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Sensorineural hearing loss in a Scandinavian old English sheepdog. A case report.

Inner ear disease is extremely rare in the old English sheepdog. The present case would constitute the second known case in Scandinavia and the first one observed in Norway. The morphological investigation revealed complete degeneration of the organ of Corti. A single layer of cells was covering the anatomical location of the stria vascularis. The dog did not show clinical signs of vestibular dysfunction. Hair cells were present in the cristae ampullares and macula utriculi. The histopathological features support a genetic basis for the sensorineural hearing loss, though other (rare) causes of exogenically induced inner ear degeneration cannot be completely excluded on the morphological findings alone. The brain revealed signs of chronic meningitis.

Animals↗

Yersinia enterocolitica and Y. enterocolitica-like bacteria isolated from healthy humans in Norway.

Faeces samples from a total of 397 presumably healthy students in Norway were collected during April to September, 1979. Twenty strains of Y. enterocolitica and Y. enterocolitica-like bacteria were isolated from 10 (3%) of these students. Six students harboured 2-4 antigenically distinct strains. Of the total of 20 strains, 14 were typical Y. enterocolitica isolates, representing five different serogroups (4, 5, 6, 7-8, 13-7 and non-agglutinable). The remaining six strains were tentatively designated "y. enterocolitica-like bacteria". They showed atypical reactions with respect to one or more of the following characters: fermentation of rhamnose, sucrose, cellobiose and sorbose. The strains recovered from healthy humans in this work were similar to strains previously isolated from wild-living mammals, fish and water in Scandinavia. Nine strains produced enterotoxin at 22 degrees C but not at 37 degrees C.

Adolescent↗

Single-strain regression analysis for quality control of cephalothin-susceptibility testing and determination of interpretive breakpoints.

Histogram analysis of inhibition zone diameters around the 30 micrograms cephalothin disk for E. coli, P. mirabilis, and K. pneumoniae in samples from 1975 to 1982 showed a marked reproducibility of the disk-diffusion antibiotic-susceptibility test in the routine laboratory. A comparison of interpretive breakpoints with histograms for E. coli, P. mirabilis, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and S. faecalis showed a higher proportion of possible misinterpretations using the breakpoints of the Swedish Reference Group, SRG, as compared to international (NCCLS) breakpoints. Further analysis using single-strain regression analysis revealed two major causes of interpretive errors. Firstly, the laboratory-related regression line for a bacterial species can be different from the general regression line of the reference laboratory. This difference has to be corrected by using species-related breakpoints. For E. coli, a species-specific breakpoint was determined to R = greater than 13 mm. Secondly, MIC limits recommended for the susceptibility categories of cephalothin by SRG are lower than the international limits and close to the true MIC values of many bacterial isolates, leading to misinterpretations due to the methodological variation. These studies suggest an adoption of international MIC limits for the susceptibility categories of cephalothin in Scandinavia. The "I" category should denote an indeterminate zone. A multi-laboratory quality control assessment using histogram analysis is recommended with optional single-strain regression analysis to determine breakpoints for problem combinations of bacterial species and antibiotics.

Bacteria↗

Chlamydia trachomatis: in vitro susceptibility to antibiotics singly and in combination.

Decreased susceptibility in vitro to erythromycin has been demonstrated for few C. trachomatis isolates outside Scandinavia, making local susceptibility-screening indicated. Eleven recent isolates of C. trachomatis found in a Danish hospital have been examined for susceptibility, expressed as minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to antibacterial agents commonly used in genito-urinary infections. Full susceptibility to doxycycline and erythromycin was demonstrated. Clindamycin and ampicillin showed moderate activity, and sulfamethizole had a MIC value in the border area of what is needed for therapeutic effect in non-urinary infections. C. trachomatis, being a major pathogen in pelvic inflammatory disease, makes combination chemotherapy desirable in order to protect against resistance development, to obtain synergistic effect and to ensure effect in infections of mixed etiology - provided antagonism could not be anticipated. In three checkerboard trials, with the combinations doxycycline plus ampicillin, erythromycin plus sulfamethizole and ampicillin plus sulfamethizole, using MIC as end-point, neither synergism nor antagonism could be demonstrated in the concentration range from 1/8 to 4 times the MIC values of each drug.

