolus volume were measurable in 8 out of 10 pyeloureteral units. Additionally, calyceal activity was detectable in one case. The tracings obtained by videodensitometry were reproducible and easy to analyse. Conversion of videorecordings to analogue signals for analysis might be a possible future clinical diagnostic method.

Absorptiometry, Photon

Topographic variations in alpha-adrenergic and cholinergic response in the pig renal pelvis.

The effect of alpha-adrenergic and cholinergic receptor stimulation is quantitatively analyzed in different regions of the pig pyeloureter. Smooth muscle strips from minor calyces, pelvis proper and ureter were investigated. Stimulation with potassium (127 mM) was used as reference. Both phenylephrine and carbachol caused a concentration-dependent increase in basal tone in the pelvis and the minor calyx. The maximum response obtained was significantly smaller in the pelvis than in the minor calyx. As compared to phenylephrine, the response to carbachol was negligible. The ureter showed a different behavior as compared to the minor calyx and pelvis. A constant basal tone could not be obtained and the tissue did not respond to potassium in a reproducible way.

Animals

Temperature alarm for heated humidifiers.

In order to ensure a water content of between 30 and 40 mg/l in the inspiratory gases using a heated humidifier, the temperature in the delivery tube, near to the patient, must be between 30 and 37 degrees C. A low cost thermistor temperature alarm is described which indicates by means of different coloured lights if the temperature falls below 30 degrees C, lies between 30 and 37 degrees C, or if the temperature exceeds 37 degrees C. An alarm also sounds if temperatures above 37 degrees C occur. This device has been in use since 1974 and has proved reliable and time saving.

Humidity