210 research outputs found
Mellemørebetændelse
No full textInfectious middle ear disease By Niels Lynnerup, Morten Qvist and Preben Homøe
Evaluation of general health is important in order to reconstruct the life conditions of earlier populations. This is usually done by analysing the skeletal remains of such populations. However, only few diseases leave their mark on the skeletons – indeed the most widespread and common diseases, such as pneumonia and gastrointestinal infections, which probably also accounted for the vast majority of deaths, do not leave any signs at all on the skeleton. Chronic conditions, on the other hand, such as tuberculosis and leprosy, do leave their mark, but the picture one gains by focusing on these diseases says more about the hardiness of a population (namely that individuals endured a lifelong disease) than about the general health. Palaeopathologists have sought for such markers, e.g. osteoporosis, Harris’ lines, dental enamel hypoplasia and porotic hyperostosis, but many of these methods either suffer from biased scoring methods, or the link to modern medical clinical observations is tenuous. We present a new method to evaluate general living conditions in earlier populations. Our method relates to the occurrence of chronic middle ear disease in childhood, and we think it has several advantages: correspondence between chronic infectious middle ear disease (IMED) and general living conditions is affirmed in modern medical epidemiological observations, the bone changes brought about by IMED occur in childhood, and the skeletal element used to evaluate the occurrence of IMED is the petrous part of the temporal bone in the skull, one of the sturdiest bones in the skeleton. We applied this method to three medieval skeletal materials from Nordby, an early medieval rural parish churchyard (function period approximately AD 1050-1250), Tirup, also a country parish churchyard, but from the later medieval period (function period approximately AD 1150-1350), and finally a monastic churchyard, used as parish churchyard for the citizens of Aalborg, one of the larger cities of medieval Denmark (function period approximately AD 1240-1530). The intact skulls from these churchyards were X-rayed from each side, and the area of the so-called pneumatic cells in the occipital bone was measured. From earlier studies we have proved the relationship between cell size as seen on X-ray photographs and occurrence of IMED earlier in life. Also, this relationship has been expressed mathematically, so that the left and right side cell area size may denote the risk of the individual having had or not having had IMED in childhood. The results showed that there was a pronounced rise in the frequency of IMED from the early to later medieval period. This seems to reflect the well-known agrarian crisis between the early and later medieval period: probably mainly due to land overuse and climatic changes, the population levels fell, and, as observed at Tirup, childhood mortality rose. Also, at this point in time, plague hit Denmark, further stressing population health. Our results also showed that the highest frequency was found in Aalborg, which may be explained by increased pathogen load in a more densely populated urban centre
Pneumatization of the temporal bones and otitis media in ancient and modern Greenlanders
No full textOtitis media occurs frequently among modern Greenlanders. However, knowledge of the epidemiology of this disease before the twentieth century is scanty. Information on diseases in the past may give us a better understanding of the health of historical populations. This study presents a new unbiased method for estimating the incidence of infectious middle ear disease (IMED) in childhood. The method is based on the relationship between IMED in childhood and morphological evidence present in the human temporal bones - i.e. small or asymmetrical pneumatized cell areas.
In a standardized X-ray projection, we examined 434 pneumatized cell areas in temporal bones from 34 living adult modern Greenlanders, 56 historical adult Greenland Eskimo crania from the period after the European colonization of Greenland in 1721 AD, and 127 prehistoric adult Greenland Eskimo crania from the period before the colonization. The resulting X-rays of the crania were of high quality and the relationship between IMED in childhood and small or asymmetrical pneumatized cell areas was confirmed in the modern Greenlanders. On this basis a polychotomous logistic regression model was applied to the pneumatized cell areas of the three groups of material. The model allowed for the interdependence of the ears and specified probabilities of having IMED in the right ear, left ear, both ears or of being healthy in both ears.
The frequency of IMED as indicated by the model was 8/34 (23 .5%) in modern Greenlanders, 10/56 (17.9%) in historical Eskimo crania and 6/127 (4.7%) in prehistoric Eskimo crania (p < 0.002). The mean area also differed significantly, as it was smallest in modern Greenlanders. The results thus indicated a change in the frequency of IMED and a decrease in area from historical to present-day Greenland in subjects who survived to adulthood. The change seemed closely related to the European colonization of Greenland. As IMED is closely related to upper respiratory tract infections and to poverty, the method seems well suited for evaluating general health in past societies
Risk factors for and consequences of inadequate surgical margins in oral squamous cell carcinoma
No full textOBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine which factors are associated with inadequate surgical margins and to assess the postoperative consequences.STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort of 110 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma treated with surgery during a 2-year period was examined. Clinical, histopathologic, and operative variables were related to the surgical margin status. Furthermore postoperative treatment data were compared with margin status.RESULTS: Univariate statistically significant associations were found between the tumor site in the floor of mouth, more advanced T-stage, increasing tumor thickness, and inadequate margins. Of the patients with involved margins, 87% were treated with postoperative radiotherapy or re-resection, but among patients with close margins, only 35% received either radiotherapy or re-resection.CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and histopathologic factors were associated with the inadequate margin. Postoperative treatment for patients with close margins is controversial, and more studies are needed to define clear guidelines.</p
Epidemiology of Otitis Media throughout 600 years in Greenland
No full textEpidemiology, otitis media, Greenlan
The relation of biofilms to chronic otitis media and other ear related chronic infections
No full textThe Relation of Biofilms to Chronic Otitis Media and Other Ear-Related Chronic Infections
No full textFabler og Fortaellinger
No full textThis single paperback volume contains both La Fontaine's fables and his Contes. The latter may predominate in more ways than one. Somewhat lascivious drawings on both covers offer that suggestion. I do, however, recognize a number of fables by their lively illustrations. They include The Wife of the Drunken Husband (19); The Angler with the Little Fish (35); The Man Who Was Said to Have Laid an Egg (73); Two Asses (81); The Man With Two Mistresses (93); The Bat and the Weasels (137); The Lion in Love (147); The Elephant and the Monkey (161); and The Crow and the Ram (189). The book has 190 pages, with a T of C at the back. All is told in verse here. The art may be true to La Fontaine's Contes in that its emphasis seems to be on various degrees of undress. Those Scandinavians!Language note: DanishJean de La Fontaine; Udvalgte og Oversatte af Mogens Da
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