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Biomedical subjects

V Hansen

Publications and source records attributed to V Hansen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Self-reported mental distress under the shifting daylight in the high north.

BACKGROUND: The validity of the concept of seasonal affective disorder and the causal link to lack of daylight in winter is controversial. There is a need for investigations in large samples of the general population at different latitudes and within general research contexts to avoid selective response bias and sensitization of the population. METHODS: During a study of health effects of the air pollution from Russia in a small community at 70 degrees north, a self-administered questionnaire was filled in by 3736 inhabitants, 60.8% of the total population between 18 and 69 years. Three questions concerned depression, sleeping problems and other problems related to the two contrasting seasons with regard to daylight. RESULTS: Twenty-seven per cent reported to have some kind of problem in the dark period. Most frequently reported were sleeping problems during winter, in 19.9% of women and 11.2% of men. Self-reported depression in winter was found in 11.1% of women and 4.8%% of men. Sleeping problems increased with age, while depression was most often reported by middle-aged people. The only other reported problem in winter was fatigue. The adjusted relative risk (RR) for winter depression in women compared to men was 2.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.9-3.2). Very few had problems in summer. CONCLUSIONS: In the high north, one-third of the women and one-fifth of the men experience problems with sleep, mood or energy related to season. The prevalence of self-reported depression was surprisingly low in winter considering the lack of daylight.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Total mortality in people admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to document the mortality of psychiatric patients within a service system characterised by a low beds-to-population ratio. METHOD: All patients admitted to one psychiatric hospital were followed from date of first admission after 31 July 1980 until 31 December 1992 with regard to death, by linkage to the Norwegian Central Register of Persons. Age-adjusted total mortality rates and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) compared with the general population were computed. RESULTS: Mortality rates were highest in men, and increased with age in both sexes. SMRs were highest in the younger age-groups, and the overall SMR was significantly higher for men than for women. Mortality was highest during the first year after admission for both sexes and was higher than in the general population in all diagnostic groups. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality of psychiatric patients is still unsatisfactorily high, and men constitute a special high-risk group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of a new Epstein-Barr virus Combi Test for rapid serologic diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis.

We evaluated the EBV Combi Test (Virion) in serum samples from 574 children with a clinical presentation suggestive of infectious mononucleosis (IM) and compared its performance with several other EBV serological tests. Out of 574 sera 66 gave an acute IM pattern, 406 gave a past infection pattern and 102 were found negative in the EBV Combi Test. Positive VCA IgM and VCA IgG IFA results, in the absence of EBNA antibodies, were found in 62 cases in which the EBV Combi Test gave an acute IM pattern. In addition, 4 to the 574 tested sera gave an acute positive result in the EBV Combi Test (two of them were VCA IgM positive and the other two VCA IgM negative but also EBNA negative). None of these four sera were CMV IgM or Toxoplasma gondii IgM positive. The heterophile antibody test was positive in only 28, and VCA IgM EIA positive in 44 of the 62 IM cases. These data confirm the necessity for an EBV serological diagnosis in children where the clinical diagnosis of EBV infectious mononucleosis must be confirmed or ruled our.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1996

Spontaneous remission in a patient with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS) with monosomy 7.

We describe a case of spontaneously reversible refractory anaemia, a subtype of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), with monosomy 7 secondary to chronic treatment with azathioprine (AZA) in a young renal transplant recipient. AZA was stopped after that conventional cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) had demonstrated the existence of a monosomy 7 clone, 4 months later, haematological values had considerably improved and the karyotypic examination as well as the FISH analysis were normal. The spontaneous remission of this MDS with monosomy 7, which is usually associated with a particularly poor prognosis, could be due to the recovery of a better immunosurveillance following the withdrawal of AZA.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The General Health Questionnaire: how many items are really necessary in population surveys?

