Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G E Eide

Publications and source records attributed to G E Eide.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Corneal grafting for keratoconus in mentally retarded patients.

PURPOSE: To compare the results of penetrating and non-penetrating corneal grafting procedures in mentally retarded keratoconus patients. METHODS: In the years 1974-2000 41 mentally retarded patients with keratoconus (33 with Down syndrome) were operated with corneal grafting. Mean age at operation was 36.7+/-10.8 years. Three different surgical procedures were used (no randomization): penetrating keratoplasty (n=16), lamellar keratoplasty (n=5) and epikeratophakia (n=20). In a retrospective study, the non-penetrating procedures (lamellar keratoplasty and epikeratophakia) were compared to the penetrating keratoplasties with regard to graft survival and frequency of serious complications. Mean follow-up time of all grafting procedures was 80+/-58 months. RESULTS: All cases of serious complications (irreversible rejection, wound leakage or perforation) occurred in the penetrating keratoplasty group (p=0.0005). Older age at operation (p=0.011) adversely influenced the frequency of serious complications. Overall five-year survival was 74.9%. Graft survival was not related to surgical procedure, but rather to age at operation (poorer survival in older age, p=0.012) and degree of retardation (poorer survival in patients with more severe retardation, p=0.051). CONCLUSIONS: Because of the safety and low frequency of complications, epikeratophakia is recommended as the grafting procedure of choice in the majority of mentally retarded with keratoconus. In selected cases (good cooperation, age < or =40 years, and a good peripheral corneal thickness) penetrating keratoplasty may be performed, which, if uncomplicated, often will give better functional/optical results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Biometric measurements of the eyes in teenagers and young adults with Down syndrome.

PURPOSE: To examine ocular biometric variables in subjects with Down syndrome. METHODS: In a population-based study we have compared ocular biometric variables in a group of 47 individuals with Down syndrome (20.0+/-3.9 years) with 51 control subjects (21.0+/-4.6 years). RESULTS: A thinner cornea (0.48+/-0.04 mm vs. 0.55+/-0.03 mm, p<0.001) and higher keratometry values (46.39+/-1.95 D vs. 43.41+/-1.40 D, p<0.001) were found in the Down syndrome group than in the control group. Oblique astigmatism was commonly found in the Down syndrome individuals, showing a strong right-left specificity (right eyes' axes in the 135 degrees -meridian, left eyes' axes in the 45 degrees -meridian). The lens was thinner (3.27+/-0.29 mm vs. 3.49+/-0.20 mm) and the calculated lens power was weaker (17.70+/-2.36 D vs. 19.48+/-1.24 D) in the Down syndrome group than in the control group (p<0.001 in both cases). CONCLUSIONS: Thinning of the corneal stroma may account for the steeper cornea and the high frequency of astigmatism in Down syndrome due to lower corneal rigidity. It may also be of etiological importance to the increased incidence of keratoconus in Down syndrome.

Accommodation, Ocular↗
PubMed2001

Comparing the adrenaline-Pirquet test with international PPD tuberculin tests.

Several tuberculins, strengths and setting methods are in everyday use. We wanted to compare the Norwegian reference adrenaline Pirquet test with the internationally recommended Mantoux PPD test and Rhoditest. In responders of a random sample of young adults, with randomization of test subjects, we intra-individually compared the adrenaline-Pirquet (aP) test with Norwegian-produced synthetic medium tuberculin (SMT) with either the Mantoux test with PPD 2 tuberculin units (TU) (M2), the Mantoux-PPD 5 TU (M5) or the PPD 2 TU-Rhoditest (Rh). The criteria for a positive reaction were > or = 4mm for the aP test, > or = 10 mm for the M2 test, > or = 6 mm for the M5 test and > or = 2 mm for the Rh test. Strongly positive reactions were defined as aP test > or = 10 mm and M2/M5 test > or = 15 mm. One of the tuberculin tests was positive while the comparison test was negative in 14% of the M2 test group (n = 236), 15% in the M5 test group (n = 162) and 20% in the Rh test group (n = 187). The three PPD tests had positive reactions 3-10 times as often, with a simultaneous negative aP test, than vice versa. Strongly positive reactions occurred in 7% of the aP tests (> or = 10 mm), 32% of the M2 tests (> or = 15 mm) and in 41% of the M5 tests (> or = 15 mm). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves gave the best agreement, with aP test >3mm compared with the M2 and the Rh tests. Regression equations are presented for transformations of the Norwegian reference method of adrenaline-Pirquet results to internationally recommended PPD tests. The international recommendations, globalization in general and the skill of Norwegian public health nurses in performing intra-dermal BCG suggest a future shift to the PPD 2 TU Mantoux test in Norway. Due to the lack of sensitivity and specificity of all tuberculin tests they might be used in targeted tuberculin testing and not as a general screening procedure in a low-incidence tuberculosis area with BCG-vaccinated inhabitants.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Attributable fractions: fundamental concepts and their visualization.

