| 1. |
- Caous, Josefin Seth, 1982, et al.
(författare)
-
Instrument tables equipped with local unidirectional airflow units reduce bacterial contamination during orthopedic implant surgery in an operating room with a displacement ventilation system
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Infection Prevention in Practice. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 2590-0889. ; 4:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Airborne bacteria present in the operating room may be a cause of surgical site infection, either contaminating the surgical wound directly, or indirectly via e.g. surgical instruments. The aim of this study was to evaluate if instrument and assistant tables equipped with local unidirectional airflow reduce bacterial contamination of the instrument area to ultra clean levels, during orthopedic implant surgery in an operating room with displacement ventilation. Methods: Local airflow units of instrument and assistant tables were either active or inactive. Colony forming units were sampled intraoperatively from the air above the instruments and from instrument dummies. A minimum of three air samples and two-three samples from instrument dummies were taken during each surgery. Samples were incubated on agar for total aerobic bacterial count. The mean air and instrument contamination during each surgery was calculated and used to analyze the difference in contamination depending on use of local airflow or not. All procedures were performed in the same OR. Results: 188 air and 124 instrument samples were collected during 48 orthopedic implant procedures. Analysis showed that local unidirectional airflow above the surgical instruments significantly reduced the bacterial count in the air above assistant table (P<0.001) and instrument table (P=0.002), as well as on the instrument dummies from the assistant table (P=0.001). Conclusions: Instrumentation tables equipped with local unidirectional airflow protect the surgical instruments from bacterial contamination during orthopedic implant surgery and may therefore reduce the risk of indirect wound contamination. © 2022 The Authors
|
|
| 2. |
- Hansson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
-
An ecological study of chronic kidney disease in five Mesoamerican countries : associations with crop and heat
- 2021
-
Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2458. ; 21:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Mesoamerica is severely affected by an epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease of non-traditional origin (CKDnt), an epidemic with a marked variation within countries. We sought to describe the spatial distribution of CKDnt in Mesoamerica and examine area-level crop and climate risk factors.METHODS: CKD mortality or hospital admissions data was available for five countries: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica and linked to demographic, crop and climate data. Maps were developed using Bayesian spatial regression models. Regression models were used to analyze the association between area-level CKD burden and heat and cultivation of four crops: sugarcane, banana, rice and coffee.RESULTS: There are regions within each of the five countries with elevated CKD burden. Municipalities in hot areas and much sugarcane cultivation had higher CKD burden, both compared to equally hot municipalities with lower intensity of sugarcane cultivation and to less hot areas with equally intense sugarcane cultivation, but associations with other crops at different intensity and heat levels were not consistent across countries.CONCLUSION: Mapping routinely collected, already available data could be a first step to identify areas with high CKD burden. The finding of higher CKD burden in hot regions with intense sugarcane cultivation which was repeated in all five countries agree with individual-level studies identifying heavy physical labor in heat as a key CKDnt risk factor. In contrast, no associations between CKD burden and other crops were observed.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ahmed, Syed Masud, et al.
(författare)
-
Targeted intervention for the ultra poor in rural Bangladesh: Does it make any difference in their health-seeking behaviour?