Ampicillin↗

Disseminated histoplasmosis in a badger (Meles meles) in Denmark.

We report the first case of disseminated histoplasmosis in an animal in Scandinavia. Yeast cells compatible with those of Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum were found in the skin, liver, spleen, a kidney, and a lymph node of a wild badger (Meles meles). The diagnosis was confirmed by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence staining of the yeast cells in tissue sections.

Animals↗

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous tumor of low malignant potential: histogenetic aspects and review of the literature.

We report an unusual mucinous tumor of low malignant potential, of ovarian-like type, arising in the retroperitoneum of an otherwise healthy 33-year-old woman. This is the fifth described case of such a tumor in the world literature, and the first reported in Scandinavia or Europe. We also discuss aspects of the histogenesis of this type of tumor and review the available literature. The histological heterogeneity and metastatic potential of the tumor warrant careful histopathologic analysis and follow-up of patients presenting with such lesions.

Adult↗

Migratory Prostitution with Emphasis on Europe.

In many European countries, foreigners constitute the majority of certain groups of prostitutes, e.g., approximately 90% of the window prostitutes in the red light district of Amsterdam are not native to the Netherlands. The same is true for prostitutes working in bars in Vienna. In cities where registered prostitution is legal, unregistered prostitutes, most of whom are foreigners, often outnumber the registered ones. Central European countries often receive "sex workers" from eastern Europe, e.g., from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, whereas the majority of migratory prostitutes in Great Britain and continental western Europe come from Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. In northern Europe, women from Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and the Baltic states are prostituting themselves in increasing numbers. Scandinavia has so far been affected relatively less by this mobility. In Spain, France, and Italy, women from Arabic and subSaharan countries are common among prostitutes. Foreign prostitutes move into Turkey along two main routes: women from the Balkan countries come to the western part of the country, whereas those from the former Soviet Union cross the border from Georgia, where they usually operate at resorts along the eastern Black Sea coast. Prostitutes are also mobile within the former communist bloc. For instance, women from Russia prostitute themselves in Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. the customers are locals, particularly those with "hard currency", such as businessmen and "sex tourists" from the West. Following the outbreak of civil war in the former Yugoslavia, women from that country are now more frequently seen among the population of migratory prostitutes in Europe.

Journal Article↗

HLA five-locus haplotypes in Finns.

The extreme polymorphism of HLA genes makes them a powerful tool for distinguishing between different genetic populations. Five-locus HLA haplotypes of Finns (from Oulu, Northern Finland) are described here in order to characterize further the migration pathways of the population to Finland after the Ice Age. From random families, 364 haplotypes were obtained. The most frequent Finnish haplotype A3,Cw4,B35,DR1,DQ1 (7.7%) is a Caucasoid ancestral haplotype and is shared with Italians of Celtic and non-Celtic origin. The haplotype A1,Cw7,B8,DR3,DQ2, which occurs in 4.7% of Finns, is the most frequent haplotype in Caucasoids. The haplotypes A3,Cw7,B7,DR2,DQ1 (3.6%) and A2,Cw7,B7,DR2,DQ1 (2.5%) are shared with several Caucasoid populations and the latter also with Jamaican blacks. A2,Cw5,B44,DR5,DQ3 (0.8%) is shared with Italians of Celtic and non-Celtic origin, A2,Cw6,B13,DR7,DQ2 (1.1%) with Caucasoids in the USA and A9,Cw4,B35,DR1,DQ1 (0.8%) with Mongoloids. The haplotypes A2,CW3,B62,DR4,DQ3 (3.0%), A2,Cw2,B27,DR8,DQ4 (1.7%), A2,Cw3,B62,DR6,DQ1 (1.4%) and A2,Cw1,B27,DR4,DQ3 (1.4%) were also found to be among the most frequent in the Finnish population. The most frequent HLA haplotypes are consistent with the postulated ancient migration of populations from southern Scandinavia and Germany to Finland, the most frequent haplotype suggesting a common Celtic origin and one less frequent haplotype suggesting an influence from the east.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Health monitoring and conservation of wildlife in Sweden and Northern Europe.