A general methodology for visualizing attributable fractions in epidemiology is described. The methodology applies to the multifactorial exposure situation and embraces various types of attributable fractions including adjusted, sequential and average attributable fractions. The concept of the scaled Venn diagram plays a central role, illustrating total disease risk and excess disease risk attributable to the exposures as areas in a unit square. This forms the ground for making simple pie charts of attributable fractions summing to 1 (or 100%). The potential applications extend from cohort and cross-sectional data to data from case-control studies. The methodology is illustrated by theoretical as well as empirical examples including the risk of motor fatalities attributable to driver's blood alcohol concentration and age, and the prevalence of chronic cough attributable to smoking habits, occupational exposure to dust or gas, and residence. A total of 40 figures illustrate the methodology.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

Increased circulating levels of alpha1-antitrypsin and calprotectin are associated with reduced gas diffusion in the lungs.

The aim was to examine the relationship of serum inflammatory markers to the level of single-breath diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (TL,CO). A stratified sample (n = 1,121) of a Norwegian general population aged 18-73 yrs was examined. The inflammatory markers measured were calprotectin, a prominent protein in the cytosol fraction of neutrophil granulocytes, and alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT), the major inhibitor of neutrophil elastase in the lower respiratory system. Both markers have increased circulating levels in the course of an acute inflammatory reaction. Subjects with a TL,CO < 80% of predicted value had a higher level of both alpha1-AT (p = 0.003) and calprotectin (p < 0.03) than those with a TL,CO > 100%. In multiple linear regression analyses, alpha1-AT was still significantly associated with TL,CO after adjusting for sex, age, smoking habits, haemoglobin, carboxyhaemoglobin, forced expiratory volume in one second and alveolar volume. In a similar analysis, no significant overall association was found between calprotectin and TL,CO, but in a stratified analysis, calprotectin was significantly related to TL,CO in females. However, no significant sex interaction in the relationship between the inflammatory markers and TL,COo was found. The findings suggest that increased levels of alpha1-antitrypsin and of calprotectin are risk factors for decreased diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Nosocomial outbreak of ampicillin resistant Enterococcus faecium: risk factors for infection and fatal outcome.

A nosocomial outbreak caused by ampicillin resistant Enterococcus faecium (ARE) was detected at a Norwegian university hospital in January 1995. Prior to this outbreak, ARE were not common in this hospital or other hospitals in Norway. During 1995 and 1996, a total of 149 cases with clinical ARE infection were detected prospectively. A case control study was performed by allocating controls matched for gender, age and ward of admission. Altogether, 123 case control pairs with mean age 70.1 years were included. Isolates from 89 (72. 4%) of the cases were identical or related to the defined outbreak strain as determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In 75 of the patients (60.9%), ARE caused urinary tract infection, five (4.1%) had bacteraemia, 33 (26.8%) had wound infection and 10 (8.1%) had other infections. In a logistic regression model for 1:1 matched samples, the following factors were identified as significant risk factors for ARE infection: underlying neurological disease (OR=33.5), prescription of antimicrobial agents for more than 10 days (OR=8. 99), prescription of cephalosporins (OR=4.69), underlying gastrointestinal disease (OR=3.36) and length of hospital stay per day (OR=1.04). The intrahospital death rate for the cases was 18.7% compared with 8.9% for the controls, corresponding to an excess mortality attributable to ARE infection of 9.8%. A history of carbapenem prescription was the only independent factor contributing to death (OR=5.64) when comparing ARE patients dying in hospital to those surviving.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

The single-breath transfer factor for carbon monoxide and respiratory symptoms in a Norwegian community sample.

