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Biomedical subjects

B Jensen

Publications and source records attributed to B Jensen.

154 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Restraint reduction: a new philosophy for a new millennium.

With the use of restraints to manage difficult patients becoming routine, one hospital initiated strategies to reduce restraint use. The authors describe the development and implementation of a restraint reduction program, educational strategies, and the evaluation program. The program is successfully reducing the prevalence of restraint use.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

In situ calibration of an oxygen sensor in intervertebral discs.

Intradiscal hypoxia has been suspected of playing a role in the pathogenesis of degenerative back diseases. Investigating this hypothesis requires quantitative methods for measuring PO2 in the intervertebral disc. Tissue oxygen tensions are usually measured with a membrane-covered oxygen-consuming sensor. Calibrating this sensor is complicated by the existence of an oxygen-diffusion gradient in front of the membrane. This article describes a method based on mass spectrometry to measure the oxygen tension in the intervertebral disc and an 'in situ' calibration technique, which is able to compensate for errors caused by the oxygen-diffusion gradient. The principle of the calibration technique is to measure the signal of an inert reference gas, whose partial pressure in the intervertebral disc is known, and to utilize the measured signal to estimate the magnitude of the oxygen-diffusion gradient.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antipolymer antibodies in Danish fibromyalgia patients.

OBJECTIVE: To use a new immunologic assay to investigate antipolymer antibody (APA) levels in women with fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS: The study population consisted of 35 patients with FM and 129 controls. The controls were selected based on a prior history of breast surgery and the presence or absence of a prior hospital diagnosis of soft tissue rheumatism. Study subjects underwent blood sampling, including tests for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and APA, a clinical examination, and an interview focusing on rheumatic complaints and self-reported disability. The severity of rheumatic symptoms/signs was scored from 1 (= none) to 5 (= severe) based on the clinical examination and the interview. RESULTS: FM patients in this study represented a broad spectrum of disease severity, with the majority having mild symptoms. FM patients had a higher symptom severity and myalgic scores than controls (p < 0.001 for both variables). Adjusting for symptom severity, a weak positive association between APA levels and FM was observed (p = 0.08). The APA level was inversely associated with age, i.e., decreasing APA levels were seen with increasing age (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: FM patients tended to have slightly higher APA levels than controls when adjusted for symptom severity. APA levels declined with age, a finding that has not been reported previously. The APA test and its clinical relevance should be evaluated in future studies.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

United States and Denmark: different approaches to health care and family planning.

The findings of this study suggest that, compared to the United States, Danish health care policies and family planning services delivery systems are, in the aggregate, more conducive to the promotion of effective contraceptive practice, more instrumental in conveying information to high-risk groups, and more successful in reducing the incidence of unintended pregnancies and induced abortions. One of the major reasons for this difference may stem from the positive and nonambivalent climate of public opinion about sexuality in Denmark and the manner in which health care and family planning services are delivered to all segments of the population regardless of age, income, or location of residence. Research in reproductive behavior is greatly facilitated by the existence of automated population registers.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The measurement of abnormal movement: methods developed for Huntington's disease.

Clinical and laboratory methods were developed to detect motor abnormalities in patients with Huntington Disease. For clinical evaluation a quantitated neurological examination was used which factor analyzed into 2 scales: a chorea scale (a measure of involuntary movement) and a motor impairment scale (a measure of abnormalities of voluntary movement). Mechanized methods of measuring involuntary movement (accelerometer) and voluntary movement (reaction time, tapping speed, and movement time) were also developed. The motor abnormalities detected on the clinical and mechanical tests were not specific to HD but were also present in persons at 50% risk for HD and in patients with a variety of neurological disorders. The mechanized tests may be useful for screening for motor disorders in the population: they are non-specific, portable and do not require the services of an experienced clinician.

Chorea↗