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Social Science & Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-9536. ; 63:11, s. 2899-2911
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is now well recognised that regular microcredit intervention is not enough to effectively reach the ultra poor in rural Bangladesh, in fact it actively excludes them for structural reasons. A grants-based integrated intervention was developed (with health inputs to mitigate the income-erosion effect of illness) to examine whether such a targeted intervention could change the health-seeking behaviour of the ultra-poor towards greater use of health services and "formal allopathic" providers during illness, besides improving their poverty status and capacity for health expenditure. The study was carried out in three northern districts of Bangladesh with high density of ultra poor households, using a pre-test/post-test control group design. A pre-intervention baseline (2189 interventions and 2134 controls) survey was undertaken in 2002 followed by an intervention (of 18 months duration) and a post-intervention follow-up survey of the same households in 2004. Structured interviews were conducted to elicit information on health-seeking behaviour of household members. Findings reveal an overall change in health-seeking behaviour in the study population, but the intervention reduced self-care by 7 percentage units and increased formal allopathic care by 9 percentage units. The intervention increased the proportion of non-deficit households by 43 percentage units, as well as the capacity to spend more than Tk. 25 for treatment of illness during the reference period by 11 percentage units. Higher health expenditure and time (pre- to -post-intervention period) was associated with increased use of health care from formal allopathic providers. However, gender differences in health-seeking and health-expenditure disfavouring women were also noted. The programmatic implications of these findings are discussed in the context of improving the ability of health systems to reach the ultra poor.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bergman, Eva, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
-
Relative growth estimated from self-administered symphysis fundal measurements
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 90:2, s. 179-185
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To establish absolute-and relative-growth reference curves for the detection of intrauterine growth restriction from weekly self-administered symphysis-fundus (SF) measurements and to assess the influence of fetal sex, maternal obesity and parity. Design. Prospective longitudinal study. Setting. Pregnant women from six primary antenatal care centres. Population. Three hundred women with singleton ultrasound dated pregnancies. Methods. Weekly self-administered SF measurements from gestational week 25 until delivery were obtained. A linear mixed longitudinal model was used to estimate the absolute SF growth using the natural logarithm (lnSF). Relative lnSF growth was calculated as the lnSF measurement in one gestational week subtracted by the lnSF measurement in the previous gestational week. The influence of fetal sex, maternal obesity and parity was assessed in regression models and by a graphical display. Main Outcome Measures. Absolute lnSF and relative lnSF growth curves and influence of fetal sex, maternal obesity and parity on these. Results. SF measurements from 191 women were used to establish an SF-growth reference. The absolute lnSF growth was influenced by maternal obesity, and for fetal sex and parity, borderline significance was recorded; while there was no evidence that the relative lnSF growth could depend on these variables. Conclusions. Weekly self-administered SF measurements can be obtained and used to estimate SF growth. Relative growth of the lnSF height seems to be independent of fetal sex, maternal obesity and parity.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bergman, Eva, et al.
(författare)
-
Self-administered measurement of symphysis-fundus heights
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 86:6, s. 671-677
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Antenatal identification of infants small for gestational age (SGA) improves their perinatal outcome. Repeated measurements of the symphysis-fundus (SF) heights performed by midwives is the most widespread screening method for detection of SGA. However the insufficiency of this method necessitates improved practices. Earlier start and more frequent SF measurements, which could be acomplished by self-administered measurements, might improve the ability to detect deviant growth. The present study was set up to evaluate wether pregnant wome can reliable perform SF measurements by themself. Method. Forty healthy women with singelton and ultrasound-dated pregancies from 2 antenatal clinics in Uppsala, Sweden, were asked to perform 4 consecutive SF measureemnts once a week, from 20 to 25 weeks of gestation until delivery. The self-administered SF measurements were recorded and systematically compared with midwives' SF measurements. Results. Thirty-three pregnant women performed self-administered SF measurements over a 14-week period (range 1-21). The SF curves constructed from self-admiinistered SF measurements had the same shape as previously constructed population-based reference curves. The variance for self-admiinistered SF measurements was higher than that of the midwives. Conclusions. Pregnant women are capable of measuring SF heights by themselves, but with a higher individual variance than midwives. Repeated measurements at each occasion can compensate for the higher variance. The main advantage of self-administered SF measurements is the opportunity to follow fetal growth earlier and more frequently.
|
|
| 6. |
- Bergman, Eva, et al.