Reduced single-breath transfer factors of the lung for carbon monoxide are seen in a number of conditions. The hypothesis of the present study was that self-reported respiratory symptoms differ in their prediction of TL,CO level in a general population in Norway. A cross-sectional survey of a general population sample in Norway, made up of 1,275 subjects aged 18-73 yrs, was conducted in 1987-1988. The attendees (84% response rate) filled in a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and underwent standardized spirometric and TL,CO measurements and clinical examination. Associations between TL,CO and respiratory symptoms were assessed using multiple regression models. Tests for interaction were used to examine whether these associations varied with sex, age and smoking habits. Data from 1,221 subjects were analysed. Both males and females who reported respiratory symptoms had significantly lower TL,CO after adjusting for age and height. In a multiple linear regression analysis of TL,CO, adjusting for sex, age, height and smoking habits, the symptoms for which statistical significance was attained, were morning cough, chronic cough and breathlessness. However, only the breathlessness score was independently associated with the TL,CO (-0.42 mmol x min(-1) x kPa(-1) per breathlessness score unit) after adjusting for other respiratory symptoms, and the relationship was stronger in males than in females. In this study, the strongest predictor for a decreased single-breath transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide was the presence of self-reported breathlessness, regardless of age, smoking habits and height.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Tuberculin test variability: using the Norwegian Adrenaline-Pirquet method.

SETTING: Chest Unit, Bergen, Norway. OBJECTIVES: To study the agreement between two Adrenaline-Pirquet tuberculin tests and compare reactivity in groups read after 2, 3 and 4 days. DESIGN: Responders from a random sample of 1200 men and women 20-44 years of age in 1991 were tested with dual Adrenaline-Pirquet skin scratch tests with Norwegian-produced synthetic medium tuberculin and read after 2-7 days. RESULTS: Of 588 subjects dually tuberculin tested, complete agreement existed in 220 (37.4%). A difference of 1 mm one way or the other was observed in 239 (40.6%), whereas a difference of less than 3 mm was found in 567 (96.5%). Using the larger of the two reactions increased the rate of tuberculin positivity (> or =4 mm) by up to 8.4% compared with reading only one of the tests. No statistically significant differences were observed between subjects whose reactions were read after 2, 3 and 4 days. CONCLUSION: Under the non-blinded conditions of this study the dual Adrenaline-Pirquet tuberculin tests demonstrated reproducibility equivalent to the internationally recommended Mantoux test, and appeared to be independent of time of reading within four days.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Immunoglobulin E, viral antibodies and obstructive lung disease in adults. The relation between antibody level in serum, lung function and non-specific bronchial reactivity].

We have measured immunoglobulin E levels and respiratory virus antibodies and examined their possible role as risk factors for obstructive lung disease in adults. We observed that increased total serum IgE levels were associated with reduced lung function in subjects with obstructive lung disease, but not in asymptomatic subjects. Subjects sensitised to indoor allergens (house dust mites, cats and mould) had reduced lung function and increased, non-specific, bronchial responsiveness compared with individuals who were not sensitised to indoor allergens. Similar relationships were not observed for subjects sensitised to outdoor allergens (birch and timothy). The presence of respiratory virus antibodies was vaguely associated with reduced lung function, but was not related to increased, non-specific, bronchial responsiveness. In adults in this community sensitisation to indoor allergens is a strong predictor of reduced lung function and increased, non-specific, bronchial responsiveness, which are again closely associated with obstructive lung disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Invasiveness by lacZ transfected non-small-cell lung cancer cells into human bronchial tissues in vitro.