Monitoring of wildlife diseases started in Scandinavia as sporadic postmortem examinations in the early 20th century. In 1945 a monitoring program for wildlife health was initiated. The program is today an integrated part of the National Environmental Monitoring programs in Sweden. The total material today comprises more than 80000 recorded investigations. There are similar programs in Denmark, Finland, and Norway, but no comparable program exists in other Northern European countries. The program has led to discoveries of new diseases in many mammals and birds, and demonstration of several environmental pollutants, such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, in wildlife. The success of the program is due to several factors such as: a rich wildlife with economically important game species; location of the program at the National Veterinary Institute with excellent facilities and competent staff, good cooperation with hunter and conservation organizations, stable financial support, a cool climate, and a successful relationship with media. Current work also includes more focused investigations on different specific pathogens and pollutants, as well as investigations in single animal species.

Animal Diseases↗

Evaluation of a dental public health program for old-age pensioners in Denmark.

A high priority is given to improvements in the oral health of the elderly in Scandinavia. In 1987 a Danish municipality established a dental public health care program for old-age pensioners. All 67-year-old citizens were offered school-based preventive and curative care using guidelines and principles established by the Danish Municipal Dental Service for children. Care was provided free of charge. Citizens not wishing to obtain care through the public system could do so from private dental practitioners. Reimbursement for care obtained from the private system was provided by the National Health Insurance and the municipality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of the program after three years of operation. A follow-up design was used and data were collected by interviews and clinical registrations. At baseline and follow-up 216 (71%) and 235 (77%) pensioners, respectively, were interviewed about their self-assessments of dental health, dental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Clinical data were collected only for the elderly who participated in the public program, and included 194 persons at baseline and 187 at follow-up. These data included information on tooth loss, dental caries, periodontal health, and presence and function of removable dentures. At the follow-up, 86 percent of all respondents had regular dental visits of at least once a year compared to 46 percent at baseline; 75 percent participated in the public program and 11 percent obtained care from private practitioners. At the end of the intervention period, fewer elderly reported symptoms of poor oral health or impaired function of dentures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

Fluoride varnish: a useful new tool for public health dentistry.

Since first shown to be effective by Bibby in 1942, professionally applied topical fluorides have been used successfully as a caries-preventive intervention. In the United States, the acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gels have been the most widely used agent for over two decades. While effective, APF has several practical disadvantages, including unpleasant taste and the risk of fluoride overingestion. The use of APF on infants and very young children is not practical or safe. Recently, fluoride varnish has become available in the United States. It has been used widely in Europe and Scandinavia for 25 years. Its effectiveness and safety are documented in over 50 clinical trials. Fluoride varnish is easy to apply, is well accepted by children, and eliminates the risk of overingestion of fluoride. Fluoride varnish is approved by the FDA as a "device" and must be used "off label" for the prevention of caries. Because of the large body of published data documenting its effectiveness and safety, there is no legal risk in using fluoride varnish off label. In fact, the American Dental Association has granted its seal of approval to Duraphat, one of the varnish products. Varnish offers considerable advantages in the dental public health setting. Of particular note, it is practical and safe to apply to the teeth of infants and very young children.

Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride↗

Congenital stationary night blindness.

Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) seems to be a very rare condition in Scandinavia. From Denmark a 7-generation family with the dominant form was published in 1909, and one family with the X-linked recessive form was reported from Norway. On going through the files of the National Eye Clinic for Visually Impaired, 7 patients were found (1 dominant, 4 X-linked recessive, 1 simplex case and 1 autosomal recessive). Including anamnestic information on relatives, 17 patients had a diagnosis of CSNB. The clinical findings in these cases are reported with stress on alteration in ERG, dark adaptation and the optic discs. The loss of oscillatory potentials in a carrier of CSNB is described. The provisional findings seem to indicate that 3 genetic variants are present in the Danish population. The real prevalence is estimated considerably higher than 17 out of 5 million.

Adolescent↗

Acanthamoeba keratitis, clinico-pathological report of 2 cases.