(författare)
-
Symphysis-fundus measurements for detection of small for gestational age pregnancies
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 85:4, s. 407-412
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. In Sweden measurements of the symphysis-fundus (SF) distance are used to detect small for gestational age (SGA) pregnancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of Swedish ultrasound-based SF reference curves in detecting SGA pregnancies. Methods. To assess the sensitivity for detection of SGA pregnancies we performed a case-control study. Through the Swedish Medical Birth Register we identified all singleton SGA infants born in Uppsala in 1993-1997 and randomly recruited non-SGA singleton infants as controls. We included 169 term and 73 preterm SGA cases and 296 controls, all born at term. The reference curves constructed by Steingrimsdottir (S curve) and Kieler (K curve) were evaluated. Gestational age at the first alarm in the preterm SGA group was recorded. Results. In term pregnancies the S curve showed a sensitivity of 32% and specificity of 90% at a cut-off of -2 SDs. The corresponding values for the K curve were 51% and 83%, respectively. In preterm SGA pregnancies the sensitivity of the S curve was 49% and of the K curve 58%. The first alarm below 2 SDs was noted before 32 weeks in 37% with the S curve and 43% with the K curve for preterm SGA pregnancies. Conclusions. Both tested Swedish SF reference curves had low sensitivities for term SGA pregnancies. Sensitivity was higher for the preterm group and SF measurements seem to be better for detecting the most severe cases of SGA.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Bjurman, Christian, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
High-sensitive cardiac troponin, NT-proBNP, hFABP and copeptin levels in relation to glomerular filtration rates and a medical record of cardiovascular disease
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Clinical Biochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-9120 .- 1873-2933. ; 48:4-5, s. 302-307
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Elevation of cardiac markers in patients with renal dysfunction has not been fully assessed reducing the diagnostic usefulness of these biomarkers. Objective: To examine the effects of renal function and a medical record of cardiovascular disease on levels of cardiac biomarkers. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 489 patients referred for GFR measurement using Cr51-EDTA or iohexol plasma clearance (measured GFR). The cardiac biomaiters Troponin T (hs-cTnT), Troponin I (hsTnI), N-Terminal pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NTproBNP), Copeptin, Human Fatty Acid Binding Protein (hFABP), as well as the kidney function biomarkers creatinine and cystatin C, were measured. Regression was used to analyse the relationship between biomarker levels and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) between 15 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Results: Compared with normal kidney function, the estimated increases in the studied cardiac biomarkers at a CUR of 15 mL/mM/1.73 m(2) varied from 2-fold to 15 fold but were not very different between patients with or without a medical record of cardiovascular disease and were most prominent for cardiac biomarkers with low molecular weight. hs-cTnT levels correlated more strongly to measured CUR and increased more at low CUR compared to hs-cTnI. For hFABP and NT-proBNP increases at low kidney function were more correctly predicted by a local Cystatin C-based eGFR formula compared with creatinine-based eGFR (using the MDRD or CKD-EPI equations) Conclusion: The extent of the elevation of cardiac markers at low renal function is highly variable. For hFABP and NTproBNP Cystatin C-based eGFR provides better predictions of the extent of elevation compared to the MDRD or CKD-EPI equations. (C) 2015 The Authors. The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd,40/).
|
|
| 9. |
- Muus, Ingrid, et al.
(författare)
-
Health-related quality of life among Danish patients 3 and 12 months after TIA or mild stroke
- 2010
-
Ingår i: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF CARING SCIENCES. - 0283-9318. ; 24:2, s. 211-218
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: This paper aimed to describe health related quality of life three and 12 months after mild stroke or transient ischemic attack, TIA, to describe the perceived changes from pre to post stroke status and to examine sociodemographic determinants for health related quality of life. Methods: 105 patients with mild stroke or TIA delivered self reported data on health related quality of life using the Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale Danish Version, SSQOL-DK. The main outcome was perceived change in over all quality of life from pre to post stroke status. Non-parametric tests were used to examine change over time and differences between groupings of gender, age and life conditions. Logistic regression was used to model the change of all over quality of life changed at 12 months compared to pre stroke status. Results: Fifty seven percent (57%) of the patients felt that their pre stroke status concerning quality of life was regained. Those that rated all over quality of life deteriorated 12 months post stroke were more often working (48.9% vs. 31.7%), fewer had a diagnosis of TIA (13.3% vs. 30%), functional level was lower and the consumption of antidepressive medication was more frequent. In the regression model male sex (OR 3.77), working outside home (OR 2.84) and less than 5.00 (maximum score) on the domains Mood and Work/productivity at three months were significant predictors for rating health related quality of life deteriorated after stroke. Conclusion: Rehabilitation efforts should include employment alternatives of a less demanding nature for male patients.
|
|
| 10. |
- Petzold, Max, 1973
(författare)
-
A comprative study of some approaches for constructing tolerance limits
- 2000
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In a dose finding study the aim is to come up with a safe and efficient drug administration. By comparing the obtained tolerance limits with predetermined desired concentration limits, i.e. the therapeutic window, one may be able to adjust the drug dosage. For drugs with a therapeutic window situated at high concentrations close to toxic levels, one has to balance between attaining a high proportion of the population at efficient high levels on one hand and the risks of an overdose on the other hand. In such cases it is important to use the proper estimation approach for the upper tolerance limit. Here a conservative estimation approach intended for a drug with potentially adverse side effects with minor overdoses is compared with an approach intended for a drug with harmless side effects. It is shown that the conservative approach can be considerably less efficient when used in the latter case, a disadvantage that is rarely discussed when proposing conservative estimators. The properties of the two approaches are evaluated using well-known parametric and non-parametric estimators in a simulation study for small and moderate sample sizes.
|
|