To facilitate the detection of invading tumor cells in a three dimensional coculture assay in vitro, the reporter gene Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase (lacZ), was transfected into a human large-cell lung carcinoma cell line GaL23. Multicellular spheroids initiated from the transfected cell line, GaL23LZ, were confronted with fragments of human bronchial tissue differing in their surface composition. While an intact surface epithelium was found to obstruct both adhesion and invasion of tumor cells, an exposed basal lamina augmented adhesion, migration and invasion of tumor cells into the normal tissue. Tumor cells, migrating on the surface of the bronchial fragments, were found to migrate between the epithelial cells and the basal lamina. Fibroblast covered stromal fragments, derived from resected non-small cell lung cancers, were found to be more edible to the invading tumor cells than subepithelial stromal fragments from normal bronchi. The lacZ transfection made it possible to quantitatively analyze the invasive process. While the transfection neither changed the invasive ability of the tumor cells in vitro or in vivo nor their growth pattern in monolayers, three dimensional growth represented by spheroid morphology and clonogenicity in soft agar was significantly changed. This model offers an in vitro system to study qualitative and quantitative aspects of tumor-host relationships in a complex microenvironment which has several similarities to the in vivo situation.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1998

Averaging attributable fractions in the multifactorial situation: assumptions and interpretation.

In multifactorial situations, the concept of attributable fraction quantifying the population impact of exposure factors on the disease load needs special methodologic care to take the interrelationship between exposures into account. Recently, new epidemiologic parameters have been introduced to address this issue. These approaches are reconsidered here from a game-theoretical perspective. The derivation of game-theoretical properties of these parameters provides additional motivation for their use in epidemiologic practice and offers new insights into their interpretation in epidemiologic studies. The nontechnical description of the results is illustrated by examples from the Hordaland study on obstructive lung disease.

Causality↗
PubMed1998

Hospitalization for lung disease in early childhood and asthma symptoms in young adulthood.

Longitudinal studies have reported an association between early childhood lung disease and adult respiratory disease. This issue has not been addressed in the Nordic countries. We studied the association between hospitalization for lung disease in early childhood and asthma in young adulthood in a Norwegian population sample, while estimating the attributable fraction of childhood hospitalization. A population-based survey in Bergen, Norway included a random sample of 4300 subjects aged 20-44 years, of whom 80% responded. The effect of hospitalization for lung disease before the age of 2 years on asthma in adulthood was analysed by logistic and polytomous logistic regressions, adjusting for related variables. Adjusted attributable fractions were estimated from these models. The risk for different measures of asthma was significantly increased in the 103 persons reporting childhood hospitalization (airways symptoms: OR from 1.9 to 2.9; asthma medication: OR = 2.8). The associations with airways symptoms were stronger in women (OR from 2.6 to 5.3) than in men (OR from 1.4 to 2.4). Given a causal association, adjusted attributable fractions showed that childhood lung disease causing hospitalization explained 4% of asthma symptoms. Early childhood hospitalization for lung disease was related to asthma symptoms in young Norwegian adults, more strongly in women than in men. Only a minor proportion of asthma symptoms in this age group could be related to hospitalization for lung disease in early childhood.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) variability in asymptomatic never-smoking men.