Acanthamoebae have in the last 14 years been reported to be responsible for severe keratitis in an increasing number of cases. To our knowledge this is the first report of acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) in Scandinavia. Two young males, both wearing soft contact lenses for extended wear, developed long lasting, therapy resistant keratitis. As the keratitis progressed to risk of perforation, keratoplasty was performed on the clinical, and in the one case biopsy-proven diagnosis of AK. Histopathology on the removed discs demonstrated the presence of typical acanthamoebae in the corneal stroma. The observation period after keratoplasty is at present 5 and 20 months, respectively. Both grafts have remained clear and visual acuity is 6/9-6/12 with glasses.

Acanthamoeba↗

Chairside evaluation of salivary parameters in patients with tooth surface loss: a pilot study.

In cases of tooth surface loss, the possibility of an erosive component should be considered, even when the lesions have the characteristic clinical appearance of abrasion or attrition. Individual susceptibility or resistance to erosive damage has been attributed to variations in the quality of saliva. Two recent studies have indicated that rate of flow of saliva and buffer capacity may be important determinants in erosion susceptibility. These parameters may be readily assessed using the chairside kits developed in Scandinavia for assessing caries susceptibility. In eight consecutive patients referred to the University of Queensland Dental School for investigation of tooth surface loss, six had no measurable quantities of resting whole saliva, four had low values for stimulated saliva flow rates, and only two patients had buffer capacities within the normal range. The results indicate the need for a larger scale study of salivary parameters in this patient group. The chairside kits provide a simple, rapid, hygienic means of assessing salivary values.

Adolescent↗

Nutrition in dental education: a European perspective.

Previous studies have highlighted the diversity of levels of nutrition teaching in European Dental Schools, ranging from extensive courses in Scandinavia and the Netherlands to little or none in some other countries. A current survey has shown that whilst on average there has been a small increase in nutrition teaching since 1989, the profile over all is unchanged. The major exception however, is the UK, where nutrition teaching has improved substantially since the introduction of the extended preclinical curriculum in 1990. Despite improved living standards and better nutrition in much of Europe, nutrition is still an essential component of the dental curriculum. New problems such as erosion and obesity have arisen as a result of a diet of affluence and modern lifestyles. European Union guidelines on nutrition teaching would be helpful.

Curriculum↗

Recolonizing carnivores and naïve prey: conservation lessons from Pleistocene extinctions.

The current extinction of many of Earth's large terrestrial carnivores has left some extant prey species lacking knowledge about contemporary predators, a situation roughly parallel to that 10,000 to 50,000 years ago, when naive animals first encountered colonizing human hunters. Along present-day carnivore recolonization fronts, brown (also called grizzly) bears killed predator-naive adult moose at disproportionately high rates in Scandinavia, and moose mothers who lost juveniles to recolonizing wolves in North America's Yellowstone region developed hypersensitivity to wolf howls. Although prey that had been unfamiliar with dangerous predators for as few as 50 to 130 years were highly vulnerable to initial encounters, behavioral adjustments to reduce predation transpired within a single generation. The fact that at least one prey species quickly learns to be wary of restored carnivores should negate fears about localized prey extinction.

Alaska↗

Rapid advance of spring arrival dates in long-distance migratory birds.

Several bird species have advanced the timing of their spring migration in response to recent climate change. European short-distance migrants, wintering in temperate areas, have been assumed to be more affected by change in the European climate than long-distance migrants wintering in the tropics. However, we show that long-distance migrants have advanced their spring arrival in Scandinavia more than short-distance migrants. By analyzing a long-term data set from southern Italy, we show that long-distance migrants also pass through the Mediterranean region earlier. We argue that this may reflect a climate-driven evolutionary change in the timing of spring migration.

Africa↗

Mongolian Tree Rings and 20th-Century Warming

A 450-year tree-ring width chronology of Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) growing at timberline (2450 meters) in the Tarvagatay Mountains in west central Mongolia shows wide annual growth rings for the recent century. Ecological site observations and comparisons with instrumental temperature records indicate that the ring widths of these trees are sensitive to annual temperature variations. Low-frequency variations in the Tarvagatay tree-ring record are similar to those in a reconstruction of Arctic annual temperatures, which is based on 20 tree-ring width series from northern North America, Scandinavia, and western Russia. The results indicate that recent warming is unusual relative to temperatures of the past 450 years.

Journal Article↗