This paper seeks to investigate whether only a few questions selected from the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) may be used to measure the degree of mental distress in population surveys. Data from 2112 men and women, 18 to 70 years old from two cross-sectional studies conducted in northern Norway and the island Spitzbergen in the Arctic, were used. Correlation analysis of Likert scores from a 20-item version of GHQ (GHQ-20) with Likert scores based on four and six items selected by multiple regression analysis or by competent physicians was performed. The correlation coefficients between the scores from the subsets of four items and the full GHQ-20 questionnaire were high (greater than 0.80) in all examined subgroups of the populations. Increasing the number of questions from four to six only marginally increased the correlation coefficients. Thus, a simple linear sum of Likert scores based on a few GHQ items can be used to measure the degree of mental distress in populations surveys.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Indications for cesarean section in singleton pregnancies in two Danish counties with different cesarean section rates.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical indications for delivery by cesarean section (CS) in singleton pregnancies in two Danish counties with different CS rates, and to describe the relation between CS in the two counties and parity, mother's age, type of delivery department, gestational age at birth, and birthweight. DESIGN: A population-based, follow-up study based on antecedent data. SETTING: Two Danish counties, where women deliver in obstetric as well as surgical departments, with a CS rate of 8.3% and 15.2%, respectively. SUBJECTS: All pregnant women in the two counties who delivered in 1989. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of the rates of CS in the two counties carried out for five well-defined clinical indications: Previous cesarean section, breech presentation, dystocia, fetal distress, and other. SECONDARY MEASURES: Neonatal and maternal outcomes. RESULTS: In the county with the higher frequency of CS, all indications for CS were used significantly more often, except from 'fetal distress' in primiparous women. In this county 'breech presentation' was the commonest indication among primiparous women, whereas 'fetal distress' was the most common in the county with the lower CS rate. For multiparous women the highest CS rates in both counties were found among women who had had a previous CS. The major difference between the two counties was the threefold greater risk of CS indicated by 'dystocia' among multiparous women in the county with the higher CS rate. CONCLUSION: The regional differences in CS could not be explained by differences between the two populations or by an increased rate of a single indication, but could be due to differences in obstetric practice or expectations or demands from the pregnant women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A prospective randomized double-blind trial of ceftriaxone versus no treatment for abdominal hysterectomy.

The value of preoperative prophylactic parenteral treatment with ceftriaxone at elective abdominal hysterectomy was investigated in a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, in which 157 women participated, 77 in the antibiotic group and 80 in the control group. Increased febrile morbidity and a significant preponderance of women with urinary tract infections were observed in the untreated group, whereas there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding wound infections or infiltration at the top of the vagina. We find no indication for routine prophylactic use of antibiotics at elective abdominal hysterectomy.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Prognosis of a new pregnancy following previous spontaneous abortions.

The risk for a clinical spontaneous abortion in a pregnancy following 0 to 4 consecutive spontaneous abortions was estimated in a large, unselected, Danish population, including approximately 300,500 pregnancies. The overall risk for spontaneous abortion was 11% and the risk for a spontaneous abortion was 16, 25, 45 and 54% after 1 to 4 previous consecutive spontaneous abortions, respectively. For women over 35 years, the risk for spontaneous abortion was significantly increased, but the almost identical abortion rates after repeated abortions in both young and old women indicate a risk factor which is not age-related.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed1991

Mental distress during winter. An epidemiologic study of 7759 adults north of Arctic Circle.

The prevalence of mental distress in a general population north of the Arctic Circle at 69 degrees N was studied over 4 midwinter months. Within the framework of a health survey for coronary heart disease, 3 questions about depression, coping problems and insomnia were posed. They were answered by 7759 people randomly assigned to a survey date from November to February. The extreme lack of daylight in December and January taken into consideration, the prevalence of mental distress found, 14% in men and 19% in women, is remarkably low compared with previous epidemiologic research. Except for insomnia in women, which was most prevalent in December, no significant relationship between month of survey and any of the 3 symptoms were found. Thus, the findings cast some doubt upon the importance of daylight for mental distress in the general population.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Mental distress and social conditions and lifestyle in northern Norway.

In a cross sectional survey of risk factors for coronary heart disease three questions about mental distress were included in a questionnaire completed by 13,704 people, 64% of the total population aged 20-54 in one municipality. Overall, 860 (12.5%) of the men and 1141 (16.8%) of the women reported having at least one symptom of mental distress. There were no distinct differences between the age groups. Single people, separated and divorced people, and those who reported that the financial situation of the family during their childhood was difficult reported more mental problems. Heavy smoking, frequent alcohol consumption, and, in men, little or no physical activity in leisure time were also associated with a high prevalence of mental distress. By multiple regression analyses, marital state, financial situation of family during childhood, and current lifestyle were found to be highly significantly associated with mental distress. Including a few questions on mental distress in health surveys provides a way to establish relations between such symptoms and social conditions and lifestyle in large numbers of subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Evoked potential and preferential looking correlates of the oblique effect in 3-month-old infants.

Sensitivity for vertical and horizontal gratings is higher than for obliquely oriented gratings, a phenomenon known as the oblique effect. We compared visual evoken potential and preferential looking estimates of the oblique effect in nonastigmatic 3-month-old infants and found that orientation effects occurred more frequently by visual evoked potential measure than by preferential looking.

Evoked Potentials, Visual↗
PubMed1989

Contamination of subclavian vein catheters: an intraluminal culture method.

An intraluminal culture method was evaluated for central venous catheters and compared to conventional catheter tip cultures and cultures from the insertion site. The colonization-rate of the catheters was 43.7% using conventional tip culture, 34.4% with the intraluminal method and 40.1% at the skin puncture site. Only 37.5% of the catheters showed identical bacteria at the skin puncture site and catheter-tip, compared with 87.5% between intraluminal culture and catheter-tip culture (P less than 0.05).

Catheterization, Central Venous↗