We examined the effects from subjects, technicians and spirometers on within-session variability in successful recordings of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in 4989 asymptomatic never-smoking men. All eligible men aged 30-46 years living in western Norway (n = 45,380) were invited to a cross-sectional community survey. Information on respiratory symptoms, smoking habits and occupational exposures was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. Three successful FEV1 and FVC recordings were obtained in 26,368 attendants using three dry-wedge bellow spirometers operated by 10 different technicians. Within-subject standard deviation (SD) from three recordings of FEV1 and FVC was on average 102 and 106 ml, respectively, and increased with height (14 and 17 ml, respectively, per 10 cm) and body mass index (BMI) (11 and 14 ml, respectively, per 5 kg m-2). Between-subject SD of the mean of three FEV1 and FVC recordings was 591 and 754 ml, respectively, and increased in groups of increasing height (43 and 40 ml, respectively, per 10 cm). Small, but significant, differences were observed between technicians in within-subject SD and in levels of FEV1 and FVC. Homogeneity of between-subject variability, necessary for linear regression analysis, was obtained using FEV1 and FVC divided by height squared. In conclusion, within-subject variability in three successful spirometric recordings was small, but dependent on height and BMI of the subjects as well as technician performance. The observed heterogeneity in between-subject variation in FEV1 and FVC levels disappeared when each variable was divided by height squared. Novel multiple linear regression equations for FEV1/height2 and FVC/height2 were developed to be used in evaluating the effects from occupational airborne exposures in Nordic men aged 30-46 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Association of years of occupational quartz exposure with spirometric airflow limitation in Norwegian men aged 30-46 years.

BACKGROUND: The association between occupational quartz exposure and ventilatory function was investigated in men in a general population after adjusting for other potential determinants of outcome. METHODS: All eligible men aged 30-46 years living in western Norway (n = 45,380) were invited to a cross sectional community survey. This included a self administered questionnaire (with respiratory symptoms, smoking habits and occupational exposures), spirometric recordings (using dry wedge below spirometers), and a chest radiograph (65% attendance). Measurements of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were obtained in 91% (n = 26,803) of those who participated, 26,106 of whom performed successful spirometric tests and had normal chest radiographs and remained for further analysis. Age, body mass index, and technician standardised residuals ((observed minus predicted value)/residual standard error) of maximum FEV1/height2 and FVC/height2 were used as outcome variables for adjusted lung function levels, respectively. RESULTS: Occupational quartz exposure was reported by 13% (n = 3445) of those who participated in the survey, with a mean duration of seven years. Among those exposed to quartz, significant inverse linear relationships were observed between years of exposure and FEV1 level and the ratio of FEV1/FVC, independent of host characteristics. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the difference in FEV1 associated with each year of quartz exposure was -4.3 ml (95% CI -1.1 to -7.5 ml; p = 0.01) compared with -6.9 ml (95% CI -4.7 to -9.1 ml; p < 0.01) from smoking 20 cigarettes/day for one year after adjusting for age, atopy, asthma, wheezing, marital status, and other occupational exposures. CONCLUSION: In men aged 30-46 years with occupational quartz exposure and normal chest radiographs the duration of occupational quartz exposure was an independent predictor for spirometric airflow limitation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Applicability of the single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity in a Norwegian Community Study.

The test of single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) has been widely used in population surveys. However, little is known about the effect of meeting or failing to meet the criteria for acceptability of this test. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) recommends a breathholding time of 9 to 11 s, two measurements within +/- 10% or 3 ml CO(STPD)/min/mm Hg of the average DLCO, and an inspiratory vital capacity (IVC) of at least 90% of the largest previously measured forced vital capacity (FVC) as criteria for this test. The objective of the present study was to examine the extent to which these criteria were met in a community study. To do this, a random sample of 3,740 persons, aged 15 to 70 yr, of the general population of the city of Bergen and 11 surrounding municipalities on the southwest coast of Norway were enrolled in a two-phase cross-sectional study. In the second phase, a stratified sample (n = 1,512) of the respondents to the postal questionnaire used for recruitment for the study (n = 3,370) were invited to a clinical and respiratory physiologic examination that included the DLCO test. The attendance rate was 84% (1,275 of 1,512). In the examination, all subjects were able to maintain a breathholding time of 9 to 11 s, and 98% had two DLCO values within +/- 10% or 3 ml CO(STPD)/min/mm Hg of the average DLCO. The criterion of an IVC of at least 90% of FVC in the two tests was met by 68% of the subjects. Younger age was an independent predictor of failure to meet the required criteria. Thus, only two-thirds of the participants fulfilled all of the ATS criteria for the DLCO test, the main reason for failure being an IVC of less than 90% FVC. This should not necessarily lead to the exclusion from further analysis of those failing to meet this criterion.

Adolescent↗